My experience with plastic, steel and aluminum fenders: plastic: Zefal, SKS, Planet Bike, Gnahsbar; steel: Berthoud; Aluminum: Honjo and Velo Orange.
Weight, with all hardware: Honjo, aluminuim, 559X50: 1 lb even. Berthoud stainless steel, 584X 50: 1 1/2 lb even. SKS, 559X50: 2 lb even. I have not measured my apparently high-value 700X 622X 35 LeFols on the Herse. Durability: The metals -- all of them, take your pick -- have been much more rigid than the plastics -- all of them. The aluminum Honjos were more dent resistant than the SS Berthouds, but cracked at the rear brake bridge after about 3K miles, due I think to the tension I had imposed on the rear to get a pretty curve. We'll see how long the replacement Berthoud ss ones last. BUT! I expect that good alums without pre-imposed stresses, might indeed be the sturdiest of the lot: Jan Heine, who certainly puts on the miles, seems to agree, tho' I can't find the reference -- it is the Winter, 2010 issue of BQ, I think, that has excruciatingly detailed and boring installation instructions for such fenders. So: long windup to saying: don't discount the strength of good alum fenders: properly installed they may well be the sturdiest kind available. Dunno how old the LeFols are; the Herse (at least frame + built-fer front and rear racks) dates from 1958). And, for f***-it-all abuse, I say, assert, maintain, proclaim, asseverate, project and insist that good plastic fenders -- not loser Gnashbar or other off brands, but true, genuine, red-blooded American Plant Bike and SKS (dammit! SKS *are* ***American!!!***, in value and quality if not provenance!) brands will probably stand up best to wholly egocentric, dont-give-a-flying-*u** abuse. Patrick "Berthoud Stainless 559X45; Velo Orange 622 X 35; PB 622X60; LeFol 622X32 -- and many, many, MANY others before these" Moore On Sun, Jul 3, 2011 at 5:10 PM, Michael Hechmer <[email protected]> wrote: > 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. > -- Patrick Moore Albuquerque, NM For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW [email protected] A billion stars go spinning through the night Blazing high above your head; But in you is the Presence that will be When all the stars are dead. (Rilke, Buddha in Glory) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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.
