Bike Werks

Yesterday most of the stuff I ordered to upgrade the touring bike and my kit came: German SKS "Longboard" fenders, Planet Bike "Blinky" rack mounted tail light, generic phone mount and Keen "Commuter II Cycling Sandals".

I had already put my mountain bike (SPD) pedals on the touring bike so I put the cleats on the sandals and went for a short ride up and around in the park. The sandals felt a bit tight and narrow per some reviews I had read but felt good to pedal in. I came home and set about to install the fenders. this proved to be a more difficult and frustrating job than I had anticipated.

Sandals - Nice Reflective Strips

Soles With Cleats

The stays that hold the fenders off the wheel are "Vee" shaped wire of about 1/8" diameter. The bottom of the "Vee" is attached to eyelets at the bottom of the fork in front and the seat stays in back. They needed to be cut to the correct length to fit the bike. It was not easy to determine what the correct length was and I had to dig around in my tools and find cutting wheel for my Dremel tool. I had difficulty with the hardware that attaches the stays to the fender brackets on the front wheel. The stay is locked in place by a short stud threaded on one end and with a hole in the other which the stay goes through. The stud goes on the stay than a plastic end cap goes on the end of the stay then the stay and cap must go through a hole in the top of the bracket while the stud goes through a hole on the side. The stay and bracket have to be sprung a bit to get he stud in and then it is hard to get it in far enough to get the nut on. I found it much easier on the rear fender but the learning curve on the front was steep.

The front came out OK although I may have left the front most stays a bit too long. I had to take the rear wheel off to fasten the front half of the rear fender to the frame. The chain was a dirty mess and I got my right hand covered in gunk. I cleaned up my hand then fastened the fender to the frame and decided to take a nap before I tackled putting the wheel back on to mount the stays.

When I got up a couple of hours later my friend Doug and I started texting and he suggested I take the chain off and soak it in de-greaser overnight. This made a lot of sense on at least two levels: getting the chain cleaned up and making it much easier and cleaner to get the rear wheel back on. With the chain off and soaking in a tub of Dollar Store de-greaser it was fairly quick work to finish the rear fender.

Fenders On, Chain Off

I did notice this evening that the plastic stay end caps are asymmetrical and I have some of them on backwards. I will fix that tomorrow.

I already have one "Blinky" taillight. It came with a rack bracket and a seatpost or tube bracket. I have 3 bikes and I want a bracket on each so I can use the "Blinkys" which are very visible and easy to operate. Naturally the "Blinkey" mount is a different width than other lights I own so it will not fit their mounting brackets. Very annoying. Now I can leave one light on the touring bike and move the other between the other two bike as I use them and I even have an extra mounting bracket in case I want to get a fourth bike.

"Blinky" on Touring Bike Rack Mount

Second "Blinky" on Road Bike Seattube Mount

The phone mount is also a second one. The one I already have has a base that attaches to the handlebars with screws. This is good for security and theft prevention or at least obstruction but not good for moving the mount between bikes. The new mount has a quick release racheting strap mount which means it can be moved between bikes (or stolen) in seconds. It also has an enclosed case to hold the phone and came with a nice sturdy tether to secure the phone case to the bike. The old mount has an exposed phone holder and has a tether to hold the phone on the mount but not the mount to the bike.

I gambled that the ball of the new mount would be the same diameter as the existing one so I can use either phone holder on either mount and for once I won. I will use the exposed holder most of the time because it will allow the phone to run cooler and the controls will be more accessible. I will be able to easily move the phone and holder between bikes which is a nice convenience. I currently have the new tether attached to slots in the bottom of the old holder so I can easily clip the whole mess to the bike. In the event of a crash the phone my be broken but at least I will be able to find it. Note: I wore the sandals around last night and on my excursions to the dentist in Apple Valley and the grocery store in town today. They are loosening up and breaking in very nicely and are very comfortable to walk in. If they work as well on the bike on longer rides they are winners.