I want to bolt a mudguard with a right angle fitting to forks similar to the ones in the image below - presumably with a bolt straight through. What's the best way to do it without damaging the paint?
Is there some kind of rubberised bolt & washers or some clever technique to avoid paint harm?
Black arrow points that the un-threaded hole in the top of the fork legs:
It occurs to me I *could* just bolt through the 'rear' hole which would be out of sight and no doubt would be strong enough, but there's a lot of sense in fixing the mudguard further forward to protect the fork post itself.
I've not seen any, tape/inner tube?
Fitting to the rear gives more coverage for you.
go to your local plumbing / DIY / hardware store and they will have some rubber washers or you could get some concave metal washers that sit flush with the curve of the steerer tube. Or just put some tape over the hole and punch a hole in it for the bolt.
You might lose a bit of stability if you only bolt through the rear hole, which would increase the risk of paint damage. Washers with bits of trimmed inner tube up against the fork, should protect the paint
Thanks all, glad I wasn't missing a trick, should be able to concoct something along the lines you're all suggesting.