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Refitting a front SKS mudguard with adjustable stays.
It keeps on rubbing on the tyre so far. I can’t seem to get the arch’s where the stays attach to space out evenly on both sides of the tyre.
The tyre is within spec for the mudguard size.
Any tips before I start making more unnecessary work for myself?
- Make sure each guard is straight before you fit them.
- Make sure the metal stay brackets are symmetrical when looking from below. Bend with pliers where necessary (it usually is necessary).
- Make sure the stays are straight in all directions before fitting.
- Tighten the bolts on the frame/fork mounts fully before tightening the nuts on the stays.
- Tighten each pair of stay nuts incrementally (as you would with stem bolts) whilst holding the guard in position. At the rear, make sure you fix the pair nearest the seatstay bridge first.
If its a chromoplastic with stainless stays then i usually try to get everything as symmetric as possible while loose and then tighten fix in place. Sometimes the guards themselves twist and twisting them very hard the other way may or may not help. Adjustment by bending the stays may or may not help. Adjusting by offsetting where the guards attach to the stays may or may not help.
It pivots from the brake arch, where clearance is at the most minimal. Rubbing is almost always a wider tyre just touching at that point. A small misalignment left or right can be all it takes for rubbing. Be sure to get as much vertical clearance under the fork or rear stay arch as you can. And of course symmetry. Measure with a tape measure the stay lengths. Generally it’s hard to get a continuous even radial clearance all the way round, so focus on the bridge area first and go from there down.
Try to work round all the bolts/ fixings equally rather than tightening one side first. The torque of the bolt can easily twist alignment away from straight.
Go for a gritty ride and then take the wheel out and have a look to see exactly where it’s rubbing. Adjust for a little more clearance at that part of the mudguard.
– Make sure the metal stay brackets are symmetrical when looking from below. Bend with pliers where necessary (it usually is necessary).
Yeah that’s what’s turned out to be the problem. But given the way the rest of my bike maintenance has gone today I just bodged it all back together.
Thanks for the tips everyone.
Have you tried soaking it in hot water?
A hairdryer can be useful for setting the natural position of Chromoplastic (or any thermoplastic) guards or persuading more clearance from them around a brake.
