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: On bikes with Rene Herse centerpull brakes, the brake arm hits the screw of the fender reinforcement, preventing the brake from opening all the way. (You loose about a millimeter.)