When I acquired my Raleigh Clubman it came with an affliction common to many sports tourers of its era, namely fenders that are too narrow for the tyre.
The delightful ESGE 35mm gold fenders that came stock with the bike in 1983 wore their 31 years well but with 27 x 1 1/4 tyres beneath (i.e. 32-630) they weren’t exactly roomy.
The problem was exacerbated when I swapped the stock Raleigh tyres for a set of Panaracer Paselas, which, aside from being wonderful, are the fattest 27 x 1 1/4 hoops in all of Christendom. So portly are they that they forced a period of fender abstinence.
Now this was fine during the hot, dry spell that has shocked and stunned the UK for the past week but, as any proud Stark would say, ‘winter is coming’ so a fender solution was sought.
So to cut to be chase I ordered a set of SKS Longboard fenders in the 45mm width in ‘beige’. Now don’t be put off by that word. Antique cream would be more accurate. They look fine against the metallic claret of the Clubman’s frame and pick out the decals nicely.
But the coverage… My oh my, I went out and wilfully sought out puddles in the country park and lo, my be-sandalled feet are clean and dry.
In short this is a hearty recommendation for the longboard. And a review of sorts.
As with all proper fenders, monkish levels of patience are required in order to fit them. There’s a knack too, which I’ve developed over a decade plus of fendering bicycles.
Rivendell have a great video on how to do it on YouTube. Seek it out. Me? I’m waiting for it to start raining so I can test them out some more.
I bought mine for £23 minus 10% plus £3.95 express delivery from ProBikeKit. They came well packed, on time and with a free bottle of Lipton ice tea, which my son quickly swigged. Very civilised.
The Everyday Cyclist 
Hi
Found your blog by accident and love it. I am a forty something who used to love his raleigh racer but hasn’t ridden for a good while. Looking to buy a bike but for some reason think modern bikes are soul less. Been looking to buy a seventies/eighties raleigh or peugeot to ride round Sefton Park. Seen a Falcon Harrier for sale and haven’t really heard of the make. Any comments?
Falcon is a fine old English brand. Made some nice bikes in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
I do enjoy your blog and good to see others persevering with 27 inch 32-630 wheels. I’m on Gatorhardshells now btw
I’ve had gatorskin tyres on my raleigh too and they were as tough as, well, gator skin. I see you can get Schwalbe Marathons in 27 x 1 1/4 too…
hi. i now need to get some mudguards for my 27 inch wheels. it seems that the longboards have fitted your bike very well. I now have weinmann rims. was there any issue with the longboards and 27 inch wheels (bearing in mind that they are designed for 700s) and is this the case for the other SKS mudguards such as bluemels. I quite often travel between hamilton square and Liverpool so dont want mudguards that are too cumbersome for escalators.
I am preferring gatorskins and gatorhardshells to marathons btw. Much preferred it when
marathon plus was available in 27 inch. keep up the good work.
Hi Ian and apologies for the late reply. Work has intervened and the blog has become rather dormant, a situation I hope to reverse! I never had any issues with the SKS Longboards and 27×1 1/4 wheel combination. The flexibility of the guards and the rigidity and adjustability in the set up more than made up for the 8mm difference in diameter.
I agree regarding the Continental tyres. I have now moved to 700c wheels on my Raleigh Clubman, and have a pair of excellent Continental Ultra Sport II in the 700×28 folding variety. They’re light, smooth running and very reasonable too. They are also available in the 27×1 1/4 and 27×1 1/8 sizes (both 630mm ISO size).
They lack the sophisticated puncture prevention tech of the Gator family of tyres but I haven’t had a single flat in over 500 miles.
I put SKS Longboards on my 1980’s vintage Gitane touring bike. I got it used but it came with 700C wheels. I run 700×33 knobby cycle-cross tires with lots of room. I stay clean and dry and they look great which is very important! Actually I have used SKS’s on several bikes over the years. Great quality.
I agree. Despite what Jan Heine says about aluminium fenders I don’t think they would survive the abuse that SKS do on a daily basis. I’ve had road debris caught in the wheel that has folded an SKS fender in two, but they just popped back into position. Amazing quality.