Starting From Scratch

Hanson Bike Works fenders:



So, I came up with a name for my future "business", and a good friend of mine who is a graphic design pro, came up with this logo for my shop. I also set up my own Etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/hansonbikeworks

Now I just needed to figure out how to make bike fenders and which materials will work the best. After snooping around a couple of hardware stores I came up with some aluminum pieces that where just the right width for my bike tires (1 1/2" wide), as well as a bunch of nuts, bolt, and brackets.

Then I took apart some IKEA wooden-slat blinds and laminated two of them together while strapping them around an old tire rim to bend them into shape.

The next challenge was to design a mounting system to connect the fenders to the bike frame. I wanted them to be easy to install and be adjustable to fit different sizes of tires and bike frames. This is what I came up with:

This allows the fender to be raised or lowered to fit individual bike tires. It also has a pretty sleek look that doesn't detract too much from the looks of the fenders. The design has undergone a number of modifications, but I think I'm getting it dialed in.

Never Say Never

I once said that I've never read a blog and never would. I don't know if that makes me a liar, or not. But I never said I wouldn't write one, so here goes...

This whole Hanson Bike Works idea came about over a period of a few months. I was fixing up an old Raleigh 10-speed and a good friend of mine suggested that I start my own line of restored bikes. I love biking and I'm passionate about the ecological and economic advantaged that biking offers, so it seemed like the perfect kind of business for me undertake.

After doing some research into frame building and component prices, I decided to lower my lofty ambitions closer to the ground; the muddy rain-soaked ground.

I was determined to ride my bicycle to work as much as possible this spring, but the weather was anything but cooperative. Winter snow showers turned into Spring rain showers that lingered like a bad cold. So I needed some fenders.

This is the story of what happened next...