Adding small leather washers to every fender support helps a lot with squeaks. They're getting hard to find but wouldn't be hard to make.

@richardfarias2920

2 жыл бұрын

Remember those days of tire tubes? Well an old tire tube makes excellent insulation stripping anywhere. That rack on the fender rattle instantly made me think of a strip of old inner tube right in that spot lol.

In over 10 years of daily commuting I would not be without a Busch and Muller (aka B&M) 60mm diameter Cycle Star mirror in my bar end. Optical quality is beyond any of the cheap plastic lenses. Luckily we ride on the left here in UK so leaning my bike for those drivetrain pictures is not a problem!! For mudguards/fenders my Portland Design Works are still rattle free and smart after at least 30,000 miles

Enjoyed the relaxed ride-along gear chat reeaally much - please do some more of these! Greetings from snowy Central Germany!🤗

The problem with bar end mirrors is the you set them for one position, but then useless in others. I've always preferred helmet mirrors. Plus, they make you look super cool.

I bought a set of the VO wavy fenders in noir when I did the 650b conversion on my Salsa La Cruz. Getting them where I wanted when the bike was designed around narrower 700c tires is took a bit of work, but they have been rock solid on all surfaces so far.

These are fenders of proper length! I remember my first winter of commuting on hardtail with short front fender, which I extended with a contraption made of of large plastic bottle cut in half - curvature made it rigid. Boys I felt like a weirdo riding through town but dry legs convinced me.

@0xsergy

Жыл бұрын

fuck all the haters, lol. if there's a reason, there's a reason

the Gravel Guide to Missoula sounds like a great thing for you to sell as a digital download but create as printer-friendly in one form or another, which can be sold by you or by bike shops within 200 miles

You seem in good spirits, always good to see.

I downloaded your SLO guide, it was just great - and can recommend these to anyone that needs some inside info. Wicked professional layout and presentation!

Russ, you and Laura are pretty nerdy but cool! Glad you got another warm ride in. I hope y'all still end up getting plenty of snow, though. We don't need half the West on fire again.

Got the black wavy VO fenders last winter and I love them!

I went for the same version of the Gilles Berthoud mirror..😃 yes it's expensive! But it's like jewellery for your bike. 🥳 I used the Cateye BM-45 for a long time which was pretty good. I think it actually has slightly larger viewing surface but would bump out of place on really rough stuff. Maybe grip paste would've helped, don't know. 🤔 Truly wouldn't want to be without a mirror now, especially with wind in the ears sometimes I just can't hear cars approaching from behind and craning the neck to peer behind every 10 seconds is a pain! 😃 Cheers. 👍

The small mirror will make the bear that is chasing you look smaller too…

Fenders 4 LYFE!!! And yes, I'm a huge nerd. I will never own a bike that doesn't have fender mounts. My current favorite fenders (for 700C wheels only, unfortunately) are the Handsome Cycles Mud Butters. I got the copper color ones and they look superb.

Missoula has been on my bucket list since seeing it featured here on your channel. Would definitely be interested in a touring gravel guide!

We have a mirror like yours on our Bromptons, a must have. My husband also as the same type of mirror on the rest of his bikes. Got to agree the weather is not right had our first covering of snow (27/ November/ 2021) here in the West Midlands of England. Stay Safe!!

I have the Cat Eye mirror on my road bike - it's like the plastic version of the Berthoud- lol - but it's only $16. I also have Hafny mirrors on my gravel and touring bikes - they're a bit bigger and more functional - and for $15 they're great.

I like the idea of the gravel guide for Missoula. I was able to track where you were riding for the most part but I lost it towards the end. My wife and I would love to come over to Missoula more and try some new loops.

The guide sounds really interesting! I’ve been wanting to go visit Missoula for well over 8 years now and that would be a big help to finally do it and enjoy the visit! Also, that clean chain is makin me really consider some wax…

Being short I have found the saddle bag support hitting the fender to be a regular problem I sorted it by using the Carradice Classic bagman which lifts the saddle bag up and away from the fenders.

Thinking about getting this mirror now 👍🏼👍🏼

Happy Thanksgiving. Good stuff as usual

Dude! Thanks to you: we just ordered 3 State Bicycles (2 4130 All Roads and a step trough City Bike). Fell in love with their company after your video and interview with them. Also I’m adding the Velo Orange fenders so this was so awesome you spoke on them. I was worried about noise but judging by the video audio I think I’ll be just 👌🏻 Also we plan a trip to Montana soon so it cool to get a accurate weather update 😁

Calgary is unseasonably warm too…the bike is coming back out

Guide to your favorite Missoula gravel rides -- I've been hoping you would create something like that and yes, I would buy it!

The guide sounds cool. Something downloadable- along the lines of a guidebook for a rock-climbing area. Some cities/towns and accessible routes from town and any attractions that are particularly bike-friendly.

I've got my Take-a-Look permanently attached to the visor on my helmet, which I have been using for several years now. It took some bending and ingenuity, but the mirror is always in a predictible spot allowing a quick and precise glimpse without looking away from the path ahead, does not destroy my glasses, is smaller and much, much less expensive. Plus, I believe they are made in usa, which makes me happy :) When mirrors are attached to the bike I find myself searching for the mirror then turning my handlebars to look for stuff; not practical for me!

I also have had problems with the adhesive not lasting with the Third Eye Helmet Mirrors, but I have solved that by using the 3M reclosable fasteners. They usually adhere for a couple of years and I carry spare fasteners in my bag.

I use the Cateye BM-45 around £13 in U.K. its good, being light, small so isn't moved by air rush or bumps and image fine for showing hazards aproaching from behind. My saddle is a GB Aravis.

I have that mirror on my Surly Straggler and love it!…nice fenders…

I've had the same cheapo helmet mirror for like 6 years at least now. Inspired by my tollway iPass, I just attach it to my helmets with some Scotch Extreme Interlocking Fastener tape. I also use some squares on top of my helmets for mounting lights for winter / night riding. I like that if I get in a wreck the light will break off the helmet vs. getting caught on stuff. Has saved me numerous times on overhead branches, etc.

For sure some gravel rides from Missoula . Start at the donut shop off Higgins, then a ride is a must. Anything along water, or even rides farther out by The Jack.

Wet season is fender season :) I would recommend to add a little bit of old inner tube to the rack, where it hits the fenders. Cheers Thanks for the entertainment

I've always like the aesthetic of well made fenders, but here in SoCal it's pretty much Fairweather riding most of the year.

There is no question that the Veto-Orange fenders are better than their plastic competition. The installation is much more solid and durable in day to day use.

I use a Muller and Busch mirror (I think thats what they are called) for my alt bar tourer. I was first attracted to them because they also make the mirrors for my BMW motorcycle and those are superb. It is a decent size without being huge but you have to be careful leaning your bike against stuff. Having said that it is very easy to flip back and adjust if it does get knocked. I now wonder how I managed without it, not the cheapest out there but worth every penny.

Thoroughly recommend a mirror, hivis clothing & front/rear lights for road riding & commuting - I have a small Zefal SPY mirror that straps to the handlebar, a less expensive option.

I found regular white glue is enough to secure a helmet-mounted mirror. Even if it goes in the rain and falls off, you can re-glue it and the 2nd time it should stay for good.

I had 2 of those mirrors. They work great, but after a 30 miles into a gravel ride, I look down and the mirror is gone, just the part the goes into the handlebars was all that was left. Wrote it off to operator error, but the exact same thing happened with the other one. Yes I lay my bike down, and was doing some b-roads, but you would think for the price the set screw would keep it together if it was bump or hit something, apparently not. Learned my lesson with the super cashy mirror.

All those bike stuff are cool and all…but that Seiko is lovely!!

I love my Trek 520 with fenders. Although I am from Germany I prefer Pelago fenders from Finland because of their design (Aluminium, externally mounted). SKS and their internally mounting of the stays sucks! It decreases tire clearance and catches mud and other thinks until blocking the wheel. And finally the water stalls from the inside. With one word: bad construction!

Thank you...I use those tires , in 650b x 47. Peace

That mirror is so cool. And the mudguards too. ( mudguards 🇬🇧)

I recommend trying the EVT Safe Zone mirror. Super nerdy, but works great for me!!!

You can stop the bagman rattling on the fender using support stays. They stop the bounce completely.

love the fenders

I would be interested in a guided gravel ride in MT. Im usually hiking 1x year up in Glacier, etc, so adding a nice bike ride south of there would fit in with my vacation.

I think think that you could spray the bottom of those fenders with a rubberized spray and that would cut all the noise. I've seen it done to that one wheel fender and it cuts all the road noise.

Fenders seems great and the rear view mirror! I have used the cheaper version you mentioned and they are basically useless and I dropped mine somewhere! Rather pay for quality than junk!

Yes, a travel guide would be nice. Please add where you can park a vehicle for a ride, fishing, coffee shops, bars? The parking is key because I'm usually just going through and Missoula is a day stop.

I'm not sure whether you've done a video about this. I'll have to look through your library of videos but, I am curious how you clean your bikes when it gets cold outside. I know this is one reason why I like fenders (mudguards) on my bike. Since I have to clean my bike inside my apartment during the winter months. The fenders makes cleaning my bike a lot less messy.

I fear your “unseasonably warm” is going to become “seasonably usual”. An extended riding season is not a consolation.

Russ! Attach your take a look to your helmet visor, buddy. I have mine on one helmet upside down and taped on with slices of electrical tape... Other helmet no visor, Take a look has a glue on thingy that you can use for your helmet

u can put a small mastic tape between bag rack and fender

I used the Gilles Berthoud mirror for a bit but was not pleased with the size. I found the B&M Cycle Star 901 from Peter White to be a larger, option with an excellent glass mirror. It's body is plastic. But I've had no problems with vibration movement and it is large enough to be useful to me.

@PathLessPedaledTV

2 жыл бұрын

Will check that one out.

@philso7872

2 жыл бұрын

Do you have to readjust it each time you ride? It appears it would be easy to bump it when transporting or storing the bike.

@MelvinHughesatp

2 жыл бұрын

@@philso7872 Both mirrors are easy to bump (for me) wheeling them through doorways and such. But as Russ said, the smaller GB is pretty firm. The larger B&M can be bumped out of place but not nearly so easily as anything else I've used that just has the plastic ball and socket. Another down side of bar-end mirrors on drop bars is that they seem determined to collide with the top tube of the bike. I usually carry a frame pump with a retaining strap and place the strap in the "mirror-strike-zone." But all in all, like Russ, I find the utility of an excellent glass mirror fixed to the handlebars infinitely better than dangling from my helmet! Rivendell sometimes sells what they call a "German" mirror that clamps around the handlebars. It is an unusual, long shape with a mirror that places things further away than they are. But it too can be clamped on a drop bar bike. My main complaints with it are its somewhat distorted view and the longer extension of the mirror from the handlebars. I always seem to be able to knock it out of place. But there again, it is still much more functional for me than a helmet mirror.

@philso7872

2 жыл бұрын

@@MelvinHughesatp thanks for the info

I'm a big fan of VO fenders. I use them my two main bikes. No rattle and really stable. I would recommend a front mud flap if you travel through half flooded roads like I do on the Oregon Coast. It really helps keep my feet dry. I also own the Giles Berthoud mirror. I can't say I'm that big of a fan. Perhaps there's a defect in mine, but the grub screw never seems to hold it tight enough. I've had mine fall off several times. I found a similar bar end mirror made by I think Cat-eye that works well. Not quite as pretty, but it's also about a cm wider.

@PathLessPedaledTV

2 жыл бұрын

Have you tried adding blue thread lock?

@Threestrand1

2 жыл бұрын

@@PathLessPedaledTV I haven't, but I just had a look at it again and I think the problem is how mine sits on the ball joint. Tightening the grub screw seems to force it off the ball. I'm guessing the mirror section isn't recessed deep enough.

@PathLessPedaledTV

2 жыл бұрын

@@Threestrand1 sounds like a manufacturing mistake.

Nerdy has meant cool for at least 15 years, The Jockiest Jocks will say things like "I really nerd out on the history of primitive pre-colonial kale varieties" the way they used to say: "Hey, check out my Camaro"

Couple more things. Your observations, even the casual and spontaneous, are always interesting and often beneficial. Secondly, as much as I really want to get up to your wonderful part of the country, since it probably will never happen, a gravel guide will probably have little value for me. However, if you want to sell one entitled, "How to Map the Gravel Roads Near You, Or How Find a Gravel Route and Follow It On Your Bike," I think I could muster some currency for that. All the best.

+1 for Missoula guide

I had a set of smooth VO mud guards, they did pick up dings easily and I picked up a twig on the rear wheel which caused the rear fender to folder up like a concertina, after which they were trash. 18months they lasted, not really good value, back to sks for me. Good luck with yours!

Please do a Missoula guide!!! printed or .pdf whatever suits you Russ. ❤️ from NSW Australia!

Cool mirror, even the 66 euros from France to the Netherlands is a hard pill to swallow. Great vid as always 👌

Love my VO full fenders but took them off mid tour last time bc my nobby tires kept picking up and flinging gravel through them and making a ton of noise

Your fear of bears confirms what I knew all along....you are a man of superior intelligence. 😁

Have you made a review of that rear rack? it looks very light

Instant Like, seeing that beauty. 💓

Nice bar end mirror. I got the CRG bar end mirror (the smaller size, but bigger than your GB), which I cannibalized from my motorcycle. Also good, but not as elegant.

for what it's worth, I've used the same Take-a-Look mirror for about ten years, but mounted on the side of my helmet sun visor. The three "clip" mounting system works great, and I've added a bit of duct tape to keep it more secure for when helmet is in car etc off my head. Works flawlessly, but does require a helmet visor with a narrow section at the side that you can slide the three mounting things onto. I've tried numerous mirrors over the decades, and the Take a Look is the most useful, safest and best view of rear coming traffic, and for those of us with numerous bikes, just plain handy because it is always there. I'm a tourer who has gone through many countries over the decades and a daily commuter in a large city, and would not ride without one--the ease of getting a quick heads up and flat view mirror (no wide angle distortion=easier distance assessment) puts this mirror way up there on the safety and convenience side of things.

@philso7872

2 жыл бұрын

Do you have to readjust the mirror each time you put on the helmet? It appears it would be easy to bump it when transporting and storing the helmet

@davidbabcock3261

2 жыл бұрын

@@philso7872 , no not usually. I generally am careful how I put my helmet in places, and if it gets moved a bit, it takes 1 second to reposition it when I get on the bike and see that it's off a bit. Mine always holds it's position, ie it's not floppy and loose, so really it's never bugged me at all. Didn't mention but the other two major advantages to helmet mounted mirrors are that you can still see easily when out of saddle , and also in mid turn, with just a little turn of the head, you can see cars coming into the curve behind you. This ability to change your viewing angle with a slight head turn is really really useful.

@philso7872

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidbabcock3261 thanks for the info. It sounds like a good way to go

@davidbabcock3261

2 жыл бұрын

No prob. Just be aware that some people don't like having the mirror in their field of vision. Took me a week to get used to it. Some hate it. Only way is to try it.

great mirror. last expensive and larger and more secure try an 'Italian road bike mirror'

Fenders are just the thing. As you mentioned the gritty drivetrain and wet ar$e is just not worth it. All the best from Melbourne Australia.😁🤟

I would love a local Missoula Guide.

Mirrors like that, I use a Corky, are amazing for cycling at night. They're unusable for the most part although they reflect car headlights. They appear like two bright lights or snake eyes which gives you plenty of warning for passing cars.

@PathLessPedaledTV

2 жыл бұрын

I've tried the corky and it is unusable IMO. Way smaller image. Also super shaky. Its frigging pointless.

@erlkoenig90

2 жыл бұрын

I had the flat-bar version of the corky, really liked it (particularly because it becomes invisible when closed), but sadly the plastic ball joint broke when I accidentally hit it with my hands; a more robust metal version would be nice.

@gethinap

2 жыл бұрын

@@PathLessPedaledTV For Gravel yes, on my road bike it's invaluable. The only issue I've had is the little screw falling out so I've ended up gluing the joint together with Zap Thin CA superglue.

Please post something about a fixed fat bike set of fenders if you’ve found a decent one.

Russ pls make review about touring/bikeacking rims/wheelset

I'm interested in waxing my chains but I don't know whether it would survive a 3ft deep floods and some heavy tropical rains or nah

Interested in a mirror like this for errands around town, would you prefer this type over a helmet mirror? Good to see you out riding👍

I would absolutely pay for a good food and ride guide.

Love your vest Russ, what brand is it?

The helmet mounted EVT Safe Zone Mirror is solid and very adjustable. I don’t like a handlebar mirror because it requires looking down taking one’s eyes off the road ahead.

cool finder.. where can i buy one

We do like nicely machined stuff.

What I would like to see is a guide to Missoula gravel, breweries and pizza. Best of all worlds!

I was most interested in the chain wax part, to keep chain almost clean in rainy or muddy situations. Does it keep it dry when it is raining also ? What is the reference ?

For some reason I only ever ride that route the other direction

I wish the GB mirror had just a tiny dome to it. It's a trade off - dome shape makes objects appear smaller and harder to recognize, but completely flat on a mirror this small means getting a view from multiple positions is tough. Can't help thinking a very subtle dome would be the best of both worlds. Not too much to hope for on a $90 accessory.

@PathLessPedaledTV

2 жыл бұрын

I’ve tried a similar size one with a dome and it was almost useless until the car was next to you.

Those fenders are a lot more bling than they are nerdy. I'm not usually a fan of chrome but they are beauty!

Fenders are a necessity up here in Vancouver, Canada but I hate the toe overlap that increases and the terrifying instances when your toe gets hung up underneath the front fender :O Maybe I need to find a frame/fork with a longer front centre ... I'm curious if you had the same thoughts or issues with your Crust? Maybe 650 wheels will help?

@PathLessPedaledTV

2 жыл бұрын

650b helps but still some toe overlap.

Hey Russ have you seen those spd crocs? Looks like crocs saw your videos 😂

Fenders = GOOD! Stay dry and protect your drivetrain!

I see what you did with that Voila!!, French on French 😂😂😂

Nice video, quick question on the fender size and tire since fat meats and fenders don't mix too well.

@LoranBriggs

2 жыл бұрын

Nevermind, figured it out. Velo-orange only makes one wavy 650b size: 58mm and the tires clearly say 47mm on them. Thanks for the info in the video.

Corki mirror is another good option

@PathLessPedaledTV

2 жыл бұрын

Vibrates too much. Have tried it.

Go for the local guide, for sure! The more bike tourism people see anywhere normalises bikes as valid road transport! If you can make a buck out of it, even better.

Which Abus Helmet Are You Using?

I have been completely disappointed with mirror options for cycling and have ridden without one for a long time. Even with the expense of thos one I still think I will be giving it a try

I like your gilet, looks like what I'm needing. If you happen to see this comment and have time, could you tell me who makes it?

Is the GB mirror at all useful on bumpy roads/gravel? Seems like the view would be seriously compromised on the rough stuff...

@PathLessPedaledTV

2 жыл бұрын

Works great.

You ride a very nice gravel bike there! Can the mudguards/fenders or the complete bike also be bought in Europe? How expensive was your bike? Thanks and greetings from Berlin Andreas🚴🏽‍♀️👌💯

Mirror on your glasses means you can cos play universal soldier, so…

Also get a mudflap, i bought the overpriced Vo one but you can easely make your own Out of rubber gasket material . I riveted Mine to the fenders fir a cleaner Look but screws Work of course. Its amazing how much of a differece a front mudflap makes For your feet and drivetrain.