That said, the recent weather sort of demands a discussion of rain riding. I have a bike all picked for this ride. It’s one I enjoy using for this purpose. But if it rains, I’ll be riding this instead.
Right. That’s my loaded touring bike. Notice the fenders? That’s why I’m showing the picture. The fenders. Fenders are kind of a bike geek thing. They are until it starts raining. In the rain, fenders are wonderful. They keep the water from splashing up your back. The keep your wheels from throwing a spray back at your shoes. You stay cleaner, which means your rain gear works longer and better. But more, fenders along with mud flaps, can make you much more popular.
In the rain, a bike with fenders doesn’t throw a huge “rooster tail” of water and muck at the rider behind. Mud flaps improve this performance even more. If you look closely at the picture, you will see the “custom” mud flaps, I’ve constructed from a one gallon milk jug.
Suppose you don’t have fenders mounted on your bike. Suppose it would be difficult to mount them. Many bikes don’t have the necessary eyelets for a fender mount. What to do? SKS makes a really nice set of fenders called the Raceblade. Check this link for a look.
http://www.sks-germany.com/sks.php?l=en&a=product&i=5289300000
They aren’t quite as full coverage as the more permanently mounted type, but they can be mounted on virtually any bike. More, they can be mounted, and removed, in a matter of minutes. No screws, bolts, or tricky mounting hardware. And with a little ingenuity, they could be modified to include a set of “custom” mud flaps.
In the rain, a bike with fenders doesn’t throw a huge “rooster tail” of water and muck at the rider behind. Mud flaps improve this performance even more. If you look closely at the picture, you will see the “custom” mud flaps, I’ve constructed from a one gallon milk jug.
Suppose you don’t have fenders mounted on your bike. Suppose it would be difficult to mount them. Many bikes don’t have the necessary eyelets for a fender mount. What to do? SKS makes a really nice set of fenders called the Raceblade. Check this link for a look.
http://www.sks-germany.com/sks.php?l=en&a=product&i=5289300000
They aren’t quite as full coverage as the more permanently mounted type, but they can be mounted on virtually any bike. More, they can be mounted, and removed, in a matter of minutes. No screws, bolts, or tricky mounting hardware. And with a little ingenuity, they could be modified to include a set of “custom” mud flaps.
We can get these, and any number of other fender solutions for you in the shop.
It’s food for thought.
It’s food for thought.
Upcoming Events:
65 mile Tune Up ~~
Sunday, 21 September
11:00 AM
Start/Finish at Bicycles Unlimited, Peachtree City, GA
Audax 200K ~~
Saturday, 4 October
7:30 AM
Start/Finish at Bicycles Unlimited, Peachtree City, GA
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