# Plastic ferrules for mudguard stays



## DCBassman (13 Nov 2020)

Are these what I need? Pretty sure the guards are SKS Blumels...
These?


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## bikingdad90 (13 Nov 2020)

Old pen lid melted on do the same job or even heat shrink? Save you £6.99.


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## roley poley (13 Nov 2020)

or round the sharp ends off with a file


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## alicat (13 Nov 2020)

Or cut them so they don't stand proud of the guards.


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## cougie uk (13 Nov 2020)

Yes. Dremel them off and save all that weight.


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## Blue Hills (13 Nov 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> Old pen lid melted on do the same job or even heat shrink? Save you £6.99.


top suggestion.
I recently acquired a lidl gas powered heatgun and heatshrink bits so am always on the look-out for innocent uses of it.
and am I the only one dazzled by SKS's variants in fixing systems? - my garage has a stack of their old mudguards ready to be plundered for bits.


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## DCBassman (13 Nov 2020)

cougie uk said:


> Yes. Dremel them off and save all that weight.


Dremel? What witchery is this???


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## roley poley (13 Nov 2020)

don't cut them too short because if you change brand of tyres you may need a bit of expansion room to get clearance


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## DCBassman (13 Nov 2020)

roley poley said:


> don't cut them too short because if you change brand of tyres you may need a bit of expansion room to get clearance


That, at least, is no issue, as the bike originally had 27x1.25 wheels. There's a *lot* of clearance.


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## MichaelW2 (13 Nov 2020)

Even if you put caps on, round the metal for safety.


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## DCLane (13 Nov 2020)

If you don't mind green - 10 for £2 on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-10-1-8...al-Pipe-Tube-Caps-Hat-x-10-Green/362001840212 

Search for 'aerial cap' rather than 'mudguard cap'


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## Gunk (13 Nov 2020)

I found a pack on eBay. Just couple of quid, cable cutters will cut the stays down.


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## Rusty Nails (13 Nov 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> top suggestion.
> I recently acquired a lidl gas powered heatgun and heatshrink bits so am always on the look-out for innocent uses of it.
> and I am the only one dazzled by SKS's variants in fixing systems? - my garage has a stack of their old mudguards ready to be plundered for bits.



Be careful of heat around a plastic mudguard


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## DCBassman (14 Nov 2020)

Rusty Nails said:


> Be careful of heat around a plastic mudguard


Not an issue, no heat gun!


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## Blue Hills (14 Nov 2020)

DCLane said:


> If you don't mind green - 10 for £2 on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-10-1-8...al-Pipe-Tube-Caps-Hat-x-10-Green/362001840212
> 
> Search for 'aerial cap' rather than 'mudguard cap'
> 
> ...


Another top suggestion, thanks.
Ebay is full of cheap chinese bits that some company has appropriated and massively marked up, sometimes aided and abetted by a bit of logo-ing/branding. Can't help but wonder how you discovered them. Some sort of picture search?


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## Blue Hills (14 Nov 2020)

MichaelW2 said:


> Even if you put caps on, round the metal for safety.


How do you round the metal?


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## Blue Hills (14 Nov 2020)

Gunk said:


> I found a pack on eBay. Just couple of quid, cable cutters will cut the stays down.


I wouldn't use the ones i use for bike work. Won't do the cutters any good. I usually dremel.


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## DCLane (14 Nov 2020)

@Blue Hills - I searched 'aerial cap'. A 'rubber cap' search pulled up 100 shorter ones for £2.69 in black: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-100Pc...ew-Thread-Pipe-Post-Rubber-Cover/124199142221


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## the_mikey (14 Nov 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> top suggestion.
> I recently acquired a lidl gas powered heatgun and heatshrink bits so am always on the look-out for innocent uses of it.
> and am I the only one dazzled by SKS's variants in fixing systems? - my garage has a stack of their old mudguards ready to be plundered for bits.



I have built up a mountain of SKS mudguard bits, it's almost as if they break habitually 😐. The last time I fitted a replacement set of SKS bluemels I fitted some nylon and rubber washers (not supplied by SKS) in an attempt to reduce stress and shock damage to the guards, so far so good but it's only been two years since the last refit..


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## DCBassman (14 Nov 2020)

DCLane said:


> If you don't mind green - 10 for £2 on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-10-1-8...al-Pipe-Tube-Caps-Hat-x-10-Green/362001840212
> 
> Search for 'aerial cap' rather than 'mudguard cap'
> 
> ...


Two posts up from that - black ones. Ordered.

Thanks all!


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## Blue Hills (14 Nov 2020)

DCLane said:


> @Blue Hills - I searched 'aerial cap'. A 'rubber cap' search pulled up 100 shorter ones for £2.69 in black: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-100Pc...ew-Thread-Pipe-Post-Rubber-Cover/124199142221


thanks - though i wondered how you came to s earch aerial cap - i ddn't even know such a thing existed for aerials 

thanks again.


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## Blue Hills (14 Nov 2020)

the_mikey said:


> I have built up a mountain of SKS mudguard bits, it's almost as if they break habitually 😐. The last time I fitted a replacement set of SKS bluemels I fitted some nylon and rubber washers (not supplied by SKS) in an attempt to reduce stress and shock damage to the guards, so far so good but it's only been two years since the last refit..


yes i have a pair I'm concerned about - I think it's down to my very slight misfitting though - putting stress on the guard at the top where it's attached to the stay. Not a job to be rushed. The good news is that repairs with duct tape can last years.


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## MichaelW2 (14 Nov 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> How do you round the metal?


After cutting you usually have some sharp burr left at the tip. In a crash this can rip your legs open. Hold with pliers and apply a file to the sharp bits. This is the disadvantage of leatherman style multitools, your pliers and file are connected.
A dremel tool can do it more rapidly.


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## DCLane (14 Nov 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> thanks - though i wondered how you came to s earch aerial cap - i ddn't even know such a thing existed for aerials



I searched 'mudguard cap' and the word 'aerial' appeared alongside one of the items. So then I searched that 

Also I bought a bag of about 40 once from China for 99p so knew they'd be out there somewhere.


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## Gunk (14 Nov 2020)

I crimp the cut off ends in a vice and then file down the corners. The crimped end stops the rubber ferrules coming off.


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## Gunk (14 Nov 2020)

This is what I use

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203157008705


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## DCBassman (14 Nov 2020)

MichaelW2 said:


> A dremel tool can do it more rapidly.


IF you have one.


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## Blue Hills (14 Nov 2020)

DCBassman said:


> IF you have one.


lidl and aldi fairly often do their own cheaper versions.
Dremels, or the copies, are very handy things for various odd jobs, though for years I couldn't see the point of them.
Apart from being seriously bemused by the advertising genius who decided that Alexei Sayle was just the guy to promote them.


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## MichaelW2 (14 Nov 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> lidl and aldi fairly often do their own cheaper versions.
> Dremels, or the copies, are very handy things for various odd jobs, though for years I couldn't see the point of them.
> Apart from being seriously bemused by the advertising genius who decided that Alexei Sayle was just the guy to promote them.


The dremel cutting disk is really good for brake and gear cable outers.


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## Blue Hills (14 Nov 2020)

MichaelW2 said:


> The dremel cutting disk is really good for brake and gear cable outers.


ah, thanks - does this avoid the problem you often get with cutters - having to tease the hole open on the end?


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## MichaelW2 (14 Nov 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> ah, thanks - does this avoid the problem you often get with cutters - having to tease the hole open on the end?


Exactly


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## BoldonLad (14 Nov 2020)

DCLane said:


> I searched 'mudguard cap' and the word 'aerial' appeared alongside one of the items. So then I searched that
> 
> Also I bought* a bag of about 40 once from China for 99p* so knew they'd be out there somewhere.



I always find it amazing, that something costing only 99p can be shipped half way around the world, and, presumably still make money for the manufacturer, and middle men!


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