26" Fender Question

I am converting my old Surly 1x1 MTB into a commuter for the winter. I need to get fenders for it and am currently running some 2.35 Fat Franks.

Most of the 26" fenders available list 2.25 as the max width that the fenders will work with.

Just wondering if any of you use a similar setup and what type of fenders you use? My guess is that it is wide enough that I could actually run a 700c fender.

In the winter I have a set of 2.1 Nokian studs that I will run.

I run a front disc so clearance is not an issue (I can fit a 700C tire with the clearance on that bike).

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on August 23, 2013 at 8:50am

700c denotes the diameter of the wheel and has nothing to do with the width; in fact most 700 fenders are going to be narrower than a 26" fender.

The 2.25 ones will be a touch narrow but still way better than nothing.

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Permalink Reply by Gecko on August 23, 2013 at 8:54am

Width and diameter are two very different things.

You want 26" fenders to match the diameter of your 26" wheels, otherwise the proportions will be off and the fender mounting braces may not fit. If your frame has clearance for 700C diameter wheels, you should be able to fit knobby 26" tires inside the fenders no problem.

If the fenders claim max width 2.25" and you run 2.35" tires, the worst that will happen is you might get a tiny bit of overspray around the side edges of the fender, but it should be negligible.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Grossman on August 23, 2013 at 9:20am

No I realize there are more differences between 26" and 700c. I meant that if they make a wider fender for 700c I could potentially clear that in my frame.

Doug and Nick, would you guess that the overspray wouldn't be a huge issue? I love running fat rubber on that bike but I suppose I could always narrow it down.