See that lovely lady in the pristine cream-colored coat? She bikes year-round in Chicago, through snow and slush and rain puddles and sticky tar. Her coat is maintained in its vanilla-ice-cream colored splendor by the power of FENDERS.

Do NOT let your fancy roadie friends tell you that they weigh too much and aren't aerodynamic and all that noise. You're a utility cyclist, not the next winner of the Tour de France. You need fenders. Just keep 'em on the bike year-round and don't even give it another thought.

Fenders seem like both a good idea for protection, and a fashion statement.

Is it fair to say that you should choose your fenders carefully?