My New Surly LHT 46 cm Blue Velvet

[moderncyclista]

Okay so I sold my Aurora to a lady who was over joyed by it. That's the way it should be. Right now, I'm loving my Surly LHT. No name yet, I'm working on it. (Caitrin, they didn't send the short-reach levers but luckily they fit my hands fine. )
Hope these pics show okay. The Blue Velvet is gorgeous in person, a striking cobalt blue color. I wish Brooks had another "blue" saddle besides the "Team Pro special edition." My *** is too wide for the Team Pro.

I want different rack, saddle and fenders, but for now I'm happy. Fender solutions first please. These are Planet Bike fenders 26'' and they suck. I have 700C Planet bike fenders on my 520 and they fit great. These just aren't made for skinnier 26 inch tires. Any suggestions?

[Biciclista]

those fenders don't look like they are mounted correctly. Your bike is sure purdy, I love the forks.
Can't your LBS help you with better fenders?

[moderncyclista]

those fenders don't look like they are mounted correctly. Your bike is sure purdy, I love the forks.
Can't your LBS help you with better fenders?

Ha. My bike shop mounted and adjusted them twice. There is no room for downward adjustment on the part that mounts to the fork bridge - front or back. They said they couldn't find any to fit thinner 26 inch tires. They specialize in Aluminum and Carbon Road Bikes and rarely sell "Steel" bikes at all. In fact, I'm the only one to buy two in the last year and a half.
There is one other shop in town and it is god awful.

I have to drive 60+ miles to get somewhere with a decent bike shop. So any suggestions would be helpful.

[Biciclista]

someone else will respond soon.
but it's odd you you're having trouble, you have 700 /26 tires, there are a lot of fenders made for that size!!
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/fenders.html

[GLC1968]

Beautiful color!!

For the fenders, you'll have to do some searches. I finally gave up on finding real fenders for my road bike. I have 23mm 650's and there just isn't much out there. I probabaly could have gotten custom ones, I guess. Susan has a similiar problem on her new Sweetpea and she uses SKS race blades which are somewhat adjustable/flexible. I have a pair for mine, but I pretty much just take my other bike when it rains.

My commuter is even worse. I have a 700c x 25mm rear tire (no issue) but a 24" x 1 front tire and again, had fender trouble. I ended up using planet bike fenders that are height adjustable. I just cinched them down around the tire (they are plastic so they kind of bend) and then I had to remove the rubber flap on the end because it was touching the ground! It's not perfect, but it works. You might be able to attempt the same thing.

These are the ones I use:
http://www.rei.com/product/723098

Make sure to order the 'road' version which are thinner (35mm) than the ones it looks like you've got on your bike.

[Catrin]

Okay so I sold my Aurora to a lady who was over joyed by it. That's the way it should be. Right now, I'm loving my Surly LHT. No name yet, I'm working on it. (Caitrin, they didn't send the short-reach levers but luckily they fit my hands fine. )
Hope these pics show okay. The Blue Velvet is gorgeous in person, a striking cobalt blue color. I wish Brooks had another "blue" saddle besides the "Team Pro special edition." My *** is too wide for the Team Pro.

I want different rack, saddle and fenders, but for now I'm happy. Fender solutions first please. These are Planet Bike fenders 26'' and they suck. I have 700C Planet bike fenders on my 520 and they fit great. These just aren't made for skinnier 26 inch tires. Any suggestions?

Beautiful bike! even if I AM biased!

I have no suggestions on the fenders, I need fenders and rack myself for my LHT but need to settle the saddle issues first. I am looking forward to seeing what you decide. Very good to hear that you can use those levers they sent - apparently they don't pay much attention when they are boxing the builds what size levers should come with it.

Glad to hear you found a home for the Aurora, and your soon-to-be-named LHT and you will be able to put on many, many miles I am certainly trying to get as many miles on MY Surly boy as I can

[moderncyclista]

I know! Maybe I'll call up Rivendell about the fenders. They sell a lot of bikes with smaller 26 and 650 size tires. Hrmmm. When I get a chance, I'll give it a whirl. I mean, these fenders function fine. (I've driven them in the rain and through puddles.) I'm just a stickler for aesthetics. The rack is great and sturdy, I really all in all have nothing to complain about. If anyone else has experience or ideas....your input is welcome.

[Zen]

Before you pay Rivendell prices you should see what VeloOrange has to offer.

[jdubble]

the fenders on my mom's bike looked kind of like that until the bike shop cut the lower stays down so they could slide forward more into the little adjuster thing-jobber down by the eyelets on the fork. didn't take them 10 seconds to do it.

you'd still have quite a bit of clearance btwn the fender and tire but at least it'd be evenly spaced, you know? and then it wouldn't look quite as "off."

[moderncyclista]

update: 7/03/10

Fenders adjusted, again at LBS. Fit is better, I can at least stand to look at it. Crotch-busting saddle replaced with a Specialized Lithia saddle. I chose a BG saddle rather than another Brooks for several reasons. I like my Brooks, but this one suited me for the all weather riding I'll be doing. Snow, rain, slush, etc. It's lower maintenance that way. I'll take another shot of it soon to show you the changes. (As far as fender solutions go, I've thought *eventually* about ordering some "Woody's custom fenders." He was so nice when I called him on the phone to talk.)

[Catrin]

Looking forward to hearing about your fenders - is there anything against using Planet Bike fenders? They seems to have fenders that will fit 26 inch wheels - just wondering how noisy they might be.

[KnottedYet]

Looking forward to hearing about your fenders - is there anything against using Planet Bike fenders? They seems to have fenders that will fit 26 inch wheels - just wondering how noisy they might be.

They don't make any noise once you get them adjusted properly.
I've got them on two bikes (a 700c and a 26 inch).

[moderncyclista]

They don't make any noise once you get them adjusted properly.
I've got them on two bikes (a 700c and a 26 inch).

Catrin,

Never had trouble with noise. Had trouble with gaping on my 26 inch tires (stock Surly stuff) the fenders weren't adjustable enough to fit closely. Still don't fit quite right, but aren't as bad an eyesore. I have some that fit brilliantly on my 700c 520. Thinking about getting fancy ones eventually, but really these are okay if you can get em' tweaked to your liking.

[Catrin]

Cool, thanks! I will let my LBS install them once I get them.

[sundial]

How pretty! Your bike is in a class all by itself. And it looks pretty darn comfie with that stem too. As for the saddle, I had a Lithia and found that the average life expectancy is about 3 riding seasons. Just out of curiosity, have you tried the ladies Brooks Team Pro S or Finesse?