Shop Work Between Storms

 Last week when I got out for a ride on that wet gravel I noted that my drive train had a serious "skip" to it that felt like a worn out chain. I was thinking I still had that old gold-colored Wipperman chain on this bike, but no! I had a brand new Shimano 11 speed chain on it. 

I had forgotten I had swapped out parts. I did not use a new cassette, but an old XTR one that N.Y. Roll had downloaded to me a while back that he thought might still have some life left in it. 

Guess it did not.

Soooo.... I decided to bail on that cassette and just get a brand new one coming. I went with my old tried and true choice, a SRAM PG 1130 model that has 11-36T cassette cog range. It's not the 40T low I had with that old XTR but hey! I've been getting along fine with the 36T low all this time, so no big deal there. 

Anyway, once that gets here I should be sorted, but I am taking a look at some new chain rings and perhaps a new crankset. I still rather prefer my 36/46 cyclo-cross inspired ring set, but we will see. 

The next order of business was to get those Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders off my bench and on to my Raleigh Tamland 2. I really have been pretty happy with the Cascadia ALX since I made the switch several years ago now. They are a LOT more stable and quiet than the Planet Bike Freddy Fenders I used to use which were great fenders, but noisy and really floppy, especially in the rear. While the Cascadia ALX's are more expensive and heavier, I think that trade off is more than worth it. 

The Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders over 700 X 44mm WTB Raddler tires.

Gotta love that old Raleigh! When I told the Raleigh team in 2012 that this bike should fit 700 X 42mm tires with fenders they knocked the final product out of the park. There are not too many gravel bikes out there that can do what you are looking at here: 700c X 44mm tires on 25mm internal width rims and fenders? With clearance to spare? 

Yep. 

Now I'm set for 'slop-season' riding which is about what we've been getting here, but for the actual cold wind chills and colder days interspersed between days up into the 40's. Monday it actually rained here all day. Today? It is supposed to start snowing and we're set to see 4"-8" of heavy, wet snow. Oh joy! 

Looks like we might actually have a fat bike season ahead of us here.

Shop Work Between Storms

 Last week when I got out for a ride on that wet gravel I noted that my drive train had a serious "skip" to it that felt like a worn out chain. I was thinking I still had that old gold-colored Wipperman chain on this bike, but no! I had a brand new Shimano 11 speed chain on it. 

I had forgotten I had swapped out parts. I did not use a new cassette, but an old XTR one that N.Y. Roll had downloaded to me a while back that he thought might still have some life left in it. 

Guess it did not.

Soooo.... I decided to bail on that cassette and just get a brand new one coming. I went with my old tried and true choice, a SRAM PG 1130 model that has 11-36T cassette cog range. It's not the 40T low I had with that old XTR but hey! I've been getting along fine with the 36T low all this time, so no big deal there. 

Anyway, once that gets here I should be sorted, but I am taking a look at some new chain rings and perhaps a new crankset. I still rather prefer my 36/46 cyclo-cross inspired ring set, but we will see. 

The next order of business was to get those Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders off my bench and on to my Raleigh Tamland 2. I really have been pretty happy with the Cascadia ALX since I made the switch several years ago now. They are a LOT more stable and quiet than the Planet Bike Freddy Fenders I used to use which were great fenders, but noisy and really floppy, especially in the rear. While the Cascadia ALX's are more expensive and heavier, I think that trade off is more than worth it. 

The Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders over 700 X 44mm WTB Raddler tires.

Gotta love that old Raleigh! When I told the Raleigh team in 2012 that this bike should fit 700 X 42mm tires with fenders they knocked the final product out of the park. There are not too many gravel bikes out there that can do what you are looking at here: 700c X 44mm tires on 25mm internal width rims and fenders? With clearance to spare? 

Yep. 

Now I'm set for 'slop-season' riding which is about what we've been getting here, but for the actual cold wind chills and colder days interspersed between days up into the 40's. Monday it actually rained here all day. Today? It is supposed to start snowing and we're set to see 4"-8" of heavy, wet snow. Oh joy! 

Looks like we might actually have a fat bike season ahead of us here.

Country Views: Hero Gravel

Escape Route: Burton Avenue North.

 How does the saying go again? If March comes in like a lamb it is supposed to go out like a lion? Something along those lines. I must say- if the beginning of March is any indication of how the end of the month will be, the end is going to be bad! Seriously. The beginning of March has been stellar. The best I can remember. 

And the gravel roads- so far- have held up on that end as well. "Hero Gravel", is what we coined it years ago now. That comes from the old mountain biker descriptor for primo dirt conditions. Conditions so smooth and tacky that anyone could corner like a hero. Thus "hero dirt". Ah......anyway......

The day was spectacular, blue skies for miles, maybe a breeze from the Southeast, but it was no big deal, really. The roads- wow! So fast and smooth it was like pavement. Maybe a few potholes and ripple-like bumps here and there, but this was the smoothest I've seen the roads in a long time. Dry too! Really dry. A very unusual start to the riding season. So good that I keep wondering when it will all go to pot and we will get slapped back into reality again. I'm sure that day is coming! 

So, it was way up into the 40's again, and we've seen the snow get burned off by the high-riding Sun so fast that I can no longer in good conscious call this "Winter" anymore, so I broke out the first use of "Country Views" for 2021. Unless March goes out like a lion and we see a return to Winter, it'll be "Country Views" until Fall. 

 

Just North of Waterloo on Burton Avenue. These shrubs are blushing red against the leftover snow.

Burton eventually turns into a gravel road. This is "hero gravel" and it was like this for miles.

This time I was on the pink MCD from Black Mountain Cycles. It has those bars on it now that I am testing that I can't say anything about yet. Very soon..... Stay tuned. Anyway, the MCD has those big 700 X 47mm Teravail Rutlands on there now which I like. I figured that I'd need a wide, higher volume tire to deal with the mucky, soft post-Winter conditions, but so far I have not needed that characteristic of the big Rutlands. Nor have I really needed the fenders. I mean- it's nice to not have to worry about water spray, but I could have navigated what I've had to deal with, so far, without fenders. 

Like I said- every road was like this. Total hero gravel.

 

Rare tree lined gravel just North of Cedar Falls on Mount Vernon Road.

 

I had to stop for a 'nature break' and that always is a logistical nightmare on the prairies when the crops are gone. Well, I finally found a suitable spot near where a high-tension electrical wire went across the road. As I stood there to relieve myself, I could hear a faint, low frequency humming. It was coming from the pole holding the wires up near me. After I finished, I ventured over to the pole carefully and leaned in to put my ear as near to the wooden pole as I dared without touching it. I could distinctly hear the tones, and then I noticed that the entire pole was vibrating when I touched it with my gloved hand. Crazy! 

Anyway, I got going again and I eventually went West on Bennington Road over to Leversee Road and South to Mount Vernon Road. My aim was to get into Cedar Falls and maybe visit Andy at the shop. Then I could tool on over to where I live through the cities. My way back into Cedar Falls was going to be on this little known chunk of gravel called Strayer Road. Well, unfortunately the city or county must have chip sealed that road in 2020. Too bad! Another gravel road lost.......

Other than that bummer, it was a great ride.

Country Views: Hero Gravel

Escape Route: Burton Avenue North.

 How does the saying go again? If March comes in like a lamb it is supposed to go out like a lion? Something along those lines. I must say- if the beginning of March is any indication of how the end of the month will be, the end is going to be bad! Seriously. The beginning of March has been stellar. The best I can remember. 

And the gravel roads- so far- have held up on that end as well. "Hero Gravel", is what we coined it years ago now. That comes from the old mountain biker descriptor for primo dirt conditions. Conditions so smooth and tacky that anyone could corner like a hero. Thus "hero dirt". Ah......anyway......

The day was spectacular, blue skies for miles, maybe a breeze from the Southeast, but it was no big deal, really. The roads- wow! So fast and smooth it was like pavement. Maybe a few potholes and ripple-like bumps here and there, but this was the smoothest I've seen the roads in a long time. Dry too! Really dry. A very unusual start to the riding season. So good that I keep wondering when it will all go to pot and we will get slapped back into reality again. I'm sure that day is coming! 

So, it was way up into the 40's again, and we've seen the snow get burned off by the high-riding Sun so fast that I can no longer in good conscious call this "Winter" anymore, so I broke out the first use of "Country Views" for 2021. Unless March goes out like a lion and we see a return to Winter, it'll be "Country Views" until Fall. 

 

Just North of Waterloo on Burton Avenue. These shrubs are blushing red against the leftover snow.

Burton eventually turns into a gravel road. This is "hero gravel" and it was like this for miles.

This time I was on the pink MCD from Black Mountain Cycles. It has those bars on it now that I am testing that I can't say anything about yet. Very soon..... Stay tuned. Anyway, the MCD has those big 700 X 47mm Teravail Rutlands on there now which I like. I figured that I'd need a wide, higher volume tire to deal with the mucky, soft post-Winter conditions, but so far I have not needed that characteristic of the big Rutlands. Nor have I really needed the fenders. I mean- it's nice to not have to worry about water spray, but I could have navigated what I've had to deal with, so far, without fenders. 

Like I said- every road was like this. Total hero gravel.

 

Rare tree lined gravel just North of Cedar Falls on Mount Vernon Road.

 

I had to stop for a 'nature break' and that always is a logistical nightmare on the prairies when the crops are gone. Well, I finally found a suitable spot near where a high-tension electrical wire went across the road. As I stood there to relieve myself, I could hear a faint, low frequency humming. It was coming from the pole holding the wires up near me. After I finished, I ventured over to the pole carefully and leaned in to put my ear as near to the wooden pole as I dared without touching it. I could distinctly hear the tones, and then I noticed that the entire pole was vibrating when I touched it with my gloved hand. Crazy! 

Anyway, I got going again and I eventually went West on Bennington Road over to Leversee Road and South to Mount Vernon Road. My aim was to get into Cedar Falls and maybe visit Andy at the shop. Then I could tool on over to where I live through the cities. My way back into Cedar Falls was going to be on this little known chunk of gravel called Strayer Road. Well, unfortunately the city or county must have chip sealed that road in 2020. Too bad! Another gravel road lost.......

Other than that bummer, it was a great ride.

More Testing

Fenders installed and that Whatchamacallit Bar.

Over the weekend I got the fenders installed on the BMC MCD bike. They are the excellent, highly recommended Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders. I have been using these on a couple of my bikes for several years now and I have to say that they are really good. I maybe would like a tiny bit more coverage, but hey! For the money, for the ease of installation, and for the bomber performance? I'm all in on these. Get you some.....

(And for the record, I paid my own damn money for the set on this bike I have and I was not asked to write that glowing review. It's what I really think- So there!)

Sad that we live in a world where disclaimers have to be added, but anyway.....

I stuffed the Teravail Rutland 700 X 47mm tires under those fenders and they barely fit! But they fit! That's pretty cool since I was hoping to be able to run these tires quite a bit in 2021. I have really enjoyed them and they remind me a lot of my favorite WTB Resolutes, only these are a bit bigger than Reso's are. In fact, I was thinking that in the mid-00's, these would have been passed off as 29"er tires. I remember testing some Bontrager tires, in particular, that were sub-50mm tires that were being called 29"er tires. 

At any rate, I would not run a much bigger tire since the MCD is pretty close on clearances with these as it is. There is mud room- barely. Obviously there is enough room to squeeze in fenders, but where I am looking- the chain stays - The room is pretty minimal there. 

Oh! I suppose you were wondering about those whatchamacallit bars and those weird grips on there? Well, that's another silly thing, see- It's called a media embargo. I know, I know...... Just following the rules here, that's all. More can be said in about a week or so. Stay tuned......

More Testing

Fenders installed and that Whatchamacallit Bar.

Over the weekend I got the fenders installed on the BMC MCD bike. They are the excellent, highly recommended Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders. I have been using these on a couple of my bikes for several years now and I have to say that they are really good. I maybe would like a tiny bit more coverage, but hey! For the money, for the ease of installation, and for the bomber performance? I'm all in on these. Get you some.....

(And for the record, I paid my own damn money for the set on this bike I have and I was not asked to write that glowing review. It's what I really think- So there!)

Sad that we live in a world where disclaimers have to be added, but anyway.....

I stuffed the Teravail Rutland 700 X 47mm tires under those fenders and they barely fit! But they fit! That's pretty cool since I was hoping to be able to run these tires quite a bit in 2021. I have really enjoyed them and they remind me a lot of my favorite WTB Resolutes, only these are a bit bigger than Reso's are. In fact, I was thinking that in the mid-00's, these would have been passed off as 29"er tires. I remember testing some Bontrager tires, in particular, that were sub-50mm tires that were being called 29"er tires. 

At any rate, I would not run a much bigger tire since the MCD is pretty close on clearances with these as it is. There is mud room- barely. Obviously there is enough room to squeeze in fenders, but where I am looking- the chain stays - The room is pretty minimal there. 

Oh! I suppose you were wondering about those whatchamacallit bars and those weird grips on there? Well, that's another silly thing, see- It's called a media embargo. I know, I know...... Just following the rules here, that's all. More can be said in about a week or so. Stay tuned......

Friday News And Views

Dot Watchers will be busy for the next month or so. Tour Divide starts today.

Musings On The Tour Divide:

Today is the day a lot of riders full of hope will clip in somewhere around Banff, Canada for a long ride down the spine of the Rocky Mountains to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Maybe some of their hope will win out and they will actually accomplish this feat.

I used to get really excited about this event, but anymore......meh! It isn't the event it once was, and for me at least, it isn't as intriguing as it once was. Actually, I think the Tour Divide is responsible, in part, for why the "shine is gone" off this event after 12 or so years of its existence.

That's right. "TD" has only been around about a dozen years. But you may have heard about events like the Tour Divide that predate this. You aren't wrong, but it was a completely different event. It was an event that left from the "Port Of Roosville" Montana and ended in Antelope Wells. That event had cutoff timing points, a rule against cell phone use, and was largely done in an era where "social media" was either absent, or did not even exist yet. The ubiquitous SPOT trackers which generate the "dots" which fascinate today's Tour Divide watchers weren't a thing then. The only real feedback anyone could get outside of actually participating in the Great Divide race were the phone calls some riders would post along the way on a specific call in site. For a great look at what once was the Great Divide race, check out John Billman's excellent write up for "Outside" HERE.

John's story heralds the event as "The World's Toughest Bike Race", and back then, there was a plausible argument to be made for that claim. There are those who would say that the Tour Divide is still "that sort of an event", but to my way of thinking, that ship set sail a LONG time ago. In fact, I wrote a bit about this in a past "Minus Ten Review" on the blog a couple of years back now. I was musing on what the Great Divide Race once was compared to today.

".....that was a time when "bikepacking" had yet to become a term on the tongue of every wannabee hipster wanderer with a beard and a high priced bivy. There were lots of people using racks and hard mounted bags. SPOT trackers weren't a thing yet, but they were coming on strong by that time. Cell phones didn't work throughout most of the route, and GPS wasn't something most folks even had access to yet. There weren't ten ways to follow someone on the route, there was only one, and if they had a "dot" to watch, it was a bonus. Most of the time you had only the uploaded call ins, if a rider made call ins at all.

Am I saying that the Great Divide was a bit "purer" event than the TD is now? Maybe. You could make an argument for that for sure. I guess I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know I liked the event back then better than I do now."

I still feel the same about it today. You know though, that's just me. I'm probably an outlier. I know that there are "different levels of self-support" events and everyone has their own definition. I've written about that before as well.  

The thing is, the TD has become a marketing tool, a social media scene, and more. It obviously is difficult, and it has elements of the previous years events which are laudable and worthy of pursuit. That said, it isn't as tough to ride 2,000 plus miles today as it was back ten plus years ago alone with no Facetime, no "likes" to count, and no interaction on digital platforms. There was no Salsa top cap pie token, no folks camped out looking for you along the way, and you had to hustle because there was only an allotted 25 days to "get 'er done". If you didn't get there within the time allotments, it didn't count. Imagine if that were the case today. 

GTDRI Reactions:

It's funny, because in years past I would never know if anyone would show up for this ride. I posted about it, asked for comments, or if anyone was coming, and......... crickets. Usually a good handful would show, but one year I had only two other guys show up! This year I have already had at least a half a dozen folks say they were coming. 

Last year I had the most riders ever show up. Now you never know, but it would't at all surprise me to see that equaled or surpassed this time. Then again, maybe only a half dozen will show up! One thing that has been a bit of a disappointment over the years is that there have been very few women that have ever done the GTDRI. Maybe three years we had any women show up. It sure would be great to get some of the females out along with the group.

But whatever..... I'm riding no matter if anyone shows up or not. So, in my opinion, when folks do show up, I count it as an amazing thing, and I am very grateful for it when people decide to come spend the day with me. 

Mud guard success evidence.

When Mud Guards Are Good:

This past Spring was a wet, cool affair and the roads were often messy. I have two rigs set up with fenders and they worked great this Spring keeping me cleaner and my bike less goopy. My choice? Planet Bike ALX fenders. 

I have been a Planet Bike fender user for years, but the Cascadia ALX is their top choice for me these days. The hardware is stainless steel, the fenders are aluminum, and the simplicity of mounting these and removing them is tops. One set resides permanently on the Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" single speed and the other I installed on the Raleigh Tamland Two last year. 

Well, with summer here I figured I would remove the fenders from the Raleigh. I took the rear fender off first, and it was dirty underneath, certainly, but when I removed the front fender, I was shocked. 

First of all, it was oddly heavy in the hand. The ALX fenders have a bit of heft to them, which I appreciate since that heft results in strength and rigidity. The ALX fenders are dead quiet on the bike. But I knew they didn't weight this much! I turned the fender over to find what you see in the image to the left here. I was amazed!

The part you see between my feet? That was level full of dried up mud. My tires must have had barely any clearance! And as I recall, during one of my recent rides on the Tamland, I heard some high pitched whining/buzzing, which was this mud scraping the tire, most likely! Obviously, I cleaned that out before storing them until later in the year when I will remount them for Winter and early Spring. 

That's a wrap for this week. Get some riding in and thanks for reading!

Friday News And Views

Dot Watchers will be busy for the next month or so. Tour Divide starts today.

Musings On The Tour Divide:

Today is the day a lot of riders full of hope will clip in somewhere around Banff, Canada for a long ride down the spine of the Rocky Mountains to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Maybe some of their hope will win out and they will actually accomplish this feat.

I used to get really excited about this event, but anymore......meh! It isn't the event it once was, and for me at least, it isn't as intriguing as it once was. Actually, I think the Tour Divide is responsible, in part, for why the "shine is gone" off this event after 12 or so years of its existence.

That's right. "TD" has only been around about a dozen years. But you may have heard about events like the Tour Divide that predate this. You aren't wrong, but it was a completely different event. It was an event that left from the "Port Of Roosville" Montana and ended in Antelope Wells. That event had cutoff timing points, a rule against cell phone use, and was largely done in an era where "social media" was either absent, or did not even exist yet. The ubiquitous SPOT trackers which generate the "dots" which fascinate today's Tour Divide watchers weren't a thing then. The only real feedback anyone could get outside of actually participating in the Great Divide race were the phone calls some riders would post along the way on a specific call in site. For a great look at what once was the Great Divide race, check out John Billman's excellent write up for "Outside" HERE.

John's story heralds the event as "The World's Toughest Bike Race", and back then, there was a plausible argument to be made for that claim. There are those who would say that the Tour Divide is still "that sort of an event", but to my way of thinking, that ship set sail a LONG time ago. In fact, I wrote a bit about this in a past "Minus Ten Review" on the blog a couple of years back now. I was musing on what the Great Divide Race once was compared to today.

".....that was a time when "bikepacking" had yet to become a term on the tongue of every wannabee hipster wanderer with a beard and a high priced bivy. There were lots of people using racks and hard mounted bags. SPOT trackers weren't a thing yet, but they were coming on strong by that time. Cell phones didn't work throughout most of the route, and GPS wasn't something most folks even had access to yet. There weren't ten ways to follow someone on the route, there was only one, and if they had a "dot" to watch, it was a bonus. Most of the time you had only the uploaded call ins, if a rider made call ins at all.

Am I saying that the Great Divide was a bit "purer" event than the TD is now? Maybe. You could make an argument for that for sure. I guess I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know I liked the event back then better than I do now."

I still feel the same about it today. You know though, that's just me. I'm probably an outlier. I know that there are "different levels of self-support" events and everyone has their own definition. I've written about that before as well.  

The thing is, the TD has become a marketing tool, a social media scene, and more. It obviously is difficult, and it has elements of the previous years events which are laudable and worthy of pursuit. That said, it isn't as tough to ride 2,000 plus miles today as it was back ten plus years ago alone with no Facetime, no "likes" to count, and no interaction on digital platforms. There was no Salsa top cap pie token, no folks camped out looking for you along the way, and you had to hustle because there was only an allotted 25 days to "get 'er done". If you didn't get there within the time allotments, it didn't count. Imagine if that were the case today. 

GTDRI Reactions:

It's funny, because in years past I would never know if anyone would show up for this ride. I posted about it, asked for comments, or if anyone was coming, and......... crickets. Usually a good handful would show, but one year I had only two other guys show up! This year I have already had at least a half a dozen folks say they were coming. 

Last year I had the most riders ever show up. Now you never know, but it would't at all surprise me to see that equaled or surpassed this time. Then again, maybe only a half dozen will show up! One thing that has been a bit of a disappointment over the years is that there have been very few women that have ever done the GTDRI. Maybe three years we had any women show up. It sure would be great to get some of the females out along with the group.

But whatever..... I'm riding no matter if anyone shows up or not. So, in my opinion, when folks do show up, I count it as an amazing thing, and I am very grateful for it when people decide to come spend the day with me. 

Mud guard success evidence.

When Mud Guards Are Good:

This past Spring was a wet, cool affair and the roads were often messy. I have two rigs set up with fenders and they worked great this Spring keeping me cleaner and my bike less goopy. My choice? Planet Bike ALX fenders. 

I have been a Planet Bike fender user for years, but the Cascadia ALX is their top choice for me these days. The hardware is stainless steel, the fenders are aluminum, and the simplicity of mounting these and removing them is tops. One set resides permanently on the Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" single speed and the other I installed on the Raleigh Tamland Two last year. 

Well, with summer here I figured I would remove the fenders from the Raleigh. I took the rear fender off first, and it was dirty underneath, certainly, but when I removed the front fender, I was shocked. 

First of all, it was oddly heavy in the hand. The ALX fenders have a bit of heft to them, which I appreciate since that heft results in strength and rigidity. The ALX fenders are dead quiet on the bike. But I knew they didn't weight this much! I turned the fender over to find what you see in the image to the left here. I was amazed!

The part you see between my feet? That was level full of dried up mud. My tires must have had barely any clearance! And as I recall, during one of my recent rides on the Tamland, I heard some high pitched whining/buzzing, which was this mud scraping the tire, most likely! Obviously, I cleaned that out before storing them until later in the year when I will remount them for Winter and early Spring. 

That's a wrap for this week. Get some riding in and thanks for reading!

WW4M: Planet Bike Cascadia ALX Fenders

Cascadia ALX fenders as mounted to my Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" bike.

WW4M stands for "What Works For Me". This is a review of a product I found extremely useful, that lives up to its billing, and provides a good value. Your mileage may vary.

I used to think fenders were kind of dorky and a waste of time. I wasn't about to use them, that is, until I reviewed a set of Planet Bike Cascadia 29 fenders for my old web gig. I liked them so much, I didn't take them off the Karate Monkey until the bottom bracket went bad, then they lived on my Gen 1 Fargo for a bit, then they finally died after being put on the 1X1. They were a plastic constructed fender, and I thought they worked really well. So well that I bought a few sets of the Hardcore fenders for my gravel bikes as well.

So, yeah......you could say I am a fender convert. Mudguards are cool! Well, when you need them, that is. I basically was okay with the idea as long as they were necessary, but the second that they weren't, I was removing them. They clattered and made various noises all the while as I rode. The Cascadia and Hardcore designs in their original forms are very functional, but they had their drawbacks, and along with the noise, a lack of coverage was also one of my main nits with the fenders. I noted how that the front Hardcore fender would allow spray to coat my drive train, and I thought that coverage a little further down the wheel would save me from that. So, while they did a decent job, they weren't something I was willing to live with if I didn't have to.

Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders come in a variety of sizes. These are the 700c wide version.

So, when I was asked if I wanted to give the new Cascadia ALX fender a go, I agreed. I was told that these would be all aluminum and steel construction, and I was very curious as to what that would do to the feel and performance of the design. The $64.99 fenders were not only made from metal, but also had a new "V" stay design instead of separate stays like the regular Cascadia amd Hardcore fenders had. The hardware is all stainless and preinstalled, so installation was a snap, unlike other, "boutique" aluminum fenders which can take hours to install. The 100mm rubber extension flaps are double riveted for secure fit and function. They even meet EN Standards for fenders, so I guess someone "officially" gave these a stamp of approval, which is somewhat comforting to know.

I had these installed in about 10 minutes and the fit on my Black Mountain Cycles "Monstercross" bike was spot on. I allowed a bit of "breathing room", not running them right down on my 40mm tires, so that mud and gravel had an "escape route" if either should come around the top of the tire. My BMC is a cantilever equipped bike but these fenders are also compatible with disc brakes and the hardware to fit these to a disc brake bike is included. The BMC looked sharp with the new, metal fenders, and they weren't really a whole lot heavier than the previous ones I was using. Okay then.....on to riding with these things! 

Clearance and plenty of adjustability. Those are 40mm Maxxis Ramblers. 

The extra long rubber extensions are nice for that little bit of extra coverage.

The rides I have had with these fenders on are remarkable for the lack of any evidence that I have fenders on without having to look at them. They are quiet. Dead quiet. No rattles, no sideways motion that causes contact with tires. The "V" stays and the more rigid overall design of the aluminum fender helps keep the Cascadia ALX from flapping around like the plastic Hardcore or Cascadia fenders have a tendency to do. There is definitely more coverage as well. I noticed far less splash up onto my drive train, and I tried running through every mud hole and water puddle I could find.

I know I posted this image Sunday that you see to the left here, but it is a great example of how tough these fenders are, and how rigid they are. The mud jammed so hard between the fender and tire when I hit the Level B it stopped me dead in my tracks, but the fenders stayed rock solid. Even with all the mud and snow packing in between the fender and tire, the stays held and the fenders never buckled or gave any sign other than that of a solid component.

Now I am convinced- these fenders are the ones to get. They beat the other plastic fenders hands down and are priced competitively with the other metal fenders of this type. They are easier to set up than the other metal fenders out there like these, but maybe are not as "customizable" as those are. I'm fine with that, I'm not running a custom made, "garage queen" bike, I'm riding something that I need to be easy to set up and deadly functional. Those other metal fenders are cool and all, but I also need the flexibility to adjust these to the tires and intentions of my rides as I see fit. This isn't a "one and done" set up here.

So, while the Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders won't garner you any "NAHBS points", they are easier to set up, easier to adjust after installation, and work at least as well as the competitions at a comparable price. I'll take that and the quiet, solid performance I have gotten so far. They may not be your cup-o-tea, but they work for me. Oh......and I just may leave these on all year.

Note: Planet Bike sent the Cascadia ALX fenders to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge for me to try out. They weren't expecting a review, and I wasn't paid, nor bribed for this post.

WW4M: Planet Bike Cascadia ALX Fenders

Cascadia ALX fenders as mounted to my Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" bike.

WW4M stands for "What Works For Me". This is a review of a product I found extremely useful, that lives up to its billing, and provides a good value. Your mileage may vary.

I used to think fenders were kind of dorky and a waste of time. I wasn't about to use them, that is, until I reviewed a set of Planet Bike Cascadia 29 fenders for my old web gig. I liked them so much, I didn't take them off the Karate Monkey until the bottom bracket went bad, then they lived on my Gen 1 Fargo for a bit, then they finally died after being put on the 1X1. They were a plastic constructed fender, and I thought they worked really well. So well that I bought a few sets of the Hardcore fenders for my gravel bikes as well.

So, yeah......you could say I am a fender convert. Mudguards are cool! Well, when you need them, that is. I basically was okay with the idea as long as they were necessary, but the second that they weren't, I was removing them. They clattered and made various noises all the while as I rode. The Cascadia and Hardcore designs in their original forms are very functional, but they had their drawbacks, and along with the noise, a lack of coverage was also one of my main nits with the fenders. I noted how that the front Hardcore fender would allow spray to coat my drive train, and I thought that coverage a little further down the wheel would save me from that. So, while they did a decent job, they weren't something I was willing to live with if I didn't have to.

Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders come in a variety of sizes. These are the 700c wide version.

So, when I was asked if I wanted to give the new Cascadia ALX fender a go, I agreed. I was told that these would be all aluminum and steel construction, and I was very curious as to what that would do to the feel and performance of the design. The $64.99 fenders were not only made from metal, but also had a new "V" stay design instead of separate stays like the regular Cascadia amd Hardcore fenders had. The hardware is all stainless and preinstalled, so installation was a snap, unlike other, "boutique" aluminum fenders which can take hours to install. The 100mm rubber extension flaps are double riveted for secure fit and function. They even meet EN Standards for fenders, so I guess someone "officially" gave these a stamp of approval, which is somewhat comforting to know.

I had these installed in about 10 minutes and the fit on my Black Mountain Cycles "Monstercross" bike was spot on. I allowed a bit of "breathing room", not running them right down on my 40mm tires, so that mud and gravel had an "escape route" if either should come around the top of the tire. My BMC is a cantilever equipped bike but these fenders are also compatible with disc brakes and the hardware to fit these to a disc brake bike is included. The BMC looked sharp with the new, metal fenders, and they weren't really a whole lot heavier than the previous ones I was using. Okay then.....on to riding with these things! 

Clearance and plenty of adjustability. Those are 40mm Maxxis Ramblers. 

The extra long rubber extensions are nice for that little bit of extra coverage.

The rides I have had with these fenders on are remarkable for the lack of any evidence that I have fenders on without having to look at them. They are quiet. Dead quiet. No rattles, no sideways motion that causes contact with tires. The "V" stays and the more rigid overall design of the aluminum fender helps keep the Cascadia ALX from flapping around like the plastic Hardcore or Cascadia fenders have a tendency to do. There is definitely more coverage as well. I noticed far less splash up onto my drive train, and I tried running through every mud hole and water puddle I could find.

I know I posted this image Sunday that you see to the left here, but it is a great example of how tough these fenders are, and how rigid they are. The mud jammed so hard between the fender and tire when I hit the Level B it stopped me dead in my tracks, but the fenders stayed rock solid. Even with all the mud and snow packing in between the fender and tire, the stays held and the fenders never buckled or gave any sign other than that of a solid component.

Now I am convinced- these fenders are the ones to get. They beat the other plastic fenders hands down and are priced competitively with the other metal fenders of this type. They are easier to set up than the other metal fenders out there like these, but maybe are not as "customizable" as those are. I'm fine with that, I'm not running a custom made, "garage queen" bike, I'm riding something that I need to be easy to set up and deadly functional. Those other metal fenders are cool and all, but I also need the flexibility to adjust these to the tires and intentions of my rides as I see fit. This isn't a "one and done" set up here.

So, while the Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders won't garner you any "NAHBS points", they are easier to set up, easier to adjust after installation, and work at least as well as the competitions at a comparable price. I'll take that and the quiet, solid performance I have gotten so far. They may not be your cup-o-tea, but they work for me. Oh......and I just may leave these on all year.

Note: Planet Bike sent the Cascadia ALX fenders to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge for me to try out. They weren't expecting a review, and I wasn't paid, nor bribed for this post.

Planet Bike Cascadia ALX Fenders

 New for 2016, the Cascadia full coverage fenders in aluminum.

Today I want to walk you through these new fenders I just got from Planet Bike called the Cascadia ALX. These are much like the Cascadia models which are plastic over aluminum, only these are fully 6061 series aluminum. They feature similar rubber tipped ends which are double riveted. The hardware is all stainless steel, and the stays are "V" style making the fenders even more rigid. Finally, there are release tabs on the front fender for added safety.

Cascadia ALX fenders come in nine sizes covering six different wheel diameters and come in three widths for 700c alone. The ones I have are the "wide" 700c versions which are 50mm wide and recommended for 40mm tires.

Got disc brakes? These fenders are disc brake compatible and come with the required spacers and long bolts to make that fitment possible. I have cantilever brakes on my Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" rig, so my installation was pretty straightforward. I already had some ancient Planet Bike "Freddy Fenders" model fenders on my BMC and they were great, but I always wished they had more coverage than they do. Something was better than nothing, and the Freddy Fenders were pretty good at dealing with the abuses of commuting and gravel travel, so I kept swapping them in every Winter for at least some coverage and protection from the muck and mire.

Those big, rubbery extensions come down a lot further on the tire than my previous fenders did. 

All stainless steel hardware and aluminum fenders for protection against corrosion. 

There is plenty of clearance available on these Maxxis 40mm Ramblers with the 50mm Cascadia ALX fenders. 

The rigidity of these fenders is exceptional.

Installation was easy and didn't take longer than 15 minutes. I used the bolt on my front rack to mount the front fender under the crown, which preexisted here, but otherwise all the included hardware was perfect and did the job well.

I have a 4-ish mile commute route to work which includes some off-pavement mud, dirt, sand, and water crossing when it is wet. It was very wet on the maiden voyage for these fenders, and to be honest, I was concerned about the mud, which can clog under a fender easily when it is its usual sticky self. Fortunately, Planet Bike designed in copious amounts of adjustability when they designed the Cascadia ALX which allowed me to run the fenders off the tires far enough to account for sticky goo when I encounter it.

That mud clearance came in handy, and I was certainly happy for having it, but I was surprised to not be hearing the usual clattering and buzzing of the big tires off the back end of the fenders as I bounded over curbs, banged along rough grassy track, and bombed down a steep embankment or two. The one piece "V" stays and the aluminum fender material are stiffer than my old plastic, clad aluminum core fenders with the two piece stay design, so fender movement was minimized to the extent that I wasn't getting the characteristic clatter I got with the Freddy Fenders. Quiet fenders? Awesome!

Of course, longer fenders also meant a cleaner bike and rider, so that was also very much appreciated. My first impressions are quite favorable on these $65.00-ish dollar fenders so far, but I will also be running these on gravel soon, so we shall see how the Cascadia ALX fares in that scenario. Stay tuned for that story later......

Planet Bike Cascadia ALX Fenders

 New for 2016, the Cascadia full coverage fenders in aluminum.

Today I want to walk you through these new fenders I just got from Planet Bike called the Cascadia ALX. These are much like the Cascadia models which are plastic over aluminum, only these are fully 6061 series aluminum. They feature similar rubber tipped ends which are double riveted. The hardware is all stainless steel, and the stays are "V" style making the fenders even more rigid. Finally, there are release tabs on the front fender for added safety.

Cascadia ALX fenders come in nine sizes covering six different wheel diameters and come in three widths for 700c alone. The ones I have are the "wide" 700c versions which are 50mm wide and recommended for 40mm tires.

Got disc brakes? These fenders are disc brake compatible and come with the required spacers and long bolts to make that fitment possible. I have cantilever brakes on my Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" rig, so my installation was pretty straightforward. I already had some ancient Planet Bike "Freddy Fenders" model fenders on my BMC and they were great, but I always wished they had more coverage than they do. Something was better than nothing, and the Freddy Fenders were pretty good at dealing with the abuses of commuting and gravel travel, so I kept swapping them in every Winter for at least some coverage and protection from the muck and mire.

Those big, rubbery extensions come down a lot further on the tire than my previous fenders did. 

All stainless steel hardware and aluminum fenders for protection against corrosion. 

There is plenty of clearance available on these Maxxis 40mm Ramblers with the 50mm Cascadia ALX fenders. 

The rigidity of these fenders is exceptional.

Installation was easy and didn't take longer than 15 minutes. I used the bolt on my front rack to mount the front fender under the crown, which preexisted here, but otherwise all the included hardware was perfect and did the job well.

I have a 4-ish mile commute route to work which includes some off-pavement mud, dirt, sand, and water crossing when it is wet. It was very wet on the maiden voyage for these fenders, and to be honest, I was concerned about the mud, which can clog under a fender easily when it is its usual sticky self. Fortunately, Planet Bike designed in copious amounts of adjustability when they designed the Cascadia ALX which allowed me to run the fenders off the tires far enough to account for sticky goo when I encounter it.

That mud clearance came in handy, and I was certainly happy for having it, but I was surprised to not be hearing the usual clattering and buzzing of the big tires off the back end of the fenders as I bounded over curbs, banged along rough grassy track, and bombed down a steep embankment or two. The one piece "V" stays and the aluminum fender material are stiffer than my old plastic, clad aluminum core fenders with the two piece stay design, so fender movement was minimized to the extent that I wasn't getting the characteristic clatter I got with the Freddy Fenders. Quiet fenders? Awesome!

Of course, longer fenders also meant a cleaner bike and rider, so that was also very much appreciated. My first impressions are quite favorable on these $65.00-ish dollar fenders so far, but I will also be running these on gravel soon, so we shall see how the Cascadia ALX fares in that scenario. Stay tuned for that story later......