agmetal

I'm researching options for a new wet-weather commuter. Currently, the most appealing option is the new disc brake version of the All-City Nature Boy, which has track ends and fender mounts. I'd like to use the PDW Full Metal Fenders on it, and it's just occurred to me that this combination of features may cause some complications.

I'm replacing an older Fuji that I rebuilt from the frame up as a single-speed conversion. Being an older road bike, it had semi-horizontal dropouts. With fenders mounted, the clearances were slightly tight, and the tire had to be partially deflated to get the wheel on and off, so it's not the end of the world if I have to continue doing things that way. I've also read about using the plastic quick disconnect things that are normally used for front fenders, but is that still a reasonable thing to do with metal fenders?

FWIW, I'm intending to use Schwalbe Marathon tires (and some sort of studded tires for the winter), and eventually convert to an internally geared hub.

MattoftheRocks

No experiences with metal fenders on bicycle, but a friend did try the fender qr on the back of a kilo wt with some plastic fenders. He eventually took the fenders off and put them back on his old conversion to re-dedicate as his rain/snow bike. I do have experience with discs in rain and snow. I only recommend them for if you have a huge hill with a stop at tue bottom on your regular route. Salt wrecks pads. Dust on the rotors is everpresent and causes howling and squeeling. My disc bike is now trails-only. Kool-stop salmon pads on any rim brake other than single-pivot caliper is what has worked best for me in Syracuse winters.

SquidPuppet

I'm thinking that track ends and full fenders would be a BIG PITA for roadside flat repairs.

agmetal

My original rain bike build had a front drum brake hub, for complete isolation from wet conditions. Ideally, I wanted to do the same again, but it looks like the best route for me to go, for the features I'm after, is a modern disc-equipped bike. It looks like everything else that comes close is set up with canti studs, which would end up being left unused, and looking funny. I specifically don't want rim brakes, because they can get a little scary when it's snowy/slushy.

Necessary, non-negotiable features:
Non-rim brakes
Full fenders
Rear rack
Single speed chainline
Drop handlebars
Steel frame & fork

Theoretically, I could do another conversion, but it would mean doing that for the third time, which I'd rather not do if it can be avoided.

agmetal

Oh, also - the internally geared hub I'm planning to eventually use has an OLD of 135mm. A conversion would mean having the dropouts spread.

MattoftheRocks

Surly Crosscheck + your drums? It has 132.5 rear spacing.

Unlike drums, discs still need to be constantly feathered on and off just like rim brakes to keep them warm and dryish in traffic when water is flying. Cantis worked really well for me last winter after I shelved my disc bike. When I was considering drums, the guys at my lbs said that I could still use dorps if I used v-brake levers.

agmetal

CC has canti studs, so it's not really ideal. I had no issues using Cane Creek SCR5 levers and interrupter levers with the 90mm Sturmey Archer drum hub I was using before. That bike was totaled after a collision with a car a few weeks ago.

MattoftheRocks

Cool on the levers, bummer on the wreck. I'm in a similar situation.

JohnDThompson 

This is the major problem. Use slime tubes and puncture resistant tires to minimize flats.

TejanoTrackie 

It's not a problem if you provide sufficient clearance between the rear of the rear fender and the tire. I've got full fenders on my Kilo WT with a 700x35c rear tire set up this way such that I can remove or install the rear wheel with the tire fully inflated.

agmetal

I'll be using Schwalbe Marathons, at least to start. Undecided between Nokian/Schwalbe for studs in the winter.

JohnDThompson 

B-b-b-but the fenderline! The horrors!

TejanoTrackie 

Really ?

https://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...p;d=1397339711

tombc

That fender is not long enough for my use and the spacing is uneven. Surly Straggler is the bike the OP wants

agmetal

I've looked at the Straggler...while it does seem like it would be generally well-suited to my purposes (although I'd rather have the rear caliper between the stays...), I think it would put me too far over-budget. I'd have to buy the frameset, and then everything else separately, since the complete would be geared with STI, so I'd end up spending a bunch of money on extra stuff that would end up being taken off and I'd still have to buy more parts. The Nature Boy Disc as a complete gets me most of the way there, and then I really just need to add stuff (fenders, rack, that sort of thing).

A friend suggested looking up the Kilo WT as a starting point, and actually that looks like it would be really good for a drum-based build, except for the fact that the rear dropout spacing is only 120mm.

MattoftheRocks

I thought sturmey did hubs in 120.... What hub are you planning on?

agmetal

The new SA C50 series 5-speed hubs, that are scheduled to come out around the end of the year. They have a rotary selector for the gear shifting, are compatible with a new thumb shifter that should be usable with a Gevenalle CX lever, and will be available in both drum and disc versions. They're supposed to be heavier duty than the current ones, and be able to shift under load.

MattoftheRocks

Hmm. Sound sweet. Huge bummer as far as I care that the new 853 natureboy is disc-only, but evrrybody's got to try things for themselves. If you get it and decide to eventually go back to drums, you'll have an excellent frame to drum up, it'll just have a couple of useless tabs that non-cyclists won't ever notice. If you fall in love with the discs, even better! Framewise, no one is currently offering everything that I want in the non-custom pricerange so I have to settle on a nice used frameset or bite it and sacrifice looks and/or performance (wabi/surly are highest on the list for now). I'm back to leaning towards another conversion.

agmetal

I'm actually interested in this one, not the 853: Nature Boy Disc | All-City Cycles

Here's the bike I'm replacing:

MattoftheRocks

Gosh that was a beauty!

agmetal

Yep!

OldBikesRules

That's a nice bike! I just got a Fuji Royale II recently, I'm gonna use yours as inspiration! did you use tube clamps on the seat stays for the rack ?

agmetal

That I did

bbattle

Yes, they are. I had to remove the fender in order to fix a flat on my rear wheel. Not fun.

Andersper

It started raining when I was on my way home and I forgot just how miserably wet you end up without fenders. My Wabi Classic does have fender eyelets and clearance for 32 mm tires.

Imagining the bike with fenders on, it seems like a very tight squeeze to get the rear axle out of the fork ends to change flats etc. Will chain tension adjustment also be a PITA?