PDW Safety Tabs

[Steve]

As a semi-fanatical fender freak (aluminum please!) who advocates their use for nearly any and all bikes, I feel obliged to share that after rolling over several thousand miles of gravel forest service roads my tire kicked an unidentified object up into the front fender while at speed. It was probably a short but stout stick. 

When I installed a set of PDW Safety Tabs on my Ritchey a few months ago I figured they worked as a sacrificial break away item in the event that an object wedges between the tire and the fender.  What I discovered is that they employ a barbed plastic head that pops free of the metal tab they are inserted into. Indeed, I heard a loud POP when this occurred - followed by the sound of the fender rubbing as it dangled from the opposite, still intact stay. After straightening the slightly bent stay I was able to pop the tab back together and continue my ride. 

Would I have been launched over the bars by a seized front wheel had I not installed the safety tabs? I don't know...and it's not a thing I care to experiment with. 

Of course, SKS fenders come standard with safety mounting tabs - but for anyone running metal fenders that lack a safety tab, I can attest they are well worth the few dollars they cost.  

I'm curious if anyone else has had this sort of experience.

[Mark Schneider]

Thanks for the heads-up, I helped a guy on a Surly that took a very bad fall do to a stick in his front fender. He ended up in an air ambulance as I recall. Of course, he was running knobies with his fenders, which is always a bad Idea.

[Steve]

Mark, OUCH!!!  Your story puts an exclamation point on the issue.    The offending knobby in my case is a very low profile Conti Speed Max, still...

I have ample clearance for at least a 44mm slick. My next move will probably be the RH Snoqualmie Pass tires. I would ditch the fenders and stuff some 2.0" tires on the bike but they do such a great job of keeping the drivetrain clean and the paint on the frame.  

[Bill Lindsay]

I bought up a bunch of the PDW release guys, in black and silver, so there's never even a delay when I'm doing a fender install.  Without them on-hand, I'd probably say "oh, I'll get to that later" and karma would get me right in that moment.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

On Friday, September 15, 2023 at 6:28:06 PM UTC-7 steve...@gmail.com wrote:

[Steve]

Tempt not the fates for their hand is powerful!  

[Bernard Duhon]

 

I was saved on a communte by SKS “Breakaway” fenders.  I somehow kicked up a small log into my rear wheel. & came to a controled stop.  Didn’t even break a spoke.  

 

So when I went to aluminum fenders for looks I got these and tabs.  They make plenty of sense. 

 

BTW if you cut your fender stays too short these make up the difference.

 

Not that I would ever do such a thing😊   

I'm curious if anyone else has had this sort of experience.

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