Thanks for tuning in today we're going to be reviewing the SKS Raceblade Pro XL clip-on
fenders. For those with road or cyclocross bikes that don't always ride in wet conditions
clip-on fenders are an excellent option. Not only can the fenders keep your backside dry
they can also avoid the rooster tail that can spray riders behind you.
The SKS Raceblade Pro XL set of fenders we have here our SKS's ultimate clip-on fenders
that are highly adjustable and offer extensive protection. The packaging you can see it's
quite large you have both fenders inside this big black box. You have Made in Germany proudly
written on here and specs printed directly on here as well. So these are optimized for road or all
road style bikes. All the specs printed directly on there and the instructions in multiple languages.
We'll go ahead and take this out of the box and go over these specs. So retail price
on this is $74.99 now it's available for slightly cheaper at some retailers for as low as about $65.
They're quick release mount design so very easy to use and easy to take on and off
highly adjustable as well. They have these quick release rubber straps so you can use that or
a more permanent style zip tie. These are the XL variation which means they're designed for
25 to 32 millimeter tire width and this is for 700c bikes.
It's a two-piece design with a front fender and a rear fender and they're disc brake compatible
as they can simply slide over on top they have extra long mud guards as well so you can see at
the ends of both has a little flap and provides extensive protection for both the front fender
and the rear to avoid that rooster tail behind you. In terms of what comes in the packaging
obviously you get the front and rear fenders you can see the rubber mounts are right here
and then inside here you also have a little
adhesive bag. Lets take that out
so you can see we have a little allen key instructions on how to install them
as well as these little protective strips. So these are little adhesive
strips you can put at the attachment points to make sure they don't scratch your frame.
I also wanted to point out that there's four screws included with the kit this is to make
the adjustments more permanent so you can see the struts actually slide along the fender itself and
that gives you all the adjustment you need if you want to really lock it in you can drill a hole
right through here and then use the screw to make that strut and fender permanently attach
and that means it won't slide around anymore. Now take a look at the weight of the fenders
so the front fender by itself that comes in at 188 grams while the larger rear fender
that'll weigh in at 222. Now let's go over the fit and finish of the Raceblade Pro XL fenders.
As you can see it's a two piece design you have a smaller piece that goes behind your fork.
A second piece that goes behind your seat stays they're designed for both rim brakes or for
disc brakes as they just use your stays or your fork for the mounting. These are the XL variation
so compared to the standard one which is only wide enough for 20 to 25
this one is designed for 25 to 32 millimeter tires and you can see that wider profile
which will give you more protection. They both have these extra long mud flaps
that are attached to the end and you can see a glossy plastic finish. Those are impact resistant
they look pretty good they almost look like metal from the exterior thanks to the glossy finish
but quite impact resistant. What's really cool about these is they're so adjustable
instead of having to attach to bolts you can put this on almost any bike as they have simple quick
release style attachments. They're also quite curved so this will accommodate aero bikes
or standard round profiles. They're double hinged so you can see each one of these will slide around
both struts go up and down and you can even use the bolts to lock in place once you're done
if you loosen these you can extend it up and down and then pivot this as well. So you can see these
will adjust and accommodate quite a bit of frames or bike designs so the first time you install you
want to spend a little time to get it in and then you can just tighten the bolts and you'll be done
so next time you can just throw it on. It has these rubber mounts with simple straps quite
long so it should accommodate quite a variety of frames with a little hook and you can see pretty
durable. It's not super thin like you see with some bike lights this looks like it should last
and then again the profile at least for the front and rear have a nice curvature to them so they
should accommodate even aero style framing. The rear is similar it's just a little bit longer
for more coverage same little flap on the back and this will protect riders behind you which
is really nice so you don't get that big tail of water and then again double adjustable so
you can see each one of these really flexes up and down and then the same rubber straps.
So now let's go over the initial setup of the fenders here we have our Priority Ace of Spades
which is a great commuter bike. Since we're in California we don't have that much rain so
clip-on fenders like this make a lot of sense you can easily remove it and then retain the
initial look of the bike. As you can see there's four adjustments on each side of the fender
the outer bolts control the telescoping feature so you have about an inch of play inward and outward
so you can loosen that and adjust it the inner two bolts adjust the pivoting. So once you loosen that
you can see the whole fender can actually pivot back and forth what's a little bit cumbersome
about this is that you have four on each side so you have to mirror the adjustments so you have
to make sure you get them close otherwise the fender will be a little tweaked over the tire.
As far as the placement you want the fenders slightly offset from the tires so they have
enough of a gap so that dirt or debris don't get stuck there and it can move around a little
bit over potholes and then additionally you have the adjustments on the struts themselves.
You can actually slide them along the fender so tons of adjustment here and you can see whether
you have disc brakes, rim brakes or anything in between it'll work with that you don't need
any specific hardware so in that sense it's fairly easy to use but again just a little bit cumbersome.
They also include screws to lock in those top strut adjustments so they won't move around when
you're storing it and if you want to keep use on the same bike it makes a lot of sense. It's fairly
secure but you can see the rubber mounts aren't that permanent we'd recommend using the zip ties
or something else if you really want it stuck on there as they do allow a little play. The other
thing is that the actual profile of the rubber mounts is better suited for narrow profile so
at least on our Ace of Spades here we have more of a round seat stay and you can see that from this
top view it doesn't quite sit flush it's still fairly secure but you can't move around it would
have been nice if they had maybe an alternate mount or more rounded ones so it'd sit flush.
Now let's take a look at the fenders on the road as you can see the fenders do change the
appearance of the bike a bit gives it more of that commuter look and they even look more like a metal
full-on fender instead of a typical clip-on fender because of the rigid rubber construction and the
little mud flaps at the end. We found the fenders to be actually pretty well designed they don't
really move around over potholes you can even use them on light off-roading and they stay in place
pretty well. The only downside of these fenders is that the fact the rear ones are a little bit
shorter it's not a full fender that would extend all the way down so you do get a little bit of a
rooster tail behind you which would affect riders behind you but you stay nice and dry
and that's a great thing here with the long front fender and the rear fender you are protected from
the rain and debris so even if it's not raining you don't get hit with that spray from the road or
the dirt and grime. It also keeps your bike nice and clean so it's a great option if you don't need
full on fenders all the time but want something a little more secure than a cheap clip-on fender.
Now let's go over the pros and cons for the Raceblade Pro XL fenders. What we like about them is
they have quick release straps so you don't have to permanently mount them or have the necessary
hardware. They're also highly adjustable they're double hinge design which means you can easily
pivot and adjust them for any frame geometry. They also protect you from water spraying dirt so you
stay nice and dry when riding in wet weather or rain. Some of the cons for the fenders fact
that the initial setup is a bit cumbersome since you have four adjustment points on each side you
have to make sure you match each adjustment and that takes a little bit of time initially. Also
the mounts are a little bit better suited for narrow profile tubing especially on that rear
seat stay so if you have more round tubing it doesn't sit quite as flush as we'd like.
Finally the rear fender doesn't provide full coverage as it's a little bit short
so you will still have a little bit of a rooster tail behind you which will get riders behind you
a little bit wet. Taking everything into account we give the fenders an 8.7 out of 10. They're
well-built clip-on fenders. Thanks for watching this review don't forget to like and subscribe.
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