SKS Mudguards for Specialized Sirrus

ForumNewbie

I'm thinking of buying SKS Chromoplastic 35mm mudguards for my Specialized Sirrus with 28mm tyres. From what I have read, fitting them can be a bit fiddly as you have to cut the mudguard stays (the metal rods that connect to the frame) to fit - but not sure if that is just for fitting to certain bikes or whether that would apply to the Sirrus as well.

If the stays do need to be cut to size, as I don't have boltcutters and don't want to make a hash of it by cutting them to the wrong size, I was just thinking of getting LBS to fit them. However if they don't need to be cut, I'd probably be able to fit them myself.

Please can anyone advise whether the mudguard stays need to be cut to size to fit a Specialized Sirrus Elite with 28mm tyres.

pastryboy

I found it too much like hard work trying to saw the bits of metal so I just bent them how I wanted them. Works just fine.

edit: I don't know about your particular bike but the metal bits are inevitably on the long side to be compatible with as many bikes as possible.

geordiefella

my LBS uses tinsnips to trim the ends of the stays off. borrow some and they just ned a quick snip. don't need doing straight away, just whenever you had a moment soon afterwards.

also, wouldn;t get the chromoplastics if i were you. they look cheap. get the sks blumells 35mm. they look far more sleek and better shaped. same good quality.

Mine laster 18 months daily use before they wore / bacame rattly and needed replacing. great guard though. look as sleek as guards can look.

jackthelad

I useed a dremmel to cut the stays.

fit the mudguards with stays but dont put the end caps on so the stays can slide up and down this way you can adjust the mudguards perfectly.I went for the white guards to keep with the colour scheme of the bike.

jackthelad

vorsprung

I used a junior hacksaw to cut the stays. It really is not difficult and it doesn't have to be 100% neat as the fitting kit includes little plastic plugs to go on the ends

Blog entry on all the trouble I've had with mudguards

Noone has suggested Crud Roadracers instead of proper mudguards yet!

ForumNewbie

geordiefella wrote:

also, wouldn;t get the chromoplastics if i were you. they look cheap. get the sks blumells 35mm. they look far more sleek and better shaped. same good quality.

What are SKS Bluemels made of, and are they heavier than the chromoplastic ones?

Edit - Just seen the following advert which says that Blumels are chromoplastic??
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... 387&z=1087

ForumNewbie

vorsprung wrote:

Blog entry on all the trouble I've had with mudguards

Hi vorsprung, just read your blog and am a bit surprised that you nearly always have trouble with mudguards on a long ride. My other bike is a Dawes Audax that came with mudguards fitted. I've done about 6,000 miles on it and have had no mudguard trouble at all, probably because the mudguards are designed for the bike and not cut to fit,and there are no obvious bolts to come loose as the stays are connected to the guard in some sort of sealed plastic fitment with the bolts inside I think. I didn't realise that mudguards could cause so much problems, especially SKS ones which seem to get mostly, very good reviews.