Once I got to work, I got out my plastic welding kit and used the forced-hot-air "torch" to heat the fender almost to the point of melting, where it passes under the fork crown. I was then able to raise the leading edge of the fender in a permanent manner. This gives me a bit more room between the tire and the fender. I hope that will prevent snow from packing up and stopping the wheel, when the time comes.
As a side note: It seems really odd to me that there are no commercially-available fenders for these bikes. I know it is a niche market, but Surly is owned by QBP, the largest bicycle parts distributor in the U.S. Salsa markets a dozen different handlebars with their brand on them, but no fenders for a line of bikes which has an entry-level price point over $1500.00. It just seems to me that these bike/parts manufacturers are missing the boat on the whole fender question...
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Hey, Jon, have you seen this?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pugsley-on-patrol.org.uk/equipment/mudguards.htm
Might not be the ideal solution, but with your knowledge of motorcycles, fatbikes, and with your DIY skills, you might like it pretty well.
Chris: That is basically what I did, except that I used the plastic welder instead of a hot-air stripper to make the final adjustment on the front.
ReplyDeleteOn the rear, the knobby tire and front derailleur take up a lot of room, leaving too little clearance to run the fender down to the bottom bracket area. find another suitable fender, I have an idea of how to get around that, now...
Ah yes, I didn't study your set-up close enough. I should have known you'd be all over this.
ReplyDeletehttp://mkfenders.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ridepdw.com/goods/fenders
http://fatbikes.com/fat-tire-fenders.html
But I think these are the ticket! I saw this outside REI:
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/337848_4142131105258_2069463449_o.jpg
I think the custom-built wooden fenders are cool, but I worry about their durability (and the price!). The mountain-bike style two-pice fenders don't get good reviews, and i don't much care for the looks of them.
ReplyDeleteI guess I should edit my little rant to specify "affordable, full-coverage" fenders.
I might end up with a coroplast (campaign sign) rear fender, just to try and get a little more bottom bracket protection, though...
Nevertheless...just a great looking bike!
ReplyDelete