Mudguard advice

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Pendodave
Posts: 531
Joined: 3 Jun 2020, 8:27am

Mudguard advice

Post by Pendodave »

I've recently acquired an old specialised rockhopper to press into service as a gravel/easy trails tourer/bikepacker.
It has no mudguards, which I'm keen to correct. The front wheel has a bolt through hole which can be used to secure something. The back has nothing in particular except a non threaded hole on the underside of the cross brace.
Both have a single braze on to attach stuff at the axle.
I'd like decent length/protection. What have people used?
One last thing, should I pass the guards above or below the brake cross wire? Pics below : thanks.
Attachments
20210105_163420.jpg
20210105_163437.jpg
colin54
Posts: 2529
Joined: 24 Sep 2013, 4:34pm

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by colin54 »

I use SKS brand guards 65mm on one bike with 1.75 tyres and 55mm on another bike fitted with the same size, the 65mm ones give you more mud clearance, 26'' wheels, as your Rockhopper is I presume.

I think I prefer the wider of the two.

Brake cable above the guard.
I quite often drill or melt 4 holes (heated screwdriver or similar) on the guards and secure them at the bridges with zip ties if the supplied metal clip doesn't work out for whatever reason.
65mm Pictured on a 1996 Saracen mtb.
P1120494.JPG

I use a bit of damp proof course as a mudflap, to keep spray off off the chainset/BB area.
The wider guard can spray more out of the side in the rain if there is too large a gap between it and the tyre.
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Pendodave
Posts: 531
Joined: 3 Jun 2020, 8:27am

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by Pendodave »

Thanks. Your setup is what i had in my mind's eye when i picked up the 'hopper.
I notice that your brakes have a centre pull with an inverted v shape allowing more clearance than my horizontal wire. (Apologies for terminology, I am new to this!). Is this likely to be a problem for me, and is it easy to change my configuration without swapping the whole brake set?
colin54
Posts: 2529
Joined: 24 Sep 2013, 4:34pm

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by colin54 »

Pendodave wrote:Thanks. Your setup is what i had in my mind's eye when i picked up the 'hopper.
I notice that your brakes have a centre pull with an inverted v shape allowing more clearance than my horizontal wire. (Apologies for terminology, I am new to this!). Is this likely to be a problem for me, and is it easy to change my configuration without swapping the whole brake set?

It makes no difference, you have what are commonly known as V brakes, here they are fitted to another Saracen I converted for my brother.
P1110242.JPG

This bike has narrower tyres fitted than the purple bike (1.6''), if I did it again I would probably put the narrower 55mm wide guards on it.
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Pendodave
Posts: 531
Joined: 3 Jun 2020, 8:27am

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by Pendodave »

Thanks again. Time to get shopping...
rotavator
Posts: 987
Joined: 6 Jun 2016, 9:50pm
Location: North Wales

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by rotavator »

You may need some sort of extender bracket below the fork crown. A fender flute is a good but pricey solution or you could make your own out of a strip of Al alloy.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b0s190p3591/PROBLEM-SOLVERS-Fender-Flute
colin54
Posts: 2529
Joined: 24 Sep 2013, 4:34pm

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by colin54 »

You will find that the wire stays will need to be cut to length with a sharp hacksaw blade or similar after you've done an initial fitting and got even clearance gaps around the wheel (unlike my red bike picture!). Mark with a magic marker and take care not to cut too short, 'measure twice, cut once'. There are plastic bits (to prevent puncture wounds) that go over the stay ends that you have to leave sufficient length of stay to secure, they go over the clamp nut and stay end)
You will find a couple of larger black plastic pieces (my first picture, just behind the wheel quick release lever) which are breakaway clips in case you get a front wheel jam caused by a twig or suchlike, these go on the front guard.
Looking at the red bike I don't think I fitted SKS guards, to it they have a different breakaway clip on them by the look of it.
Take your time, I find it quite a fiddly and at times frustrating job to do correctly myself.
Nice looking Rockhopper by the way.
rotavator wrote:You may need some sort of extender bracket below the fork crown. A fender flute is a good but pricey solution or you could make your own out of a strip of Al alloy.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b0s190p3591/PROBLEM-SOLVERS-Fender-Flute

That's a neat idea, not seen that before.
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Pendodave
Posts: 531
Joined: 3 Jun 2020, 8:27am

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by Pendodave »

colin54 wrote:Nice looking Rockhopper by the way.

Thanks. It's in good nick and has tidy deore bits. All for just over £100. Allowed me to smuggle it into the fold without protest. These old-school mtbs seem ideal for this purpose.
Thanks to you both for the advice. I'm slightly troubled by the fitting process, but if all else fails I guess I can pay someone to finish it!
colin54
Posts: 2529
Joined: 24 Sep 2013, 4:34pm

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by colin54 »

Spa have the 26''x 65mm wide in silver on offer at the moment, £27 plus £ 4 shipping
It's the Chromoplastic ones I like personally, not the SKS bluemels, I think that's what's on the red bike, not as nice quality.
Other shops may have them in black (actually dark brown with black stripes down the centre) possibly cheaper I don't know.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b62s80p1 ... -Mudguards
The mud flap on them is fairly useless, I replace it with something homemade as mentioned.
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jimlews
Posts: 1476
Joined: 11 Jun 2015, 8:36pm
Location: Not the end of the world.

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by jimlews »

colin54 wrote:Spa have the 26''x 65mm wide in silver on offer at the moment, £27 plus £ 4 shipping
It's the Chromoplastic ones I like personally, not the SKS bluemels, I think that's what's on the red bike, not as nice quality.
Other shops may have them in black (actually dark brown with black stripes down the centre) possibly cheaper I don't know.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b62s80p1 ... -Mudguards
The mud flap on them is fairly useless, I replace it with something homemade as mentioned.


Be aware that the 65mm guards are actually 70mm wide. I've just bought a set and they won't fit my frame :(

Eventually went with these:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/mudguards/b ... 5mm-black/

But being plastic the fittings are not as good; a bit fragile.
colin54
Posts: 2529
Joined: 24 Sep 2013, 4:34pm

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by colin54 »

jimlews wrote:
colin54 wrote:
Be aware that the 65mm guards are actually 70mm wide. I've just bought a set and they won't fit my frame :(


That's interesting Jim, I've just measured a couple of pairs ( both bought as 65mm, one set were 70mm rear & 67mm front, I'd never noticed that before. The OP could always ask the supplier to measure their stock I suppose if he decided to buy a set.
The other pair (on my Saracen) were both 62mm wide, touching the chainstays both sides at the rear and with approx 6mm clearance at the front fork.
It might pay the OP to measure what clearance he has, though I believe (though I've not tried it myself) that guards can be reshaped a bit with a heat gun.
I cut a bit out of a 700 chromoplastic once to clear a fork without thinking it through, that didn't last long, it cracked as I'd cut through the rolled edge, live and learn...
It just occured to me if you are thinking of fitting a rack in the future, now might be a good time to do it.
Having only one pair of eyelets at the axle dropout means either rack and guard sharing the tapped eyelets, or bending the mudguard stays and attaching them to a rack with rubber lined p clips or similar, and using the single eyelets solely for the rack.
I've got the rack and mudguard sharing the eyelets on my Saracen but it's already stripped out once, there was enough room to tap out the hole to the next size up and I used a nut and bolt on the non - drive side (no room for a nut on the drive side). Saracens have a very thick powder coat and it all starts to fret and loosen in use eventually stripping the thread, just my experience. I should take my own advice and bolt my guards to the rack someday but I dislike messing about with mudguards as I've already mentioned.
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Pendodave
Posts: 531
Joined: 3 Jun 2020, 8:27am

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by Pendodave »

jimlews wrote:
colin54 wrote:Spa have the 26''x 65mm wide in silver on offer at the moment, £27 plus £ 4 shipping
It's the Chromoplastic ones I like personally, not the SKS bluemels, I think that's what's on the red bike, not as nice quality.
Other shops may have them in black (actually dark brown with black stripes down the centre) possibly cheaper I don't know.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b62s80p1 ... -Mudguards
The mud flap on them is fairly useless, I replace it with something homemade as mentioned.


Be aware that the 65mm guards are actually 70mm wide. I've just bought a set and they won't fit my frame :(

Eventually went with these:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/mudguards/b ... 5mm-black/

But being plastic the fittings are not as good; a bit fragile.


Thanks for this. I have about 65mm at the point at which a mudgyard might go, so will probably go down 5 or 10mm in size.
Thanks also to colin54 for rack fitting thoughts. As luck would have it (not), i put a rack on it just before i started this email thread.... and there is only the one braze-on .... hopefully the installation will be reversible at least once before the thread goes. Presumably the mudguard is fitted on before the rack?
colin54
Posts: 2529
Joined: 24 Sep 2013, 4:34pm

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by colin54 »

Pendodave wrote: Presumably the mudguard is fitted on before the rack?

Yes, mudguard stays next to frame , rack on the outside. You may as well use a nut&bolt on the non-drive side if you're going to do it this way, and on the drive side if you have clearance, or a hex bolt through from inside. it's all straightforward to do, just fiddly that's all. From experience take care with the little nuts and bolts that attach the stays to the guards , they have a habit of pinging off into the darkest corner of the shed/room whilst you're getting everything lined up !
Here's a couple of pictures posted by 531colin showing fitting using an extra hole available in some racks, or using 'p' clips, they sell the clips on ebay and elsewhere.
viewtopic.php?t=93770#p861613
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PH
Posts: 13106
Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
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Re: Mudguard advice

Post by PH »

Thorn routinely fit the guards to the rack quite high. Their own racks have a fitting for it, but when they fit others they use P clips. I'm not keen on the look but they're been doing so for years and it seems to work OK.
Image

Depending on the rack and the space between it and the guards, there are sometimes options to add some sort of fitting instead of or in addition to the stays, I like doing so, it makes for a rigid guard. Tubus do a bracket if you have a standard rack light mount
Image
colin54
Posts: 2529
Joined: 24 Sep 2013, 4:34pm

Re: Mudguard advice

Post by colin54 »

Some good fitting info on this recently revived thread if you haven't already seen it.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=119174
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