Change of Guards

Awhile back I made a set of guards using elastic bands that were crimped together to for a "netted" pattern. I've had a good deal of interest in this design, and have sold a few too! Sue of Bikes in Motion put one on her Raleigh Sport with a clever modification to the attachment design.

I've never been really happy with the way the little clips that I had originally used for the guard.

They look great, but only seem to work well on some fenders. I've been trying to talk customers out of them, with some luck, but have decided to just stop offering those clips all together. In the long run, hooks in drilled fenders or binder clips (with the inner "leg" removed once the guard is installed) are the most secure method of attachment for any kind of dress guard. So I've been looking for better solutions. Here's what I've got:

Sturdy hooks. I've found them in black and silver. These are really strong. I can barely bend them, and I've got strong hands for a girl. They're shaped in a way that once hooked in to the fender, they lay flat, unlike an S hook would. They can also be hooked into binder clips, for those who get squeamish at the thought of drilling their fenders.

Then, just yesterday, I found these!

They are a much smaller gauge hook that comes with the nice swivel barrel and can lock into itself. Which, if you were to drill your fenders just right you could snap the hook shut, but I don't really see that as necessary.

As much as I enjoyed designing and crocheting the crochet dressguards, I am no longer going to be able to offer them as a ready made, or even custom made item on Etsy. I honestly just don't have the time to work on them anymore, and if I'm going to dedicate some time to offering dressguards, I would rather it be guards that are sturdier and can fit any bicycle. I will still be offering the PDF pattern on Etsy and Ravelry for anyone who wants to make their own. Also, since the elastic guards are faster to make and I've done away with the expensive fiddly pretty clips, I can offer them at a better price!