On another note, my front cycle fenders arrived today from the UK. Well-packed, they arrived in perfect condition, with no duty, tax, etc. owing.
They are, in a word, astonishing! The quality of the 'glass work & gelcoat may be the best I have ever seen, anywhere, at any cost. I can, quite literally, read a newspaper in the reflection. They're very light, yet very rigid, and all edges are smooth & polished to a glass finish. They fit the profile of my 205-50/15 tires, and would also work on taller (say, 16" or 17") tire combinations. The company also offers fenders for 13" wheel/tire combos, I believe.
I had ordered yellow fenders, in the faint hope that the color would be more or less what I wanted (and, better yet, if the gelcoat could be buffed out to an acceptable shine), as I plan on doing the nose all four fenders in yellow (and the rest of the body in raw, polished aluminum, if I can manage it). As it happens, the color of the new fenders is bright (be sure to wear your shades!), rich, vibrant, and
precisely the color I've been searching for, for years. Rather than have them painted, I hope I can get the other parts painted to match this glorious finish...
For those who are still looking for cycle fenders I can heartily recommend KitSpares. Here's a link to the fenders I bought -
http://www.kitspares.co.uk/index.php?ro ... 403&car=43 Be prepared to "think British" - these cycle fenders are called "wings" over there, and hood="bonnet", convertible top="hood", trunk="boot", etc. They carry tons of other Locost-suitable parts, too.
The fenders are available in many colors, including red, white, orange, blue, black, etc., and they even carry the modern, Ca****ham-style genuine carbon fiber ones. It takes a couple of weeks for them to get ready to ship, as they don't stock these fenders - they actually make them to order, when you order them.
All told, it was exactly one month, to the day, from when I confirmed my order to my package's arrival on my doorstep. Not bad at all, considering I've had stuff take longer than that just to go halfway across Canada...and that stuff didn't have to be manufactured first!
What's particularly surprising is the price - £152 (about $188USD, currently, or about $23,496.45 Canadian
), including shipping. That's a smokin' deal, IMHO, particularly given the quality of the product.
As I don't want to drill any holes in these, I'll probably glue an aluminum mounting plate to the underside, using 3M 5250 or similar. I note that Ca*****ham uses this method, and their fenders seem to stay solidly attached at high speeds.
Here's a pic of one of the fenders, fresh out of the box (the bright patches are reflections of the room's skylights) -
Attachment:
Front fender small2.jpg
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Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.
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