Subject: Plastic mudguard questions
Richard T. Booth rtb@prin.edu

Date: Wed, 03 Oct 2001

My Lenton Sport has plastic mudgaurds. They are quite flat and have ridges running down the center and along each edge. The rear has a reflector mount molded to the shape of the mudguard surface.

Both the front and the rear have lost chunks of plastic that are, in fact, forever lost.

I've also purchased some NOS mudguards that are like the originals, except for one crucial detail.

The original front fender came to a lovely spearpoint at the leading edge. The NOS replacements are just rounded and don't have the spearpoint.

Q1: How do I best replicate the spearpoint from the original onto the replacement?

Q2: Is there anything you've done to make these plastic mudguards more durable? I wondered about lining them with nylon filament tape, or even with electrical tape.

Q3: Does anybody know if these were made by Bluemels? (Just curious). The originals have the Raleigh logo. The replacements have no logo.

Q4: Does anyone have a source for stays. The originals are a bit rusted (but I could paint them). The replacements came without stays.

From: Marcus Coles marcus.coles@sympatico.ca

Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001

Just because it does not currently have a high collectable value does not make it any less valuable as a piece of history.

While thousands of these were made, how many still exist? Probably not very many. It is a snapshot in the history of sports bicycling, a simple, affordable sporting mount.

If you had not already guessed I vote for a restoration.

Marcus

From: Christopher Barbour christopher.barbour@tufts.edu

Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001

Richard T. Booth wrote:

Q1: How do I best replicate the spearpoint from the original onto the replacement?

A friend has done this with a Bluemels mudguard. He drew the outline that he wanted to cut, scored it with an Exacto knife, and found that the material breaks cleanly along the score. He is a graphic artist, and this sort of operation is similar to his professional tasks.

Q2: Is there anything you've done to make these plastic mudguards more durable?

Suspend your lock by rope to the dowel inside your saddlebag ;-) I also omit the seatstay bridge clip, so that the mudguard can flex against any weight in the bag. I've seen old, abused bikes with intact Bluemel's, but my luck has not been so good. I have alloy Bluemel's at the bottom of the pile for when all the plastic ones are shattered.

Q3: Does anybody know if these were made by Bluemels? (Just curious). The originals have the Raleigh logo. The replacements have no logo.

There were other makers. Is "Bluemel's" molded into the reflector?

Q4: Does anyone have a source for stays. The originals are a bit rusted (but I could paint them). The replacements came without stays.

Quick-Glow will take care of the rust.

Chris Barbour
Boston, Masschusetts