SKS Mudguards

[fossyant]

How handy are your DIY skills - file etc... key to cycling is BODGING !

 

[MacB]

I can say I haven't had these problems but then I've only ever fitted to frames with a generous clearance. The only workaround I've had to do was on a set of forks where the bolt area is molded and recessed. So if you fit the bridge bracket flat, inside the recess, then it can't be raised above a certain point. To get around this I used one of the spare rubber bungs from a set of Hope Grip Doctors. I cut a pice about double the depth of the recess and used it as a rubber washer. This meant I could have the bracket set higher and get it tight enough without interference from the recess. It actually sits flush with the outer edge now as the rubber compressed when the bolt was tightened, that was why I cut it to double the size.

I know this may not help your specific problem but I think you're on the right track with the key being to get the bridge bracket positioned correctly first. I don't have any caliper brakes so it's not easy to envisage your problem. But is there any possibility you can resolve it via a longer bolt workaround. I did this on a previous bike, swap out the existing caliper bolt for the longer one and fit the brake as usual. I then used a second nut and washer to fit the SKS bracket and was able to position it much more easily and, more importantly, ensure that I got maximum clearance.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

I can say I haven't had these problems but then I've only ever fitted to frames with a generous clearance. The only workaround I've had to do was on a set of forks where the bolt area is molded and recessed. So if you fit the bridge bracket flat, inside the recess, then it can't be raised above a certain point. To get around this I used one of the spare rubber bungs from a set of Hope Grip Doctors. I cut a pice about double the depth of the recess and used it as a rubber washer. This meant I could have the bracket set higher and get it tight enough without interference from the recess. It actually sits flush with the outer edge now as the rubber compressed when the bolt was tightened, that was why I cut it to double the size.

I know this may not help your specific problem but I think you're on the right track with the key being to get the bridge bracket positioned correctly first. I don't have any caliper brakes so it's not easy to envisage your problem. But is there any possibility you can resolve it via a longer bolt workaround. I did this on a previous bike, swap out the existing caliper bolt for the longer one and fit the brake as usual. I then used a second nut and washer to fit the SKS bracket and was able to position it much more easily and, more importantly, ensure that I got maximum clearance.

Yep, there's two problems MacB, and Adrian, thanks chaps, but only one that seems a touch insurmountable. On the rear I managed to avoid using the middle attachment which goes through the caliper bolt. (On one side the caliper bolt -female- is too large to slip through the claw that fits on to the rear guard so despite having a go at passing it through I had to use the other side of the bolt which created clearance problems being as it was directly on top of the calipers as opposed on the other side of the seat stays. This was resolved by simply taking off that attachment altogether and I could do this because on one side of the rear guard I have the two stays attached to the chainstay eyelets and at the other end a hole, pre-drilled through the guard which I attached to hole on the frame on the back of the seat tube. These two attachments worked okay being at either end and I would have been tempted to have used a tie here in lieu of the middle attachment if later required at the point of the caliper like you suggest Adrian).

However, despite resolving the issue at the rear, the front attachment for the caliper bolt was riveted on and could not be slipped off. Furthermore, due to there, obviously being no frame the far side of the front wheel, there is no attachment at that end. The two stays that attach to the fork eyelets on the front were both low down and further back and so I could not have used the same principle as I did on the back. If I'd tried that I'd have had to have ripped off the rivets for the front attachment but I don't think there would be any guarantee that it would work the same.

I appreciate the poster who talked about Bodging! I can see that very clearly with this now but I've spent too long on it for it to be worth any more of my time, satisfied that I am that in the mid section there is simply not the clearance.

 

[Oddsos]

Hi Monsieur Remmings

I've always used cable ties instead of the supplied brake bridge to hold sks guards on rear of road bikes with tight clearances. I drill four holes small diameter holes in the guards to allow me to run cable ties through the guard and around either the brake bridge or the seat stays. The holes are positioned towards the shoulders of the mud guard so there is maximum clearance for the tyre at the top of the mud guard. The holes are located far enough apart around the radius of the wheel that the cable ties exit perpendicular to the guard to wrap around the frame. As you pull the ties tight you get the guard really tight into the brake bridge and stays and give more tyre clearance than using the metal bridge. A few times I have needed to drill an extra hole/slot to allow the spring of the rear calliper brake to poke into the guard to increaser the clearance.

I would have thought a similar approach could be used on the front wheel to hold the guards over the brake mounting bolt, though I have never had such acute clearance problems on the front wheel. If the metal pridge gets in the way drill out the rivets and ditch it.

Obviously once you get out the drill your chances of seling the guards on diminish, but I have always been really happy with the cable ties solution; it seems better than the metal brackets even where there aren't clearance problems.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Thanks Oddsos, your conclusion is the one that I arrived at. It was also the method suggested by Adrian above. Sadly, all the buggering about has made me reluctant to try any more innovations, being that they will most certainly (at the front atleast) ruin any chance of selling them on if they still don't work. FWIW I think this way probably would work but I decided to take them off and sell them on. As I've said they've taken up too much of my time to be worth anymore.

They're off to a new home in Essex as of tomorrow, but thanks for the input.

 

[knitgirl]

Sorry to hear about your woes with the SKS mudguards. I bought some for my hybrid, spent a couple of hours swearing and generally feeling very unhappy before taking them to a LBS for fitting. Been very happy with them since then.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

According to two LBS' it's not possible to fit them, one of them - a Giant dealer showed me a Giant Defy specific fender, from Giant themselves due to the low clearance.

Thing is, at the bike shop I really trust they have a range of new Giants where they are fitted on. A quick look made me realise however that the clearance was larger than mine, a 2009 model.

So there it is, after all the poncing around, they were never going to fit and neither, as I discovered at the other Giant dealer, do the Crud Racers!!

Happy days, yes, perhaps should have taken them to LBS knitgirl but could have easily turned round and said they just don't fit your bike which given my discovery today would have been fairly likely.

 

[jig-sore]

Ditch the metal bracket that attaches to the brake bolt. Drill two holes in each side of the mudguard so that two zip tie can go through, one each side, and round the seatstay bridge. It gets a good 3-4 mm more clearance.


It is also much less prone to rattlyness

+1. well said that man.

i NEVER use the brackets supplied with mudguards. zip ties are your friend

 

[Moodyman]

Mr Remings - Have you got a Giant Defy or similar Giant bike?

If you have, then the SKS will not fit.

Giant make their own guards to fit the Defy/TCR/OCR range of bikes.

No fault of SKS I'm afraid.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Mr Remings - Have you got a Giant Defy or similar Giant bike?

If you have, then the SKS will not fit.

Giant make their own guards to fit the Defy/TCR/OCR range of bikes.

No fault of SKS I'm afraid.

Yep, that's what I mention in my post above yours Moodyman.

Here they are...

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...hpW8BA&usg=AFQjCNG8cD7nNjU4uWaXSRxglfL4SzxVuw

 

[Fiona N]

it's perfectly normal for the stays to be cut. just use the cutting teeth on standard pliers, they're only mad of soft material.

Oh no they're not You may not like the instructions but the materials are top notch - SKS stays are made of stainless steel and effing hard it is too - I had to borrow an angle grinder as the stays were wearing out hacksaw blades at one blade a cut.

 

[2old2care]

Oh no they're not You may not like the instructions but the materials are top notch - SKS stays are made of stainless steel and effing hard it is too - I had to borrow an angle grinder as the stays were wearing out hacksaw blades at one blade a cut.

+1.

 

[2old2care]

I've used SKS guards since they were called by their previous name of ESGE, and I've always had the same problem with them until recently, which is the rear one rattling at the brake bridge, the last one lasted 4 months before parting in two and rubbing into my carbon seat stays. I cured this by using some no more nails double sided tape on the brake bridge bracket which works a treat. I almost swore never to use them again.

 

[skudupnorth]

I've had a set on my Spec Sirrus Hybrid and they are brilliant, but as everyone says they are fun to fit but once fitted it's happy days ! Just got an MTB set for my Spec Rockhopper which i know will not fit straight away without modifying but will improve the joy of making my offroader with slicks into a tough commuter !

 

[HLaB]

Got back from today's ride to find they are cracked again :-(