Fitting Fenders: Cruzbike S40 2020
by Robert Holler
Ahhh fenders. The accessory that no matter what bike type or brand you have takes a bit of fiddling and custom work to get just right depending on your tire size, wheel size, etc.
The fit for fenders on the Cruzbike S40 2020 is tight - particularly on the front end with the stock tires. This is due to a crown change in the fork from the S40 2019. The result is a better handling bike overall in the 2020 version, but resulted in reduced clearance for front fenders with a 30c size 700c tire.
The rear fender will fit easily with any tire and wheel combo as there is plenty of clearance there.
There are solutions however. If you drop to a slightly smaller diameter tire in 700c - such as a 25c tire, most standard 700c fenders for narrow tires will fit as usual and there are strut mounts on the fork and rear stay for those. If you are looking for a wider tire than the stock size for light trails or more cushion, I recommend (whether you use fenders or not) a swap to a 650b size set of wheels and tires. With that change, you can get a 40c tire for a very plush ride that will be the effective diameter of a stock 700c wheel/tire. This makes for a fast cushy ride and maintains the seat height and overall geometry that makes the S40 so awesome right out of the box.
But if you are going to run the stock 700c tire/wheel combo, and still want fenders - never fear - there is a perfect option. They are the SKS Speedrocker fender set. These can be found through many local bike shops, REI, or easily ordered from Amazon here. Note: these fenders work great for the S40 and should work with a V20, but will not work with a Q or T50.
This fender set will go on your stock Cruzbike S40 and offer great full protection. Plus they make the S40 look like it came from the future! I have been using a set here personally to test and have had great success and no issues. In fact, after a week so far of testing, this set will now be my go-to for fenders for my Cruzbike.
They go on easy - just follow the included instructions, and take a look at some of our pictures here of the install. Only a small bit of strut material needs to be trimmed off of both the front and rear struts out of the box to allow for the proper tire distance, and the other brackets simply strap to the frame. The set includes protective material to add to your frame to keep the paint safe. The front fender strut mount that wraps to the fork at the top has a nice little tunnel to clear the derailleur cable that runs along the back of the fork too - perfect! The nice front fender extension completes the look and works great.
If the SKS rear fender doesn’t give you the “full wrap” type of coverage that you like, any 700c rear fender will work in tandem with the SKS front on a stock bike. Personally, this set looks and performs incredibly and for 99% of riders and the type of weather you might find yourself in - these are the bees knees. The rear also goes perfectly with the S40 rear rack.
One of the greatest benefits I have found personally for this fender set over a “traditional” bolted-through-the-crown fender set is this: I can remove these fenders in less than a minute if the ride is sunny or there is no need for fenders on a particular day - without any tools. This makes putting my S40 on my Saris rear rack (that clamps the wheels) simple as I can take these fenders on and off at will.
Once they are set up - putting them on and taking them off is a breeze and takes seconds. If you have a love/hate relationship with fenders in general like I do - you will definitely love the convenience of being able to strip them off and leave them at home or in your car when you really don’t need them.
Ride on!
Don,
The fenders can be tackled easily on the T50 with a bit of work. Here is a good video that goes over the different mounts for the different bikes, including the T50. The mounts on the T50e are the same as the standard T50.
https://youtu.be/hSLnCI8iKbo
In general, I always pick a fender type that has the adjustable metal struts – nearly always on any bike they will need to be custom cut – but they have the most flexibility. Like the Cascade line from Planet Bike. I always stay away from the type that have the plastic clips that “bite” the fender – as they always break.
We do have kickstands for the T50 listed for sale on the website, but it is problematic on the T50e – as the battery is on the way of the mount. The battery could possibly be moved to clear that mount, but I have not tried that myself.
I want to install a kickstand and fenders on my t50e crucible. Any suggestions?
Paul,
You would have the same problem with a regular front full fender… front fenders just aren’t made to give Cruzbike front derailleur coverage. You need two rears or a rear for the rear and two fronts for the front to get the coverage you are looking for with either regular fenders or these sks speedrocker version. I haven’t used them though so can’t tell you whether two speedrocker front fenders would do the trick.
Paul, I suppose you could run two “front back halves” for sure – I don’t see that being an issue. It would be a bit pricey to do since you can’t get the fenders separately. I will say – I recently tried this S40 with a set of 650b and Panaracer Gravel King 40c tires and it was PLUSH – way nicer than I expected – and would be a way nicer (and grippier) setup for gravel in my opinion than a 700c well. Plus a lot more clearance for that longer fender setup you would like. Highly recommend if that is going to be a primary surface for your S40.
Nice piece, Robert. Now that I have a V20 to ride on the road I’ve been looking at re-fitting my S40 for some gravel riding. The big issue on that is that I run 2×11 and without a full coverage front fender the FD gets instantly caked with gravel grime. Having mounted these SKS fender sets do you think it would be possible on the front wheel to mount two “rear halfs” of the front set? The short little front portion looks nice but doesn’t really add anything else other than looks. But if you could mount the back half as designed and then another back half, reversed but forward of the fork, it would probably provide FD coverage. Just a thought and since you’ve installed them and obviously spent time working them over, thought it worth asking about.
Of course I suppose I could just go to 650 wheels and run a traditional fender set as you suggrested.
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