Review of Planet Bike 7028-5 Full Road Cascadia Mudflaps (Black,35-mm width/130-mm)

Planet Bike 7028-5 Full Road Cascadia Mudflaps (Black,35-mm width/130-mm)
By: Planet Bike Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 23
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really great fenders

On: 2010-06-30

Ill have to post a picture soon, but I bought a set of silver fenders at my LBS, and really love them. They fit very well on my wifes Trek Pure deluxe bike, and the silver color really enhances the look. I didnt have too much trouble putting these on, I had to take another set off first which I bought here and they didnt work. (SKS Beavertail Bicycle Fender). Because of some details on the bike, like mounting holes, I could not use the long screws to mount the top part of the rear fender to the cross bar on the seat stay. I had to use a short one supplied, however, this led to a shortage of screws for mounting the fender brackets to the wheel hubs, so I had to find one of my own, but it was a tad long, so I mounted it in from the inside of the hub frame. When I get a chance to buy one, I will replace it, or I will simply get my Dremel tool out and cut a short length off the screw, so it doesnt stick out as much. Personally, I think they could have included an extra screw or two for those bikes with different configurations.

But apart from that, I and my wife love these fenders, and they do work at keeping all the rain and mud off of everything.

Good Fenders, what can you say

On: 2010-06-23

The fenders are well designed and constructed. The two rivets keep the mudflap well aligned and the mudflap is large and effective. Great built in adjustment in the fender design. The only complaint is that they dont have a extension for the tab on the front fender for suspension corrected rigid forks. One is easy to make but it would be nice if the influded one for the extra 60 cents it would add a lot of value.

Great coverage, no rattles

On: 2010-02-09

I bought the 45mm fenders for my hybrid, which has 700x35mm tires. Ive ridden that setup for about 6 months. The coverage has been absolutely excellent. The mudflaps extend quite low and really keep the bike clean and my feet dry.

Fenders are almost always fussy to install. These were easier than most. I like that they came packaged with locknuts for every bolt; on past fenders Ive had to go over every single bolt with Locktite. These fenders were very easy to adjust, and they stayed in adjustment with no excess rattling.

The 45mm fenders say that they are for "hybrid/touring" but they did not make the transition to my new touring bike well. New bike (Surly LHT, 52cm) has 26"x1.5" tires. The fenders are just barely not wide enough; although the bike stayed reasonably clean, my feet really got soaked. The fender circumference is also a poor fit and makes an unpleasing visual line around the 26" tires. Ive ordered the Cascadia ATB fenders to try because I was so pleased with how the 45mm fenders worked on my hybrid.

Edited to add: The ATB fenders give much better rain coverage on my Surly. After going through some mud and light rain today my bike was clean and my feet dry. However, the fenders sit very far out from the wheel - almost an inch out. I could wish for a longer L bracket at the top of both the front and rear fenders, and a spacer at the chainstay bridge to decrease this excess amount of clearance and even further improve the rain protection.

Fender Fail (Doesn't Fit Sirrus)

On: 2009-12-07

UPDATE: May 1, not quite five months since I finally managed to install these fenders, the front fender failed. I was making a slow turn into a bike lane when I experienced the much dreaded toe overlap - where the riders foot interferes with the front wheel. This isnt uncommon with small framed bikes that have large 700c wheels but its usually more of an annoyance than anything else.

Maybe it was the pressure from my foot on the thin plastic that caused the front fender to fold under itself which resulted in the bike coming to an abrupt stop, causing me to fall. I can only be thankful that it happened in a buffered bike lane rather than in traffic, and that I only sustained a sprained wrist. Ill be removing these fenders as soon as I regain use of my left hand.

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Original Review

Its been two days since the fenders arrived and I began trying to install them on my 04 Sirrus. I had previously used Planet Bike Hardcore Road Fender so I presumed these would be similar. Right out of the box I noticed they appeared quite slim and although theyre recommended for tires up to 700x28 theyre a close fit on my Armadillos 700x25.

The 42m bolt supplied was a bit too short for my Specialized Sirrus fork so I would up using the old bolt that originally came with the Hardcore Fenders. The plastic clip that secures the rear fender to the brake bridge was a press fit on my old Hardcore fenders and held the the fender firmly in place. On the Cascadia the same bracket has a loose fit and will slide up and down the fender. More importantly these fenders lack the metal tab that hooks onto the chainstay connector and helps keep the bottom portion of the rear fender in place.

Like others have mentioned, I also had a bolt in the chainstay connector so I cut a slit to slide the fender over the bolt. What I didnt anticipate is theres very little clearance with the front Nexave Derailleur. As a result the fender is pushed back and winds up rubbing against the rear tire. While this worked perfectly well with the old Hardcore fenders, (secured by previously mentioned clip) apparently it wasnt sufficient for the Cascadia. The rear fender immediately began to rub against my rear tire.

Further reading on Bikeforums indicates some Sirrus owners have gotten around the front derailleur problem by upgrading from Nexave to Tiagara which is a bit more work that I envisioned when I decided to add fenders. Maybe Il just cut them back a bit and bypass the whole derailleur area.

So far the only good thing I can say is that Planet Bike provided some long bolts that allow me to mount the fenders in the same eyelets as my rear rack. Now if I can only get the fenders installed securely that should be a real plus.

Doesn't fit Sirrus

On: 2009-12-07

Its been two days since the fenders arrived and I began trying to install them on my 04 Sirrus. I had previously used Planet Bike Hardcore Road Fender so I presumed these would be similar. Right out of the box I noticed they appeared quite slim and although theyre recommended for tires up to 700x28 theyre a close fit on my Armadillos 700x25.

The 42m bolt supplied was a bit too short for my Specialized Sirrus fork so I would up using the old bolt that originally came with the Hardcore Fenders. The plastic clip that secures the rear fender to the brake bridge was a press fit on my old Hardcore fenders and held the the fender firmly in place. On the Cascadia the same bracket has a loose fit and will slide up and down the fender. More importantly these fenders lack the metal tab that hooks onto the chainstay connector and helps keep the bottom portion of the rear fender in place.

Like others have mentioned, I also had a bolt in the chainstay connector so I cut a slit to slide the fender over the bolt. What I didnt anticipate is theres very little clearance with the front Nexave Derailleur. As a result the fender is pushed back and winds up rubbing against the rear tire. While this worked perfectly well with the old Hardcore fenders, (secured by previously mentioned clip) apparently it wasnt sufficient for the Cascadia. The rear fender immediately began to rub against my rear tire.

Further reading on Bikeforums indicates some Sirrus owners have gotten around the front derailleur problem by upgrading from Nexave to Tiagara which is a bit more work that I envisioned when I decided to add fenders. Maybe Il just cut them back a bit and bypass the whole derailleur area.

So far the only good thing I can say is that Planet Bike provided some long bolts that allow me to mount the fenders in the same eyelets as my rear rack. Now if I can only get the fenders installed securely that should be a real plus.

Good Overall

On: 2009-11-24

These fenders are very solid and pretty easy to install. I had to tinker a bit in order to make them fit just right, but it wasnt that bad. These are the only fenders I have experience with and I would definitely buy them again.

Doesn't fit all bikes

On: 2009-10-10

First off, these appear to be durable and high quality fenders. However, if you dont have mounts on your bike for fenders (look for little tabs with a hole drilled through them on the frame near where the wheel connects and a hole drilled though the very bottom of the post your fork is on- right above the front wheel) they can be tricky and messy to put on, plan on using a bunch of zip-ties. I managed to mount them on my bike with zip-ties, but they didnt feel very sturdy and they rattled. I am sending them back and got clip on fenders instead (Topeak DeFender FX Bicycle Fender or Topeak DeFender M1 Mountain Bike Fender (Front) for the front wheel and SKS X-Tra Dry Rear Bicycle Fender (Black) for the rear wheel). if you dont have fender mounts you may want to consider this option even if the clip on fenders probably arent quite as durable. If you do have mounts on your bike for fenders, these are probably a great option. One final bit of warning- you wont be able to roll your bike around on only the back wheel with full length fenders on, this seems pretty obvious if you look at fenders. Probably not a big deal for mort people but if you have to navigate your bike around tight garages or anything it can be an issue.

Great Fenders

On: 2009-09-17

These fenders are high quality, light, and come with great mounting parts. I mounted them on an 80s era steel univega road bike converted to a single speed and 700c wheels and they fit perfectly.

Excellent accessory for the daily commute

On: 2009-08-18

I couldnt imagine biking to work on a daily basis without these fenders. They went on fairly easy and have stayed straight for the most part (had to adjust them though after putting the bike in a trunk at one point).

They keep the spray off your back and minimize it on your feet. Anyone who thinks that fenders will keep your feet entirely dry if you ride through puddles is delusional though. :) But they do help greatly. I would highly recommend these. Theyre well worth the money I paid for them.

Great product, excllent company

On: 2009-08-15

Ive had these fenders on my road bike for the last ~2 years, some 10000+ miles, and theyre great: the flaps minimize the gunk splattering and the fenders have stayed adjusted. (And they look good.) Id been experimenting with slightly wider tires and didnt realize it had worn off part of the rear clamp. Fortunately, Planet Bike is awesome in its forward-thinking and makes replacement parts available for a very reasonable fee. Ive since picked up a second set of fenders for my long-distance bike.

Theyre a great product and essential for year-round commuting in the Pacific Northwet.

Great Fenders for a great Bicycle Surly LHT

On: 2009-08-04

I really do like the looks of these fenders on my new Surly LHT Touring Bicycle.Some people dont like the logo on the fenders.But I dont mind it at all its like when you buy a new car they put there logo on your car so whats the different???To me it just lets people know what brand of fenders you are running on your bicycle thats all.To me these look way better than the SKS P65 Fenders Im not saying the other fenders are not good at all.I just like these fenders way better thats all.

Great for a commuter bike

On: 2009-05-02

I commute to work in Seattle, so fenders were a must. I managed to fit these on my Trek 1000 road bike, though it is a very tight fit. Once they are on, they work very well. I still have trouble positioning the rear fender tightly, but it is due to the low clearance on my brake calipers. I can see these working perfectly on a touring or cyclocross frame. Overall, I am very happy with these fenders.

good product but...

On: 2008-02-08

this was shipped and recieved fast but not the right color (says black but its grey).
I spent about $15 just in shipping to me and back so make sure to convert mms. to inches so you get the size you need (I diddnt know "road bike" meant a 10 speed racer) and not mind what color you get.
Otherwise the product itself is great, just do the homework first, I diddnt and went by the pic alone.