Sourcing fat bike fenders is a difficult task if you don’t know where to look. The good news is that a few off-the-shelf and custom fender options have recently been made available. I won’t be covering the nuances of fenders in this article, so please start with my comprehensive fender resource to understand everything there is to know about fenders.

Before I take you through the available fender options, here’s some info specific to fat bike fenders:

Fender Widths
Fenders are measured on the outside (not the inside) so a good rule is to subtract 10mm off the fender width to determine the maximum tyre clearance. You’ll ideally need a 20mm gap between the top of your tyre and fender, and about 5mm on either side of the struts. For example, a 75mm (3.00″) wide fender will comfortably clear a 65mm (2.60″) wide tyre. That said, manufacturers are usually very conservative with the maximum tyre clearances they recommend. You can often stretch the maximum tyre clearance to match the fender width, provided the struts allow it. A small bend to the strut near the tyre may be required.

Front Derailleur Clearance
The only other thing to know about fat bike fenders is that they can sometimes inhibit the action of a front derailleur. To get around this, you can use a Dremel to cut a small section of the fender off near the chainstay.

Clay Mud
You’ll be surprised how much terrain you can cover without your fat bike fenders clogging. I normally hit sticky mud just 2-3 times per year (travelling off-road fulltime), but some regions of the world are notorious for their sticky mud. It’s probably best to leave the fenders at home if you’re expecting rain and clay/volcanic mud!

Sticks
An issue not often discussed is what happens when a stick jams in your front fender. The worst case scenario is that you will be promptly thrown over your handlebars, and your bike will suffer a lot of front end damage (photo). I don’t mean to scare you, and not everyone rides on roads and trails with stick debris, but this is worth keeping in mind. The SKS-brand fenders are the only model listed here that have quick-release lower mounts to pop the fender open if something jams. This is one reason why SKS models are my pick of the bunch.

Right, let’s take a close look at the fat bike fenders available.

Honjo H95 Fenders – 65mm Wide

The fanciest fenders for mid-fat tires have got to be Honjo H-95s. As the struts go over the top of these aluminium fenders they get tyre clearance far beyond the 2.20″ maximum they recommend. For example, the Honjo H95 mudguards fitted to the Ahearne Outback above are comfortably wrapped around Schwalbe G-One 27.5 x 2.80″ tyres, but other riders have even squeezed in 3.00″ rubber. You can get these in 27.5″ or 29″ lengths (polished silver) for US $145.

Planet Bike Cascadia ALX 65 Fenders – 65mm Wide

The Cascadia ALX aluminium fenders have been a popular option for touring bikes for quite some time. These are some of the longest fenders available too because they’ve been designed around a 29er wheel diameter. Planet Bike recommends a 2.00″ maximum tyre, but many have managed to squeeze in 2.40″ provided you mount the fenders high. You can find these fenders in black or silver for US $70, and it’s handy to know that mounting hardware is available aftermarket too.

Sim Works Flat 65 Fenders – 65mm Wide

The Sim Works Flat 65 fenders are actually re-branded Honjo H-95 aluminium ‘guards. With an extra bend made to the strut near the tyres, they will even clear a 3.00″ tyre (see Stephanie’s Surly Wednesday in detail HERE). They’re available in polished silver (US $135) or black (US $151), a colour that’s unique to Sim Works.

SKS P65 Fenders – 65mm Wide

For a long time, SKS has been making these wide mudguards for 26″ mountain bike wheels. You can find the P65 fenders matched to 2.40″ tyres on many touring and electric bikes include the KOGA WorldTraveller Signature builds. The main downside to this option is that they’re a little bit short when paired to a 29er wheel. The SKS P65s are available in black or silver for US $49 on Amazon.

SKS Bluemels 75 U Fenders – 75mm Wide

SKS released these off-road fenders in late-2018. Officially they’re good for 2.60″ but we know that the combination between flatter-profile ‘guards and bent fender struts should suit even wider tyres – 3.00″ are theoretically be a breeze. You can get SKS Bluemels 75 in matte black for US $75 on Amazon.

Honjo H101 Fenders – 78mm Wide

Coming soon from Honjo is the new H101 model. Honjo says it’s designed to clear 2.30″ tyres but given the flat profile and strut design, there should be no reason why you can’t squeeze in 3.00″ rubber too. Honjo will make these in two lengths; one to suit 27.5″ and a longer version for 29″.

Wald Balloon 962 Fenders – 81mm Wide

These wide Wald fenders were originally designed for lowriders and cruisers, but they tend to make a great fender for off-road tread too. Chip from Whatbars.com has his wrapped around some 26 x 3.00″ tires. You can get the 962s in black or chrome for just US $34 on Amazon.

Surface604 Fat Bike Fenders – 120mm Wide

These are the only off-the-shelf fat bike fenders available. They’ve been designed specifically to suit a Surface 604 fat bike but should be adjustable enough to suit most bikes with tyres 4.50″ wide or less. You can get them in black for US $119.

Kelpie Cycles Titanium Fenders – Custom

Kelpie Cycles are one of the only companies that make hammer-rolled titanium fenders. They can whip them up in any width and length you desire – check out the 36er fenders found on this Black Sheep cruiser!

MK Wooden Fenders – Custom

MK Fenders are hyper-customizable wooden fenders made in Iowa, USA. You can choose the wheel size, fender length, fender width, wood type and colour inlay. The base price is US $200, but they can be optioned-out to over US $400.

Woody’s Wooden Fenders – Custom

Woody’s Fenders of Oregon, USA make fenders that are works of art. They’re available in a number of shape profiles and wood patterns (you’ve got to check out the options on the website!). The built-and-ready fenders start from US $120, but expect a full custom set to be north of US $250.

DIY Modified Fat Bike Fenders

You can make your own fat bike fenders by slicing a set of off-the-shelf fenders in half (Planet Bike Cascadia are popular), widening them with a 3.00″ strip of aluminium and attaching it all back together with rivets. There are a few good tutorials floating around online to complete this hack. The other popular DIY option is to source some ‘trials motorbike’ fenders and match them to some bicycle fender hardware.

Click HERE To Find Out More About Mounting Fenders To Your Bike

I love fenders as they keep me and my bike both cleaner and dryer than without. I’ve compiled this list of mudguard and fender manufacturers in the hope that you will find something that will suit your bike and the tyres that you use. 

For advice on fitting, metal vs plastic, mud flaps and details about what to look out for in a good fender – read my resource, Everything About Bicycle Touring Fenders and Mudguards.

My preferred fender manufacturer is SKS for a number of reasons. They travel extremely well, they’re durable, easy to fit and quiet. I have four sets: one of them has done over 40,000km of touring around the world including 10+ flights, lots of trains, buses and cars, and it’s still going strong. My other sets have been on other touring/city bikes for close to 10 years, without failure.

My specific fender recommendations include:

Plastic
SKS Bluemels – Stiff metal core, double strut arms, securi-clips, quiet, stainless hardwear, neat mounting kit.
SKS Longboard – Stiff metal core, the longest plastic guards available, suitable for tyres narrower than 35c only.
Bontrager NCS – No cutting required which makes them the easiest-to-fit, full-length guards.
Planet Bike Cascadia – Longer than SKS, these all-plastic guards are another popular touring option.

Metal
Gilles Berthoud Stainless Steel – Very well made and with excellent fittings.
Honjo Aluminium – These are some of the lightest and best quality full-length guards around.
Velo Orange – Lower price than GB and Honjo, but still very neat.

Plastic Fender and Mudguard Manufacturers

***Tyre sizes listed are the maximum width that will fit into each fender model.

Axiom
Rainrunner 360 Reflex (700×40, 26×2.0)
Roadrunner LX Reflex (700×28, 700×45, 26×2.2, 29×2.2)

Blackburn
Central Full Fender (700×35, 700×45, 26×2.35, 29×2.35)
Cloudburst Full Cover (700×28, 700×37, 26×1.75)

Bontrager
NCS (700×25, 700×35, 26×2.25)

Contec
Plastic (700×35, 700×42, 700×45, 700×48, 700×54)

Curana
C-Lite Composite (700×30, 700×35, 700×40, 700×45, 700×55, 26×2.2, 26×2.35)

Hebie
Stadtmeister (700×35)

M-Part
Primoplastic (700×35, 700×45, 700×55, 26×2.35)

Planet Bike
Cascadia (700×28, 700×35, 700×2.0)

SKS
Bluemels Chromoplastic (25c, 32c, 35c, 42c, 2.0″, 2.2”)
Bluemels Chromoplastic Primus (700×28)
Raceblade Long (700×25)
Longboard (700×25, 700×35)

Soma
Rain Dog 26/650b/700c (28c, 35c, 2.00”)

Stronglight
Plastic (700×25, 700×32, 700×38, 700×44, 26×1.7, 26×2.0)

Tor Tec
Reflective (26×1.5, 26×2.1, 700×26, 700×35, 700×44)

Vavert
Plastic 26/650b/700c (28c, 38c, 1.5”)

Zefal
Paragon (700×32, 700×40)

Metal Fender and Mudguard Manufacturers

***Tyre sizes listed are the maximum width that will fit into each fender model.

Brave
Classic Aluminium (700×32, 700×42)

Contec
Aluminium (700×32, 700×42)

Dia Compe
ENE Aluminium (700×28, 700×35)

Electra
Aluminium (700×38, 26×2.0, 26×2.35)

Gilles Berthoud
Stainless Steel (26×1.6, 26×2.0, 650×40, 650×50, 700×2.0, 700×2.35)

Hebie
Fixed Guard (700×26, 700×39)

Honjo
Aluminium (700×25, 700×32, 700×35, 700×40, 650×34, 650×36, 650×38, 650×42, 650×52, 26×1.6)

PDW
Full Metal Fenders (700×23, 700×35)

Planet Bike
Cascadia ALX (700×35)

Pletscher
Aluminium Fender (26×2.0, 26×2.35, 700×2.0, 700×2.35)

Specialized
Plug n Play (700×30)
Globe Alloy (700×38)
Roll (650×2.3)

Stronglight
Guade Boule (700×32, 26×1.25)

Tanaka
Stainless Steel (700×40, 700×45)
Alloy (26×45, 26×60, 700×40, 700×45, 650×40, 650×45)
Hammered (700×36, 700×45)

Velo Orange
Smooth Aluminium (700×27, 700×35, 26×2.0)
Hammered Aluminium (650×35, 700×25, 700×35)
Facette Aluminium (700×35)
Snakeskin Aluminium (650×42, 700×42)
Smooth Stainless Steel (700×35, 26×2.0)
Zeppelin Aluminium (650×42, 700×42)
Fluted Aluminium (700×2.1)

Wooden Fender and Mudguard Manufacturers

***Tyre sizes listed are the maximum width that will fit into each fender model.

Brave
Classic Wooden (700×42)

Contec
Bamboo (700×32, 700×42)

Planet Bike
Grasshopper Bamboo (700×35)

Woodguards
Made to order

Woody’s Fenders
Made to order

Carbon Fender and Mudguard Manufacturers

***Tyre sizes listed are the maximum width that will fit into each fender model.

Latt
Carbon (700×32, 700×38)

Clip-On Fender and Mudguard Manufacturers

Clip-on guards that mount 10 or more centimetres from the wheel don’t protect your bike, but will certainly keep you cleaner.

Axiom
BBB
Blackburn
Contec
Crud
Curana
Procraft
SKS
Soma
Zefel

Have you ever had a brown backside after a ride? Have you tried fenders/mudguards?

Every time I ride a bike without mudguards I remember exactly why I love them. Fenders/mudguards keep me and my bike both cleaner and dryer than without.

Mudguards and fenders are easy to dislike, I get that. They can be fragile, they can bend. Some will bounce and rattle around making lots of noise, while others have the tendency to rub on the side of your tyres. Even after lots of adjustment they somehow always continue their rubbing ways…

I am here to tell you that good quality guards will NOT rattle, they will NOT rub, they will NOT be fragile and they will NOT bend. You will have to invest some time customising them to your bike properly (this is a great job to palm off to a pro mechanic) but the rewards will be plentiful, I promise.

And just to clear up the terminology: fenders, mudguards and guards refer to the same thing. Most people from the North American continent tend to use ‘fender’ while the rest of the world seems to have settled on ‘mudguard’.

Why Use Mudguards And Fenders?

They keep you dry and clean
Fenders stop water, grime and mud spraying into your face and all over your clothes. Even if you never plan to ride in the rain, a fenders job will continue long after the clouds leave as water loves to sit on the road. On bike trips, fenders make walking into shops, pubs and hotels a much more pleasurable experience for everyone involved. Oh, and if you wear glasses, you can expect far less scratches on your lenses.

They save you money
Fenders reduce the amount of grit that sprays onto your chains, cogs, bearings, rims, pads, brake calipers and cables – prematurely wearing them out. By keeping your components cleaner, they will simply last longer. Another bonus; you can now clean your bike less frequently!

They keep others dry and clean
If you’re riding in a group, fenders will put the water back on the ground rather than all over your friends.

What To Look Out For In A Good Fender Set?

Please note that more than 50% of what makes a good fender is simply how it is set up…

Coverage – The longer the fender, the more effective it is at keeping water and grit off you and your bike.
Rigid – Rigid fenders are quiet and will not rub on your tyres. Metal fenders are often stiffer and more rigid than their plastic friends, but some plastic fenders use a metal core, double-struts and good-quality mounting hardware to keep them in place.
Deep – A fender with a deeper profile will direct water flow out the bottom rather than the sides.
Adjustable – To get the most out of your fenders, you need them as close to your wheel as possible. Adjustable length struts and fittings are essential.
Stainless steel hard wear – You don’t want rusty struts and bolts. Make sure the mounting kit is 100% stainless.
Double struts on plastic guards – More struts equals less movement with plastic fenders.
Nothing sharp – Good quality fenders will have covers for any exposed sharp surfaces which will stop you scratching your skin and tearing your clothes.
Quick-release clips – ‘Securi-clips’ are a good idea for a touring bicycle as they allow the mudguard to open up if debris gets caught in them.

Mudflaps

Fenders don’t always come with mudflaps, but they’re easy to fit. These flexible flaps at the end of your fenders will give you and your bike extra protection from water and grime; they shoot the water back down to the ground where it belongs.

Will Full-Length Fenders Fit Your Bike?

You will need to consider the following:

Clearance – Do you have more than 15mm between your tyres and the fork crown, chainstay bridge and seatstay bridge
Chainstay bridge – Is there a small tube attaching your two chain stays? (Not essential)
Seatstay bridge – Is there a small tube attaching your two seatstays?
Drilled fork crown – Can you run a bolt through your fork crown?
Frame eyelets – Do you have eyelets on the bottom of your fork and at the frame dropouts? (Both not essential)

Touring bikes and many cyclocross bikes will have all of these things, and will fit full-length fenders rather easily. Road bikes very rarely have eyelets, but the biggest issue they face is too little clearance, making ‘clip-on’ guards almost always required. There’s one exception though: the excellent SKS Raceblade Longs. Again, modern mountain bikes won’t have any provision for guards, so clip-on guards (seatpost and fork crown) are a popular option.

How do you fit mudguards and fenders to your bike?

Correct setup
Fender setup is absolutely paramount for both the effectiveness and durability of your guards. The longer they are, and closer they are fitted, the better they will perform. Try and get an even space between the tyre and fender (fender line).

Reduce stress
Some riders have their fenders break after 1000km, and others have the same fender last 100,000km. Fenders must be fitted with minimal stresses to their structure. If you can, use spacers to make up gaps rather than bending them to fit.

Sizing
26 and 650b wheels can often share the same fenders given their similar size. 700c wheels are significantly larger in radius and will likely require their own size. This is especially important for metal fenders, plastic fenders tend to tolerate a bit more.

Tyre clearance
You will need a 20mm gap between the top of your tyre and fender, and 5mm either side. Fenders are measured on the outside (not the inside), so subtract 10mm off the fender width to determine the maximum tyre clearance. Eg. A 45mm wide fender will fit a 35mm wide tyre.

Brake clearance
If you’re using road or v-brakes (rather than canti or disc), you’ll need to measure your brake clearance. Standard road calipers often clear 35mm wide fenders, long-reach calipers 45mm and XL-reach calipers 50mm wide fenders. V-brakes can have trouble with widths 50mm and up, that is one of the reasons why touring bikes still use cantilever brakes.

Don’t have eyelets on your frame and fork?
Have no fear, you have options to connect fender struts to your bike. Quick release axle runners by Axiom, Soma or Velo Orange are perhaps the most elegant option for creating eyelets. A more common option for those who have thru-axles or would prefer to use their frame as a support: universal p-clamps.

Mounting to the seatstay bridge
Sometimes seatstay bridges can have vertical or horizontal mounting holes. To use a vertical hole you will need to drill your fender. You can adapt a vertical hole to horizontal using an ‘L’ bracket. Axiom fenders use a seatstay bridge mount which is designed to be zip-tied if you don’t have a bridge at all!

Connecting to the chainstay bridge
You will likely need to space out the bolt on the chainstay bridge to get a good ‘fender line’. If you don’t have a chainstay bridge you can connect your fender to your seat tube. The best way is often to drill a hole in the fender and attach it to a ‘single shifter clamp’. You can also make a bracket that connects from the BB shell. Or an even simpler way again is with a presta valve adapter, some rubber and tape.

Clearing and mounting to your fork crown
You fork crown may not be deep enough under the headset, so that’s where Sheldon Fender Nuts, Peter White Bolts or Gilles Berthoud Brake Nuts can come in handy by spacing your fender mount back a few millimetres. Metal fenders will often be designed to use ‘fork crown eye bolts’ so that they can connect vertically underneath the crown.

Getting the front fender closer to your tyre
Problem Solvers Fender Flutes allow you to optimise your fender line if you need to, most commonly required on 29er adventure touring bikes.

Clearing the disc brake calipers on the front
You can bend your struts around your brake caliper. The neatest way for single strut fenders is often under the caliper, and with double struts it’s out and around. Long bolts and spacers are available to clear brake calipers too. Another option is to mount directly to your front rack eyelets.

Clearing the disc brake caliper on the rear
If you have a rear rack that will allow it, connect the fender directly to your rack to overcome this problem. Option B is would be to use Axiom Disc Runners (or long bolts and spacers) which space your struts out and around your caliper.

Using horizontal dropouts
You may need a Velo Orange Spring Thing to get your wheel in and out easily with your well-fitted fenders.

Suspension forks
You will likely require p-clamps at the fork legs (especially for thru-axle forks) and zip ties at the crown if there is no bolt hole.

Metal or Plastic Fenders?

Settled Metal
Metal fenders look amazing and are often more effective than plastic options. Their effectiveness can be attributed to their longer and deeper design than most plastic options. If set up correctly, aluminium and stainless fenders should last a lifetime, but keep in mind that setting up a metal fender is not a simple task; it’s laborious and will almost always require lots of measuring and drilling. I’ve found that if you force metal fenders into place at setup, they will stress and eventually fail. Make sure you take your time, get the washers right and space them out nicely. In terms of weight, aluminium guards are often around 450g, while stainless steel is closer to 600g for a set.

Plastic Fantastic
Plastic fenders are easy to fit (30mins max) and you won’t need much more than wire cutters, spanners and Allen keys to complete the job. The most durable plastic fenders have a metal core which helps them maintain stiffness and durability. You can increase the effectiveness of plastic fenders by attaching long mud flaps. I’ve found that plastic fenders travel far better than any other option because they tolerate more flex; I simply undo the lower mounting bolts and leave the fenders attached to my bike when I fly. Plastic fenders often tip the scales at around 500g including hardware.

Fender and Mudguard Recommendations

My preferred manufacturer: SKS. Why? They travel extremely well. They’re durable, easy to fit and quiet. I have four sets: one of them has done over 40,000km of touring around the world including 10+ flights, lots of trains, buses and cars, and it’s still going strong. My other sets have been on other touring/city bikes for close to 10 years, without failure.

Plastic
SKS Bluemels – Stiff metal core, double strut arms, securi-clips, quiet, stainless hardwear, neat mounting kit.
SKS Longboard – Stiff metal core, the longest plastic guards available, suitable for tyres narrower than 35c only.
Bontrager NCS – No cutting required which makes them the easiest to fit full-length guards.
Planet Bike Cascadia – Longer than SKS, these all-plastic guards are another popular touring option.

Metal
Gilles Berthoud Stainless Steel – Very well made and with excellent fittings.
Honjo Aluminium – These are some of the lightest and best quality full-length guards around.
Velo Orange – Lower price than GB and Honjo, but still very neat.

Plastic Fender and Mudguard Manufacturers

***Tyre sizes listed are the maximum width that will fit into each fender model.

Axiom
Rainrunner 360 Reflex (700×40, 26×2.0)
Roadrunner LX Reflex (700×28, 700×45, 26×2.2, 29×2.2)

Blackburn
Central Full Fender (700×35, 700×45, 26×2.35, 29×2.35)
Cloudburst Full Cover (700×28, 700×37, 26×1.75)

Bontrager
NCS (700×25, 700×35, 26×2.25)

Contec
Plastic (700×35, 700×42, 700×45, 700×48, 700×54)

Curana
C-Lite Composite (700×30, 700×35, 700×40, 700×45, 700×55, 26×2.2, 26×2.35)

Hebie
Stadtmeister (700×35)

M-Part
Primoplastic (700×35, 700×45, 700×55, 26×2.35)

Planet Bike
Cascadia (700×28, 700×35, 700×2.0)

SKS
Bluemels Chromoplastic (25c, 32c, 35c, 42c, 2.0″, 2.2”)
Bluemels Chromoplastic Primus (700×28)
Raceblade Long (700×25)
Longboard (700×25, 700×35)

Soma
Rain Dog 26/650b/700c (28c, 35c, 2.00”)

Stronglight
Plastic (700×25, 700×32, 700×38, 700×44, 26×1.7, 26×2.0)

Tor Tec
Reflective (26×1.5, 26×2.1, 700×26, 700×35, 700×44)

Vavert
Plastic 26/650b/700c (28c, 38c, 1.5”)

Zefal
Paragon (700×32, 700×40)

Metal Fender and Mudguard Manufacturers

***Tyre sizes listed are the maximum width that will fit into each fender model.

Brave
Classic Aluminium (700×32, 700×42)

Contec
Aluminium (700×32, 700×42)

Dia Compe
ENE Aluminium (700×28, 700×35)

Electra
Aluminium (700×38, 26×2.0, 26×2.35)

Gilles Berthoud
Stainless Steel (26×1.6, 26×2.0, 650×40, 650×50, 700×2.0, 700×2.35)

Hebie
Fixed Guard (700×26, 700×39)

Honjo
Aluminium (700×25, 700×32, 700×35, 700×40, 650×34, 650×36, 650×38, 650×42, 650×52, 26×1.6)

PDW
Full Metal Fenders (700×23, 700×35)

Planet Bike
Cascadia ALX (700×35)

Pletscher
Aluminium Fender (26×2.0, 26×2.35, 700×2.0, 700×2.35)

Specialized
Plug n Play (700×30)
Globe Alloy (700×38)
Roll (650×2.3)

Stronglight
Guade Boule (700×32, 26×1.25)

Tanaka
Stainless Steel (700×40, 700×45)
Alloy (26×45, 26×60, 700×40, 700×45, 650×40, 650×45)
Hammered (700×36, 700×45)

Velo Orange
Smooth Aluminium (700×27, 700×35, 26×2.0)
Hammered Aluminium (650×35, 700×25, 700×35)
Facette Aluminium (700×35)
Snakeskin Aluminium (650×42, 700×42)
Smooth Stainless Steel (700×35, 26×2.0)
Zeppelin Aluminium (650×42, 700×42)
Fluted Aluminium (700×2.1)

Wooden Fender and Mudguard Manufacturers

***Tyre sizes listed are the maximum width that will fit into each fender model.

Brave
Classic Wooden (700×42)

Contec
Bamboo (700×32, 700×42)

Planet Bike
Grasshopper Bamboo (700×35)

Woodguards
Made to order

Woody’s Fenders
Made to order

Carbon Fender and Mudguard Manufacturers

***Tyre sizes listed are the maximum width that will fit into each fender model.

Latt
Carbon (700×32, 700×38)

Clip-On Fender and Mudguard Manufacturers

Clip-on guards that mount 10 or more centimetres from the wheel don’t protect your bike, but will certainly keep you cleaner.

Axiom
BBB
Blackburn
Contec
Crud
Curana
Procraft
SKS
Soma
Zefel

What Good and Bad Experiences Have You Had With Fenders?