mudflaps / extra bit for mudguard

[slowster]

One stay on the front mudguard? Not as bad as one stay at the rear but still pretty hopeless.

I think SKS mudguards with ESC stays are an exception to that rule. I've recently fitted my MTB with SKS mudguards which use a single ESC stay on the front mudguard, and my experience so far is that for very wide mudguards, e.g. 65mm, they are much better than the standard double stays supplied with other SKS/Bluemels mudguards. In particular the combined mudguard and stay is much more rigid. I should add that I have fitted the rear mudguard to the front for the reasons given by other posters above, so I have a single stay behind the fork crown plus a 'front' stay ahead of the fork crown, but when I was experimenting with fitting the mudguard I came to the conclusion that the front stay did not make a significant difference to the rigidity of the rear part of the mudguard behind the fork crown.

Another factor which is often overlooked is the importance of tyre design in how (and how much) crud flies off them and the mudguards have to deal with. Wide tyres with tread on throw lots of crud off and skinnier, smoother tyres throw less. The main thing that is an exception to this is the amount of crud thrown out of the front wheel forwards. This also seems to vary with wheel diameter, the speed at which you ride, and the consistency of the crud on the road. So a certain speeds water comes out forwards, but at another slightly different speed it might be mud instead.

I think a major factor in how much spray and muck comes off the top of the tyre and is not blocked by the end of the front mudguard is the amount of clearance between the mudguard and tyre. The centrifugal spray is projected forwards at a tangent to the tyre. If the mudguard is very/too close to the tyre and ends at the 12 o'clock position, it will not only limit the amount that is sprayed off but crucially will also only allow it to be sprayed horizontally or downwards. Conversely, with a large tyre/mudguard gap the spray projected from the tyre around the 11 o'clock position will pass under the tip of the mudguard and will have an upwards trajectory. Consequently at speed, such as going downhill, the spray will result in muddy deposits not only on fork crown mounted lights as in the OP's case, but also on the rider's clothes. I found this out the hard way and realised the wisdom of reohn2's set up. Hence my MTB now sports a rear mudguard on the front.

With regard to the suggestion above of extending the rear mudguard below the bottom bracket, I cannot see that there would be any benefit.
However, I have a Hebie Chainglider and there is muddy spatter on the plastic cover over both the top and bottom chain runs immediately adjacent to the tyre. Muddy water is clearly being thrown off the side of the tyre down onto the chain/Chainglider and chain stay at that point. Because of that, I think there would be benefit if the rear mudguard profile several inches above the chain stays was a full semi-circle to provide better side coverage (or if some kind of screen could be affixed on the drive side similar to an old style dress guard).

[Brucey]

I agree that a side guard near the chain runs has a lot going for it and I have mentioned this before now. However neat implementation is quite another thing; best scheme so far is perhaps to use Velcro (plus a zip tie around the chainstay) to secure the additional side guard part; it could of course be easily mounted using additional holes in the mudguard, but I am leery of adding further holes in mudguards because this nearly always gives them yet another way of breaking.

A problem with single stays in a front mudguard is that not every thrust on the mudguard is in the plane of the machine; the result is that the unsupported part of the mudguard can deflect sideways and this normally fatigues the mount to the fork crown. Not all mudguards are equally susceptible to this.

cheers

[NickJP]

A secondary advantage of metal mudguards is that unlike plastic mudguards, they have a rolled edge, which helps prevent water coming out of the side of the mudguard.

[KM2]

Probably best to move the stay bridge to the outside of the mudguards as well, so the water can run continuously down and not flick out when it hits the stay bridge.

[ElCani]

There are a lot of mudguards on the market which are basically a bit marginal or are just plain hopeless. Unfortunately this includes many of the prettier, more expensive ones. One stay/support on the rear mudguard? Usually hopeless. One stay on the front mudguard? Not as bad as one stay at the rear but still pretty hopeless.

Brucey, do you happen to know if the single-stay Velo Orange mudguards linked to below fall into this “hopeless” category? Or does anyone else have any experience of them? I’m considering replacing my rather tatty SKS Longboards with them.

Thanks.

https://freshtripe.co.uk/velo-orange-70 ... mudguards/

[MikeF]

Back to the original problem.
An option would be to mount the light on the handlebars. It's well out of the way of any crud from the front tyre. I think anything near the front forks is likely to be sprayed with crud.

[Des49]

Spray from the top of the front guard is an issue I have suffered with at times, going downhill, into a strong wind or anytime when over about 15mph.
The tyre makes a huge difference, I used to run 26 x 1.75" Travel Contacts, but since changing to 2" Marathon Supremes the amount of water retained by the tyre has noticeably increased.

With the really wet weather the last few months it got to a point where I had to do something as the amount of mud and grit on the front of the bike and myself had become a real nuisance.

So I took off the plastic flap I had added to the rear mudguard, replaced this with a longer rubber flap and have tried the plastic flap over the front tyre.

Not as neat as the rear guards on the front pictured earlier (which I may do sometime), looks a bit like a duck bill and does give an increased shadow at night from the fork crown mounted main light. But so much cleaner to ride.
I had to curve the end down and may trim it a bit narrower, but will leave it on.

[cycle tramp]

Master Morgan? I’ve been promoted, then!

I think you’ll find I’m barred from all the respectable cafe’s; and besides, the really -stylish- cyclists eschew mud-flaps. So last century, dear.

Well, I feel obliged to go on about mudguard flaps now as I have acquired the geetest sized ones ever. When agin' the wind I suspect they will slow me by about 5mph. When with the wind, I may take off or even find myself the envy of dinghy sailors everywhere.

winter e-bike-1.JPG

Cugel, in West Wales where it's still 1957.

Er... did you actually, really, purposely, with full fore-thought and sound mind, actually, really, purchase an off the shelf mudflap?.... my gast has been well and truly flabbered.

[Cugel]

Master Morgan? I’ve been promoted, then!

I think you’ll find I’m barred from all the respectable cafe’s; and besides, the really -stylish- cyclists eschew mud-flaps. So last century, dear.

Well, I feel obliged to go on about mudguard flaps now as I have acquired the geetest sized ones ever. When agin' the wind I suspect they will slow me by about 5mph. When with the wind, I may take off or even find myself the envy of dinghy sailors everywhere.

winter e-bike-1.JPG

Cugel, in West Wales where it's still 1957.

Er... did you actually, really, purposely, with full fore-thought and sound mind, actually, really, purchase an off the shelf mudflap?.... my gast has been well and truly flabbered.

Them flaps are part of the packaging for the Kinesis metal mudguards (a mere forty five quiddish per pair). One cuts them flaps out with a sharp pair of skizzers. I also sanded the edges of mine to make the skizzor cuts all smooth and nice.

The material is some sort of stiff plastic. So far they haven't bent, made a flap-flap noise or got hold of me foot to throw me into the verge ditch.

Cugel, fully flapperghasted.

[cycle tramp]

Well, I feel obliged to go on about mudguard flaps now as I have acquired the geetest sized ones ever. When agin' the wind I suspect they will slow me by about 5mph. When with the wind, I may take off or even find myself the envy of dinghy sailors everywhere.

winter e-bike-1.JPG

Cugel, in West Wales where it's still 1957.

Er... did you actually, really, purposely, with full fore-thought and sound mind, actually, really, purchase an off the shelf mudflap?.... my gast has been well and truly flabbered.

Them flaps are part of the packaging for the Kinesis metal mudguards (a mere forty five quiddish per pair). One cuts them flaps out with a sharp pair of skizzers. I also sanded the edges of mine to make the skizzor cuts all smooth and nice.

The material is some sort of stiff plastic. So far they haven't bent, made a flap-flap noise or got hold of me foot to throw me into the verge ditch.

Cugel, fully flapperghasted.

Wow. Dunno what, they look so professionally done I actually thought you purchased them. Fair play to you. Although there's now a danger of me grabbing your idea and writing to kinesis, suggesting they print cut-along-the-dotted-line patterns on all their plastic packaging so that other folk can make mudflaps from it, in the hope they'd send me a set of free mudguards.....
..my mudflaps have clearly been out classed and this evening I might have to peel off the 'skimmed milk' labelling from them....

[Cugel]

Er... did you actually, really, purposely, with full fore-thought and sound mind, actually, really, purchase an off the shelf mudflap?.... my gast has been well and truly flabbered.

Them flaps are part of the packaging for the Kinesis metal mudguards (a mere forty five quiddish per pair). One cuts them flaps out with a sharp pair of skizzers. I also sanded the edges of mine to make the skizzor cuts all smooth and nice.

The material is some sort of stiff plastic. So far they haven't bent, made a flap-flap noise or got hold of me foot to throw me into the verge ditch.

Cugel, fully flapperghasted.

Wow. Dunno what, they look so professionally done I actually thought you purchased them. Fair play to you. Although there's now a danger of me grabbing your idea and writing to kinesis, suggesting they print cut-along-the-dotted-line patterns on all their plastic packaging so that other folk can make mudflaps from it, in the hope they'd send me a set of free mudguards.....
..my mudflaps have clearly been out classed and this evening I might have to peel off the 'skimmed milk' labelling from them....

The idea was already that of Kinesis. They print the dotted lines on that packaging for cackhands like me to cut along, miss and so have to sand down to neatness.

https://www.merlincycles.com/kinesis-fe ... 95079.html

I musta got the last pair, though.

Cugel

[Sweep]

hints for making and fitting your own mudflaps gratefully received.

Or maybe someone can point me at an existing thread?

With some guidance, even I could do it I think - I have various bits of maybe suitable material, some good snips and a dremel and tools.

[slowster]

Buy a roll of 100mm damp proof course membrane. Drill two holes in the mudguard for M5 bolts, and use penny washers with the bolts to fasten the membrane inside the mudguard. Drill the holes far enough apart that the penny washers will not overlap. If the mudguards are SKS Chromoplastic/Bluemels, there will already be one suitable hole in the bracket to which the lower stays are attached, and you can use that as a guide to drill through the plastic. The membrane will take on the curve of the mudguard.

Use scissors to trim the DPC membrane. I found that I tended to cut the membrane shorter than ideal, and because it is so cheap I now cut it too long (so long that it touches the ground), and then once fitted gradually trim it shorter. Similarly once fitted I trim the surplus membrane which extends horizontally either side of the mudguard. At speed/in headwinds, the DPC membrane will get blown back towards the bottom bracket, but I find that it still provides benefit by virtue of its long length.

If fitting a rear mudguard to protect a rider behind you from road spray, it needs to extend virtually down to the road, but need only be ~50mm wide for a touring tyre.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/capital-vall ... 00mm/42073

[rotavator]

hints for making and fitting your own mudflaps gratefully received.

I use thick rubber from an old inner tube for a tractor tyre. I use a cardboard template to make sure they are symmetric when marking the outline with a biro. I use two pop rivets for each flap, with washers to spread the load, because these are smaller and neater than bolts and nuts. I fitted some two years ago and they are keeping most of the filth off the drivetrains.

[Sweep]

Buy a roll of 100mm damp proof course membrane.

*****


https://www.screwfix.com/p/capital-vall ... 00mm/42073

Many thanks slowster.
Will consider seriously.
While pondering what to do with the rest of the 30 metres.