Planet Bike Grunge Board Bicycle Down Tube Splatter Guard Fender

by Planet Bike

Product Features

• Splatter guard for protecting riders from rain and mud
• Fits on bike's down tube to catch mud splatters
• Made of durable, all-weather polymer material
• Easy-to-use 2-point rubber strap attachment system
• Backed by limited lifetime warranty

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

When the weather turns ugly, Planet Bike's fenders offer full protection from the rain, sleet, and snow. The Grunge Board splatter guard from Planet Bike fits on your bike's down tube, helping you stay (relatively) clean while riding on muddy trails. The mud flap is made of a durable, all-weather polymer material, helping it hold up to use and abuse through the years. It's also remarkably easy to mount and remove thanks to its two-point rubber strap attachment system. A must for serious trail riders, the Grunge Board is backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

About Planet Bike
In November of 1996, Planet Bike was founded in Madison, Wisconsin. In many ways, Planet Bike began as a social experiment that dedicated itself to doing business in a different way. Instead of being just another company that develops and sells products with profit as its end goal, Planet Bike wanted to help bring about positive change for people, their communities, and the environment.

Despite being a simple machine, the people at Planet Bike have always believed that the bicycle has great potential to help improve the world and the lives of the people in it. From the start, they have embraced an alternative corporate purpose which seeks to help get more people on bicycles by making communities friendlier places for the self-propelled. By donating 25% of company profits to causes that promote and facilitate bicycle usage, Planet Bike hopes to make an impact.

Social experiments aside, Planet Bike was born from the heart of a cyclist with a goal of making innovative, high quality, and practical bicycle accessories. Simply put, they strive to design and develop the best bicycle products in the world. In the company's short ten year history, they have made important product innovations within the bicycle industry. Advancements include the 4-line computer which is now a standard in the industry and the world's first self-contained HID light. Not bad for a company that ten years ago started as a one man operation. Today, while still a small company, Planet Bike continues to evolve and improve their product line with the goal of always striving to build accessories that make it easier for people to ride their bikes. Since 1996, Planet Bike's financial support of the grassroots bicycle movement has totaled $500,000. By 2010, they have made a goal to donate $1 million to organizations that are dedicated to making America a friendlier place for cyclists.

Product Description

The Grunge Board is a durable down tube splatter guard with pre-installed hardware.

• Two-point rubber strap attachment for quick mounting and removal
• Hardware pre-installed
• Two-point rubber strap attachment for quick mounting and removal
• Grunge Board is made from durable, all-weather polymer material
• Designed for quick installation

Item Specifications
Color	Black
Unit of Sale	Front
Width	100mm
Fits Wheel Size	26"

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 15.5 x 5 x 2 inches ; 4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000RYBGJS
• Item model number: 7003
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,376 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
  • #37 in Sports & Outdoors > Bikes & Accessories > Accessories > Fenders

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice if you don't have front fender mounts, May 5, 2008

By 

Joe MacBu - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Planet Bike Grunge Board Bicycle Down Tube Splatter Guard Fender (Sports)

I've got a bicycle without any mounting holes for fenders. It also doesn't have enough clearance between the forks/brakes and tires to jerry-rig a fender. However, I hate not riding my bike because of light rain or a few puddles.

The Grunge Board was the best option that I could find at a reasonable price. It straps onto the downtube with a couple of rubber straps. I've got an 80s racing bike with tight geometry, and the dimensions of the board are small enough to clear the crankarms and the front wheel during turns. But just so (orientation makes a difference).

I've ridden through some big puddles and it seems to do a fairly good job of keeping my pant legs from getting soaked. I still put some scotch tape over the holes/slits around the bottom bracket to keep the gunk from getting in. The board is light enough that I leave it on all the time, even when it's not raining...just in case there is an unexpected puddle.

I have to take off a star because I think the mounting band should have been designed better. First, it hard to push the rubber bands through the narrow slots once they wrap around the downtube. The bands have slits in them that attach to nubs on the underside of the board. The nubs are not large enough to hold the bands in place perfectly securely. They seem to usually work, but the bands come off occasionally. If you have a small diameter downtube (as in most pre-90s, bikes), there are also a couple inches of extra rubber band that just flop around. It shouldn't be too hard for Planet Bike to redesign this retention mechanism, but it's also hard to complain for ~$10.

You can use a couple of cable ties instead of the rubber bands and they'd probably do a better job. You could also use a large soda bottle cut to size and get the same effect, though arguably a bit uglier.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, functional and cheap, January 28, 2011

By 

crouchingtiger "Japanese learner" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Planet Bike Grunge Board Bicycle Down Tube Splatter Guard Fender (Sports)

I recently put studded tires on my commuter bike to deal with ice/snow on the bike path. The tires work great, but my fenders could not accommodate the increased thickness so they had to be removed. I bought this to deal with splatter coming from the front wheel.
Installation was easy, and the fender appears to be solidly made (it is, of course, just molded hard plastic). The straps were secure, and rubberized to prevent slipping. Product appears fairly well designed, as splatter has gone down significantly. The two fins seem to be angled properly to prevent any interference with the wheel while doing their job. I have not noticed any significant increased drag since installing.

This type of fender will never replace completely the functionality of those that act directly on the wheel, as it does not turn with the wheel. Therefore, splatter that is kicked up during a turn can still get onto your pants/shoes, etc.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just Fine, mostly, January 7, 2011

By 

esteve - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Planet Bike Grunge Board Bicycle Down Tube Splatter Guard Fender (Sports)

For under $10 I have no complaints and have to give it a '10'.

For improvements I would pay for I say:

Yes, as someone said, the mounting strap system could be better. I got them to work fine with slot holding nicely, (make sure you settle both end of the slot firmly), but I expect the strap will fail and just the right cable ties (long, thin, black) or something will be required. And for now the extra length and ends of the straps are dangling in the wind because I don't want to cut them down because it would be impossible to put it back on without that length. Nowhere to tuck it under something. For now they are amusing me. But I suppose a strategic application of a little gaffers tape is indicated.

For me, as a 6'2" rider on 700's, about two inches longer would be nice. I have not actually been through real wet yet, but from the look of the angles I'm expecting those 2 inches will be the difference between my hands and feet getting splashed, or not. But for a one size fits all product, I can see how my size could be too big for smaller frames and 26" wheels. Otherwise nicely shaped, I think.

About the cable on the down tube interfering, at first it looked like a problem, but then in wasn't. I have housingless cables. First it looked like the way to go was one under the strap the other over; once I settled on both under the strap and cinched it all down, the cables move unimpeded, no pinching. But,...I also have an oddly shaped down tube that might help the situation (Marin Lucas Valley).

The look is very cool. My own little spoiler. I will admit part of my reason to buy was style, and I am not displeased.

Although I mention areas for improvement, for [...] and free shipping, it keeps it's 5-star rating with me.

But, actually, for me, I'd rather pay a extra buck or two and get better straps. So I take away a star for that. Spoil me with the spoiler; give me the luxury straps, please. I bet the leading question amongst owners of a year or more would be; 'So how did YOU end up re-attaching YOURS?'

On the other hand, I'm sure this one of the reasons that it IS actually under 10 bucks, that is beautiful. And the straps ARE working fine, at least for now.