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So called because the language you use when fitting is "blue". Ahaha.
Two bloody days it took me to install these on my hybrid, after *four* years of putting it off. Jesus H Christ on a crutch they're a faff, and my bike is a standard issue 90s MTB frame repurposed as a hybrid (Marin Muirwoods) so they fit fairly easily too.
To anyone considering fitting these, save yourself the bother and either get your LBS to do it, or find a friend who has suffered once and so knows how to fit them.
I did exactly that after having a nightmare when previously fitting some to another bike. Last week I took my bike to the local bike shop where the fella said that he would fit them for £5. Bargain I thought until I picked the bike up on Saturday morning to find the biggest mess of a mudguard I had ever seen. The front stays had been to the rack mounts on the forks and the rear ones to a combination of rack and mudguard mounts. Both front and back guards were not fitted parallel to the wheel. So beware that your LBS may find them as problematic as the rest of us. A new pair are on order and I will try to fit the others to the kid's bike.
Didn't have any bother fitting mine, just needs a bit of patience (as do most things bike related)
Didn't have any bother with mine, but the end dropped off the rear one a bit back, they're not that strong. It's a lot like truing a wheel.
Fitting mudguards is how bike shop owners punish their mechanics... 🙂
Prof mechanic here. I won't fit mudguards, there's no way to do it for a price that the customer will pay.
Happy to do family bikes, and it does get easier.
APF
I fitted these last week & feel your pain. It's the worst bit of bike spannering I've ever done. In the end I threw the instructions away as they are clearly wrong. They suggested fitting the front guard securing thingy behind the fork?! The text doesnt even match the drawings in the instructions. Complete joke. Anyway I was going to post some photos of how I managed it but never got round to it, away now with work so will have to wait unfortunately.
The key I found was the little black plastic bits that the wire supports sit in. I cut the very tops off with a Stanley blade. This way you can slide the wires through, get the perfect fit and tighten the little grub screws. Then you can cut the excess wire that's poking through do they are flush. Once I did this it was dead easy.
Ps be careful not to ping one of those screws across your garage...1 whole hour searching on my knees with a torch to find that little ba***rd!
Glad I'm not alone! It's certainly something that gets easier with experience, the front went on in a fraction of the time it took me to figure out the rear.
Oh and to anyone reading this and still going to have a go, Evans have a good video on their youtube channel with the basics in. It does make it look like you'll be about ten minutes fitting them, so I'd love to see the outtakes for that...
It's not that hard. Although I did admittedly trim all of the wire stays, and chopped one off completely as it interfered with the front brake. And drill the rear for the seat stay brace attachment. They're still rock solid.
In summary, I bought the wrong thing, ignored the instructions and modified them to fit. 45mins. 🙂
I cannot recall how long it took to fit mine but they've been on for years with no adjusting or faff. Unlike the Raceblades I once had the misfortune to own. Fit in moments but look at them wrong and they'd rub the tyre.
One of lifes pleasures .
I guess i have the "knack"
I refitted my SKS P65 Chromoplastics to my 26" commute/ht last week - I call it XC-Ready. Chromoplastics are similar to Bluemels and fitting them to suspension forks is so so much fun.
10/10 will do it next year.
Ha ha yes nightmare to fit took me 2 hours and still rub every now and then.