The best bike fenders fit your bike well. The fenders need to be wide enough to fit over your tire, but other fender characteristics--such as weight, material and length--are a matter of personal preference and needs. Commuters often prefer full-length fenders. Mountain bike riders may be content with a short fender that prevents the worst of the water and mud spray. Competitive road riders often do without fenders.
Material
Fenders are typically made from plastic or aluminum. Vintage or vintage-style bikes may feature painted or chrome-plated steel fenders, which rattle on rough terrain and are heavy but also very sturdy. For style as well as optimal water and dirt protection, many plastic fenders for road or city bikes have the same design as metal fenders. Other plastic fenders are short and flexible and typically designed for mountain bike use.
Attachment
Bikes with suspension need fenders designed to fit under or over the shocks; otherwise, the fender may break and catch in your wheel or hit you. Many road or racing bikes have so little room between the top of the wheel and the top of the fork that there is no room for a standard fender. Clip-on or screw-on fenders attach to the fork or seat post. Those fenders are flimsier than other fenders and offer less protection from the elements, but they are easy to install on bicycles with suspension or bicycles with no room for fenders. Metal and plastic fenders attach to your bike with screws into the frame near the dropouts and at the top of the fork and rear triangle. Some bikes do not have the right screw attachments for full-size metal and plastic fenders. It is sometimes possible to improvise, however.
Length
Full-coverage fenders cover the top half or more of the rear tire and about a third of the front tire. They are angled to keep water off you and the rider behind you. The extended length also keeps grit out of your bike's moving parts, prolonging their life. Attaching a mudflap to a slightly too-short fender can help; many fenders also come with mudflaps. Clip-on fenders are typically very short, around a foot long.
Width
Fenders should be 8 to 12 mm wider than the tires they are covering. This clearance helps keep road debris from getting stuck between the fender and the tire. However, you must also ensure that the fender is narrow enough to allow your brake pads to fully contact the rims when you use the brake lever.
Size
A fender designed for 650c or 26-inch tires may theoretically fit either one, and a fender designed for a 700c or 27-inch tire may fit either size, but you should check the fit first. The underside of the fender should be about the same distance from the tire all the way around.
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