The weather forecast was calling for a chance of rain late today, so I took my road bike with clip-on fenders this morning. What I wasn’t expecting, was a sudden cloudburst about 10 minutes into my ride. It wasn’t much rain, but it was enough to wet the roads and make the rest of my ride a sloppy mess. I was initially planning to take a longer ride, but I ended up shortening it because of the road conditions. That’s April for you.
These were the exact type of conditions that prompted me to buy the clip-on fenders. I bought them mainly for use in the summer, to ride on wet roads after storms. And they’re about what I expected. The coverage is nowhere near as good as full fenders, but they keep me from getting muddy, and they keep most of the slop off the rear derailleur and other harder-to-clean areas on the bike. Most of the mess is concentrated on the back of the seat tube and the seat stays, which are easy to wipe off after a ride. I’d say the only thing the fenders lack is a front mud flap, to keep spray off my feet and ankles. I may try to fabricate one myself; we’ll see.