Zach, I suspect you are trying to mix apples and raspberries! I have hammered honjos on my Rambouillet with 28 mm tires, and switched from fluted honjos to steel Vo's on my Ebisu with either 32s, 35s, or 38s (35 actual), and SKS on my '84 Trek 620, my wife's 83 Specialized Sequoia and our Bilenkey travel tandem. Although no contact with the SKS long board, that's a fair amount of experience, and here's what I have learned.
The Al. fenders are super light weight and work best on a rondonee or go fast, paved road bike. They are less durable than other choices and will have more problems sooner if ridden constantly over rough roads. They look great and have lasted 7 years on my Rambouillet. Steel fenders are the heaviest, but also the sturdiest. They will hold together the best under rough conditions, but, like Al. fenders they have a bead along the inside of the fender that restricts tire size (8mm) in a way that plastic fenders do not. I went through 2 pairs of Al fenders on my go everywhere Ebisu bike before switching to steel, which have held up very well. Plastic fenders work really well when when you are trying to maximize tire size or (as I do with the tandem) fit them into a suitcase. They don't rattle but they do get knocked out of alignment more easily than either Al or steel. Full length fenders, like my honjos or VO steel also create problems when you try to mount them to fork locked car racks, even the ATOK uplift. But the standard SKS with a big honking mudflap will fit. So, they are not as elegant looking but our tandem has standard SKS with a big flap that almost reaches the ground. If you are wanting to run 40 mm tires, I'm guessing you want something to ride on more than new black top. My rec. would be either steel or standard plastic with a big flap. keep the rubber side down, michael Westford Vt, where the roads are dirt and horses out number people and bikes combined. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/zMeB62o0DBwJ. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
