Neat replacement mudflaps

bdm

Anyone any ideas for making a mudflap for the front mudguard (SKS, I think) once the original one has died?
They are the narrow guards and I've got very little clearance between them and the tyres. I've seen the things advertised by SKS, but they look far too chunky for the lightweight setup I've got.

Also for fitting something, will it be easy to remove and replace the existing rivets? I've no experience (yet) of this sort of operation, and no idea how easy it might be to get suitable rivets.

Bernard

Positron

I've replace the flaps on SKS mudguards a couple of times. I've used a piece of fairly thick plastic (4 pint milk container would probably do but I think last time I found something slightly thicker). I've replaced the rivets (they're easy to push out) with small nuts and bolts (you may need to make the hole slightly bigger with a v.small file or drill). It was all basically straightforward but I think this definitely makes me a "tinkerer"...

Good luck, p.

monty_dogcp

Rivets are usually soft aluminium and can easily be drilled out - a pop-rivet gun and rivets can be bought quite cheaply from a DIY store - you'll need to fit smallwashers either side to stop the rivet pulling through the soft plastic. A good mudflap material is heavyweight dampproof course material which is usually a very think polythene - trouble is it only comes is massive lengths!

domtyler

Brooks, as in the saddle people, do a beautiful handmade leather mud-flap if this is your thing.

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Porridge not Petrol
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FREE THEMES

wotbus@

Cut the shape you want out of the side of an old welly boot (or buy a cheap pair and have flaps forever [:)]). Fix it material side towards the tyre. This slows the run-off a bit.

JWSurrey

Ah yes - my winter trainer is spending a lot of time in the back of the car with the front wheel off at the moment - It's not doing the mudflap much good - so thanks for the tips and the idea of replacing it.

How about damp proof course from B&Q.

JJDLD

I've gone for the four-pint plastic milk bottle approach. Rather than using bolts or rivets to attach, I got a box of those brass coloured tack paper clip thingies (good description eh) - the ones with the two prongs which you can flare open. Oh, you know the ones - you used them at play-school for connecting the hands to a cardboard clock. Anyway, I got a box of about 100 from WH Smiths for a quid or so - the idea is if anything gets stuck they will rip the plastic and act as a quick release for the flap.

JJ.

campagman

An old black plastic plant pot for me, cut to suit and attached with a small bolt, nut and washers.

remember to keep pedalling in circles.

Icicle19

I have a template and instructions (not that you really need them) for making a mudflap, taken from an older Verulam CC website. The template can of course be sized up and down as you wish to give you whatever width of flap you want. I can't find the info on their current site, but if anyone wants the template, email me direct and I can forward.

bdm

Thanks to all for replies. I'm now looking for some very short nuts and bolts and a suitable bit of plastic.

Bernard

Icicle19

bdm - have forwarded info, but have been having trouble with sending emails (likely some glitch with recent update of Norton AV), so if you don't receive anything post again and I'll try again. Ta.

paul_smith_srcc

Bleach bottles are quite good, especially if you can accessorise with a complimentary colour [8D]

Paul_Smith
www.bikeplus.co.uk


<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by JJDLD</i>

I've gone for the four-pint plastic milk bottle approach. Rather than using bolts or rivets to attach, I got a box of those brass coloured tack paper clip thingies (good description eh) - the ones with the two prongs which you can flare open. Oh, you know the ones - you used them at play-school for connecting the hands to a cardboard clock. Anyway, I got a box of about 100 from WH Smiths for a quid or so - the idea is if anything gets stuck they will rip the plastic and act as a quick release for the flap.

JJ.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">[8D][8D]

Surrey Road CC, articles of my tours; Lejog, North Sea to the Alps, English Channel to the Med', 'End to End' Ireland,London to Paris,Corsica

dbg

mudflaps.....so.......yesterday

piedwagtail91

mudflaps are very definately today with the rain we've had!!

pieinthesky

Forget nuts and bolts and rivets!

1 Cut your mudflap to shape (Damp proof material is fantastic) allowing 1 to 2 inches overlap with the guard.
2 Hold your mudflap in place inside the guard and drill 2 small hole one about 10mm above the other through mudguard and mudflap.
3 Thread a small cable tie through the holes and pull tight, snip of excess and job done.

It is so quick and easy you can remove your mudflap when the sun comes out and put it back when it rains.

JWSurrey

OK - Now for a silly question - why is there a mudflap - why isn't the guard just that bit longer?!

bdm

Good question, JW.
What about a retractable flap? File for a patent? Just like wipers now come on with the rain, the Dura Ace/Record mudflap deploys automatically with every puddle you run through - retracting as soon as it's safe so as to cut air resistance!

Bernard

pieinthesky

Why have mudguards? Why not have very long mudflaps!