Fender Installation and Parts
A long time ago, the leading American bike magazine called us ‘Fender Snobs.’ Perhaps that was the inevitable result of our belief that ‘Everything Matters.’
Nobody has ever been called a ‘Derailleur Snob.’ Yet we don’t shift all that often during our long winter base miles, but the spray from our wheels during a rainy ride is constant and never-ending. And the noise from poorly designed and poorly mounted fenders is almost as annoying. (Don’t get me wrong: We care about derailleurs, too. That’s why we’ve developed our Nivex derailleurs… because everything matters!)
It’s not just that Rene Herse fenders provide more coverage than other metal fenders, but we also offer many parts to improve fender performance, and to make sure that fender installation isn’t a chore.
For example, the stays attach to our fenders with Rene Herse eyebolts. The rounded, minimalist shape saves weight and looks elegant, but the most important part is invisible: The threaded portion of the bolts is just 7 mm long, so it doesn’t protrude into the fender more than necessary. That greatly reduces the risk of debris getting caught on the bolts and clogging up the insides of your fenders. (Why do other fender makers use 10 or even 12 mm long eyebolts?) It’s not just the bolts: On the inside, Tensiloc nuts guarantee a tight grip. There should be no need to re-tighten fender bolts—ever.
Speaking of eyebolts, another custom piece is our extra-long eyebolt for the fork crown mount. Many forks, especially unicrown forks, have tall crowns, and the standard eyebolts don’t reach far enough to attach the fender on the underside of the crown. Yet nobody was making a longer eyebolt—until we did. The tooling cost was substantial, and it’s unlikely we’ll ever break even. But the longer bolt is something many customers need to install fenders on their bikes.
We also spent years perfecting our Universal Mudflaps before we signed them off for production. Does that make us ‘Mudflap Snobs’? Actually, a good mudflap is essential: It keeps spray off our feet and drivetrain. Riding in the rain should not be miserable!
In the Rene Herse fender program, you find all kinds of essential parts like the L-brackets that are problem solvers on bikes that don’t have ways to direct-mount the fender…
… and plastic R-clips that release the stays in emergencies—essential for bikes with insufficient fender clearances. (On bikes with sufficient fender clearances and stiff metal fenders, fender-related accidents are virtually unheard of.)
We wouldn’t be Rene Herse Cycles if we hadn’t come up with a way to lighten our fenders: Tubular stays save 35 grams without any loss in strength.
We offer tools like the Fender Indent Tool to create the indent for the fork crown that keeps your metal fenders quiet and rattle-free. Our Fender Edge Tool (above) is essential if you’re planning to run lighting wires through the rolled edges of your fenders.
We also offer our fender blades separately in case you break one in an accident. There’s no need to buy all the hardware—it’s part of our policy of selling you only what you need. In fact, all our fender parts are available separately, for riders who want to upgrade their metal fenders—even if they aren’t Rene Herse fenders.
All Rene Herse fenders come with our illustrated booklet that demystifies metal fender installation. In the past, we offered this booklet only with our fenders, but we’re now making the latest, updated and expanded version available separately for a nominal fee ($ 5). Because we know how much of a difference great fenders can make as we head into the rainy season here in the Pacific Northwest.
More Information:
- Fenders and associated parts in the Rene Herse program
- The Rene Herse Fender Installation booklet
