Kyle
Bottom line is I love these fenders. They're not perfect, but they're great. If that's enough for you to buy, then read no further. If you want to know why I only rated them 4 stars, then read on, friend.
I'll start with the positives. The look is nothing short of badass. Matte black looks great and the blacked out stays plus (most) hardware looks slick. The materials are quality. I dig how the stays are one U-shaped piece (adds to the rigidity, but detracts from adjustability. more below). Having the vibration damping stickers are appreciated. Instructions are clear and pretty easy to follow.
I preface the negatives by saying this: I have never owned a set of fenders that fit perfectly without my own modifications and adjustment. Further, every set of fenders I own where a pain in the butt to install. These are no exception. Despite that however, there are a few things PDW could have done to minimize this.
I'll start with the low hanging fruit for PDW. I had to buy a new bolt to go through my fork. The 60mm bolt they provide was not long enough to get through my carbon fork. I bought a 70mm for a few cents at and it worked just fine. I will concede that 70mm may be far too long for traditional steel forks.
Although most of the hardware came black, the 4 bolts that tack on the plastic fender flaps, the 60mm bolt, the long bridge bolt for the rear, and accompanying nuts and washers are all silver. I replaced these for another few cents because I wanted a 100% blacked out look. Seems to me this would have been pretty easy for PDW to do especially considering the premium price point.
Also considering the price point, there's no reason they could have not provided the disc brake spacer set in the hardware kit. Charging an additional $5 for something that costs literal cents at the hardware store is kind of a bummer. Luckily, I have flat-mount calipers and got away without needing them.
On to the modifications I had to make, there were a few to get the right fit. I had to cut notches in both fenders where they meet the fork and the seat stay.
The front stays are a bit too long to get as close to the tire as I'd like. The U-shape design is not infinitely adjustable like fenders that have individual rods (but they are more stable, which I prefer). So I had to cut the ends of the stay to get the front fender a little closer to the tire.
The rear stays are too short, especially for the rear most one. I had to use a separate braze-on location for each stay so they would reach. And because of my bike's dropout design, I had to expand the eyelet hole of the rear stay tab.
For context, my bike is a 2021 Kona Rove LTD with 650bx47c tires.
I considered Velo Orange fenders of the same size. These were $50 less, but a black gloss finish. I presume the quality is similar to these from PDW. The question is if that $50 is worth it to you. Guaranteed that you'll need to make adjustments regardless of what fender you go with. Companies need to make these fenders for so many bike designs, they can only do so much.
I personally put a high premium on aesthetics. These look dope. The quality is tip top. And I'd have to mod any fender for the fit I want. After a (rattle free) test ride when I put these on, I fell in love with my new bike. No bike is complete without fenders no matter what the haters say.
TJ H.
I bought these 65mm fenders because the site had these beautiful photos of them on the same bike I own, a 2020 Kona Rove ST.
Pretty sure the bike in the photos is actually wearing the beast 55mm fenders instead of the 65mm because of the chrome hangers and the fact I had to do a little tweaking of the rear fender to make it fit.
So I think the 55mm would have fit fine, but with the 65’s I have lots of room to upsize the tires from the stock 47mm that came on the Rove.
Test rode today and they’re good and sturdy. Looking forward to rainy rides and no stripe on my back.
