gthomson

Sakai Select was a Japanese made bike which was the home brand for a local bike shop here in Toronto, Canada. This model is their touring bike with a big freewheel and options for fenders and racks so I thought I would look into outfitting it with some nice shiny fenders. I've been thinking about Velo-Orange fenders but wanted to see how it might look with these old aluminum fenders.

Better to stay vintage or go with a new classic look with the Velo Orange fenders?

Velo Mule

Those are your old fenders @gthomson ? They look good. You can get the fender struts in a kit from Velo Orange to fit to these fenders.

ThermionicScott 

I would scooch the front fender backward (mounting it from the aft end of the brake bolt) and add a long mudflap for better coverage. But I'm definitely in favor of fenders!

non-fixie 

I like the look of these. The front looks a little short, but that may be because it is not yet positioned correctly.

Pcampeau

I like these fenders quite well. I like Velo Orange fenders too but I can’t see buying them when you have these around. Now I’m wondering which bell would look best on the stem to complete the build?

ehcoplex 

VO fenders are nice, but I say use what you’ve already got.

dbhouston 

Those look awfully nice, but it looks like you need stays to make it permanent? I just installed V-O faceted mudguards on an old Centurion ProTour with 27" tires and like the look and practicality. This was my first fender install and it was surprisingly easy to get things lined up.

Germany_chris

I'm not a fan of VO fenders I do like metal fenders on just about every bike.

ehcoplex 

That’s a great looking Pro Tour!
I think you got lucky, though- I’ve installed fenders on a bunch of bikes, and it’s really a crap shoot as to whether the install is ‘easy’ or not! A few have been serious ordeals!

gthomson

Thanks for the replies everyone and dbhoustob, that bike is stunning! So the fenders shown on the bike are a pair I picked up gratis at my local bike coop just to see how fenders would look on it and I think it looks good.

As mentioned above, I'm missing the mounting supports for both front and back. There is a mounted bracket on the inside of the front fender where I could slide through some struts like seen on the back fender but I need the eyelets to mount them to the frame.

Where could I get these?

clubman 

I fitted out my Sakai Triathalon with Some Esge's I had hanging about. Minimal clearance with just enough room for 25's. The front required P clips (or tie wraps) and the rear uses a clever Mushroom shaped fitting that inserts into the web of the rear dropout. I can't find a pic of those just now but I'm sure I got mine at the Urbane Cyclist on John St in TO.

ehcoplex 

VO…..
or
Handsome Cycles….. (cheaper than VO, but still decent)
or
Rene Herse…..

gthomson

Super nice bike and thank you for the info. I've never been to this store (now on College near Spadina for reference) so a great excuse to go into TO to see a new bike store

gthomson

Thanks for the links, everything available to get fenders mounted. I'll try the store in Toronto first and if they can't help me out then just order everything online.

gthomson

On a side note, not specific to fenders but you might have noticed the free wheel looks like it's rusted but it's not. It's actually gold coloured but not a very practical finish for a bike that's being used.

Would it worth putting on a gold chain to match the free wheel or is that getting too much bling?

The Golden Boy 

"Too much bling" is a myth created by those with little blings.

Throw down and go big.

The Golden Boy 

The first time I put fenders on, they went right on- there were no ****-**** games, just easy.

The next time I did it, I mangled a set of VO fenders. I think I even mangled another set after that. The last one I was getting a lighting system installed and Honjos- so I left it to the pros.


IMG_3370 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

Germany_chris

One of the reasons I don't like VO fenders is they're aluminum and easy to mangle, once on they're easy to dent and require a good amount of dampening so they don't rattle. IME steel fenders are just better in every way and don't weigh significantly more.

1989Pre 

Does your bike deserve a nice, gold Regina D'oro? (Of course it does). Just make it last and don't ride this bike in winter.

gthomson

Fenders and rear rack part II

So many weeks later waiting for the Velo Orange hardware and then finding a new back rack, I finally got the fenders mounted and I think it looks OK. Won't make the cover of Vintage Cycling magazine (does such thing even exist?) but good enough considering total cost has been less than $20 (hardware and shipping was biggest cost). Will admit, the fenders don't really fit the bike so it was a pain in the butt job so I see why people just buy the new Evo plastic fenders cause they are way easier to mount.

The back rack is a bit rough with some scratches on it but what could I do to polish that up? Maybe just paint over it?

ThermionicScott 

Yeah, the bracket for the VO rear fender does a good job of not initiating cracks, but it sure does rattle. After bending the tabs into position as tightly as I can, I usually wick in some rubber cement to quiet it down.

polymorphself 

Rubber cement is a good call. I’ve always taped a piece of inner tube underneath.

jethin

You’re good as long as you don’t upstage the pope if he rides by you.

elqsigue

I bought some Velo Orange fenders and they are very aesthetic and functional, the only drawback is that with use the nuts loosen and make noise while you pedal.

gthomson

Took it out for a maiden voyage the other day and a heard a few creaks which are probably everything settling in but no rattles yet. The one thing I found weird was the sound of the free wheel amplified through the rear fender. It's not a noisy bike but suddenly, I could really hear the clicking of the hub and the gears changing as if they were playing through speakers. Kindeve annoying.