SKS/Berthoud fender review

[Earl Grey]

I bought these a while back from Peter White. They are SKS plastic/
aluminium composite fenders with Berthoud aluminium single stays (the
Germans, like the Brits, write it aluminium).

I have bought nothing but SKS fenders since the early 90s, but I never
thought the stays were that great, and the quick release bracket for
the front is kinda ugly, too. (Yes, I know, safety is good, but
Berthoud and Honjo have come up with a much more elegant and
presumably equally safe solution.) Lastly, being able to mount them
without cutting the stays to size may be convenient, but uncut stays
IMHO ruin the lines of a nice bike more than anything else. So I still
cut the stays on my SKSs to size, even though sawing stainless steel
with a hacksaw is not all that much fun.

Metal fenders seemed a bit too ostentatious for my budget Sam, and I
thought I might splurge on those a couple of years down the road for a
make-over for the Sam. So the SKS/Berthouds seemed like a good
compromise between cheap/functional/quiet and beautiful.

The front fender seems longer forward of the fork crown when compared
with a regular SKS as shown on the 700C AHH on rivbike.com, and the
rear end of the front fender also looks a little longer. The rear
fender seems equally long. The longer front complements a front rack
better, and presumably better protects the front rack's contents, as
well as the feet.

Getting a good fender line with the 42mm fenders and Jack Browns took
3 spacers, as the bike can fit at least 50mm fenders and 40mm tires
(see http://tinyurl.com/yfou2ud). I also discovered that for an
optimal fender line, the spacer at the chainstay bridge should be cut
so that its back edge angles forward, allowing the fender to arch
forward as it comes away from the chainstay bridge. In other words,
the eyelet at the back of the chainstay bridge points to somewhere
below the center of the hub, because the chainstays flare vertically
from front to back where the kickstand plate is attached, angling the
kickstand plate down relative to the direction of the chainstays. I
guess this could be finessed at the factory by custom bending the
angle between the kickstand plate and the fender eyelet, but probably
not on a $1000 frame. :) Or, you could screw a long bolt into the
chainstay bridge, and pull up on the end of the bolt until it points
at the hub. But I didn't think of that till afterwards. :)

Overall I am very pleased with the clean look of the finished fenders.
If you don't cut the Berthoud stays, the install is almost as straight
forward as regular SKS fenders, and cutting the stays is actually
easier as there are only 4 total, and they are aluminium. The only
complication is that there is no bracket for the seatstay bridge,
which means that one hole *must* be drilled here (there is a pre-
drilled hole for the chainstay bridge bolt, and the front fender has
an L-bracket for the fork crown bolt). Of course, mounting the fender
to the bottom of the front rack also required drilling a hole. That
said, drilling these holes is quite straight forward if you first make
a pilot hole with a hammer and nail so that the drill bit doesn't
wander off target.

Cheers,

Gernot

[Rene Valbuena]

Thanks for sharing this. This makes my waiting for the Berthoud composite
fenders more exciting. Peter White said it will arrive tomorrow. I'm going
to use it in rejuvenating my Voodoo Loa titanium cross bike.

-- Rene

Cheers,

Gernot

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[Seth Vidal]

On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 10:02 AM, Earl Grey <earl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I bought these a while back from Peter White. They are SKS plastic/
> aluminium composite fenders with Berthoud aluminium single stays (the
> Germans, like the Brits, write it aluminium).
>
> I have bought nothing but SKS fenders since the early 90s, but I never
> thought the stays were that great, and the quick release bracket for
> the front is kinda ugly, too. (Yes, I know, safety is good, but
> Berthoud and Honjo have come up with a much more elegant and
> presumably equally safe solution.) Lastly, being able to mount them
> without cutting the stays to size may be convenient, but uncut stays
> IMHO ruin the lines of a nice bike more than anything else. So I still
> cut the stays on my SKSs to size, even though sawing stainless steel
> with a hacksaw is not all that much fun.
>

I had not seen these before and after looking at them and reading the
description I have to say I'm rather interested in them.

they look better than the normal sks fenders

do you think you could take a shot of them down the length of the
bike? Like from the back?

Thanks!
-sv

[PATRICK MOORE]

VO has relatively inexpensive aluminium fenders; about $50 IIRC, tho' I just bought the discounted, pre-drilled 45s at $38 for my SH.

To judge from the 45s on my Motobecane, the VOs aren't as sturdy either in metal or fittings as the Honjos, but at the price they do fine. Those on the Motobecane get knocked about quite a bit and, despite some bulging at the edges caused when I hit the long trailing edge of the front on things, they have held up fine for a couple of years.

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Albuquerque, NM
For professional resumes, contact
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(505) 227-0523

[stevep33]

+1 for composite Berthoud fenders.
My new 35mm composite Berthoud fenders are an improvement over the
SKS35 I used to have. The coverage is better because the front fender
is much longer, but the front fender does vibrate a little more
forward of the fork because it is longer. The Berthoud hardware is
nicer - just a single stay instead of the SKS V-shaped stays.
Mounting is as easy as SKS fenders.

[Earl Grey]

On Mar 12, 1:51 am, stevep33 <steve...@gmail.com> wrote:
> +1 for composite Berthoud fenders.
> My new 35mm composite Berthoud fenders are an improvement over the
> SKS35 I used to have.  The coverage is better because the front fender
> is much longer, but the front fender does vibrate a little more
> forward of the fork because it is longer.  

Time to put a front rack on that bike, and attach the fender to it. Or
you can add a second stay at the front edge of the fender, which the
constructeurs would do when not installing a front rack.

[Earl Grey]

> they look better than the normal sks fenders
>
> do you think you could take a shot of them down the length of the
> bike? Like from the back?
>
> Thanks!
> -sv

Like this?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25150892@N08/4425669203/in/photostream/

Let me know if you want other angles...

[rob markwardt]

Those do look nice but, once you go metal you'll never go back.
If you are in Seattle I've got a used pair of black SKS's that I'd
give away.

[Earl Grey]

On Mar 12, 2:05 pm, rob markwardt <robmar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Those do look nice but, once you go metal you'll never go back.

I am not saying you are wrong, but why? Aesthetics, durability,...?

Gernot

[Mike]

Thanks for posting the pictures of the fenders. I've always wondered
about these and they seem great. They do look longer which is my main
beef with plastic SKS. They certainly look more elegant with the
Berthoud stays.

--mike

[rob markwardt]

Like all posts on bike/component likes/dislikes I should have prefaced
with IMO, however, I'm a rain rider so I'm kind of picky. I like
metal because they are longer (yours do look like an improvement
though), I think they are more secure (if installed correctly), less
rattley (sp?...know what I mean?), they don't warp, and, most
importantly..IMO...they look better!

> > > Let me know if you want other angles...- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Earl Grey]

Thanks Rob. My next pair of fenders will probably be metal. I was just
curious why you liked them so much. I was under the impression that
they are more rattley, but perhaps leather washers solve that. Also, I
have never had composite fenders warp. Which brands have you had
warping problems with?

Two years ago, my parked bike, locked to a pole, was backed into be a
pickup truck. The rear rim broke (Mavic Open Pro), the rear composite
fender was fine.

I like my SKSs, but looking forward to some Honjos in my future.

G

[rob markwardt]

I've only tried the older SKS's and they developed a kind of funky
warped twist on the back. I heard others say that metal fenders
rattle a lot but mine are rock solid. Must be because somebody else
installed them!

> > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[PATRICK MOORE]

T

On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 6:58 PM, Earl Grey <earl...@gmail.com> wrote:

I was under the impression that they are more rattley, but perhaps leather washers solve that.

I've used Honjos, VOs and Berthouds, and found that they rattle less because they flex less, regardless of leather washers (which, I understand, you use to allow a bit of flex between fender and frame and thus prevent cracking). (The front VO 45 on the Motobecane rattles only because I used pop rivets to hold on the L bracket on instead of tight, loctited screws.) SKSes seem to be far less rattly than Zefals (ugh!) or PBs.

 

Also, I have never had composite fenders warp. Which brands have you had
warping problems with?

I've left my bike in the back of my car, resting on the SKS fender, and had it warp, not permanently but for a few days until, released, it relaxed. I daresay that the SKSes are actually stronger than some of the metals, since they will -- as your experience shows -- bounce back, but in seven or eight years of using metals, I've had no breakage or undue damage despite somewhat careless treatment.

[Earl Grey]

Since you tried all 3 main brands, can you tell me if you have any
preferences? Are the Honjos worth it? I love some VO products (the
seatpost), but others just seem cheaply made out of inferior materials
(i.e the bags), in which case I'd rather spend double or triple and
get something really nice and durable.

Gernot

On Mar 13, 10:10 am, PATRICK MOORE <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> T
>

[Steve Palincsar]

On Fri, 2010-03-12 at 19:06 -0800, rob markwardt wrote:
> I've only tried the older SKS's and they developed a kind of funky
> warped twist on the back. I heard others say that metal fenders
> rattle a lot but mine are rock solid. Must be because somebody else
> installed them!

None of mine rattle and I've installed all of them.

[PATRICK MOORE]

The Honjos, 45s, are 559s and hammered, which may make them stiffer than the smooth VO 45 622s, but whatever the reason, they are stiffer and the metal seems harder. The front VO on the Moto will crimp slightly at the edges where it bends, either because of hitting (lightly; a solid blow would deform it) the long trailing edge on a curb or from ham handed adjustments. The fittings seem to be of similar quality in each case. I'd personally choose Honjos for a "nice" bike or for longer term investment, but I'd choose VOs over SKSes, not necessarily for longevity but simply because I've found metals to be quieter, longer and less prone to warping; and they are lighter, for wtw. 

The Berthouds I owned were 650B 50s. They seemed to dent more easily than any of the aluminums; can't say why. They were quite stiff and at least as sturdy (dents aside; I mean as to crimping, warping and bending, loosening) as the Honjos. Here an anecdote: I gave the trailing edge of the front a good, solid whack once when riding off a curb. The blow jammed the leading edge hard against the tire, but it did not crimp the fender or, at least, did so only slightly. The VOs would have bent severely, and probably the Honjos would have crimped, too. They are the heaviest of the lot. I prefer the aluminum for the combination of strength, looks and weight (Honjos) or cost and weight (VO).

IIRC: Aluminums about 1 lb/pair; SKSes about 1 1/2 lb, Berthouds about 2 lb.

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[JoelMatthews]

In my experience, aluminum fenders warp easily compared to steel and
sks. Steel seem more dent prone. I had my wood working nephew make a
rounded piece of oak the size of the inside of my fender which taps
out dents. A fender with dents is usable. Warped has to go to
recycling.

As such, I have Berthouds on my city bike and will have Berthouds on
my 650b. My camper has SKS. Until seeing this thread, I was not
aware of the Berthoud/SKS composites. I think I may get a set for the
camper.

> > rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com<rbw-owners-bunch%2Bunsubscrib e...@googlegroups.com>

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> Patrick Moore
> Albuquerque, NM
> For professional resumes, contact

> Patrick Moore, ACRW at resumespecialt...@gmail.com
> (505) 227-0523