Manufacturing

[jump to maintenance]

Our fenders begin their life as thin sheets of all natural veneer. All four varieties of bamboo come in 1/40th inch thicknesses in full four foot by eight foot sheets. While the length of a Plank fender was largely decided upon for aesthetic and practical reasons, waste was another important factor. Each 4,096 square inch sheet is trimmed into strips for Full Fenders and Planks with less than 20 square inches of excess. Not bad!

For Plank fenders, we glue six layers together for added rigidity. The Full Fenders are assembled from five layers for more flexibility, allowing for the graceful curve that should adorn and enhance your bicycle properly. Both styles are cold-pressed, meaning they are put under extreme pressure through mechanical jigs.

While the rough fender will hold it’s shape only a few hours later, we allow them to dry 24 hours before trimming. Leo (the bandsaw) does this job incredibly well, giving the fenders their straight edges and unique curved profile at each end.

Sanding comes next, and lots of it. Each fender is hand sanded through several steps, each reducing the coarseness of the sandpaper, and increasing the surface quality of your fender. This process may be the largest visual change, as the fenders go from curved pieces of wood, to truly beautiful fenders in a short period of time.

Finally, we end with two coats of oil, and two coats of shellac. The oil we use is an all natural penetrating oil that is derived from a few naturally occurring oils and supplied to us from just down the street. A quick sanding in between coats ensures your fender is smoother than that freshly paved road it will be gracing. For additional waterproofing, we apply two layers of all natural shellac as well too. If you don’t know how incredibly interesting (and environmentally friendly) shellac is, take a look here.

Maintenance

Maintaining Plank or Full Fenders are quite simple. For starters, it is a good idea to wipe them down following any wet ride, but the world will not end if you forget once or twice. If you find yourself with a great time span in between cleanings, a light soap may help in persuading nature off of the fenders. Any non-abrasive cleaner is fine, as the shellac is not a water based finish and will not removed easily (without alcohol).

It is advised that, depending on your riding tendencies and quantities, you occasionally re-apply a layer of shellac for water protection. While the oil is waterproof, we have found in our clinical and professional testing (Pittsburgh streets for a year, documentation to come later) without a layer of shellac, the wood can still pick up colors and stains from the streets and trails that are less than desirable. To this effect, any natural shellac will do, and can be applied lightly with a clean rag. For best results, clean the fender thoroughly ahead of time, and sand lightly with a 600 grit paper or higher, or a fine steel wool. If sanding, two coats may be required. Persist in this activity as often as seems necessary per your cycling habits.

If you find yourself in a pickle with your fender, and something has gone terribly wrong with dirt or other maintenance issues, please contact us! We will be more than happy to completely refurbish a fender if necessary, and would prefer it to seeing anything in a landfill!