bike chick tip #9- fenders!
these guys are oh so important especially since it is getting about that time...the rainy season! even though it rains i still will ride my bike so fenders are a must and even when it isn't raining they are important so that you don't get mud or water sprayed on your clothes...
a lot of vintage bikes come with fenders, before the 70's, when race-style bikes became popular, most bikes came standard with fenders. english 3-speed bikes always have the matching colored fenders and they look oh so cute, just like urusla! it makes these bikes look that much more adorable, only thing is that since they came with the bike they are part of the bike forever.
mary did not come with fenders, so when i started riding her more often it was necessary that i have them on. now mary is heavy and adding more weight to her means that i have to do more work... if going a longer distance or up hill you are carrying all that weight and you can run out of steam sooner then if you had something lighter...that being said we used sks cromoplast fenders. these are great super light fenders that look like metal without being heavy or paying the same price as metal fenders. they are made of very thin aluminum laminated in a sort of plastic, they screw on pretty easily so when you don't need them in the summer they aren't a hassle to take off. also these are pretty cheap, you can get a set for around $30
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| LOVE this picture of the misters bike! |
the other type of fenders are very fancy but also extremely pretty, i mean look at them SHINE! the mister has these on his bob jackson bike. these type of fenders are metal but pretty light weight so they can go on any bike but the only catch is unlike the sks fenders that mary has these are not as easy to put on. they are universal fenders but these guys don't come with holes. if you don't have a drill and a lot of patience it's best to take them to a bike shop to get holes made in them so that you can attach them on your bike but there are plenty that you can buy that are pre-drilled and come with the hardware kit....so worth it if you want to beautify your bike! check out velo-orange or honjo for metal fenders.
so go out there and get those fenders if you don't already have them...they are truly a very important buy that will last you forever and keep you riding all year long :)
xo,
cb
i like the idea of those lightweight (and affordable!) ones. excellent tip! they would definitely be a must out here.
ReplyDeletewe're mountain bike people, so we don't have any fenders. i guess if you're not planning on getting dirrrty, you probably shouldn't own a mountain bike in the PNW. :P
there are also fenders that come on and off so that you can change them when the weather does too. speaking of biking in the rain. i totally love doing it as long as i'm fully prepped to do so. perhaps a bike chip tip for riding in the rain can be brewed up?
ReplyDeleteI dont have fenders and truth be told I had no idea what they were before this very moment, but they look important so onward to get fenders. :)
ReplyDeleteAwe, your bike looks lovely, as is that first photo!
ReplyDeleteWow! Those fenders looks amazing - My mid-70's schwinn cruiser has them, and the back one scrapes the tire like crazy. It's currently ducktaped together, which gets the job done :)
ReplyDeleteI live in oregon, so thank goodness my 40s/50s bike came with fenders. cute whale skirt.
ReplyDeleteI've always preferred fenders, since I used to always ride around on the handle bars of my friends' bikes or them on mine, so it was nice to have somewhere to rest my feet haha! But they are pretty handy for the rain too now that I'm past my handlebar days! ;)
ReplyDeletegreat info again thank you. I didn't know that bikes came without fenders - again showing how long it's been since I've bought a bike :) Graet photos too xx
ReplyDeleteI don't have any fenders for my bike but after reading your article I definitely will!
ReplyDeleteBike fenders are best when you are going for a mud race or in rainy weather. It best way to protect yourself from dirt and splash.
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