Props go to commuterDude today for his advice on affixing my new fenders to the brake stay... drill bit and "Go Lance!" yellow zip-tie style. I also discovered (and am here displaying) the fact that when Planet Bike sells you silver "polished aluminum bonded to polycarbonate" fenders, you get clear polycarbonate fenders with a layer of what appears to be mylar glued to the inner surface. This ply happily separated from the fender itself upon drilling. You can see the dent-like appearance of my fender as shown above. I am contemplating finishing the job by peeling this anemic layer off right now. I would be willing to bet that clear fenders look awesome until the first time you ride and they get all scuffed, stained and thrashed on the inside. Then, they would just look ugly and ridiculous. Now that I have them attached, I just need to find a way to adhere the wayward "polished aluminum" back to the lexan from whence it came...
There should have been a plastic clip that would have allowed you to ZIP tie the fender to the brake bridge without punching a hole in the fender.
ReplyDeleteYou mean The part that was rubbing on both sidewalls because it wouldn't fit my bike?
ReplyDeleteBecause my bike is small, I had to use a zip tie in a similar fashion. In fact I have multiple zip ties on my bike, they are always a great thing to have hanging around!! I like the silver fenders on your bike.
ReplyDeleteI'm puzzled because I have the same fenders and my Sirrus is xs (47cm) and I used the part with no issues. I'm running 700X28 also.
ReplyDeleteI just installed metal fenders to my city commuter this weekend. They came with a metal strap with right-angle L bracket. I had to bend the strap by hand to wrap around the fender, and then the L bracket part attached to the brake bolt.
ReplyDeleteHere's a closeup of the bracket. Here's the full blog post.
Velo-Orange might sell the strap apart from the fenders. I thought about that as I began bending the strap, wondering what would happen if I messed it up.
Ah, zip ties!
ReplyDeleteAs I tried to shift it slightly, I snapped off the clip for the mini-pump from where it was attached to the right-hand seat strut of my recumbent. Four zip ties through the holes in the clip and the clip base and I can rotate that sucker anywhere I want it!
Ugh. Really disappointing that the "polished alumninum" appears to be nothing more than foil.
ReplyDeleteThe fenders do look nice though, aside from that spot. And the kludge isn't exactly pretty up close, but I bet it looks OK from further away, no?