A very common keyword that brings people to Commute By Bike is, fenders. Those plastic, metal or wooden sheets that wrap around your wheel or clip on to your seatpost. Protecting you and sometimes your bicycle from wet roads, grime and slush. A well installed full coverage fender will keep the rain out of your shoes. off your face and bicycle. There are also those funky fenders for those that do not want to commit to a fully installed, full coverage fender. Instead these funky fenders mount quickly on, sometimes to the frame, sometimes to the brake mount or seat post.
When cyclist talk of fenders it leaves images of hard core and dedicated bicycle riders. Within my own bike shop fenders are not installed often as many of our customers are very fair weather riders. In other cities, such as Washington D.C, a proper fender set was often part of each new bicycle sale. Fenders were worn as a badge of honor, proudly through out the year.
In a small mini-series, Commute By Bike will talk about different styles of fenders, and proper installation. In a hopes that it will encourage you to install those “yearly bike fenders.. You will find yourself riding in more weather conditions and choosing the bike more for your daily commute.
Interested in purchasing fenders? Visit our affiliate, Real Cyclist.