Review of Topeak DeFender FX Bicycle Fender

Topeak DeFender FX Bicycle Fender
By: Topeak Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 14
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I expected more from Topeak

On: 2008-09-15

I bought this fender for my Specialized Expedition Sport comfort bike to keep mud and water off of the frame during my commutes to work on paved and dirt roads. The front portion of the fender was so far above the wheel that it did almost no good. Also, after about only a week of use, the front portion of this "quick release" fender snapped completely off. For the last week or so I have been riding with only the rear portion of the front fender, and this morning the entire installation mechanism came out of my bike. I followed all of the installation instructions and this fender still failed. I expect more from the Topeak brand. This product is ineffective and cheaply engineered and I dont recommend it to anyone.

topeak defender

On: 2008-07-02

the product was poorly made, the front and back half of the fender broke off after 2 and 4 weeks of use respectively. the fender was being used for commuting to work (not even mountain biking or off road riding). as soon as it fell apart, i had to order a headland fender to replace the current one. caveat emptor!!

Ok fender, mounting system can fail.

On: 2008-05-05

When the fender was attached, it worked very well, however the mechanism to mount to the front fork failed on me. Its just an expanding wedge type mechanism to secure it to the fork, but it lost tension and eventually failed, which was unfortunate because until then, it was great.

Inadequate description of product

On: 2008-01-12

Unless I am missing something, the method of attachment doesnt work with centerpull brakes, and the instructions on the packaging do not appear to illustrate alternative means of attachment.

Works great

On: 2007-12-02

Works very well at keeping mud and water from ruining your day. It is true that the fender wont prevent all the water and mud from coming off your front wheel, and your shoes might get a little wet. But this is much better then what would happen without it. Its also true that this fender is made of plastic but its also very lightweight. All and all unbeatable for the price

Excellent fender, looks cool too!

On: 2007-10-24

Glad I bought this one... have a full suspension mtb to commute to work and it is very effective at shielding mud and water. Made my cycling communte much more pleasant.
It also looks very cool.. my mtb now looks like a motorcrossbike. Amazon is also quick to ship as usual.

flimsy but effective

On: 2007-09-24

I had to make a minor modification to get it to fit, but it was no big deal.

Works great for commuting, ultra affordable

On: 2007-08-15

I ride a 19" Specialized MTB, and this fender works beautifully to keep mud off my shirt and shorts. It attaches very securely, and the front and back fenders easily snap on or off according to your whim (I only use the rear fender on sunny days). If I were transporting the bike on anything but a bike rack, Id definitely recommend detaching the fenders beforehand. Great product.

Doesn't fit my Specialized Rockhopper

On: 2007-07-14

Bought it for a 23" frame 2007 Specialized Rockhopper. Unfortunately, the rubber insert that expands in the front fork stem to hold the fender on is too small for the hole in my bikes stem. I couldnt find any way to make this fender work and gave up on it. I gave it two stars because the construction seems OK, and it might be fine if it actually fits your bike.

not as durable as advertised...

On: 2007-03-20

This front fender worked well for a few days until the attachment mechanism thing snapped when I went over a medium sized rock.

80% pointless

On: 2007-02-25

This Fender is WAY to short on a 17" frame with 26" wheels. 80% of the frame were it suppossed to stop the mud and bricks hitting fails badly. the rear part is abuot 5"+ to short to stop most of the mud.

I got it to stop bricks damaging my Giant bike frame and failed....

2 stars for build of it and the 20% of mud it actualy stops..

DO NOT buy this is you plan it for the same reason i got it for...

Broke first time

On: 2007-02-20

This might work fine if you use a bike rack to transport your bike...but I laid it in the back of my pickup and it snapped. Not very durable!

Broke first time

On: 2007-02-19

This might work fine if you use a bike rack to transport your bike...but I laid it in the back of my pickup and it snapped. Not very durable!

Well made and functional.

On: 2007-01-13

This is the best front fender I have found. It is so well made, locks good and tight in your fork tube and deflects water and mud very well. Also it looks very cool and solid and I think the price is very fair considering how well made this fender is. Shipping from Amazon was fast as always.

Good looks and does the job

On: 2006-11-07

Perfect, exactly what I expected and wanted. I ride to work in rain or shine or storm and was sick of the water shooting up, had it on in less then 5 min. My bike is full suspension, 26 inch wheels with that horse shoe (U) bar on the lower legs of the front fork and it still fit with no problem. Dont know how it would handle a crash in trees though, sits high like a dirt bike look. People ask where I got it.