The other day Chris DiStefano brought in his Cielo asking for me personally to put fenders on it. Seeing as how we live in Portland it is kind of essential. If he didn’t this bike would sit in a garage while it rained for the next 7 months. The only problem is there were no eyelets to mount the fenders to and CD said it was to look clean. No zipties.
Ok, so there are these…. which are great and the name of them are very suggestive so you know I love to use them. My favorite part is telling a customer that I had to charge them for a reacharound.
This is what they look like in action. Since the clearance it tight, I had to chop the fender and install Reacharounds.
No eyelets to attach the struts to? No problem.
Again, I had to chop the front fender and I used a Problem Solver that attaches to the brake caliper and you can thread a 6mm bolt into the back. Super clean.
Here was the tricky part. How was I going to attach the part of the fender to the seat tube or the chain stays without using zipties or bulky clamp? I replaced the pinch bolt on the front derailleur with a longer one, drilled a hole in the fender, and attached the fender to the pinch bolt.
Ready to shred, rain or shine.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I REALLY appreciate smart people who give a shit enough to do wonderful little things with bikes that make a difference. Most people won’t even get it, but I do, and thanks. Oh, thank your parents for me too for the good genes.
Gary
Hey - this is super tidy! Nice work.
(I might cut the front fender a bit shorter in front of the fork, to accommodate those bus bike wheel rack-clamps… Oh, and add a buddy flap, too.)
Have you thought about putting a kit together with all the bits (for this exact configuration) and offering that for sale?
I, for one, would buy a kit today. Signal me on Twitter if you do!
Rgds - kDavid
Thanks Guys, David this bike will never see the front of a bus because it will be ridden, but I appreciate the suggestion.
I am looking to upgrade my EZ Clip On fenders that I use on my low clearance fixed gear. What other hardware was necessary? You had to drill to vertical holes in the fenders once they were cut to install the reach-arounds, correct? Then install locking nut/washer/bolt combo, etc? Also, what hardware or product did you use to forgo the use of zip ties because of the lack of eyelets?
Any other detailed info would be sweet! Thank you! Feel free to email me as well.
Bang up job by the way! Wouldn’t have asked as many questions if I didn’t think so.
I used Reacharounds after I cut the fender. For the front fender I used Problem Solvers Sheldon Fender Nut Set and for the struts I used Cyclone’s Fender mounts for eyeletless frames. I also used my heart.
That’s super cool, and really nice work. But it’s a pet peeve of mine that the bike industry even produces frames that aren’t fender compliant. The fact that he presumably built that frame himself, and it needs an elegant hack to put fenders on it makes me shake my head.
CD works at Chris King and the Cielo is made there. It was a gift for him. He said if it was a bike he picked out, he would have picked one with eyelets, but since it was a gift we just made what he had work for him.
Yes, the frame was a surprise gift so please stop shaking your head. It was built purely for the road and not as a daily commuter. It’s a wonderful bike and one I like so much I chose to enlist my pal Amanda to help keep it on the road through the winter. No need for peeves, there can be lots of different bikes for lots of different people. This one is mine and I enjoy every detail of it.
Bike are fun, huh guys? I am glad some are made without mounts because then it gives me a chance to use my brain, be creative, and solve problems. If they were all made the same, it would be one boring install after another. I welcome the challenge.
Very well done and now it can handle the weather of Portland. Wet roads never looked so good .