2017 Sam Hill fender recommendations

[John Bokman]

Rivsters:

I live in an area where I find fenders to be "a necessity". Thus, in order to maximize the volume of tire I can fit on my 2017 Sam, I'm looking for suggestions as to what fenders provide the most space between the seat stays, chainstays, fork, and crown.

Currently I am using the steel Berthoud fenders, at 50mm, which are lovely, hardwearing, quiet, have a good internal curve of the blade for water dispersal, and are generally great - once set up and mounted.

I am about maxed out in the frame with the 50s, but plastic fenders can be cut, or dremeled, to create that needed space at the chainstays, or between fork blades, with some creativity.

Reading a blurb  somewhere about Riv's recently  stocked SKS Bluemels which come in a 55mm variant as me rethinking fenders. I have been disappointed with SKS fenders in the past due to stays being insufficiently stiff for the length of the blades, and in the way that water collects on the hardware and ends up on the feet. However, the Bluemels look like the stays are now stainless steel, so should be stiffer than the Longboards they replaced. I might be willing to try those in order to get a fatter tire in the frame.

I'm riding 38mm tires at the moment under the 50mm fenders, and I'd call the fitment "perfect". But, but, but...can't I get a 42 or 44 in there, and still use a proper fender?

Can anyone out there offer any anecdotes? Anyone have the new Bluemels? Other brands, like Planet Bike and PDW, offer wider options, too.

John

Wettern Oregon

[Brian Turner]

The only thing I can add to this may be helpful to you - maybe not. I'm also using the 50mm Berthoud fenders on my 26" Toyo Atlantis. My tires are Naches Pass, which measure approx. 41mm on Atlas rims. I realize I probably wouldn't be able to fit tires any wider under there, but to me, the fit looks "perfect", and the coverage is great. The fenders shed water beautifully and work as intended.

Hope this helps!

Brian

Lexington KY

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[john Bokman]

No doubt they are excellent fenders. I’ve used them for approximately 10 years now with no complaints. But my old bones want more rubber on the road! I suppose I’ll have to pony up and get another steed…

John

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[Brian Turner]

Before considering it a lost cause, if it were me, I’d probably try to fit 42s under the fenders. Depends on how the width of your rims affects the tire’s measurement. A true 42mm would probably be good to go because theoretically you would still have about 4mm of coverage on either side… and you may be able to flare the fenders out a bit by hand. My situation, is a bit more limited since there’s not as much of a selection of good tires in the size that seems to work best for me. If you’re running larger wheels, you should have more options.

Brian

Lexington KY

On Jul 2, 2026, at 12:58 PM, john Bokman <jpbc...@gmail.com> wrote:

No doubt they are excellent fenders. I’ve used them for approximately 10 years now with no complaints. But my old bones want more rubber on the road! I suppose I’ll have to pony up and get another steed…

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7F8B802D-1E04-43B6-85CF-FCC8027FE4C7%40gmail.com.

[john Bokman]

Yeah, I think I’m going to try some 42s. I have “plenty” of clearance with the 38s. I’d really like to keep the Berthouds on there all equal. They just plain work better for me than anything else I’ve used.

Thanks for the thoughts Brian.

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[Erik Wright]

I had some SKS fenders over 700x44 RH tires some years back on my 2014ish Hillborne.  Mounted to Velocity Atlas rims and I’m not sure if they were a true 44. It was definitely a tight fit, but the bike rolled. It was annoying to set up but I don’t recall having to do any modifications to the fenders. I’d guess they were a 50mm set, knowing the clearances on the bike.

Erik, Philly

[Steve]

Jim, I recently built up a 2025 51cm Hillborne. I'm running 42mm Gravel King slicks (measuring 41 mounted on Alex DM21s) under what were 700c Tanaka 58s. I re-radiused the fender to 650b which increased the width to 63mm.  Given the modified fenders clearance is a bit variable but ample at 12mm at the tightest spot. 

Hope this info is helpful.  (I have a couple pics posted on a thread I started a few days ago (Evolution of a Sam)

Steve in AVL

On Thursday, July 2, 2026 at 3:21:55 PM UTC-4 John Bokman wrote:

[stephen cowdrey]

I had a Sam 2017 I used SKS p-50 fenders work well with gravel king 700x43 very tight had to take the rubber ends off so it wouldn’t rub but they offer a good clearance. 

SC

Tally FL 

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[john Bokman]

Thanks for the data points everyone! I’ve done the deed and taken the fenders off - with dyno wiring to the rear light on the fender, front rack, drama bolt, etc…for the summer season. The pull to my Bruce Gordon Rock n Roads was too great to resist. Now that I’ve got the “big meats” on, I will be loathe to return to the land of skinny. The fatter rubber helps with my hand arthritis, for sure.

John

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[Brian Turner]

I love my Rock n Roads on my Sam!

Brian

Lexington KY

On Jul 3, 2026, at 12:30 PM, john Bokman <jpbc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for the data points everyone! I’ve done the deed and taken the fenders off - with dyno wiring to the rear light on the fender, front rack, drama bolt, etc…for the summer season. The pull to my Bruce Gordon Rock n Roads was too great to resist. Now that I’ve got the “big meats” on, I will be loathe to return to the land of skinny. The fatter rubber helps with my hand arthritis, for sure.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/ECA5CBF8-9825-4897-8608-08422024B7A8%40gmail.com.

[Matti]

I ride a 57cm Sam with VeloOrange 700x50mm aluminum fenders with a snakeskin texture (similar to hammered) and 700x42 Shikoro tires.  The fit is fine for most riding, though I am careful when riding off pavement, since debris can be picked up.  In my experience aluminum fenders are quieter and I like the classic look.  VO also has a 700x55 fender.

[john Bokman]

Thanks Matti. I didn’t ’t know VO had a 55mm fender. I wholeheartedly agree that metal fenders work better (for me). Good to know even the 50mm fender is okay under the 42 Shikoros.  My rim is a Velocity Dyad. If memory serves, it measures 24mm ORD. What rims are you using?

John

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[Matti]

My rims are Mavic A319.

[John Bokman]

Thanks Matti.

[Tyler Ryan]

I used VO 52mm zeppelin fenders on my 2018 Sam. It had 43mm gravelkings mounted to atlas rims that measured out to 43-44mm wide actual. The fenders required some modification- I carefully measured the daruma bolt and cut it down using a saw so that the bolt between the tire and the fender had more clearance, and I did what this person did to clear the chain stays and the fork crown: https://somervillebikes.wordpress.com/2020/03/12/how-to-install-metal-fenders-part-iii-installing-the-stays/

Tight, but worked great. I probably wouldn't ride in wet dirt with this setup too much.

[Rice Curry]

Hi John,

I’m running 65 mm Bluemels fenders on my Platypus with 29 x 2.2 tires. Clearance is extremely tight, so I had to trim the areas where the fenders contact the front fork and the seatstays.

I currently have the Bluemels removed, so I took a closer look and some photos. It appears that there is a thin metal sheet embedded throughout the plastic fender.

Together with the aluminum stays, I think the fenders are strong enough for riding around town and for gravel riding, as long as there is sufficient tire clearance. The very front of the front fender and the very rear of the rear fender do move a little from side to side and up and down, but I think it is still within a practical range.

They were also reasonably easy to cut with a coping saw.

As for rain protection, the rear fender works well, but I think the front fender is too short overall. At higher speeds, I get sprayed from both the front and the lower end of the fender. The spray from below could probably be solved by adding some kind of mudflap.

The bigger problem is the front. I would like to extend it by about 15 to 20 cm, and I am still trying to think of a simple solution.

I am considering buying another rear fender and turning it into a longer front fender by re-riveting it and doing a little more cutting. That would probably make a nearly perfect front fender, but it would also reduce some of the Bluemels’ appeal in terms of easy installation and affordability.

Rice

2026年7月11日土曜日 0:13:27 UTC+9 trya...@gmail.com:

[john Bokman]

Thanks for the data points everyone.

John

On Jul 12, 2026, at 4:26 PM, 'Rice Curry' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Hi John,

I’m running 65 mm Bluemels fenders on my Platypus with 29 x 2.2 tires. Clearance is extremely tight, so I had to trim the areas where the fenders contact the front fork and the seatstays.

I currently have the Bluemels removed, so I took a closer look and some photos. It appears that there is a thin metal sheet embedded throughout the plastic fender.

Together with the aluminum stays, I think the fenders are strong enough for riding around town and for gravel riding, as long as there is sufficient tire clearance. The very front of the front fender and the very rear of the rear fender do move a little from side to side and up and down, but I think it is still within a practical range.

They were also reasonably easy to cut with a coping saw.

As for rain protection, the rear fender works well, but I think the front fender is too short overall. At higher speeds, I get sprayed from both the front and the lower end of the fender. The spray from below could probably be solved by adding some kind of mudflap.

The bigger problem is the front. I would like to extend it by about 15 to 20 cm, and I am still trying to think of a simple solution.

I am considering buying another rear fender and turning it into a longer front fender by re-riveting it and doing a little more cutting. That would probably make a nearly perfect front fender, but it would also reduce some of the Bluemels’ appeal in terms of easy installation and affordability.

Rice

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<IMG_3434.jpeg><IMG_3433.jpeg>

[Ron Mc]

These won't help your big tires, but SimWorks Turtle 44 shorties over BonJon Pass (35 mm, but measure 38 mm)

Goal is keeping greenway sand out of parallel crevices in Paul Racer brakes.  

I had to drill-out and swap the front L-bracket - needed 8-mm shorter -  Wald worked, and so does Honjo Rear L-bracket.