Raleigh Persuit Fender Change / Physio Phat

Hello and Welcome,
I am taking an unplanned break to deal with a bout of Optic Neuritis.. I have a great team of doctors helping me get back on track. It has been difficult to do any thing on the PC lately due to the vision problems that come along with it. I did however bring the Raleigh Pursuit back from AnnArbor Mi. to be fitted with some wider fenders,

Above: This shot shows just what little coverage the 35mm road racer fenders provide on the 27 X 1&1/4 inch Kenda K35 Gum-walls. Although the Pursuit was originally a road racer style bike with drop bars and no fenders. I should have paid more attention to the metric size specs than to the words road racer or road bike. I knew these 35mm were going t be a problem when I was installing them. But I figured with a little tweaking I could make them work.

Above: This was the worst problem area, where the rear fender clips onto the brace that is located behind the bracket shell and connects the two chain stays. But the whole thing was really tight all the way around so I did not bother making any modifications. I adjusted the fender height at the rear brake caliper connection. And adjusted the fender shape or curve by adjusting the length of the fender struts. And when I finished everything cleared, but just barely. I should have known that with a set-up this tight the first bump was going to knock the whole deal out of whack. And that`s pretty much what happened.

Above: The replacement 45mm fender cut with a hot knife. (it only looks rough on the inside) Trimming the fender after installing it allowed me to cut off just the
riht amount of plastic the get the fender to spread-out properly. And still get good coverage all the way to the connection.

Above: Use "Extreme Caution" when cutting with a hot knife. You might want to get some help with the first one. I would not recommend doing this if you don`t feel confident working with a torch and a hot knife. Having said that, I use this Stanly utility knife which has no plastic parts. I love this knife it is a combination jack-knife / utility Knife. It is designed with a quick-change blade feature. And only one of the two blades can be opened at once. I don`t know if this is still available. But I would recommend this all around knife to anyone. It is without a doubt one of the best (if not the best) knives I have owned. And this is coming from a guy who owns a 1968 Puma "White Hunter" (German made) in near mint condition.

Above: The two pieces of plastic that were cut off with the hot knife. The bike was picked-up right away (a day early)So I had no chance to get pics of the finished project. I did throw in a vintage Italian water-bottle cage and some adjustments. The young lady was kind enough to come pick-up the bike after learning about my temporary vision problem. So if I learned anything on this build it was "do your research" and "read the specs carefully" and do the conversions "metric to s.a.e." My Dad used to say "It`s ok to make a mistake, just make sure you learn from it."
BELOW: The ever evolving Physio Phat

ABOVE: Physio-Phat shown with new Kenda K-80 Red wall Cruiser tires and Multi -Sport pedals with "old style" straps and traps. (toe clips)

Below: I don`t think I ever showed the Avenir Rack. The first rack (Sun Lite)was borrowed from the Pursuit project. When I decided to go with panniers, I thought it best to not mix brands. So it was not a surprise that the Avenir panniers fit the Avenir rack perfectly.

Well I have not done enough work on the Parliament Custom-Built to rate an update.
Tomorrow I am going to take my doctors advice and spend a long week in the North Woods, mostly resting. I will take my lap-top and a digital camera. But I am not sure how that will pan-out.
I should be back online by June 12th if I am not able to post from the North Country. Thanks for your patience and well wishes. Till Next Time, RIDE SAFE and remember to Always... RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
See You Soon, Cheers,Hugh