The Art (and Fun) of Custom Full Metal Fenders

Like it or not, it’s fender time. There’s no denying that the wet and muck of autumn has arrived, and now you must choose to either embrace the season with a bit of special gear or escape it by pedaling indoors. 

Here at PDW, we prefer to ride right into the rain. That’s why for the last 17 years, we’ve been honing the design of our Full Metal Fenders (FMFs) to look good on your bike and perform even better. 

The FMFs have won awards for their function—places like Cycling Weekly and Cyclist UK have given them top honors, while Bike Radar once called them “flawless”—and, if we’re honest,  we do think they add a special beauty to any bike. The FMFs are sleek, understated, and hug the tire with a pleasing curve. Plus, they help keep your bike clean and sparkling, which improves any ride and makes your life easier. 

But we also know that some folks are particular about how their bikes look—and we respect that, too. In recent years, we’ve seen custom bike builders take our fenders and repaint them with their own colors and designs. The result is a beauty to behold. 

We got curious about the how and why of that move, so we caught up with our fellow Oregonian, Eric Dungey of Colorworks Palette, to learn what goes into customizing a set of fenders — and why our Full Metal Fenders are best suited for the job. 

The Process

Regardless of the fender, the customization process follows the same basic protocol. Since our fenders can be completely taken apart, the first step is a non-step. 

There’s only one piece of hardware to remove, the bolt-on front fender hanger, and then our fenders can go straight into the painting stand.  

The work begins with a bit of sandblasting, which gives the fender surface just enough texture for the primer to grab onto. Since PDW’s fenders are already black, Eric only concerns himself with the upper side of the fender; the bottom is best left as is. 

“That’s the part that’s gonna get covered in muck,” Eric says. “And no one wants a shiny silver distraction under their cool paint job.”

Eric tapes off the bottom to protect it from the rest of the process. He then gives the top side a primer coat that will match the eventual color scheme, hits that with a quick sand to open it up for paint, and finally gets to the fun stuff: the custom color and graphics that will bring the fenders to life. 

Once the fine work is finished, it all gets a clear coat. “Bam!” Eric says. “With any luck, they’re done.”

All that’s left to do is to remove the tape and take the fenders off the stand. They’re ready to install. 

Why go custom?

For most riders, painting fenders is about tying everything together, but that means different things to different riders. 

“If we are painting fenders, the customer obviously wants them to stand out or I guess even, blend in,” Eric says. “Pretty much everyone that gets their fenders painted already has their whole bike painted in some fashion. People get them painted to either match their existing bike scheme in some way or to add more fun accents to their ride. As we all know, some folks get some pretty crazy things painted on their bikes.”

If your frame already has a custom colorway, matching fenders can elevate the whole build or add just the right amount of contrast to make the whole thing pop. 

“Probably the most popular finish on fenders is the chrome look,” Eric says. “That in itself can add to a particular scheme.” In Eric’s experience, our aluminum fenders take to polishing beautifully. As he puts it, “they get particularly shiny — as good polishing should.”

Hop on your bike and go 

Whether custom-painted or not, we love to see our fenders out in the world.