Honjo Rear Fender Reinforcement

When Lyli Herse and Robert Prestat crashed their tandem descending the steep hairpin of the 1951 Poly de Chanteloup hillclimb race, their rear fender broke. The penalty for this ‘equipment malfunction’ cost them the win in this prestigious event.

The following day, René Herse designed a lozenge-shape reinforcement for the fender to distribute the stress over a larger area. That way, even mistreatment was unlikely to break a fender on his bikes. Now Honjo in Japan makes a copy of Herse’s original reinforcement. It fits smooth Rene Herse fenders that are 50-55 mm wide, and can be adapted to other sizes.

M4 bolts, washers and nuts (to attach the reinforcement to the fender) are included.

Pro Tip: To make up for the added thickness of the reinforcement, use a thinner leather washer at the attachment to the seatstay bridge.