Some thoughts on Gilles Berthoud Fenders

I put a set of GB fenders on my bike last week. SGTiger has had a set on hers for quite some time. Thought I'd get a few thoughts out there for the good of the order.

The first thing is they are expensive. I picked mine up at my LBS (Aaron's Bicycle Repair for those of you in the area) for about $70, $101 including a pair of thick leather mud flaps. No real reason for going with the leather mudflaps other than they look cool.

However, I tend to replace my fenders about every two to three years. If these things last me 6 or 7 years, I've broken even. But since I've also built my bike from the ground up to either last a very long time (e.g. phil wood, brooks) or be completely maintainable (frogs, campy) it's consistent with what I'm trying to do.

They aren't for weight weenies but while heavier than plastic fenders, they aren't as much as you would think.

Set up. The set up takes a little bit of work and a drill. Mine came pre-drilled in front (excluding mudflaps) and mostly predrilled in the back (excluding seat stay bridge and mudflaps). The steel is pretty tough so you might want to tap in a pilot hole.

Once bolted into place, it was time to tackle the supports. They are cut fairly long so some cutting will be required. I'm about average strength for a man and was able to cut them with my old cable cutters. what little adjustment can be done is done with these.

Adjustment is pretty simples because there isn't much you can do. Drill your holes properly and bolt your supports in and they are centered. SGTiger's sit closer to her tires than mine. It may be that my frame is a long frame with gobs of clearance.

Rattles and squeaks drive me nuts. If bolted down properly, there is no rattling or squeaking.

Minor ankle biters: The fenders are attached to your forks via a set-up that requires a bolt hole in your fork crown (where your brakes would bolt in if you have side-pull brakes).

So you'll need a hole there to bolt them in. Also, it uses a rubber insert between two washers that expands as things are tightened down. Don't be shy about buffing that down. The tighter it is, the more secure it'll be.

They seem to last quite well. My wife's are no worse for wear after several months. Gypsie at ABR said they the feedback they get from customers is that they last quite well, better than Honjo's. Considering I went in to get some Honjos and Gypsie downsold me to Berthoud's, I'm inclined to take her advice. Plus she's my friend anyway.

Sorry if this is a little light on technical details or proper use of terminology.

MimiTabby has a brand new custom steel bike with matching dark red fenders....Mimi?

KiltBoy, what kind of bike do you have?

Co-Motion Americano. Sadly, Co-motion doesn't do lugged steel.

The drive train and shifters are campy. However, the cassette is shimano. Partly because I could get a slightly wider range out of shimano and partly because Phil Wood hubs aren't compatible with campy cassettes. For the record, campy 10 speed derailleurs and shimano 10 speed cassettes work just fine together.

I went with a slightly unusual 50/40/30 chain ring combo on this one. I'd been using a 52/42/28 for years but realized I didn't use my really big or really small gears very often. Up to about a year ago, you could get that combo stock on the Centaur cranks. I can't crawl up hills at 4 mph or scream down them at 45 or 50 anymore, but I've been really happy with the gearing otherwise.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by boy in a kilt

I can't crawl up hills at 4 mph or scream down them at 45 or 50 anymore, but I've been really happy with the gearing otherwise.

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Um....so what DO you do up and down on those same hills now instead? :confused:


I think all bikes should be able to take various tire widths and fenders. ;)

Go faster/slower as the case may be.

Going downhill isn't so much of an issue. I can still hit 40 mph+ on the downside of a hill, but I have to work hard for it now. Last time I did it, I had to push my cadence up into the 110 rpm+ zone. There's one hill I ride regularly that has me wishing for a 53.

Turns out that losing the really small gears wasn't as bad as I originally thought. With the old gearing, once I dropped into the small gears, I was pretty much committed to staying in them or putting a lot of effort into getting out them them. Now there is a smoother transition into my smallest gears so I find I don't rely on them quite as much.

Gilles Berthoud are what I just had put on my Volpe. Mine were only $55, though...guess I lucked out! Or maybe got a different style? They look very nice, in my biased opinion.

From the sound of the installation, I'm also glad they did that for me. I'm just *not* mechanically inclined.

Good to hear they hold up well! I'm almost hoping for rain so I can try them out...

I still need mud flaps, though. And I don't have a pre-drilled hole to attach one to, so I'm not sure how that'll work.

Again, hard-won experience.

If your mud flaps don't come with holes already in them, drill TWO holes. The first time I ever used mud flaps, I only drilled one in each. That was high up on the list of smart things I've done in my life.

My second set was a pair I made from an old water bottle. I used two for that.

Any chance you have some pictures of the way the mud flaps are mounted? I'm still kind of afraid of drilling holes in my pretty new fenders, but I know I should eventually. Having an idea of where to put the holes would be a big help!

Here you go.

Attachment 4183

Attachment 4184

Sorry if the bottom one is a little blurry. That is a harder picture to take than common sense would dictate. Or I'm not very good with a camera.

Nothing really fancy about the hardware. Couple of machine screws with washers and bolts.

Like I said in the above post, a small guide hole will do wonders. The drill bit will tend to slip easily if you don't. Put the edge of the fender over the edge of a table and use a nail or something to make a deep dent where you want the center of the hole to be. The tip of your drill bit will sit right in it and be less likely to mess up the finish.

Thanks! That's very helpful!