Mudguards

[RogerT]

My Dawes Audax, ( 2002 Vintage ) came fitted with mudguards as standard .  I can not see a brand name on them.

They are driving me mad with all the rattling and creaking that comes from the stays and clips where they secure to the brake bridges. 

Adjusting/fettling stops it for a while but it always returns. Obviously taking them of also stops it, but that is not really a solution !!

HAs anyone any definitive experience of the SKS chromplastic guards ( not raceblades )  Do they rattle

Any info gratefully received.

[Polar Bear]

Mine used to work loose and rattle.  I put a dab of threadlock on before I tightened up last time.  Two years and blissful silence ...

Interestingly, it was the crown / bridge mounts that used to work loose.  The stay mounts seemed fine.

[Charlotte]

SKS mudguardsguards (unlike their raceblades, which are awful), when properly fitted, do not rattle. 

I have them on all my 'guarded bikes and with the exception of the 'bent, I've fitted them all myself.

Take your time, follow the instructions and you'll soon be in silent bliss 

[Chris N]

I've found that the rear brake bridge mount can come loose on SKS guards but it's an easy fix - just squeeze the bent-metal holder with pliers where it wraps round the edge of the guard so it grips the plastic tighter.  Otherwise, no prombles.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Rattle-free SKS here too.

I use threadlock on the bolts at the mudguard end. The rear brake bridge needs to be crimped on tight; but if the whole guard is set up under a bit of tension to give it a good line around the tyre, even if the brake bridge is a little loose the springiness of the guard keeps the rattles at bay.

[IanDG]

my SKS's are cool have them on 3 bikes and no rattle

[chris]

No problems with SKS here either. We have them on at least eight of our bikes, and none of them rattle.

[Polar Bear]

Mine used to work loose and rattle.  I put a dab of threadlock on before I tightened up last time.  Two years and blissful silence ...

Interestingly, it was the crown / bridge mounts that used to work loose.  The stay mounts seemed fine.

I suppose I should clarify.  Mine are SKS too on all my bikes that have guards.    Mine are all bolted to fork crowns and bridges, none use the bendy metal bits.    It was these bolts that had a tendency to work loose and cause rattling.

[rogerzilla]

The SKS guards on the Frankendale rattle, but I'm running a 30mm tyre in 35mm guards, they're 700c guards on 26" wheels and the roads round here are rough.

The last rear guard lasted six months then ripped in half at the seatstay bridge.

[bobb]

Take your time, follow the instructions

Follow the instructions? Blokes DO NOT read instructions!

Which probably explains why their mudguards rattle 

[Ivo]

Mudguards ofgen need a bit of adapting and bodging for a perfect fit. Drililng out the brake bolt hole at the front mudguard increases your tyre clearance. Don't hesitate to chop the top part of the L formed metal strip of. For this job and for shortening the stays a Dremel (or a Dremel copy) is an excellent tool. Especially if you replace the standard angle grinding blades for more serious ones.

[chillmoister]

I have SKS guards on the Thorn and my Ridgeback Hack bike ......they look great and don't rattle but I did find it a real fiddly hassle fitting them both times ...nothing to do with SKS but jutt mudguards in general I think.  Also you need some mighty strong croppers to cut the stainless Steel stays down once they are fitted.

[RogerT]

Thanks Chaps ( and Chapesses ) for all your feedback.  I will be ordering a set of SKS in the near future.  I will let you know how I get on.

[bobb]

Thanks Chaps ( and Chapesses ) for all your feedback.  I will be ordering a set of SKS in the near future.  I will let you know how I get on.

Hold your horses R! SKS might be the "Rolls Royce" of mudguards, but at the end of the day, they still bolt to the same places as any other - no matter how cheap.

Ok, a couple of my bikes have SKS guards, but I cannot imagine for one second that any other guard would actually behave any differently!

Tighten the bollocks out of the fittings, make sure everything is funky and away you go.

Edit: The only reason SKS are more expensive (AFAIA) is because they're bomb proof. Unless you throw your bike around on trains and fall off it in the fields when pissed (as I do regularly), they're not really any different to any other.

[RogerT]

Bobb

Good point.  What |I have been trying to establish is whether SKS need constant fettling.  The guards on the bike look like SKS but as a for instance I tightened the rear brake bridge carrier where it clamps on the guard yesterday. This stopped the rattle...for about 6 miles, then it started again.  The carrier seems to be made from cheese !

[Ian H]

Also you need some mighty strong croppers to cut the stainless Steel stays down once they are fitted.

Junior hacksaw, then tidy with a file. Fiddly but neater.

[mark]

I had the rear brake bridge carrier on my SKS fenders/mudguards break a while back, apparently from fatigue. It gouged a hole in my nice Panaracer Pasela 26 x 1.75" tire, ruining the tire. Lots of dirt roads on my Tuscany tour the previous spring may have been the culprit, or maybe I goofed somehow when installing the fenders. These were P65 fenders/mudguards, the widest and heaviest ones SKS makes,which may have something to do with it.

I now have a threaded boss in the brake bridge running perpendicular to the brake bolt hole, and I've drilled a hole in the fender and bolted it straight to the brake bridge. We'll see how that works.

For my money, Gilles Berthoud stainless steel fenders with aluminum stays are of distinctly higher quality than SKS fenders. Had I been able to find a wide enough pair for my 26 x 1.75" tires I would have installed them instead of the SKS I now have.

My candidate for "Rolls Royce of mudguards/fenders" would be the carbon fiber Gilles Berthoud model, as seen here(scroll down).

[nuttycyclist]

Also you need some mighty strong croppers to cut the stainless Steel stays down once they are fitted.

Junior hacksaw, then tidy with a file. Fiddly but neater.

Dremel with cut off disc.

[RogerT]

Nutty

You had a 2002 Dawes Audax ( until it got a bit bent )  Did you have problems with the original mudguards rattling and chattering ?

Have you had it repaired yet ?

[Charlotte]

Also you need some mighty strong croppers to cut the stainless Steel stays down once they are fitted.

Junior hacksaw, then tidy with a file. Fiddly but neater.

Mighty Strong Croppers - Lidl, £3.99

[nuttycyclist]

Nutty

You had a 2002 Dawes Audax ( until it got a bit bent )  Did you have problems with the original mudguards rattling and chattering ?

Have you had it repaired yet ?

Still running the original guards.  No rattling.  (Am on third set of front forks though )

[RogerT]

Removed rear guard bridge and inserted a thin rubber gasket between it and the guard.

Refitted bridge and refitted to bike.

All rattles stopped.  Hurrah !!!!