Mudguards for close clearance hybrid

[SprokenBroke]

I bought this as an incomplete bike so didn't realise what it was like until I put it together. It's a Scott frame. I wanted a bit more of a sporty style hybrid but now I'm wondering if it's a good idea because I need mudguards. I think I can fit some on the front if I go from a 40 to 35mm tyre which I was thinking about doing anyway but the rear doesn't look possible. Is there any such thing as a front mech that wouldn't be in the way? I've come across the idea of cutting the mudguard so it stops short of the derailleur. I might do that and put up with it getting gummed up. The bike feels amazing to ride compared to the Trek junk I was using so it's a shame about the clearance.

[Cyclothesist]

If you're careful you can often heat and shape chromoplastic guards around front derailleur projections. A hairdryer and patience are the tools.

[cycle tramp]

Sorry, duplicated

[cycle tramp]

An alternative would be to use domething like an old refector bracket, and attach it to the seat tube above the front derailleur, then attach the end of the mudguard to that.

This would leave the front derailleur at risk of being sprayed with water and mud from the rear tyre and a constant dribble of water landing on it from inside the rear mudguard.. as a compromise it may be possible to use a stiff piece of thin plastic (say... cut from a milk bottle) and affix it to the end of the mudguard to cover the front derailleur and divert any water.. its far from a perfect solution, and i'm sure someone has a better idea somewhere...

An alternative would be to simply cut out that part of the mudguard which fouls the front mech..and in doing this, accept that the trade off for better ride quality is you have to clean and lube the front mech a bit more..

[JohnR]

The SKS Velo 42 is designed to clip to the seat tube above the front derailleur fitting https://www.sks-germany.com/en/Products ... AN-SET.htm. If space is tight then cut off the clip and cable tie the end of the mudguard directly to the frame. There's an optional clip-on stay.

[slowster]

What is the model no. of the derailleur?

[AndyK]

What is the model no. of the derailleur?

From the picture it looks like an Altus 3x9 top-swing derailleur (you can see the Mega 9 logo and the "A" of the Altus logo) so I'm guessing FD-M370 or an earlier equivalent. In which case it might be possible to replace it with a bottom -swing model like the FD-M371, which gives much better clearance between the seat tube and the tyre. Hard to tell if it would work without knowing the rest of the setup though. FD-M371's are cheap as chips* so the OP might want to give it a go.

* If you buy your chips from a very posh fish'n'chip shop

[Brucey]

I too would look to fit a bottom swing FD. Unless you like cleaning stuff, I suggest that you don't leave the FD exposed.

[SprokenBroke]

Yes it's 3x9. The mech is shimano FD-M390. I'll have a look at the FD-M371. There's only about 4mm clearance with a 40mm Schwalbe Mondial but I'm going to replace it with a 35mm Marathon.

[TheBomber]

Do you ride in mud? If not then a tyre with less tread would be better in so many ways including clearance.

[SprokenBroke]

I try to avoid mud although I get caught out sometimes. I like to be able to throw the bike around a bit and do the odd trail and gravel track but not if it's too soggy. But I get your point the nobbly Mondial is probably not necessary. It's surprising how 35mm tyres can feel narrow after you're used to 40mm.

I did mention that I was changing the tyres to 35mm so I have a bit more clearance, about 7mm. It might even be possible to fit a mudguard now but the fixing is forward of the mech so I would need a spacer and it would need to be just the right length. Still might be better to change the mech.

[SprokenBroke]

Looks like the shimano FD-M371 is the way to go. Is there a difference in performance for the two types of mech?

[TheBomber]

Looks like the shimano FD-M371 is the way to go. Is there a difference in performance for the two types of mech?

Yes - IME the bottom swing ones don’t seem to wear out whereas the top swing ones rattle on their pivots after only a few hundred miles use. They also don’t clog with mud nearly as badly as top swing if you were to go mountain biking.

Having also recently looked into fitting a 9 speed triple mech on a frame with limited clearance I would recommend trying to find one that has the ‘down pull’ cable arrangement only, as the carbuncle that allows it to operate with up or down pull takes up a lot if space. I doubt you’ll find a new one but there are some LX or XT options on EBay if you search hard enough.

[SprokenBroke]

The "carbuncle" on the FD-M371 doesn't look like it would cause a problem with mudguards because it's not sticking out in the rear direction. The FD-M390 on this bike shifts very nicely, am I correct to assume that the mech will be made to deal with the slightly narrower 9 speed chain? I spotted a new 9 speed Shimano Tiagra FD-4403 that's bottom pull only. It looks a bit nicer than the FD-M371 but is there anything to be gained from paying a bit more for the Tiagra?

Actually, the Tiagra looks like it's for a 28.6 seat tube and mine is 31.8 so it's no good.

[TheBomber]

A Tiagra front mech won’t be compatible with your existing gear shifter and probably won’t be any good with your chainrings either. Triple front mechs are a bit of a compatibility minefield.