I like this advice. I’m keeping my fenders. I can fit 48s under them, and I think that’s enough. Also, I do have the breakaway tabs!
On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 4:32:34 PM UTC-4 steve...@gmail.com wrote: > A contrarian POV from a committed Fender Freak who says if you want > fenders - Go For It! > > I've been riding gravel fire roads and moderate single track in the > Southern Appalachians on bikes with aluminum fenders for several years now > and would be loath to give them up, even though they admittedly limit the > size tires I can use. Yes - a rock occasionally pings off of them BUT there > are no paint chips, dings or scratches on the underside of the downtube or > chain stays. An additional benefit is that the drive train stays clean, not > to mention my backside. > > A few suggestions if you are considering fenders for off pavement riding: > - Allow plenty of clearance between the rubber and the fender - at least > 10mm, more is better. I've been running 40 & 42mm knobby tires with 58mm > fenders. > - Just say no to mud flaps on the front. They're great in the rain but > you're likely to pick up more pebbles, twigs and leaves when off pavement. > - Consider plastic break away mounting hardware for the front sender > stays (see Rene Here or Portland Design Works) > - Unsurprisingly, short knobs - or slicks - play better with fenders. > - If you like to ride through deep mud and over wet red clay roads skip > the fenders and stock up on replacement chains, chain rings, rear cogs > derailleurs and bottom brackets. > > > > -- > On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 2:50:00 PM UTC-4 Ted Durant wrote: > >> On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 3:15:22 PM UTC-5 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! >> wrote: >> >> I love pavement. But I’ve been on two gravel rides in the last month and >> I rode a Platy either time and it wasn’t my favorite for that bike. But, I >> have my old 2019 52 cm Clem L, and it doesn’t have a dedicated purpose >> right now and shouldn’t that be the bike for rough and tough stuff like >> gravel? >> >> >> It will be as great for "gravel" as it is for any other surface! >> >> 1. Can I keep my VO wavy fenders on a gravel bike? >> >> >> Yes, but do you really want to? They'll limit your tire choice and >> it'll sound like you're shaking a soda (pop) can (let's please not pollute >> the thread with that discussion) full of rocks all ride long. As others >> have graphically shown, if it's muddy, you'll just pack the mudguards full >> of mud. That said, I run fenders on my Breadwinner, because most of my >> riding is on pavement and, until recently, the roads were frequently wet. >> If was planning a longer off-road ride, I'd ditch the fenders. >> >> 2. Slick or knobby? I can’t even get a straight answer on this. Which is >> better? If it matters about the rider, this will be for a rider with a >> healthy fear of crashing. >> >> >> Part of this comes down to what you mean by "gravel". Tread only starts >> to make a difference when you're in soft stuff, where the edges of the >> knobs can bite into something to provide more >> acceleration/deceleration/cornering force. When you take a turn on gravel >> you're going to have much less traction than on pavement, regardless of the >> tires. Those pesky little gravel bits are easy to shove aside, and hooking >> the edge of a knob on them just shoves them harder. >> >> >> 3. How wide? I have 42s on my bikes now and I don’t feel like they are >> wide enough. >> >> >> Again, this may be a function of what type of "gravel" you're on. For the >> crushed limestone trails of Wisconsin at reasonable speeds, 42 is plenty. >> If you get into softer, sandy trails, though, or you love to fly through >> hairpin turns, bigger is always better. I ride 48s on my Breadwinner and >> never feel like I have "too much tire" under me. Unlike knobs, wider tires >> provide a genuine cornering advantage on loose surfaces, as they spread the >> force across lots more of those pesky little gravel bits, putting less >> force on each bit. >> >> >> 4. Tubeless or no? These wheels are tubeless-compatible but I put a tube >> in them because I wasn’t riding enough to keep the sealant circulating. But >> that can be changed right quick. >> >> >> I don't think gravel vs pavement enters into that decision, unless by >> "gravel" you mean bouncing over baby heads at high speed. One of the big >> benefits is eliminating pinch flats, which generally result from hitting >> fairly large chunks of something at low pressure. But you can do that in a >> Wisconsin pot hole on pavement, too. I'm running tubeless on my >> Breadwinner, but I'm not convinced it's an improvement, especially if >> you're not riding the bike frequently. I'm careful about storing my bike, >> but I still get sealant drying in the valve stems, which makes it very hard >> to put in air. >> >> Tires: what an embarrassment of riches we have today, compared to even 10 >> years ago. The revelation for me was Kirk Pacenti's Pari-Motos, at 650x38B, >> which caused me to audibly gasp on the first downhill. Since then, Grand >> Bois, Compass/Rene Herse, Ultradynamico... all of them have pretty much the >> same thing going: super supple tires made by Panaracer in Japan. Start >> with size, then narrow it down by tread, casing strength, color, and price. >> I'm a dedicated Rene Herse tire fan. The Gravel Kings I put on my Sam #1 >> are outstanding, too. I'm looking forward to trying Ultradynamicos on my >> Sam #2. >> >> Ted Durant >> Milwaukee, WI USA >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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