Seriously, if you ride in wet/snow/slush, extend your front fender and be amazed by how clean your bike stays!
Seriously, if you ride in wet/snow/slush, extend your front fender and be amazed by how clean your bike stays!
This winter, I decided that I needed to do whatever I could to protect my chain, downtube, and bottom bracket from all the salt and road spray.
So, I rigged up a DIY fender extender and have been riding with it for months now.
After every ride, I do tend to wipe my chain and any parts that got sprayed, but I'm blown away by how clean the bike stays simply by having that front fender extender.
The photo shows the fender extender, held in place using duct tape (didn't want to drill holes in the fender, although, some fenders are designed so fender extenders can be put on easily). It's held like this through numerous puddles and all kinds of weather, so "it works". Make it out of a plastic file folder, which I got from Walmart for a few dollars. I can probably make another 3 out of the single file folder.
The only downside I see, which can probably be tweaked by trimming the extender to mitigate it, is that it causes more drag as it acts like a mini sail that's always working against you. LOL I'm not racing with this bike, so it's a small sacrifice for keeping it clean! I'm sure someone more crafty could come up with a design that could be easily removed, although, my setup only requires you to pull the tape off. Easy enough.
Do the same on back and be amazed how clean your back/neck/helmet stays too....it feels like whenever there is some crap on the roads/paths existing mudguards are just that little bit too short to be worth a damn
I went to a college known for large amounts of bike traffic. We called the water/mud stains on new students "The Freshman Stripe".
I have full fenders in the rear, so I never get splashed on my back/but/head.
But I am considering putting a fender extender on the rear to keep my bike trailer from getting sprayed.
The BEST use of political candidate signs I ever saw was as DIY fender extensions
They make legitimately great target practice stands for shooting as well.
haha! That's brilliant!
What are they made of? In my area they are either wood or a plastic bag with no handles stretched over a metal rod bent into a boxy U
Is this front?
I'm sure it actually (wheel tread ambigious) is as you say it is but it sure could be the rear fender.
Wish I had known this hack bike commuting in Oregon for years. Only concern I could see is getting too far from the support wire, but like you said, some one craft could probably get another one in. Big wind it could push back against the tire and rub.
Is this front?
Yes. You can see the rear wheel in the background 😉
Only concern I could see is getting too far from the support wire, but like you said, some one craft could probably get another one in. Big wind it could push back against the tire and rub.
The fender supports don't interfere with the extender on my bike. Some fender supports are designed differently, so they can be used to help fix the extender to the fender.
Wind, even riding in 40km+ headwind, has not bent this extender back. The curved shape keeps it strong. If I were to go over a curb, it will bend back before returning to its original shape. So it's designed not to break (or over stress the fender if you hit it), but also to not bend when it's not desired.
Wish I had known this hack bike commuting in Oregon for years. Only concern I could see is getting too far from the support wire, but like you said, some one craft could probably get another one in. Big wind it could push back against the tire and rub.
Yeah, I've just had cheaper/ crappier fenders get pushed back, and then the rubbery bits got pulled into the wheel.
It's the back of the front wheel, which is why it looks weird I think. Thought it was supposed to be the front of the front!
I never used fenders it was "unnecessary added weight". Now I commute every day so I put them on ... and I have to say that they are not unnecessary.
Yeah, I bought my commuter hybrid bike with fenders. People were like why do you want to ruin the look with fenders? As they have wet lower pants, and turn around and have a muddy stripe splashed up their back. The only time it became a problem was switching to winter studded tires, and snow would sometimes build up inside the fender, but they have those adjustable posts to move it up off the tire some and that did the trick.
I make mine out of a thick piece of leather which works great too.
Yeah, I'm vegan, so leather was out. I couldn't find a similar piece of rubber or silicone, so I went with something cheap and easy to get. LOL
Did you screw yours into the fender or mount it in some other way?
Wasn’t meaning to knock yours. Just throwing that option out there for others. I appreciate your post because it’s one of those things that can make a big difference in keeping people riding year round. I drill two holes about an inch apart vertically and use small bolts with washers and locking nuts. I put the leather on the inside so it takes the curve of the fender and looks nice.
Vegan to vegan: What are your thoughts on reclaimed leather, like the tongue from a broken work boot? It is going to get landfilled. So my thinking is that has less impact on our planet, than molding a new rubber or plastic flap. But small enough market where it doesn't generate demand for people selling old workboots to upgrade. Thoughts?
Bookmarking this for future reference. Good work.
I wish I could utilize a bike where I live. I can't.
Bad infrastructure or poor weather? Or both? 😵
Infrastructure mostly. The weather sucks today but I've ridden motorcycles WAY below freezing so that's not my problem. High speed two lane roads with no shoulder or bike lanes or sidewalks. Just a ditch on one side usually. A couple of rare times I've had to walk local roads I had multiple people stop and offer me a ride because it's that dangerous.
A piece of flattened bicycle tube with a small fishing weight at the bottom works great, particularly so when you need to hop off a curb the rubber simply flexes before popping back into position.
Put one or two rivets with washers into the fender at the top of the piece of rubber.
Why do they sell insufficient fenders without selling clip-on sufficiencers?
Cost, weight, aesthetics, added resistance?
Seeing how many small and detachable fenders are available, perhaps cyclists are OK with the existing coverage.
Sufficiefenders