CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Questions/Support/Help

Mudguards

(19 posts)
  • Started 8 years ago by tk
  • Latest reply from wingpig
  • This topic is not resolved

No tags yet.


  1. tk
    Member

    Can anyone recommend an alternative mudguard to the SKS range? I'm now on my third set of 28mm compatible SKS Commuter mudguards in as many years and they keep cracking.

    I'd like something that will last a bit longer than a single season if it exists!

    Posted 8 years ago #
  2. Vavert. Holding on nicely for me (only time one broke was when a saddlebag was resting on it and I hadn't noticed). I think they have a better range of colours too (mine are brown to match the Sahara Latte bike).

    Posted 8 years ago #
  3. chdot
    Admin

    "Sahara Latte"

    (Not beige)

    Posted 8 years ago #
  4. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @Tk I'd say any mudguard with a twin-leg stay would be an improvement. SKS Chromoplastics, or Vaverts. The only mudguards I've had snap on me (twice) were Velo Orange onces and these used a single-leg stay. This leaves too long a portion of the mudguard unsupported and over-flexing on rough roads (i.e anywhere in Edinburgh) which inevitably leads to snapping as the plastic gets more brittle with age.

    The Chromoplastic material also seems quite good at not snapping as it's a multi-layer laminate.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  5. ARobComp
    Member

    what size tyres?

    Posted 8 years ago #
  6. amir
    Member

    I always have a problem with the rear bridge on my sks's. Any solutions?

    Posted 8 years ago #
  7. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I've used SKS since they were ESGE, and the first thing I do with a new set is drill out all the rivets from the brackets and replace with zip ties. Fronts are zip tied to the fork bridge with a spacer made of rubber tube, and rears are zip tied to the chainstay and seatstay bridges using inner tube packing. I also use the rear rack stays as mudguard stays (where possible) for less clutter and more rigidity.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  8. newtoit
    Member

    One of my front stays has snapped, just where it attached to the mudguard. Guard remains attached but now the bit that had a stopper on it is no longer. I'm guessing I caught it on something when getting my bike out.

    My question would be whether it's worth trying to source a spare and get it sorted, or, given it seems to be cosmetic, carry on and see if it dies?

    Posted 8 years ago #
  9. Kim
    Member

    Woodguards! OK, not serious...

    Posted 8 years ago #
  10. amir
    Member

    My rear SKS mudguard is starting to fail again after only 2 years and 7k miles. These a narrow road guards. Again it's at the bridge - where the edges of the chromoplastic meets the bridge pinchy-clamp thing. It hasn't quite failed but it's difficult to get the bridge to support the guard properly so it either vibrates annoyingly or rubs the tyres or both. Seems like a design issue.

    If I get a moment I might investigate an Arellcat-esque solution. The alternative is to get new guards.

    Features in decreasing order of desirability are:

    - fits my Spa audax bike

    - proper protection a la sks full guards

    - well made so doesn't disintegrate over 2 years of commuting and winter cycling and doesn't vibrate annoyingly

    - safety clip things on the front

    - lightweight - i.e. not steel girders

    - black

    Any thoughts?

    Posted 8 years ago #
  11. chdot
    Admin

    Duck tape.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  12. amir
    Member

    As a mudguard? A bit floppy?

    Posted 8 years ago #
  13. wingpig
    Member

    Vavert. SKS bridges fail too easily. Vavert are thick and plasticky. Don't know that they do "black" or "narrow" though. Perhaps get a plasticky Vavert bridge from a spares supplier and wodge something into the slot (rubber tap washer trimmed to the right shape) to keep it at the right height?

    Posted 8 years ago #
  14. amir
    Member

    It's interesting how some online shops have guards in the "components" category and others as "accessories"

    Posted 8 years ago #
  15. chdot
    Admin

    "As a mudguard? A bit floppy?"

    Good for 'fixing' cracks and making mudflaps.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  16. algo
    Member

    I completely agree with Kaputnik about single vs double stay. I have previously used p-clips and rivets to create a new fixing on the mudguard, and bought 3mm stainless rod to make my own mudguard stays - this allows you to make the "eye" which goes round the mount point for the mudguard stay on the frame... bending the stuff is pretty easy. It's pretty cheap.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  17. amir
    Member

    Thanks chdot. If I get time today, I'll operate.

    Has anyone got the narrow Vavert guards to confirm wing pig's observed on the wider ones? Will the sks safety clips transfer to Vavert guards?

    Posted 8 years ago #
  18. Dave
    Member

    I've had good luck re-riveting the bridge onto the guards. Eventually the guard itself falls apart, but the cost isn't enough to bother me (I recently had to replace SWMBO's after ~5 years when the rivets pulled through leaving a big hole)

    Posted 8 years ago #
  19. wingpig
    Member

    It's sort of logical for EBC - they don't sell frames, so their categories are "bikes" and "accessories", even if some of the accessories are components, vital or optional.

    It's not that Vavert don't have a "narrow" size, just that it might not be sleek-road-device narrow like Flinger's 23mm-tyre-hugging felt-brush things. Their "35" size starts looking a touch small with a well-inflated 28mm tyre on it.

    Posted 8 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin