A celebration of fenders (and even of heavy rain)

Fenders have about disappeared from bicycles in America. The racers don't want them, the single-speeds are much too cool to have them, they clog up with mud on off-road bikes, and for some reason, they aren't even included on the "comfort bikes" (the heavier and less expensive bikes with wide saddles that are sort of entry-level).
But commuting bikes still have fenders. (And so do the real touring bikes, which are even rarer. ) Fenders help keep you dry. As we all know, on our bikes, we don't just get wet when it's raining -- we get wet when there's water on the street, because our tires pick it up. Fenders keep that from happening, so we can ride after the storm has passed.
We can even pedal behind a bicyclist with fenders, because the "rooster tail" of water is contained. In places that get rain more regularly than Atlanta, and have more bike commuters, they are much more needed.
The rain, also, is often valuable. A hard rain usually helps to wash the trash off the road. Our usual thunderstorms come and go quickly, so that you can ride as soon as it's passed. Or with a good rain jacket and fenders, you can ride during the rain as well.
Of course, the hundred-year rain we just had was exceptional. It managed to wash trash onto and into the road - but that's much less common. And while it took a few of our roads and bridges out of commission, but that also means, there'll be fewer people driving on those roads and bridges for a while. So, look on the sunny side!