Making SON SL Dropouts Look Less Bad?

[drietz]

Hi all, posting this seemingly simply-answered question (start filing, duh) because I have never actually seen a fork with dropouts for a SON SL hub in person.

Does anybody have any advice for how to shape these chunky dropouts, or even just a link to a photo set of someone's before/after work on a pair?

[EricKeller]

note that they also have thinner steel dropouts. I always wanted to make my own, it's on the list.

[Jonny Cycles]

You can pick any fork end that suits your aesthetic/design preferences and drill 3 holes in it to make it accept the contact plate.

[Bill Bryant]

If you look through the Flickr photos for Llewellyn Cycles, Dazza has done some very good work turning them from "tractor parts" (as he calls them) into very nice looking dropouts on his randonneuring bikes.

[Gattonero]

The next step would be carbon forks with internal routing for the dynamo wire. As much as you try to keep it tidy, it's never really great to use zipties.
On my everyday bike I resorted by routing the wire along one of the mudguard stays (using grey thermal sleeve) and it's less offending, yet it'd be nice to have both connector-less at the hub and the wiring routed inside the forks

[Gattonero]

By the way, the cast ones don't look too bad to begin with, with a little filing&polishing can turn out really nice (I assume that's what Dazza does) since are stainless

[drietz]

I already have the dropouts, they are the variety sold at Compass Cycle:

SON_SL_Dropouts_22017.jpg

I was having a hard time visualizing balancing the drive side with the non drive side, due to the extra bulk in the DS dropout. Dazza very simply seems to add a plate to the NDS - duh! I think I will follow suit!

Thanks, everyone.

[EricKeller]

Compass is selling the thinner non-stainless drops. You really should add a stainless plate to the nds or the light isn't going to work that well for long. There are oversize washers that work well. Schmidt sells one, but for $50 I have always felt it should be included with the dropouts. Not sure why Compass doesn't mention this. Peter White mentions it in passing.

[drietz]

Compass is selling the thinner non-stainless drops. You really should add a stainless plate to the nds or the light isn't going to work that well for long. There are oversize washers that work well. Schmidt sells one, but for $50 I have always felt it should be included with the dropouts. Not sure why Compass doesn't mention this. Peter White mentions it in passing.

How exactly does the NDS negatively impact the function of the light?

[EricKeller]

the hub makes electrical contact through the NDS dropout. Without ground, the light doesn't work. It might work without a stainless contact on the dropout, but it might not be reliable. Peter White has a spiel about making sure the entire ground path is corrosion resistant. Seems prudent

[czernysz]

Link to some I’ve modified. Started with the fat ones, removed material to make them look nice.
Flickr

[EricKeller]

that looks great, Nestor, I wish I had your patience. I'm both slow and impatient.

[czernysz]

Thanks. I machined 3 pairs thinner leaving a raised face when I had access to a lathe. 1 pair left. The rest is all just hand filed. These particular dropouts have tons of material on them which is why I started with them. I like whittling.

[Bill Bryant]

Beautiful work, Nestor-- very impressive!

[czernysz]

Thanks!

[EricKeller]

I was trying to decide if I should put SL dropouts in the fork I'm building right now, and then I found a set of the stainless dropouts that I had forgotten about. They are far too thick for the vintage 531 blades I'm using. So I'm going to chuck them up on the lathe.

The non-stainless steel drops are a little ugly sitting on the bench, but once they are on the bike I don't think anyone is going to object.