Hi Andre,
It's foggy-dim at 7:30AM here, but as soon as the sun emerges a bit more so you can see some detail in the black flaps, I'll take and post some piccies here later.
The front flaps I use are Buddy Flaps, cut from 3mm thick premium-grade vinyl. They are thin, they hang very nicely even at speed, and have an exceptionally glossy surface that is easily wiped (yes, I "wipe" them as part of my cleaning routine). I mount mine backwards, with the small impressed logo toward the tire. Buddy Flaps are available here:
http://www.buddyflaps.com/ The package consists of a long flap intended for the rear (randonneur use, so you won't spray your following companions) and a shorter front flap, with mounting hardware. I mount mine by replacing the lower rivet in my SKS P55 mudguards with an alu pop-rivet and alu backing plate (washer). Works a treat, and a second rivet is not necessary. Unlike many plastic mudflaps, Buddy Flaps staighten themselves with room warmth if they have somehow become bent/skewed under pressure (i.e. the wheel turns and they get crabbed against a wall). Nice.
They do a very good job, being long enough while not catching unduly on obstacles. My standard is to make sure they clear a 6.5in US streetside curbing and also an 8" step-riser so I can wheel the bike up and down such obstacles without worry I'll catch the flap against the tire or endanger the mudguard. I had used (still do) PlanetBike Cascadia cupped mud flap extensions on my rando bike, but these are really too rigid if I hit an obstacle off-road (the cup shape transfers the force directly to the mudguard, endangering it). The PB versions are available about 1/3 of the way down this page:
http://ecom1.planetbike.com/smallparts.html You would want to go back and check the width of the mudguards (fenders) they're intended for, but I believe at least one of them (perhaps the "29-er" Cascadia) might work. The flaps are extremely high-quality and include plastic rivets that hold very securely (invisible on a black mudguard).
Andre, I love the appearance of leather mudguards, but long ago decided to bypass them without trying one (there's a disclaimer!) becuase in my part of the world (wet-winter Willamette Valley), such things don't hold up very well. They get glopped up with dead angle-worms, various excretia, road oils and dirt...you name it. As a result, those I've seen (even nice Brooksian ones) soon look like one would expect...dead, wet leather with all this
stuff clinging to them. Yuck. My Buddy Flaps come clean with a simple hosing or a quick wipe with a damp cloth.
Andre, it is so incredibly easy to reshape ESGE/Bluemels/SKS alu-plastic laminate mudguards. All one needs is a heatgun and only a little patience. I've recurved 700C mudguards to perfectly follow the 20"/406mm tires on my recumbent project and it is also easy to widen the mudguards so evenly as to look "factory". I thought about this when you mentioned yours are barely wide enough to cover your Big Apples. When the mudguards on my Sherpa and Nomad arrived, the edges weren't too regular, so I simply heated them carefully and evenly (and not too hot) and they're true as a die now. I always do this before cutting and setting my stay length. That's how I get my fender-lines so even.
Or, you could do what you're thinking...
The actual solution is of course to fit a complete rear mudguard to cover two thirds of the front wheel, and then to add a long mudflap to catch the residual spray
...which is exactly what I did on the Nomad! It works a treat, and if your present mudguards work...so will these, since the clearances remain the same at the crown and rear, and the front can be curved similarly or with a bit more clearance. As you can see, my "long-board" (surfing/skateboard parlance) front mudguard has a just a
bit more clearance than the Thorn-installed rear. The reason? I want a bit more on the front to prevent fouling with autumn leaves and such, and to clear damp playa if I leave these in place for my shoulder-season tours to the desert (I'm also running 5psi less air up front and it shows). You don't need to attach the front stays to lowrider racks, either; simply go with longer stays and attach them to your lowrider bosses as Utopia Velo do on some of their models. By the way I got all my stays from PlanetBike direct; they're really good about picking up the (domestic) postage and the prices are very reasonable.The stays and products are of superb quality and mirror-polished in stainless.
Best,
Dan. (mudflap pics to follow very soon)
