Brother All Day - LEJOG machine?

Ooh, I should probably do some marketing and get revolvemcr_workshop tagged in that, although the last post is on about winter coming so I should also do more general social bollocks.

Ha, some people are more cut out for social media than others. I've binned all mine off and miss none of it!

Got soaked by road water on the commute home so buckled and ordered the 45mm PDW "fenders" in black. I WILL make them fit.

Other notes about the bike.
Having to top up the air in tubeless more than tubed tyres is normal, right?
I am too scared to lean at all when cornering.
Descending fixed can be quite scary when you're not a reckless 20 year old any more.
Is running a frame bag gonna wreck the paint?

Well fuck me. The front went on like a dream. Proper 5 minute job. Mounted the clip behind the fork and used some washers to space it off the headset like I did on my last bike. The rear was much more standard sweating and swearing. Had to drill out the mounting clip that attaches to the seatstay bridge. The system is really good, except I don’t really like the bend into place seatstay clip.
The struts are beefy and adjust really easily, much easier than the SKS ones I used last. Found it a bit weird they don’t give you a bolt for the chainstay bridge, so used the bolt for the seatstay on the chainstay and just used a stainless m6 bolt and nut on the seatstay. Seems to work but might need an m6 nylock with some locktite on it.
It definitely is a tight fit, so I can understand why their recommended clearances are what they are.
I think they look nice in black. Will get a better photo with the frame bag off tomorrow hopefully.
Need to get a better bag solution, thinking some sort of carradice, maybe with a saddle bag support rack and quick release. I’m just slightly worried about it going manky if it’s getting wet a lot.

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I must admit I think they look pretty sleek ! Black was the right choice I reckon.
(Yes I have started posting at myself).

And I just remembered that I had the spares from the SKS so was able to swap the bolt on the seatstay anyway !

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You can't go much tighter than that! Also the fender lines are 👌👌👌

Regarding the bag, I can't say enough good things about the carradice and their sqr system. Choose the bag wisely because they are quite big and you don't want them to smack into the fenders

It’s a funny one. The frame bag does work well in that it carries a tube, a multi tool, a pump and some bits. The pump is about 250mm long so a bit awkward in a bag. But it would be nice to have something that pops on and off easily so I can pack it with my lunch and clothes. The SQR is definitely pretty beefy.
Maybe I’m still best off with a permanently mounted bag, like the carradry saddlebag and accept that I’ll be using a rucksack as well when commuting. Just need something a bit more commute friendly (weatherproof) now.

I like it. Have you seen eco beards posh Dave Yates train bike? That has some box on the front which I think might be fetching.

No? Is there a thread? Was chatting about this with a mate, don’t think it’d do too well with a load on the front though.

Nice work on the mudguards.
If ever a bike was crying out for a Carradice audax with bagman rack, this is it.

Great, now I want some posh mudguards. I'd definitely recommend a Carradice of some sort. They're waterproof enough for an hour's commute unless it's absolutely pissing it down, in which case I just chuck anything I don't want to get wet in a carrier bag in there. I'd rather that than have to carry a backpack though!

I’m trying to think of the best options. I have a Nelson, but I find the leather straps and buckles a bit of a pain for quick access (it’s minor, but annoying when in use every day).
The Audax looks ideal! Plastic clip buckles for easier access. Two side pockets - one for multi tool and tube, the other for wallet and phone. A couple dry bags to keep moisture out. Big enough main compartment for my lunch and some clothes/jacket.
Will add a bagman rack and quick release too I think. The carradry stuff looks practical but I struggle with the aesthetic tbh.
Audax is a brilliant shout. And I can at least run the Nelson in the meantime so I’m not rinsing funds too hard (I’ve already just bought a wheelset for a winter build as I’m feeling too precious about riding this anywhere near gritted roads!).

https://www.lfgss.com/comments/17026767/

Yeah, I think you’re on the money with the Carradice. And while I haven’t ridden with the PDWs, they are definitely sturdier than the SKS ones I’ve used (as you’d expect at twice the cash).

Oh my days, thanks for bringing that to my attention. What an absolute beaut. It looks a bit longer and more stable, so probably takes a front wheel load a bit better than the Brother - I’m still getting used to the handling, as (and I don’t know the right way to describe this) the bike naturally leans/falls in to turn with very little steering input, which I think would be exacerbated by a load on the front.

I have found the Carradry to be exceptionally waterproof but lacking the traditional Carradice charm. Here are my two examples, SQR and bagman support, I did find the pocket's zip go within 12 months but I just cut them off and all is good.

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I think you’re right, they’re just missing the charm!

I will be selling my rough stuff super c as I have a Witslingers bag coming, if you want something bigger than the audax. Carradice SQR stuff is amazingly functional but ugly.

I was also surprised how easy PDW guards are to go on - I had to drill the rear for the seatstay bridge and that was by far the hardest part.

There’s tape for protecting paint from straps and rubbing. I think this deserves a nicer frame bag, given how nice it is

What about a pannier rack?

On my PDWs you just bent the tabs round with pliers for the seatstay bridge clamp - I do wonder how long this will remain secure. I used all the bits of tape and even added some of my own heli tape around the seatstay area as it's tight up against the frame. I reckon they'd be even easier if you weren't ignoring their advice on minimum clearances required!

I need to measure up the bag I've got to be sure it's a Nelson, which should give me a better idea about what size I want. The Nelson might be right size wise, just a little fiddly with the straps was all. I've not had an Audax in my hands and I'm on the fence about if it's too small for a bag for daily commuting that needs to take tools, a pump, a tube, my lunch, a waterproof, wallet, keys, phone, and a spare cycling top. It's one thing to fit all your gear in, but if I'm having to stuff it to the brim every day it'll get on my tits.

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Always an option, but gonna try the saddle bag thing first. The bike is built and did what I want it to, but the fine tuning might take a few goes!

If you're carrying that much daily, I think an audax may be a bit small.
You could always have someone replace the leather straps on your nelson with poly webbing and plastic buckles/clips.

Yeah, I’ve just dug out the Nelson and I’m not even sure this is quite big enough now. And as always, I’ve done a lot of overthinking and got a bit carried away.
Thinking to just buy the bigger bagman quick release and use the Nelson and see how the size is in reality. I’ve got the bits to swap the leather straps for plastic buckles if it’s a good fit and the buckles are actually that annoying.
I did like the small internal zip pockets on the Audax tho, so might try and rigour out something similar.

Just for you @jontea - the ugly frame bag is no more!

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