Fitting mudguards

[3narf]

...What a palaver! I bet cycle shops just love doing that job...



They are SKS ones that Halfords had on offer for £12, so I can't complain.

 

[Mo1959]

...What a palaver! I bet cycle shops just love doing that job...



They are SKS ones that Halfords had on offer for £12, so I can't complain.

I think I would have trimmed a bit off the front stays. They look like they would catch your toes if you were pedalling whilst turning sharply??

 

[3narf]

I didn't realise they could be trimmed!

I will, for deffo. Thanks!

 

[Mo1959]

I didn't realise they could be trimmed!

I will, for deffo. Thanks!

They are usually pretty tough to cut so you will need decent bolt cutters or a good hacksaw blade. Worth it to have the ends a bit neater though. Watch your eyes as the bits are inclined to ping everywhere

 

[Bodhbh]

Fixing mudguards has to be the most faffy and least sexy job on a bike. Least sexy, as it's not like at the end you'll be trying out some new bit of kit that may improve your ride. You either won't notice or will fill worst..well, apart from the wet arse.

They are usually pretty tough to cut so you will need decent bolt cutters or a good hacksaw blade. Worth it to have the ends a bit neater though. Watch your eyes as the bits are inclined to ping everywhere

A bought some bolt cutters purely for this hateful job. It makes the final cutting down much easier than trying to cut 8 wobbly stays with a small hacksaw.

 

[Dan B]

I filed mine halfway through then snapped the ends off. Much quicker than hacksawing, although I do suspect my hacksaw blade of being blunt

 

[3narf]

I filed mine halfway through then snapped the ends off. Much quicker than hacksawing, although I do suspect my hacksaw blade of being blunt

What he said!

 

[Wooliferkins]

Bought a pair of fencing pliers for the workshop specifically for this

 

[compo]

Cutting stays, Dremel is your friend. Wether it is worth investing in one for a one off use is open to question but it's one of those tools that you'll wonder how you got on without one.

 

[3narf]

Now I've done one commute with the mudguards I can provide a bit of feedback.

Horrible!

OK, I shouldn't have changed more than one thing at once; I had the back wheel trued & I also put on a new back tyre, but I'm assuming the weave is due to the mudguards.

Does this sound plausible? It's an oscillation around the headset at about 1Hz, reminiscent of a motorbike with worn or too tight head bearings, or a squared off back tyre or a combination thereof. It only really manifests itself after getting a bit of speed up

I guess the effect is more pronounced with it having short chainstays; I doubt if a long-wheelbase touring bike would be affected at all.

I'll have to wait for a wet day to see if the benefit of having a dry backside outweighs the above!

 

[sreten]

Hi,
It doesn't sound plausible bike handling issues are due to mudguards.
rgds, sreten,

 

[3narf]

Hi,
It doesn't sound plausible bike handling issues are due to mudguards.
rgds, sreten,

Hahaha! You're right, too!

It turned out to be the bracket that attaches to the through-bolt on the front caliper, which was just fouling on the bottom head bearing cup.

On the way to work this morning I noticed a constant creaking and squeaking, even more persistent than that which comes from my cheapo Shimano shoes. As soon as I realised it increased when I wobbled the handlebars I knew what it was. It just needed a few miles to displace the grease on the bearing cup & cause the squeak.

I thought I'd spaced it out sufficiently with nylon washers but obviously they compress slightly when the nut is done up.

Anyway, it's sorted now; I could have put another washer in there but I elected to bend the bracket with a pair of pliers. Quicker, see!

Bike is great now, once again, and I can hardly tell it has mudguards (which it won't in the spring!)