Fenders from Big O Mfg.

M

MarkB

Member
living in the Seattle area, fenders were a must have for my RR. After reading a lot of reviews, and searching on the Internet I came across Big O Mfg. http://stores.bigomfg.com. They offer a variety of fender kits, but they didn't explicitly have one for a RR. John Reimer, the owner, worked with me to find a kit that would fit. I sent him pictures of my mounting points, and gave him information about tire and wheel size. I ended up getting the 4" kit for a Sonders bike except with mounting hardware for the RR. The cost was $115.00 for the kit and $7.25 shipping to Auburn, WA. So it was $132.25 shipped. It came via USPS in a week. It arrived last Friday and I just finished installing it today. Here's what it looks like...

image.jpeg

It actually only took about 2 hours to install, including my time fiddling around. It seems pretty solid even though it's plastic. The mounting hardware is Stainless Steel and T6 aluminum, so I expect it will last a long time.

Questions?

Mark -
 
Thanks for the info. I emailed these guys a week ago and never heard back. How did you specify the hardware for the RR? It seems that they supplied the ones that RPB used to have on their website so I was a bit surprised that there wasn't a RR kit on the Big O website.
 
Apparently there was some kind of disconnect between the Big O Mfg. people and the RPB people and they couldn't come to an agreement. I'm still working with John at Big O to get some of the hardware issues ironed out. Like the angle of the front fender bracket. It should be mounted on the fender a few inches from the bottom rear of the front fender, but it's an inch too short to do that and the fender would hit the tire. So I sent him new dimensions for that bracket tonight. That may be why they haven't replied, since the specification is still being finalized. John is a real nice guy to work with, and puts together quality kits...

Mark -
 
They will put together a custom kit for just about any fatbike - it's a little bit of a pain to send all the pics and measurements they request but the end result is really good and unlike the silly half/quarter clip on fenders from others, the Big O's actually work well at keeping most of the crud off you, the bike and the electric bits - at least if you have a mid drive.
 
They supplied me a kit the other day. I had to drill off and modify the front arms to fit. Loving the look.
 

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MarkB said:
Apparently there was some kind of disconnect between the Big O Mfg. people and the RPB people and they couldn't come to an agreement. I'm still working with John at Big O to get some of the hardware issues ironed out. Like the angle of the front fender bracket. It should be mounted on the fender a few inches from the bottom rear of the front fender, but it's an inch too short to do that and the fender would hit the tire. So I sent him new dimensions for that bracket tonight. That may be why they haven't replied, since the specification is still being finalized. John is a real nice guy to work with, and puts together quality kits...

Mark -
Click to expand...
The website for Big O has been down for a little over one month. Do you have a phone number to contact someone there? I want some full coverage fenders. I saw a RR at the store that had some Big O fenders on and I like the look and coverage. I bought a 2016 RR and now use it for commuting to work.
 
I wrote to John @ BigOMfg and asked him about his fender kits.

His reply:

Hi Isaakmc,
Thank you for your interest in our fender kits. Our store is currently closed for rebuilding. In the future we will be offering kits with the fenders only, so that our customers may fit them to their own specifications. I may be reached at [email protected]. thanks.
Regards,
John

I then asked him on May 18 when his store will be open again and his reply:

Hi Isaak, hopefully in a week or so.
John

Sounds like we will have to wait and see.
 
I wonder if by "fenders only" he means no metalwork to attach them to the bike? That would be a PITA.
 
Looks like their website is back up, but still very basic and not complete yet. I'm still waiting for my Radrover (mid june shipment), but have been checking these fenders out. Really like their looks on this bike. I almost ordered the ones Radpowerbikes sells at $59.99 but didn't like the tiny front fenders.
 
thatdude902 said:
Looks like their website is back up, but still very basic and not complete yet. I'm still waiting for my Radrover (mid june shipment), but have been checking these fenders out. Really like their looks on this bike. I almost ordered the ones Radpowerbikes sells at $59.99 but didn't like the tiny front fenders.
Click to expand...

Looks like Big O has taken turn for the worse - no custom fittings, not even fittings for known bikes and no international orders any more. Seems like he doesn't know how to capitalize on cornering the market - Big O was the only place to sell decent fenders (actually the only place to sell any full fenders at all) for fat bikes and instead of grabbing the market and making a killing from what must have been an enormous interest (his site was mentioned on every thread on every forum where the topic of fat fenders came up), he's gone and stuffed himself. A little sad. Perhaps someone else will step into the vacuum and produce proper fat fenders.
 
That's unfortunate. I was hoping the site is still being built and those are just stand in. In the general forum here, someone mentioned Passion eBike and that they sell fat bike fenders. (Link Removed - No Longer Exists), they seem to have a set that looks exactly like the Big O but fitted on a Sandors. Might be able to adapt it for a Radrover. They have a set of black gloss 100mm at $99 & 110mm $109.

The Passion eBike fenders appear to be more gloss, not sure if that's good or bad. And Big O is 4" which is 101.6mm for comparison.

Edit: Looking further at the Passion eBike fenders, the fenders for Passion's own bike might be a better fit than the ones they have for the Sondors. The rear dropout holes are in the same spot, the rest of the bike, frame & fork look pretty close too. Not sure if it's actually a different kit though after navigating that site. Just noticed it in the pictures.
 
Last edited:
MarkP said:
Volt Bike also offers a fender set. Same and the ones on their Yukon I believe. Again, looks like a fair price.

http://www.voltbike.ca/accessories/fat-bike-fenders.html
Click to expand...

All those other fenders you mention are the same I think -
painted steel and we all know what happens to steel once the paint is a little scratched.

But Big O will still produce the plastic fenders but not the hardware to attach them - let's hope someone else will offer something reasonable or it'll have to be a DIY job to get them attached. And international customers like myself will just have to use a reshipping company. All this makes those fenders more expensive and more hassle so people will be less inclined to order I think.

Good job the Big O fenders are built to last - mine are like new after 2 winters of abuse. The problem is that the mounting hardware is designed for an asymmetrical rear so I can't reuse them without some modification when I change out my bike.
 
Auggg! Looks like the Passion bike fenders are steel also, based on a 3rd party seller's listing that sells the same fender on Amazon. Big O really needs to reconsider, how is a regular person supposed to find the right hardware to mount those things. Without those, they might as well be home decorations.
 
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