Gus Rear Fender Install Help/Suggestions

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RDS

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Nov 14, 2020, 9:08:54 AM11/14/20
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What is the best way to install the rear fender on the Gus (see pic).  I purchased some SKS Bluemels.  If another type of fender will work better, let me know.
20201114_090226.jpg

RDS

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Nov 14, 2020, 9:10:16 AM11/14/20
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I assume a spacer of some size will be involved to get the fender down under the brake.

Ed Carolipio

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Nov 15, 2020, 4:42:03 PM11/15/20
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Yeah, that looks like a long-bolt-with-spacers install similar to what one does on the chainstay bridge to maintain the fender line except you'll have to drill your own hole. For the spacer, you can use a cork stopper, a stack of pista valve nuts, or, if you want to be fancy, get a Planet Bike fender stay spacer for disc brakes and cut it down to length. If can find it, a button head bolt would work best as that gives you a couple off mm of clearance between the bolt and the tire.

Here's the PB site for the hardware kit: https://www.planetbike.com/cascadia-fender-hardware-kit-65mm/  Nice thing about PB hardware is the price includes shipping.

Good luck,
--Ed C.

Michael Morrissey

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Nov 16, 2020, 7:11:09 AM11/16/20
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Look up spacers in the McMaster-Carr catalog. Measure precisely and order once. 

greenteadrinkers

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Nov 16, 2020, 9:49:06 AM11/16/20
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Here's a fairly simple solution for the dropout from V/O, which helps to create a nice round fender line.

Mark Roland

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Nov 16, 2020, 8:41:45 PM11/16/20
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I made a DIY version of the spring thing for my Kuwahara many years ago. That bike had loooong dropouts. The reason for the spring is so you can push the wheel forward to remove it. Not necessary on bikes like Susie with vertical dropouts.

The first thing to do is put the fender in a rough position to get a sense of how it's going to fit. You will probably need a spacer for the boss under the seat stay bridge, but maybe not. Make sure the stays are long enough for where you need to be.  Your tire looks relatively svelte compared to what the frame can hold, but it does have light knobs, so I would try to mount the fender as close to the frame as you can.

The plastic SKS/Bluemels should be fine as long as they fit over the tire. One nice aspect of metal fenders is you can re-radius to get more coverage for really big tires. So if your Gus is 650B, you could buy a wide 700c  and re-radius for the smaller wheel.

The main trick for fender installs is to avoid mounting them under too much pressure (though plastic are more forgiving in this regard.) Try to secure each contact point with the fender in its natural position, not pulled or pushed and kept in place by the hardware. 

Final tip: If you haven't done so, chase out your fender bosses. They may be full of paint, and if you try to force a bolt, you might snap it off. Ask me how I know. Finding an M5 tapered tap locally might be difficult. I found a seller in Kentucky who shipped a pair out for $10 within a few days. Have fun!

Here is my latest fender install, last week. I was not really concerned with a great fender liine, as I consider these woodies to be mostly decorative, "chop" style, since they don't have the compound curve for full protection. Also, I will sometimes run this with bigger tires, and I want them to fit, but I will need to swap in v-brakes with longer arms (these are the Shimano DXR MX70s Riv sells and is out of stock on, I believe I measured around 110.), as this is the current sticking point for getting the fender line all nice and also as far from tire as possible.
IMG_20201115_133034930.jpg
IMG_20201115_133154289.jpg

lconley

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Nov 17, 2020, 9:08:21 AM11/17/20
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What stoker stem are you using?

Laing
Delray Beach FL

Mark Roland

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Nov 17, 2020, 11:16:42 AM11/17/20
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Not sure. I swiped it off my 90s Santana Vision because I was trying to avoid as much black as possible. Black with orange can be slick, but not really my palette. I even have a plan for the black hubs. Hard to find this style of stoker stem in silver these days, I know. Would have loved one of the special ones Riv ordered from Nitto for Hubbuh batch #1. Maybe if enough interest, they can tag it on with the new open face stems? Maybe? The other issue for some could be rise--with a sprung saddle, shortish captain, could be an issue. With a stoker with more rise, you have more flexibility in handlebar height setup.

lconley

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Nov 17, 2020, 11:46:54 AM11/17/20
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I have the 1st batch stoker stem - I love the basic design, but way, way, way too short. I am 6' but with 83 PBH so it starts out too low, but even if I had longer legs and the stem were higher it still has insufficient reach. I have kind of resigned myself to getting a black stoker stem and stripping it back to silver.

Laing

Gustavo Vasquez

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Nov 18, 2020, 9:10:20 PM11/18/20
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On my Specialized Expedition, I bought some aluminum bushings/washers about 1” thick from a local hardware store for about $1. 

I would try that.

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 14, 2020, at 6:10 AM, RDS <satt...@gmail.com> wrote:

I assume a spacer of some size will be involved to get the fender down under the brake.


On Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 9:08:54 AM UTC-5 RDS wrote:
What is the best way to install the rear fender on the Gus (see pic).  I purchased some SKS Bluemels.  If another type of fender will work better, let me know.

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Ed Fausto

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Feb 2, 2021, 12:06:13 AM2/2/21
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Hi RDS,
Were you able to install fenders on your Gus?
What size are those tires?
Ed
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