Set lower front mudguard on 26 inch

[Bice]

The front mudguard on this bike is way too high and I wanted to lower it. The mudguard being so uneven is also annoying.

The mudguard bridge is metal. Can it be set lower with some sort of adapter? Or does it need a longer bridge (which I see Spa sells).

I have also got V-brake levers on this, which are not that comfortable on rough ground where I have to squeeze tight.

I am thinking of replacing with V-brakes. Any views on that?

[Jdsk]

Can you add a photo of how the mudguard is mounted at the fork crown, please.

Thanks

Jonathan

[Paulatic]

Fender extender https://www.deporvillage.net/sks-univer ... nder-black or make your own.
I can’t quite tell from that picture but have you got safety breakaways on those stays?

[rotavator]

Assuming that there is a hole through the fork crown, you could use a Fender Flute to get the mudguard to the right height. Or you could improvise with a strip of plastic or Al.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b0s190p3 ... nder-Flute

Edit: Paulatic's one is a lot cheaper!

As for brake levers, I suggest that you check out different ones at bike shops or on friends' bikes to find more comfortable ones.

[Bice]

Fender extender https://www.deporvillage.net/sks-univer ... nder-black or make your own.
I can’t quite tell from that picture but have you got safety breakaways on those stays?

Thanks for link.

"Safety breakaways" are those plastic triangular mounts on the mudguard stays? None on this bike, but I think I have a pair. Would they shift the bottom of the mudguard away from the tyre a bit?

Can you add a photo of how the mudguard is mounted at the fork crown, please. Jonathan

It is just a basic mudguard bridge, but this one is crimped onto the mudguard rather than detachable. I will take a pic in the morning.

Thanks both for the advice.

[colin54]

Looking at your picture the straddle cables on both the front and rear brakes are very high (having to clear the mudguards), especially on the front .This will give a weak brake.
Here's a thread from the too good to lose section which explains the theory behind it..
The brake straddle cable angle on your bike needs to look more like the set-up in the first illustration, you'll need to lower your mudguards first to allow this.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=57410
Good luck.

[Paulatic]

"Safety breakaways" are those plastic triangular mounts on the mudguard stays? None on this bike, but I think I have a pair. Would they shift the bottom of the mudguard away from the tyre a bit?
I doubt they’ll alter the distance significantly but they could definitely save you from injury. They’ll be better on the bike than In a drawer.
Colin is right about your canti set up see what they are like after getting the guard in the right place before changing.

[slowster]

1. The curve of the front mudguard suggests it might possibly be designed for a smaller wheel. If so, replace it with a proper 26" mudguard and get one that has two stays either side, e.g. like these 65mm silver Bluemels https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b0s80p38 ... -Mudguards, or the 60mm or 53mm black versions https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/mudguards/2 ... -26-black/. You would probably need to measure the clearance between the fork blades, because it might be too narrow for the widest mudguards (although the plastic can be filed away or heated and softened to make it fit). The Bluemels mudguards come with a safety release on the front stays.

The other possibility is that the mudguard is bent slightly out of shape because the single stay is too short. If there is sufficient material to the eyelet of the single stay and the end of the eyelet does not protrude in a way that would catch on it, you might be able to fit a Secuclip (https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b0s190p3 ... lips-3-4mm), which would increase the effective stay length by several millimetres, but it looks like you need more extra clearance than that. A new front mudguard with two stays would be better.

2. The Problem Solvers Fender Flute, which Spa sell (https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m19b0s190p3 ... nder-Flute), is the only adapter of which I am aware, but it is designed to fit flush against the internal surface of a 1 1/8" steerer tube. Your bike has what looks like a 1" threaded steerer, so the Fender Flute might not fit inside the steerer, and will not be a good fit if it does.

3. A long mudguard bracket with an exposed open slot (uncovered by a large washer) is likely not to last as long as a bracket without an exposed slot.

4. The visible gap will probably look less with wider mudguards linked above, and even with the standard bracket fitted will probably not look so incongruous. I have a 65mm bluemels front mudguard, and the bracket is 28mm tall (measured to the top of the slot).

5. Cantilever brakes look like they have straddle cables far too high, with consequent poor mechanical advantage. Full size v brakes would probably provide better clearance for the mudguard, but I would check that that the boss spacing is the wider 83mm suited to v brakes (see this post of Brucey's for further explanation and detail - viewtopic.php?p=1206455#p1206455).

[KM2]

How about bending a piece of steel plate into a u shape of the correct size to fit either side of the fork crown and bolt it to the mudguard where the old crown attachment is at present. You could pop rivet but a couple of cheap stainless bolts would be more secure.

[Bice]

Here is a better shot of the cantilever brakes. Any ideas for getting the mudguard lower gratefully received: the crown tube is open above the mudguard (ie a large hole).

Re the cantilever set up, I am not sure the cable is any higher than when I first got this and it did not have mudguards. Of course, that could mean if was not right in the first place. I think V-brakes would be an improvement, not least as I have small XTR brake levers that don't lend themselves to heaving on a brake.

(Any suggestions where you can get metal adapters that would be useful for all sorts of attachments - that is not a bike shop selling something very basic for £16 or whatever?)

[NUKe]

you drop the height with a piece of Meccano or a short piece of metal with appropriate holes drilled to the right height

[Jdsk]

I'd start by adding an extension down from the current mounting hole to put the mudguard where you want it, as suggested above. That might be usefully stiffer if it had pieces both in front of and behind the fork.

Then I'd do something with the other mudguard stays to get the spacing how you want it.

And then I'd look again at the brakes with that extra clearance now available.

Jonathan

[Bice]

Fender extender https://www.deporvillage.net/sks-univer ... nder-black or make your own.
I can’t quite tell from that picture but have you got safety breakaways on those stays?

I think the postage on this item is a bit steep:

[PH]

The Problem Solvers Fender Flutes are very nice, I have one on a bike. On another bike I had a piece of plastic tubing shoved up inside the fork, with a wrap of gaffa tape to make it a tight fit, held in place by the bolt that would go through holding the reflector and the guard was on it's usual bracket attached to the tube. It was as good and as neat as the flute, at a fraction of the price.
Re brakes, yes they'll be improved by lowering the yoke, how much better is debatable, but certainly better. It may well have been that high when new, I suspect it would also have had bigger tyres. Without guards the reflector bracket was useful to catch a broken cable, the guards now serve that purpose.

[slowster]

A variation on PH's DIY 'Flender Flute' would be a short piece of aluminium 7/8" tube (to fit the 22.2mm internal diameter of the steerer tube). Drill one hole for the fork crown bolt and another for the mudguard bracket bolt. Use a hacksaw to remove enough of the bottom part of the tube diametrically opposite the hole for the mudguard bracket bolt, in order to be able use a small socket on the bolt or nut inside the tube.

If you have an old quill stem that is no longer serviceable, you could use the shaft from that. Otherwise the length of tube needed would amount to no more than a waste offcut (if you can identify someone in your area that sells that size of tube), but you can buy short lengths as well, e.g.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aluminium-Tubi ... B083J6MSR7