Aventon Pace third-party fenders

[pkchari]

I'm aware that Aventon has their own branded fenders, but unfortunately, as I write this, they have been out of stock for quite some time (at least, for the Pace). On top of that, they are size-specific (and that size-specificity simply comes from the length of the hanger rods that bolt to the eyelets), so even if one version is in stock, it is only for a size I don't need. A lot of aftermarket bike fenders are considerably more affordable and I'm aware of a variety of alternatives with some uncertainty, but I'd like to know if anybody has experience with any as far as fitting on a Pace. My preference is for good coverage, but I've historically found trivial effective difference between "decent" coverage fenders and so-called "full" coverage fenders, though there is a huge difference between the tiny "origami" type fenders and a "decent" one. At the same time, a stable mount is valuable, so all the zip-tie mounted and strap-on types are pretty pointless in my view. Since the tires on the Pace are apparently 27.5" x 2.2" out of the box and it supposedly has clearance for 2.6" hybrid tires, it makes sense to look at MTB-friendly fenders.

There are relatively few sources out there where people name specific products for the Pace, and the only one I've heard mentioned more than once is the PDW Sodapop fender set; The only gripe mentioned about them is that the bolt for the front fender mount is too short (which makes sense since they are probably meant for mounting to a suspension fork crown rather than the base of a tapered rigid fork). Are there any other options that people have tried?

 

[DKMCape]

I'm aware that Aventon has their own branded fenders, but unfortunately, as I write this, they have been out of stock for quite some time (at least, for the Pace). On top of that, they are size-specific (and that size-specificity simply comes from the length of the hanger rods that bolt to the eyelets), so even if one version is in stock, it is only for a size I don't need. A lot of aftermarket bike fenders are considerably more affordable and I'm aware of a variety of alternatives with some uncertainty, but I'd like to know if anybody has experience with any as far as fitting on a Pace. My preference is for good coverage, but I've historically found trivial effective difference between "decent" coverage fenders and so-called "full" coverage fenders, though there is a huge difference between the tiny "origami" type fenders and a "decent" one. At the same time, a stable mount is valuable, so all the zip-tie mounted and strap-on types are pretty pointless in my view. Since the tires on the Pace are apparently 27.5" x 2.2" out of the box and it supposedly has clearance for 2.6" hybrid tires, it makes sense to look at MTB-friendly fenders.

There are relatively few sources out there where people name specific products for the Pace, and the only one I've heard mentioned more than once is the PDW Sodapop fender set; The only gripe mentioned about them is that the bolt for the front fender mount is too short (which makes sense since they are probably meant for mounting to a suspension fork crown rather than the base of a tapered rigid fork). Are there any other options that people have tried?

I purchased a pair of Planet Bike Cascadia fenders (29" x 65 mm) in 2019 for my Pace 500, and they have worked very well. There ends up being some excess rod sticking out of the lower "V stay", but that can be cut off or bent.

Amazon.com

 

[pkchari]

I purchased a pair of Planet Bike Cascadia fenders (29" x 65 mm) in 2019 for my Pace 500, and they have worked very well. There ends up being some excess rod sticking out of the lower "V stay", but that can be cut off or bent.

Interesting. I assume that since they are made for 29" wheels, there is a good bit of clearance between the tire and the fender (that widens)?

Did you also have to buy longer bolts for the front since it needs to go all the way through the hole at the bottom of the fork? Or were the included bolts sufficient?

 

[DKMCape]

Interesting. I assume that since they are made for 29" wheels, there is a good bit of clearance between the tire and the fender (that widens)?

Did you also have to buy longer bolts for the front since it needs to go all the way through the hole at the bottom of the fork? Or were the included bolts sufficient?

The clearance is not noticeable and the fenders work well. It was two years ago, so I can't be 100% sure, but I don't remember purchasing a longer bolt.

 

[pkchari]

I ultimately went with with the Blackburn Central Full Fenders in the 700X60 size. Slightly cheaper at $50 and like the Planet Bike ones, they had a pretty good range of adjustment using pretty much the same mechanism so I could make it fit quite well. More importantly, they were available right away from one store when I ordered two sets -- with all the shortages, everything else was on backorder. Obviously, being made for 29" wheels, they were slightly larger, but the gap between the fender and the wheel is nothing too bad and doesn't look weird at all. The 60mm width is what I would consider minimum for the stock tires. It's not too small by any means, but I suspect that had I bought something at even 55mm, it would be. The PNW equals wet weather, so having the mudflaps really helps, too. It actually fit a bit closer to the tire on the small size frame that my wife and mother-in-law ride than on the medium that my father-in-law and I ride; I had to bend the support rods slightly to avoid tire rubbing. They give you bolts for the rear fender that are fine at the seatstay arch, but is too long at the point where the chainstays join up at the seat tube. For other bikes, this probably wouldn't be an issue, but the Aventon Pace has its big giant kickstand nut there that gets in the way. However, since the front fork (rigid fork on the Pace) already has bolts on the fork bosses for attaching accessories (like fenders or baskets), I didn't need the extra bolts that were included to attach to would-be eyelets for the front fender (which are much shorter). So I used one of those extra short bolts to attach the rear fender at the chainstay joint and that worked fine. The only real problem is the bolt for the front fender to attach to the fork at the base of the head tube -- it's far too short so the bolt doesn't make it all the way through. The Pace has a tapered rigid fork, and being an e-bike with all its extra weight, they have a pretty extra-beefy front fork, so the hole at that base is really long. It was a common thread I'd heard for universal fenders fitting to the Pace, so I was expecting this. I basically had to go to the hardware store to get an extra long bolt in the same size and thread pitch, and I even got nuts for those bolts just in case I got the wrong thread pitch (I didn't, but just to be safe).