Front Fender Problem on a motorized bicycle
- Thread starter Easy Rider
- Start date
Rob, awesome. Really, really glad to hear. My lil crash scared the bajebias out of me and was not all that bad. (good helmet, thick scull, snork) I face planted so fast there was no way to react except for the sudden stopping. This was with a set of "good" stock fenders. If I ever get the courage to use fenders again, I am gonna do as you say and do some serious reinforcing.
Still apologizing to the neighbor who scooped me up off the road and took me home. I got gas all over the bed of his truck and blood all over, inside the cab.
The thought of Carol spoon feeding me, or worse, diapers.......
(This melodramatic moment was brought to you by the EXXON corporation and fear)
Still apologizing to the neighbor who scooped me up off the road and took me home. I got gas all over the bed of his truck and blood all over, inside the cab.
The thought of Carol spoon feeding me, or worse, diapers.......
(This melodramatic moment was brought to you by the EXXON corporation and fear)
Heh, Dan. Yeah I've been seriously laid up once from a major car accident so I'd like to avoid any more crashes. I'm too healthy right now to end up being fed through a tube.
Now I have to figure out my brakes situation to get around the fender too as I don't trust the coaster brake that much.
Now I have to figure out my brakes situation to get around the fender too as I don't trust the coaster brake that much.
Definitely leave the front fender off. Eventually no matter how you reinforce it, the fender itself will break. It wasnt the bracket on mine that started cracking it was the fender itself. If you have to use fenders check out the plastic ones from planet bike. I still wouldnt though as they still have a metal support rod that looks like it could cause the same flying over the handle bars thing to happen. I had a hard time deciding to remove the fenders on my bike because I liked how well they looked, but once I did it grew on me and I actually like it better now. Its more fun riding without the worries.
Pat
I have been thinking, for the front any way, 4 bolts around the forks with the nuts up so you can see right away if you lost any. U-shaped bracefitting into the bottom of the fender it self. Also only attach at the stem and forks using a plastic that will shatter and not stop you even if driven into the spokes.
Motorcycle fenders are generally a lot more solid and a heavier gauge of steel, that are usually held on at multiple points, either 4 to 6 connection points from both sides if not completely along an area. Bicycle fenders are often held on by a single point off the frame. So what needs to happen is pretty obvious. If you want a bicycle fender to be as solid it needs to be connected to or around the frame in similar ways. Which gives me a few ideas I can play around with. I may make some sketches on this I can share.
On my current bike I use a little tiny front fender that is just enough to do the job. It doesn't need braces, so if it falls off, you just run over it. CLANG on the street and then a little bump and you keep on rolling... or stop, go back and get it. I've already had this happen once, luckily I had two of the fenders on hand.
My next bike is a cruiser, and I'm thinking that I will replace the flimsy little tab with heavier steel, and then use cushion clamps around the fork legs and bolted to the sides of the fender. Possibly a heavier brace too. If I''m still worried I'll get another tiny fender.
My next bike is a cruiser, and I'm thinking that I will replace the flimsy little tab with heavier steel, and then use cushion clamps around the fork legs and bolted to the sides of the fender. Possibly a heavier brace too. If I''m still worried I'll get another tiny fender.
hmmmm, i remember some guy made a post awhile ago about how to keep your fenders on... uhhh, lemme think...
oh yeah, it was me: http://motorbicycling.com/f11/fender-fixes-tip-bairdco-industries-14032.html
6 months later, i haven't lost one yet, and still tight as the day i installed them.
oh yeah, it was me: http://motorbicycling.com/f11/fender-fixes-tip-bairdco-industries-14032.html
6 months later, i haven't lost one yet, and still tight as the day i installed them.
Bairdco, I read you're post about fenders, some good info there. I will be using the heat-shrink tubing idea.
I realized earlier that I have a springer fork, which means there will be relative movement between the T-shaped part of the steer tube (where you normally put the tab) and the rest of the fork. So I plan to not even anchor the fender there. My fenders have 2 sets of braces. Those combined with the cushion clamps I mentioned earlier should be more that enough to hold the fender on.
I realized earlier that I have a springer fork, which means there will be relative movement between the T-shaped part of the steer tube (where you normally put the tab) and the rest of the fork. So I plan to not even anchor the fender there. My fenders have 2 sets of braces. Those combined with the cushion clamps I mentioned earlier should be more that enough to hold the fender on.
there's always a way.
the main thing, is new bikes have crappy fenders. there's more steel in my 70 year old fenders than there is on an entire cranbrook.
but as i said in that post, Wald fenders are an awesome upgrade, and pretty cheap, too.
the main thing, is new bikes have crappy fenders. there's more steel in my 70 year old fenders than there is on an entire cranbrook.
but as i said in that post, Wald fenders are an awesome upgrade, and pretty cheap, too.
After some observing Bairdco's article and thinking about the strength of the bolt hole in the fender compaired to the strength of the fender brace(u shaped and secured at the axle location) I have an Idea that if the braces were cut, a section from the center of the loope hidden under the fender,that the bolt holes in the thin metal fenders would rip out greatly lessening the crushing effect of the complete brace loupe by allowing the fender to rip free of the braces,,,,,,,,a more fail safe way would be to mount the bolts in rubber gromets in screw head size fender holes(w/the center of the braces,the strength point that crushes the wheel cut out)(screw heads and fender holes the same size and a rubber gromet is in the fender hole)L braces mounted the same way
sounds like you're trying to make a "breakaway" fender? my ideas are so they never come off.
putting a big fender washer on the backside of the mounting holes would add a lot of strength to the cheap fender.
ultimately, if it looks like it's gonna fail, take it off, 'cause it will.
putting a big fender washer on the backside of the mounting holes would add a lot of strength to the cheap fender.
ultimately, if it looks like it's gonna fail, take it off, 'cause it will.
Thats the thing I was thinking ,break away fender for those that dont check as often as they should,,,but I think mounted in rubber at all points,and the incomplete loops in the braces ,it might only break loose in a colision,and the loops couldn't rotate around and crush the wheel causing an instant stop(and people could return home with few or no missing skin patches lol)
How about a fender that has no braces:
FENDER WALD #90 SHORTY BALLOON CHROME | BikeWorldUSA
This is the "tiny fender" that I mentioned earlier which I use on my other bike. It does indeed break-away if the mount fails.
FENDER WALD #90 SHORTY BALLOON CHROME | BikeWorldUSA
This is the "tiny fender" that I mentioned earlier which I use on my other bike. It does indeed break-away if the mount fails.