Mudguard woes - what's gone wrong?

[stockni]

Hi everyone, I thought I'd quickly fit a set of SKS Raceblade Long mudguards this evening. It has not worked.

Both guards are easily centred over the tyre but there isn't quite as much adjustability in the stays as I'd thought there would be - so I'm left with quite unsightly gaps around the wheels.

More concerning though is that with the mudguard fitted, neither brake caliper will retract. The guard isn't impeding the brakes as far as I can see. (Bars and levers were removed for cleaning, new cables etc).

I hope the answer is obvious and easy, but what have I done wrong!? Do I need to cut the stays? Is the brake caliper incompatible with a mudguard?

 

[d8mok]

Stays need to be cut to the correct length

Measure twice and cut once though

 

[jim haseltine]

We'd need to see closeups of the brake/mudguard fitting to comment on any possible interference with the calliper action.

 

[Woz]

Stays need to be cut to the correct length

Measure twice and cut once though

I hate mudguards.

By 2022 though is it necessary to cut stays? Won't they push in the black plastic thing once the bolt is loosened - or?

Perhaps RTFM before cutting anything

 

[d8mok]

I truly hate them too.

I had to cut the sks ones I fitted to my winter and mrs’s bikes.

I hate taking them on and off so much that I bought a bike that lives with them on all year

 

[Mod-Master]

Why don’t you get some seatpost and downtube ones? They’re I think same effectiveness but they look ten times cooler. You can get fork ones as well

 

[Woz]

Agree. That frame is not the best for mudguards. I would dread a rear puncture with that set-up.

 

[Betsy]

I truly hate them too.

Me too, i had SKS but replaced them with Honjo's .. they take a good 4 or 5 hours to set them up perfectly but once they're fitted it's a 5min job to take them off/on.

I look fwd to spring when they come off.. just looking at my work bike throgh the winter fills me with feelings of disappointment.

There is one hill i ride down on my way to work and to the left there is a gap between two office blocks which chanels the wind like a funnel.. with narrow bars (to nip through traffic) it's amazing how much the mudguards act like a sail and give me a little wobble when i'm hit with a side gust.

 

[d8mok]

Why don’t you get some seatpost and downtube ones? They’re I think same effectiveness but they look ten times cooler. You can get fork ones as well

They don’t work anywhere near as well. They flap around and only guard maybe 50% off the wet.

Once sks ones are fitted nothing compares. I rode my winter road bike 3-4 times a week Oct-March and never washed it and it was still clean (ish)

 

[Mod-Master]

I sacrifice effectiveness for cool