Russcoles11

Patience Harlond!
You will get piccys when its all completed

Its looking like my postman has a new bottom bracket and set of cranks. Both were dispatched to me on the same day by 1st class mail and failed to turn up
I soo want to get it all done by next week too for the Bristol Docks Folding ride Xmas meal. Work on the mudguards is slowed too due to a patch of ice I met last night reducing my total usable hands to 1
Think its just badly bruised so should be back in action by the end of the weekend.

Russcoles11

As you can see, still no BB
Also need to get some wire coathangers to make longer rear mudguard supports.

IanHelgesen

Nice! The trekking bars look good, and those mudguards come out nice.

Now I just need to track down a crankset for mine...

harlond

Looking good, nice work.

Russcoles11

My postman got this one recently https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Hopefully he'll let me have this one instead https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

SunnyFlorida

Oh sweet!!! Those fenders are to die for. Can hardly wait to see the folder after you put in the bb, etc.

Russcoles11

Seems the posty didn't nick my stuff, he just delivered it to completely the wrong address. I now have my BB and 2 sets of cranks (think I'll go with the nice shimano ones). Rear rack should arrive tomorrow so almost finished

Russcoles11

Finished except rear rack and tuning up the gears!

Yay!!!!!!!!

vmaniqui

can you post larger pictures. for some reason your pictures are looking like thumbnail pics.

Russcoles11

Is that better? Not a great deal I can do as I have a very cheap camera.

Russcoles11

Took it out for its 1st test ride. Its incredible!
I will need to adjust the handlebars a bit to achieve perfection and the stem gear shifters may take getting used to but OMG it goes fast with very little effort and hills are no problem at all. Can't wait til summer when I will be able to use it for its full touring potential

SunnyFlorida

Nicely done Russ. I'm so surprised that you got it done so quickly. If it was me, I'd probably be waiting for the tree to grow big enough for me to harvest the wood.

I guess you adjusted the pics because I don't get a thumbnail pic.

Russcoles11

yes it seems that by putting the code from photobucket.com in the post you get a bigger piccy but you can't click to enlarge it.

Russcoles11

By tilting the handlebars forward 30 degrees I now have more room for my knees so a better turning circle and with my hands in the forward position the brake levers act as wrist supports (very comfortable). I did about 30-40 miles today, too and from the Bristol dockside folder's christmas meal, it was sheet ice on the outward journey and rain on the way back. I have never enjoyed a ride so much. Everyone should have a bike like this! Absolutely no stripe up my back, so the mudguards work better than most you can buy.
I am considering making more of the mudguards and selling them, maybe on ebay. Any thoughts on what they might be worth?

SunnyFlorida

It almost sounds like the frame is too small for you or is it that the handlebars are too wide. For some reason I'm having problems picturing the brake levers as wrist supports. It's probably because I can barely curl a finger on my brake levers, never mind my wrist.

Errr...are you being sarcastic or did you really enjoy the ride - ice sheet included. The same conditions would be a nightmarish ride for me.

You know I feel like I'm doing a critique on a poem. What did you mean about not having a stripe up your back? What does that bring to the poem....errrr ride.


Complete with hardware?

Well, I looked into www.Sykeswoodfenders.com (someone on the web who is also selling wooden mudguards it seems) and a "standard" set there is $150. The price goes up with extras. Of course Sykes seems to be doing this for a while.

Since this is the first pair you've built, you may want to test ride them for a couple of seasons (winter-summer) to see how they wear besides checking out your competition in the UK.

Russcoles11

-The stem I used doesn't go forward very much so with the trekking bars the rear of the bar is rather close to my knees. By tilting the bar forward that problem is eliminated. With the brake levers mounted on the rear of the bars, when I go for a more aerodynamic position using the front of the bars (which is now lower) the brake levers are now below my wrists
-Yes I did enjoy the ride, the bike is very stable and by sticking to roads rather than ungritted paths I made it okay.
-The stripe you get up your back is where the spray from the rear wheel hits you (guess being in florida, wet weather is something that happens to other people huh? )
-Obviously I will have to source some hardware.
-There appears to be no UK wooden mudguard makers. Woodysfenders.com is the only one I could find on the internet (also american but marginally cheaper than Sykes). Someone told me there was someone in Sweden or somewhere that also makes tham. Don't think I would do it as a full blown business, just maybe make a few sets and bung 'em on ebay.

SunnyFlorida

Oh Russ we get wet weather in Florida. Infact we get a rainy season when you can expect a thunderstorm every afternoon for weeks/months at a time.

Sorry.....I guess that stripe up your back made me think of other things - like skunks. Honnestly, I think I'm made of sugar because I avoid rain like the plague. Rain is not my friend and I have the hospital bills to prove it. Therefore, I've never had the experience of seeing the cyclist ahead of me getting drenched by his rear wheel in a storm. It's probably because I was too busy trying to get home or find shelter before I drowned myself.

Will you be making fenders for 20 inch folders then? Hope so. Definitely let us know here when you put it on ebay.

Russcoles11

I only have the form made for 20" mudguards so yes. I have sent drawings to a local metal fabricators to get a quote for making the hardware. Now I know what I'm doing I reackon I can make the wooden part for about £5 a pair. If I can get the hardware down to about the same and sell for £30-40 I'm on a winner
They're not solid wood like the other ones, but I would guess laminated balsa has to be lighter and laminating the curve rather than steam bending should make them less likely to warp.