Anna's LHT Redux

I completed work on Anna's LHT today and I must say it looks very nice...=-)

Here's what I did to it:

• added Berthoud 40mm 700c stainless fenders
• new SRAM 9spd chain
• new Grand Bois tires [30mm 700c] - very very nice
• added a Selle Anatomica Titanico saddle
• new cork bar tape
• new Salsa 65mm 115 deg stem
• I threw on my Carradice Barley to show Anna why neon yellow Ortlieb panniers just wouldn't be acceptable any longer!....LMAO

The other items were easy, but these fenders took me a day and a half to install as the hardware provided does not work with the LHT's 1 1/8" fork or its chainstay bridge at the rear. I'm pretty happy at the almost uniform spacing I managed to get between her tire and the fender. Since these fenders are nicely curved in profile they can be setup without a gap and still have lots of clearance from the tire. I sized them 10mm larger than her tire and this worked out great. I haven't trimmed her fender stays yet as I want her to ride the bike before I finalize the install to see if she wants more clearance between the tire and fender.


Okay this may not look uber tech, but it took me 6 or 7 different tries using material I had at hand before I stumbled on this solution. It's a thick rubber band that came wrapped around a Crank Bros multi-tool. I thought it was pretty stupid at the time and tossed it in my parts bin. Little did I know it would be perfect to allow the Berthoud fender hardware to adapt to the LHT's larger steerer tube. Without the rubber piece the hardware would sit at an angle messing up the the alignment of the fender. This way everything sits level and is nicely damped against vibration. I was also stoked to use something I thought was garbage to complete the install. Unless you bend down to look right at the fender mount you can't see the blue rubber piece at all.


The back end was more straightforward, but still required several tries to get the spacing I was looking for.


I borrowed this bracket from Nivea's old quick release front MTB fender and pressed it into service. I did drill the mounting hole in the wrong spot - ooopppsss!, but the bracket had just enough adjustment to cover my gaff. I'm no DIY bike mechanic that's for sure! The good news is from 3 feet away you can't really see this problem so it's all good.

I took Anna's bike for a short spin to make sure the new chain would play nice with her old chain rings and cassette - so far so good. The fenders are on tight and are quiet. The Grand Bois tires are very comfy and fast. Anna will not only be styling on her commute to work, she'll be clean, comfortable and speedy...=-)