karldub

Hi,

I'm desperately missing fenders in my often rainy but short daily commute. I have only one good vintage racing frame (531) which will take fenders. That frame itself is a tad too long for me which would make a bad bike fit with drop bars so I'm thinking of going with flat bars, also because it would be fun to try out since I don't have any flat bar bike.

Now I'm hoping the looks of this bike won't turn out too close to the standard mass-produced city bikes that are out there, but I have a hard time finding pictures of examples.

Do you have any pictures to share of examples, yours of just random? Please post!

52telecaster

73 Raleigh competition.

clubman 

merziac

One of the things that can help is "reach around brackets" they can add a lot of needed clearance.

Full disclosure, I have a set that I bought for reference, haven't installed them on any yet as I had a rain bike that took fenders ok without.

I do plan to build a dedicated C+V rain bike where they will likely be used to facilitate the largest tires that will fit.

They're not too complicated and could be fabbed up from scratch so....

noobinsf 

I no longer have this bike, but it was a fun and fast commuter:

non-fixie 

I've tried that format a long time ago, because I thought it would be both practical and cool.

I quickly discovered that, while practical and cool, the flat bars don't work on rides over 10k, and switched to drop bars. With a short stem if necessary. Other than that, it still works for me.

A recent build in this category, a Jonkers Super. Even in this size it's barely over 22 lbs:



Short-stem-on-a-large-bike example. Not a racing frame, but you get the idea:

squirtdad

race blades are an option, work pretty well, but not as well as full fenders https://www.rei.com/product/102251/s...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

here is bike with flat ish bars (I need some degree of angle for the wrists) that may get fenders soon

Roger M 

Kinda flat bar(Mustache)..

non-fixie 

It is a good question, and I have done a little more thinking about this. How short is short?

If just a few miles, a fairly upright machine, with just a few extra speeds to deal with wind and the occasional hill or bridge would be a good choice. Something in the vein of the bike 52telecaster posted. And when many traffic lights are to be dealt with, flat pedals with no clips and straps are a good idea. Stay away from bikes with high bottom brackets, like mountain bikes and hybrids. They are a nuisance in urban stop-start traffic.

My own commute is about 25 mls (one way), for which I mostly use a car. Because of the stuff I tend to carry, as well as the time it takes on a bike. I have done it by bike, mostly when business was slow and I wanted to test a new build.

However, if I had to do it regularly, the Jonkers posted above would definitely be my weapon of choice on that distance.

BFisher 

I was in a similar position, but with a frame that is on the small side seat tube wise. I had this old fillet brazed Schwinn here that was a total mess. Admittedly not a race frame. While the seat tube is short, the top tube is about 57cm. I decided that a low geared, wide range upright bike would work well for errands and commutes in my hilly area, and I had most of the parts here to put it together. Still waiting on a housing stop to finish it up.

52telecaster

I actually will do short tours on a bike like that, mostly due to an arthritic neck.

non-fixie 

I can see how that would quickly outweigh other, minor, comfort issues.

I am not that flexible anymore myself, hence my preference for a French fit. But on longer rides I find I also really need the different hand position options to keep my shoulders, neck and hands from going sore. And living in a country where fierce headwinds are all too common, I have even learnt to appreciate the effect of riding in the drops.

YMMV, of course.

52telecaster

I feel your pain on both counts. 8 mph in a headwind really sucks. The hand positions is easy though. Many places to grab on.

daka

I usually have one of my bikes set up with flat bars. Echoing @non-fixie, bikes with flat bars feel great when you first hop on, but after a short time the inability to vary hand positions becomes uncomfortable. I also miss the drops when on a speedy descent. For city use I find the more upright position offers better vision and quicker access to the brake levers. If I'm going on a longer ride in a nicer landscape, I take something else.

karldub

Really liking the slim fenders on this one! What are those, and are they still in production?

Cheers,
Karl

karldub

Great input. What are your thoughts on stem reach and height in comparison to drop bars? I see some of you going for higher stems (@Bfisher, 52telecaster.)

There are of course many factors to take into account here, such as top tube length, the reach/compactness of the drop handlebars in comparison, and much more. Let's say your top tube is the same length as for your drop bar bike, what is your preferred stem length/heigh with flat bars in comparison?

Roger M 

Thanks. They're Honjo fenders and I believe the model is H35. They will fit up to a 700x25 tire(23 in that photo).

BFisher 

My stem choice came down to me wanting a more upright posture than I have on my drop bar bikes. The bike I posted has a top tube length that is the same as some of my drop bar bikes. One step I took was to mock up the flat bars with a stem reach length that I would choose for drops. This had me a bit more stretched out/leaned forward than I wanted for this bike. The forward reach on that riser stem is 6.5cm, whereas I might choose an 8.5 or 9 for drops. The rise also helps as the frame is on the short side, and I can get the contact points where I like them.

karldub

Ah thanks, unfortunately I'm gonna need to go with wider honjos to fit the 700x28's tyres I'm considering. What light do have on the back fender and did you have to drill through the fender to mount it?

zandoval 

Nice... There is allot of trail and error details to be found in this build. I noticed the proximity of the front fender especially...



Here's the Bar ya need...

Roger M 

Honjo makes a bunch of different models and widths. I'm sure you'll find something that works for your tire dimensions.

That is a reflector. It was a gift from a member here. I had to drill two holes for it. Not sure of the brand, but it's a very well made piece.

noobinsf 

Those are SKS longboards, and that's just how they sat. It was mounted to the front of the fork, so there was not much else I could do. Never had any issues...

I tried the bike a few different ways, including with drops, but it was just a smidge too big, and I decided to focus on other projects. In any case, while I had it, it was fun to have the only chrome-laden vintage-y racy bike in the bike cage at work.

tricky 

That fender length looks great to me. Keeps the muck off the much better than shorter fenders. Not sure what Zandoval is on about. That's a solid build.

I thought there was a thread where people posted their flat bar road bike conversions but can't find it. Maybe someone else can post it, if it actually exists. All I could find was this. There are a few examples with fenders in there. show off your different handlebars - Page 2 - Bike Forums

JacobLee

This is a little off-topic with regard to the bike, but as for big frames, flat bars, and fenders:

I bought this cross frame recently because it has a cool story, and thought it was a 58 (I’m a terrible CL shopper), but quickly realized it was a 61, with matching top tube. Too long with a drop bar, so I threw on a flat bar and some mtb parts I had, and it rides great.



It occurred to me that the long top tube might keep my foot from hitting a fender when I’m in a tight, clumsy turn. So far, I’ve been able to build one bike that doesn’t have sketchy toe overlap with fenders, and it’s a 26” hardtail with a suspension-corrected rigid fork. Well, whaddaya know, this is my second bike without toe-fender interference, and it’s thanks to the frame being one size too big!



Hallelujah!

DMC707 

Nice !