Hammer '2005 - Bikeboard
HAMMER 2 SDE mudguards in opinion of Bicycle magazine BicycleBoard
TRANSLATION
Asians copy everything they can. Anyway, they have a simplified task, because most bicycles are produced in that part of the world. But it turns out that "Poles are not geese and have tongues of their own" and....
Simpla Hammer is a living reminder of the familiar and recognized SKS mudguards. In some respects, even over the German product, and others do not compare to it.
Form
The front mudguard is fixed by inserting it into a wide handle screwed into the handle bar. The front part is slightly higher so that it does not interfere with the horseshoe fork. The rear extends downwards. The rear mudguard has an articulated construction for easy adjustment. One hinge joint is located at the handle and the other at the mudguard. The mudguard attaches to the seat post by a handle with a strap and a clip. The length of the strap is adjustable so thanks to that it is no problem fitting the handle to any size of the bracket. Both mudguards are made of plastic rigid enough to hold the shape but at the same time flexible so that in most places they can bend in half without fear of breaking.
Test
Of course, I started with mudguard assembly, which did not go without some problems. The three front plugs of different diameters are attached to the front wing of the mudguard. They are inserted from the bottom into the handle bar and thus attach to the handle. Unfortunately none matched my cupid refit. One was too fat, too skinny, and only a little insulating tape had done the job. Time for the rear mudguard. The hook and flap adjusting the length of the strap are secured against the opening of the watch sized screws. Of course, I immediately lost this from the hitch, I mean I hid it (I do not know where), because I wanted the mudguard to be quickly dismantled. Luckily, I've been through all the reefs, and I wanted to mount the mudguard and ... then the hook broke. Needle and thread quickly fixed the problem, but some of it undermined my confidence in the hammers, especially since the test was to run on the most demanding test track in Poland, the TransCarpatii route this year. Fortunately, it was better than I initially thought. The front mudguard was flawless. The wide grip probably held it together. Even after three days of riding it did not jumped out of the bicycle, as was the case of the German rival. The 9.5 cm wide "fin" protects the face very well against the mud, but its tip could be further away from the wheel. At the end of the third day TC unfortunately one of the turns turned out to be too tight and after an encounter with a tree the mudguard burst at the handle. Everyone would have burst out laughing. However, that did not exclude him from further using it, just not wanting to risk losing, I screwed it permanently using a hole in the mudguard. The rear mudguard also protects sensationally from what comes out of the wheel. In contrast to the German protoplast, both joints are regulated with only one key and do not fall on the joint at the splash. Unfortunately, there is little good to say about the mounting bracket. Continuous loosening of the retaining tape caused the mudguard to twist sideways. One of the adjusting rows did not withstand the hooks of the strap hitch. They were just too shallow, they quickly "wore out" and the mudguard started to become detach. They ultimately needed to change the handle on the spot with the help of the future zip.
Summary
Front Hammer is worth recommending. Rear-well, if not for this unlucky handle it could compete successfully with its German rival. We treated the mudguards as a set, so the underdeveloped rear mudguard construction has underestimated the "construction" of the whole. However, the mudguards can be purchased separately (front 30 zł, rear 60 zł), it is also comforting to know that there are spare parts. If someone upsets the strap attachment (costs 10 zł) you can buy a normal clamshell with screw for 4.50 zł and then becomes the owner of a fantastic rear mudguard.
