Full fenders on a front suspension mountain bike

Why is it that many retailers and bike shops discourage putting full
fenders on front suspension mountain bikes?

As an example, the SKS P65
http://www.sks-germany.de/en/stage.php?mod=detail&cid=4&id=1&zg=0&seite=1&start =0#
seems to be able to mount just fine to a front suspension. The front
fender can mount to the cantilever brake arch. It has "Secu Clip"
breakaway attachments on the dropouts that attach to the front axle
for extra safety. I'd guess they only take up 20mm or so of extra
clearance between the tire and the fork.

However, many retailers (but not all, and not the manufacturer, as
near as I can tell) advise against using these with a front
suspension. For example, Cambria Bicycle Outfitter
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=11478 says about these
fenders, "Not for use on suspension forks."

For that matter, even after fairly extensive websearching, I can't
really find any specific information at all about mountain bikes and
full fenders. What gives?

Aaron W. LaFramboise wrote:
Why is it that many retailers and bike shops discourage putting full
fenders on front suspension mountain bikes?

As an example, the SKS P65
http://www.sks-germany.de/en/stage.php?mod=detail&cid=4&id=1&zg=0&seite=1&start =0#
seems to be able to mount just fine to a front suspension. The front
fender can mount to the cantilever brake arch. It has "Secu Clip"
breakaway attachments on the dropouts that attach to the front axle
for extra safety. I'd guess they only take up 20mm or so of extra
clearance between the tire and the fork.

However, many retailers (but not all, and not the manufacturer, as
near as I can tell) advise against using these with a front
suspension. For example, Cambria Bicycle Outfitter
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=11478 says about these
fenders, "Not for use on suspension forks."

For that matter, even after fairly extensive websearching, I can't
really find any specific information at all about mountain bikes and
full fenders. What gives? Go for it

On Fri, 07 Jul 2006 20:09:51 -0500, Aaron W LaFramboise wrote:

Why is it that many retailers and bike shops discourage putting full
fenders on front suspension mountain bikes?

A couple of things.

First, the brake arches were needed by the center-pull brakes of the 90's.
From that arch, a cable ran straight down to the yoke, and there was no
way to put a fender there. After v-brakes became the norm, the brake arch
was replaced with a solid arch that didn't have anything on which to mount
a fender. If you have an older fork with a canti brake arch but use
v-brakes, you could use it to mount a fender.

The other thing is just that light pieces flop around on rough trails and
might get bent or come loose.

--
-BB-
To e-mail me, unmunge my address

What he said. Also, it's probably easier to zip tie a long oval of plastic
to the underside of your lower tube. It'll prevent spray/mud from getting
your chest and face when riding, and is easier to install than a fender.

"BB" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 07 Jul 2006 20:09:51 -0500, Aaron W LaFramboise wrote:

Why is it that many retailers and bike shops discourage putting full
fenders on front suspension mountain bikes?

A couple of things.

First, the brake arches were needed by the center-pull brakes of the 90's.
From that arch, a cable ran straight down to the yoke, and there was no
way to put a fender there. After v-brakes became the norm, the brake arch
was replaced with a solid arch that didn't have anything on which to mount
a fender. If you have an older fork with a canti brake arch but use
v-brakes, you could use it to mount a fender.

The other thing is just that light pieces flop around on rough trails and
might get bent or come loose.

--
-BB-
To e-mail me, unmunge my address

On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 18:23:12 GMT, GWood wrote:
What he said. Also, it's probably easier to zip tie a long oval of plastic
to the underside of your lower tube. It'll prevent spray/mud from getting
your chest and face when riding, and is easier to install than a fender.

I was thinking you could zip tie a fender to the arch on a fork, but I
don't know how you keep it from sliding down one side or the other.

--
-BB-
To e-mail me, unmunge my address