Cycling UK Forum

I have just fitted some SKS Longboard mudguards to my commuter bike. I fitted them as per the instructions with the bracket on the front mudguard behind the fork. I was surprised how low the mudflap on the front guard was to the ground. The clearance is just over 1inch. Is this OK?
Thanks for any advice.

too low for my taste, that.

I think that clearance to the ground would be OK if the mudflap were a good deal more flexible.

[edit; the clue's in the name, innit...? a mudflap surely ought to be able to flap...? That one looks very little more flexible than the mudguard itself...]

cheers

First time you wheel it off a curb you will probably catch and possibly damage it (guess how I know!).

Too low!
My guards are all fitted on the fork front for practical reasons, but even then I would think it is still on the low side.
Obviously the lower it is will help to keep your feet dry but the first bit of rough ground could cause safety problems.

gloomyandy wrote:First time you wheel it off a curb you will probably catch and possibly damage it (guess how I know!).

Or ride through more than an inch or so of water. A flap would fold back, that arrangement will not.

Thanks folks. Advice noted, I have shifted the mount to the front of the fork. That now gives me 3 inches of clearance between the mudflap and the ground. Will still need to take care over kerbs.

Brucey wrote:

I think that clearance to the ground would be OK if the mudflap were a good deal more flexible.
[edit; the clue's in the name, innit...? a mudflap surely ought to be able to flap...? That one looks very little more flexible than the mudguard itself...]

I've had a pair of Longboards on my bike for several years; their clearance is not much more than an inch. I was skeptical at first, but I've begun to really enjoy riding with dry feet. However, by the look of the photograph, my mudflats are thinner and more flexible than the ('new and improved'?) equipment on Steve O'C's. It may well be worth replacing the flaps with something less prone to damage. When the time comes I'l scrounge a bit of truck or tractor inner tube to keep my Longboards functioning.

well you can always use it to scoop up mud to take home. I have normal mudguards with a flap and have never had any problem with dirty bb etc I used to have a very wide after market flap - made no difference to the narrow one I have now. you risk snagging road debris in your wheel

With Sks longboarders the front mudguard has a nasty habit of failing at the strut bracket due to the accumulation of small hits on the mudflap.

I got longboards earlier this year. I have mine mounted on the front of the fork (no choice even if I wanted to do otherwise without changing the recessed nuts on the DP callipers) and have about 6.5cm ground clearance. My experience is the flap rarely catches on anything & when it does it is actually surprisingly flexible (a fairly soft rubber). What it does do is keep my feet & the bottom bracket area of the bike a lot dryer & cleaner.

My only (slight) complaint with them is that the rear flap catches the ground if you try to wheel the bike vertically on the back wheel.

Had exactly that problem with Longboards on the front, but they're easy to trim eg to just below the metalwork. If you've got the same flap as mine, the central pin of the plastic rivet just pushes out and then the whole flap comes off.

And I have to say the uncut rear is not really long enough to stop a closely following rider getting a faceful, which was the main point of buying them, so they're a bit of a missed opportunity IMO.

I have SKS Longboards on one of my bikes,I didn't like the semi rigid front m/flap being so close to the ground so replaced it with a piece of truck inner tube(nice thick flexible rubber) it's about 20mm from the road surface but folds back without straining the lower portion of the m/guard below the lower stays when say dropping off a curb,etc.

gloomyandy wrote:First time you wheel it off a curb you will probably catch and possibly damage it (guess how I know!).

Indeed.
Good for protection, but dangerously low, you will clips as soon as you find a relevant obstacle or simply going down the curb.

I would say, mudguard blade 2 inches below the wheel axle, plus the flap.
When the flap is semi-rigid, as that one is, get everything about 3 inches below the axle, and no more

^ for 'curb' read 'kerb'

cheers

Indeed a lifetime of writing stuff for Americans to read (and if you think the English can be pedantic try working with a bunch of American academics/computer scientists!), means that I often use the American spelling, but I'm sure you managed to work out what I intended to say.