SKS mudguards

Joshgav

Hi,

I have just bought some new SKS narrow mudguards. 700c wheels and 28mm tyres.

Am having alot of trouble fitting them, I got the front one on, and mostly straight. But it sticks up way beyond the tyre, do I have to cut the metal shorter to fit them properly or am I doing something wrong? If I have to cut them, what can I use to cut it?

The rear one, the holes in my bike are too small for the bolts supplied, have they supplied the wrong size bolts or are these things not standardised.

Also the bolt which goes through the chainstay hole is too short, but it is the correct size. Get a new longer one? Or should I speak to SKS or CRC who I bought it from.

Thanks for any help,
Josh

nicklouse

which? http://www.evanscycles.com/products/sks ... d-ec004914 these
And fitting it to what?

Joshgav

Yes those are the ones, and I am trying to fit them to my Marin Highway 1.

iplod

i fitted these to my wifes trek 1000, and it was a right fiddly job. Had to shorten the metal arms, front and rear to get them to fit properly, but got there in the end and they do the job ok. I think its best to read the instructions carefully and then totally disregard them and do your own thing

Joshgav

iplod wrote:

i fitted these to my wifes trek 1000, and it was a right fiddly job. Had to shorten the metal arms, front and rear to get them to fit properly, but got there in the end and they do the job ok. I think its best to read the instructions carefully and then totally disregard them and do your own thing

What did you use to cut the metal arms? And how did you know how much to cut off? Were all the bolts supplied the right size and length?

Berk Bonebonce

Having a big gap between tyre and mudguard is no bad thing. Run over a poodle and it is better that it rotates around your wheel rather than it jamming in the mudguard and sending you over the bars. That said, mudguard stays often need shortening, and because they are stainless steel they will be a sod to cut with a hacksaw. Got a big pair of bolt cutters? Watch your eyes when cutting though.

The holes in the frame are usually standard M4 size and are usually threaded, are you sure the threads are not just blocked up with paint? Guess it will be a case of finding some more suitable bolts.

Dude, fitting mudguards is always a fiddle.

iplod

I used a hacksaw to cut the arms, it wasn't too difficult. Just cut enough off to give a uniform gap all around the wheel. Better to cut a little off and then offer it up to see if its ok, you can always cut some more if necessary. Regarding the fixing bolts, yes they were all there, to be honest there was quite a comprehensive bag of fixings, enough to cover every eventualitiy i would have thought.

Joshgav

Thanks for the replies, it seems for the front I just need to cut the metal stays.

For the back, I might just go to my local hardware shop and try find the right size bolts, they usually have a pretty good selection in there. The bolts for the holes near the dropout are definately too big by a size or two.

MichaelW

The best tool for cutting is a dremel. Whatever you use, round off the end with a file; In a crash, the sharp ends can do a lot of damage.
The plastic end caps always seem to come off so dont rely on these for protection.

The quality of the metal fittings has cheapened of late and I snapped one of those metal widgets by over-tightening. Fortunately I salvaged some older ones which are much stronger.

Frame eyelets are usually M5. The best bolts are stainless steel allen bolts.
If you use a rear luggage rack and your frame has only one eyelets, put the rack stay against the frame and the mudguard stay outermost.
Use a washer on the bolt to spread the load and smear a little grease on the threads to prevent corrosion and sticking.
............
More SKS lore
The chainstay bridge bracket is not very good. If you have a threaded hole, drill and bolt the mudguard. If not, then a small ziptie is easier, more secure and quieter than the bracket.
Drill the smallest hole possible about 1cm from the tip. You may need to shave off the sides to fit between the chainstays. Simply run the ziptie around the bridge and through the fender. For small holes, a bradle or swiss army knife boy-scout remover will do.

nicklouse

cutting. a nice pair of suitable snips. they come with ends to cover the cuts.

they come with the most common bolt fittings. about 75% right.

arthur_scrimshaw

Fitting my Chromoplastics to a Sirrus was a bit of a pig due to them being designed for road frames (ie not with v brakes)
I had to cut the stainless steel stays to get a close fit and the plastic caps have a more complicated moulding now which in the end I cut off and just fitted the 'cap' part with some superglue to retain it. Had to use cable ties to fit to the brackets to the frame and fork but in the end looked good, a close fit.

Blue Meanie

Arthur Scrimshaw - Turn the seat-stay bridge support round so it sits under the seat-stay, much nicer. Good fit though, follows the wheel's raduis well.

arthur_scrimshaw

Blue Meanie wrote:

Arthur Scrimshaw - Turn the seat-stay bridge support round so it sits under the seat-stay, much nicer. Good fit though, follows the wheel's raduis well.

Hadn't thought of that, you're right it would look better. Job for next weekend!

andyrr

mudguards / zipties - I've attached a front one to the fork below the crown using 2 zip-ties at either side in the past, protect the paintwork and this will be happy there for ever, no loosening or rattling. At the rear behind the BB I've used a zip tie, simpler than a bolt to get at, again, no rattles from this.