tarwheel 

I agree with the OP completely. I've got a set of SKS Longboards on one of my bikes and will never buy them again. Once installed they work fine, but they were a major hassle to install. I probably spent 2 hours in all. In contrast, my Planet Bike Cascadias took about 15 minutes to install. Both are functionally identical once installed, so why go thru all hassle with SKS fenders? Very poor design from an installation standpoint.

AlmostTrick

Installing any fenders is fun.

DiabloScott

Different types of fenders sometimes work better for different kinds of bikes. For my fixed gear with long reach caliper brakes and all the right attachment points it was easy. Maybe if you have cantilevers or V-brakes or disk brakes they'd be a bigger hassle.

Brett A

Hi again. I'm the guy who woke this thread up a couple days ago.

I found the source of my frustration this morning when I checked the size against a 700c wheel. Sure enough, these are P50 (also measure 50mm across). The package was mislabeled.

The white-tired wheel in the photo is a 700c, the other is the 26" from my Disc Trucker.

Fortunaely, I bought them from Amazon, so they will be easy to return. Now I just need to decide to order antoher set og P55 and hope that's what i get, or just go w/Planet Bikes

frankenmike 

If you want the fenders to be a (semi)permanent component for your bike, go with the sks. I know there are avid pb fans/users out there, but I am solidly in the sks camp after having used both for daily commute year round- in New England winters. Installation takes time, but keep in mind these are quality components designed to last many many years.
Also, in regards to mudflaps, the best ones ime are custom built for your ride.

AlmostTrick

As I read your original post, I was thinking this had to be your problem. Sorry you had to find out the hard way(!) but glad you got it figured out.

Brett A

Hi again.

Back in post 54, I realized the SKS P55s I was trying to install were sized for 700c, not 26 inch. I sent them back, and after another week or so, reordered them just to see. The second set were the same; too big to fit a 26" application, so those went back too.

I won't go too far into it here, b/c it would be a bit off topic, but I ended up installing a set of Zefal Paragon fenders that had been on my old commuter for at least 12 years. I wasn't going to reuse them on my new tourer as they'd seen plenty of salty winter commutes and have obvious stress areas where the plastic had whitened. But I had them already and i knew they would fit, so I went ahead.

The Paragons mounted firmly and don't shake or rattle. And except for the break-away in the front and the fiddly little black things at the struts, they mount the exact some way as the Longboards, They don't have an aluminum spine embedded in them, and I'm not sure they are as long as the Logboards. But I'd already fitted a mudflap to the front at least.

These Paragons have already endured many hard winters without cracking, that means they will either last forever, or will break tomorrow. Time will tell.

I would recommend them if they are still made to the quality of these 12 year old examples. (That's an "if").

So, all this to say, I've given up on trying to get SKS Longboards that will fir my 26" LHT/Disc Trucker.

simmonsgc

Hi all--

I'll chime in here...as I've been corresponding with Brett off-list.

My current working theory is that there is NO SUCH THING as a P55 fender that is radiused for a 26 in tire. Between the two of us, Brett and I have order three, count 'em, three sets, and all were for a 700c wheel. If anyone has a set of P55's that actually fit a 26 in. wheel, please post a pic! And we're talking fit here...not taco folding a 700c fender down around a 26 in. wheel, or mounting it 2 inches away to cheat the radius. Maybe if one wants SKS fenders in silver, the only way to go is the B60? Anyone got any feedback on those? I'm an inch away from just ordering the VO 26's, though I really didn't want aluminium fenders for my current project.

Thanks!

Tim_Iowa

The SKS P65 fender is designed for 26 x 2.1" and bigger tires. They fit a 2.35" Super Moto tire, if your bike has enough clearance.

However, it's a super wide fender, and overkill for anything narrower than 2.1".

fietsbob

As the Chromoplast is a Thermo plastic a Heat Gun can make it hot enough to re shape the radius.

Maybe drape it iside a Wald steel mudguard while soft and let it cool in it.

Y ea I Know this is primarily a shopping crowd not into experimentation. ..

simmonsgc

Nah, it's not that for me. I'm a C&Ver hack who is fine with 'sperimentin. But dang, don't label your fender as distinctly for 26 in. wheels (as opposed to others that are distinctly labeled for 700c)...when that's not the radius. Who knows, maybe it was just a mixed-up or mislabeled run. That's the one thing with alu or SS fenders, you can easily spread or pinch along the spine to quickly get that perfect line. I'd still like to know if anyone has P55's that fit as labeled. I'm running 1.5 x 26 a dropbar MTB conversion, and don't really need 60 or 65mms of fender this time.

fietsbob

MY Koga WTR came from the assembly OEM with SKS Mudguards (55 wide) Its got 26" wheels ..

WB Bicycle Gallery: Robert Clark's Koga Miyata WTR [Functionista, I May not be OCD on perfect line]

You can also use Wald mudguards as a Mold
to lay up some carbon fiber Mudguards for More DIY.

Marcus_Ti

Yea....my Longboards have since been binned. The mudflap on the front fender caused the metal fender-stay bridge to metal fatigue after a few hundred miles and go kaputski. For a semi-permanent fender install, something more rigid and less fatigue prone is warranted, IMHO.

I ended up with the Velo-Orange.

For the amount of trouble the SKS "thermoplastic" fenders are, and considering you can get real durable fenders for not much more, my personal verdict is a "pass".

fietsbob

Like I said on Pg1 my set from the 70's is still in service , But I have no Idea of how Abusive you are to yours..

as I read here sub zero temperatures in the Mid west are not compatible with many Plastic products.

CliftonGK1

Sounds like you got the measuring part figured out, but not the easy way to install the retaining hardware for the struts to the fender...

- measure and mark the stays, remove from bike, cut. Do not reinstall
- install those black protective caps on fenders
- mount retaining hardware without struts attached to fender; no tension, no worries of flinging a bit of hardware anyplace
- the measured stays should be near enough to correct to reinstall the eyelet hardware and attach to the bike now
- make your final centering adjustments to the fender

ModeratedUser17082018

Sorry to re-awaken an old thread, but maybe it's good to keep all the SKS Longboard install info in one thread. Or not.

My question is about using standard bike cable cutters to cut the ends off the SKS fender stays. If this works, it's worth buying good bike cable/housing cutters.

What do you think? Will bike cable cutters trim off the SKS Longboard fender stays?

wschruba

No, they're not built for cutting solid stock...you might get through, but it would be a good way to dull the jaws of the cutter. It would be more appropriate to use small bolt cutters, though the stays are soft enough to get through with 9" side cutters (with a good amount of elbow grease). I would hazard to guess that most home installations use a rotary cut-off wheel, but either of the above tools would work.

Andrew R Stewart 

If you ever are in my work shop and you reach for a cable cutter to trim down a fender stay you better be quick because i'll swat your hand hard.


Cable cutters are for... cutting cables. Not solid hard stainless steel rods twice as thick (which is about 4 times the cross sectional area). It's bad enough the cable cutters wear enough o no longer cut a cable cleanly when only working on bike cables. But to abuse them? No thanks.


I either use a hacksaw or a small bolt cutter. Then I smooth off the raw end, rounding it on a bench grinder or with a file.


I'll add that a well installed SKS fender is a very long lasting device. Andy

Marcus_Ti

Cutting stays is one of the few jobs for which a Dremel mototool with a standard cutting wheel is a great tool.

ModeratedUser17082018

Thanks for the reply. I only asked because I can't afford to buy both tools.

ModeratedUser17082018

Thanks for the reply. Cost of 2 tools is an issue.

ModeratedUser17082018

Thanks for the info. Don't have a Dremel and just looking for cost effective alternatives. My choice is to buy 2 tools (cable cutter and Dremel or bolt cutters) or take it to a bike shop.

Marcus_Ti

Using a cable cutters to cut stays...is exactly like using a chef's knife to pry open paint cans.

For as thin as those stays are (they're basically coat-hanger wire), many common cheapo consumer snips will do the trick. And you'll only wear out a $5 tool instead of damaging a $15 one. If you were talking 5mm rods used on more expensive fenders, then a Dremel would really be necessary.

ModeratedUser17082018

HA! Made me laugh. Point well taken. Thanks.

3alarmer 

...you don't need much of a bolt cutter to do this particular cut. Both Home Depot and Harbor Freight sell some small ones adequate to this job in the 10-15 dollar range. If you use a bike cable cutter for this, it won't cut cables cleanly any more, because you wreck the edge. I think, (but don't know for certain,) that a bike shop is gonna charge more than 15 bucks for a fender mount front and rear.

Edit: you do need some sort of small file to finish the edge. Protect the fender with a rag while you file the sharp edge of the cut stay.