Consider this Biketober, Supplemental… excellent advomovie from Hutchinson, a tire maker…

As Biketober Day 10 comes to a close it is warm here in Louisville – the high topped out at 80-something today. Even the mornings are 60+ and I’m left wanting a chill in the air. It’s been a good second week of Biketober, and you can read more about it after the jump…

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So yeah, it rained on Day 4 on the way home. It was actually kinda awesome (I thought so, Matt was withholding comment) – with the exception of the splashy-splashy from the wheels. Matt also mentioned something about constant stream of water flying in his face when he was travelling behind me -  but I can’t double-source that actually happened. :)

It was slated to rain on the way to work on Day 5 in the morning, and I wasn’t really looking forward to getting all splashy-splashy on the way to work.  Fenders to the rescue!  Cheap fenders.  Fenders inspired by the Internets – Kent’s Bike Blog Coroplast Fenders.

I went to my local Lowe’s and picked up a blank coroplast yard sign for $6 (which is !@$& highway robbery, but I digress). With that I found I could easily make 4 sets of fenders as pictured above.  I had some plastic zip ties already and I was set.  A quick measuring job told me that 13 “flutes” wide (the little segments in coroplast are called flutes) for the actually fender parts was right on. The length of the sign was actually just right as well. I cut some 5-flute wide fender supports for the rear and trimmed them appropriately.

Rear fender-y thing

Front fender thing!

Worked like a charm in the rain that morning and Matt reports that rearward projecting rainwater from my tires was effectively reduced to zero.  The front fender works great as well – my feet were kept somewhat less wet from splashy-splashy from the front tire. I may make some front fender supports to wrap the fender around the front tire.

Good ol’ Matt and I have completed Biketober: Week 1 with 5 commutes between home and work since last Wednesday. The weather has been very good, if a little chilly up until today when it rained on the way home. Also, according to Matt’s own statistics, it’s getting easier every day (on a cardio-pulmonarial level).

It’s been a pretty busy week in the cycling world with as much bad news as good. Meanwhile, the ride has provided me some time to gel my thoughts on cycling safety. More after the jump…

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