unkchunk

Okay I was planning to do this today, but before I drill, I wanted to get a second opinion. Other people's mud flaps show more room between the end of the fender and the mounting bracket. I was planning to drill at the red dots, but is that too close to the rivets? If I drill lower, am I too close to the end of the fender? I figure I can put this off to the weekend before I drill where the red dots are.

Oh, if there is any reason I should use a regular drill bit, maybe you could throw in a alternative recomendation as well. Otherwise, next wekend I'm jumping in with both feet.

chennai

I know it's not drilling, but I just use zip ties around the struts. Has worked fine for over a year.

jcm

The following is what I've done to my Trek 830. Lots of clearance on this bike.

Do this and ye shall not fail:

Front Fender:
I used thin, cheap stair tread from Lowes or Home Depot. Don't forget to use matching washers on the inside or the mat'l will strip off the rivets.

Cut your flap mat'l to be twice the width of the fender. That will leave about 7/8ths" hanging out each side. Seems like a lot but it won't be that bad when you're done because it will cup/curve forward, and you will have first class water/grit deflection. Unless it's actualy raining, as opposed to wet streets, my bike and shoes remain dry as a popcorn fart.

1)Cut your length to go from 10 o'clock all the way to within 2" of the ground. Yes, start way up.
2)Drill your first hole dead-center about 1/2" from the top. Do not rivet yet!
3)Drop about 1" and place a rivet 3/8" from each edge. See NOTE below.
4)Push the mat'l into the fender as you work down, keeping it tight to the inside curve, and place another rivet in the center about 3" from the top.
5)Another two rivets on the edges like before.
6)Continue until you're at the bottom. Just keep working the mat'l into the curve of the fender so it will approximate the inside shape.

You may have some buckling at the edges. I just snipped those places with a scissors to relieve the pressure.

Don't worry about hitting the flap at curbs and such. It's very flexible and tough.

Rear Fender:
Do what you have illustrated. It'll be fine. Just make the fender terminate about 6" to 8" from the ground.

NOTE:It's awkward trying to fit, hold and drill the mat'l. Best to use a wooden block or something to drill into. Drill thru from the inside, thru the flap and fender together. If you have an awl, stick it thru the hole to keep things aligned while you drill the second hole and rivet it first. Once you 've done this, the rest is not nearly so clumsy.

Why the hassle over the front? because that's where the majority of road gunk comes from. Ordinary flaps are a joke. They neither protect you or the driveworks. The crap needs to be channeled off the tire and down the chute. All the flaps I have seen on available set-ups only serve to drive the water around the sides and back at you and your bike.

The exagerated length blocks the tangent point of the spray (roostertail) before it gets to your BB and chainrings.

I've worked out a shape for the rear fender where it terminates at the BB as well. Sort of a skirt that doesn't really show up much. It works for keeping the rear tire from spraying the BB from that end. The reason I did that is because I also have a large brake down there and I like to try and keep it clean.

Thus sayeth The Mudflap Meister.

Michel Gagnon

Mine are shown here.

Basically, I use two zip ties and one of these goes through the unused hole in the bracket. The zip ties are vertically aligned on top of eachother and each hole is about 1 cm apart. (Once in a while I need a third zip tie to perfectly align the mudflap; the rear one is trickier to install because it is much longer.).

I never drill the existing rivets.

In terms of fitting, I make my mudflaps way too long so they drag on the floor. Once installed on the bike, I cut them to about 3 or 4 inches off the ground... just high enough to clear speed bumps. With a child in tow, the rear mudflap is also very useful.

BeTheChange

Well, I took the plunge and clipped off the rivets on the front fender of my freddy fenders. Tomorrow I'll get some stair tread and some rivets (and not to forget the washers) and make myself a mudflap that actually works.

The only problem after that is that on my LHT the front fender rides too high over the wheel so it can spray forward then come back at me. I think I'll just put the front rack on to solve this but I'm not sure what I could do if this doesn't work. Another mud flap?

Old Dirt Hill

I too have simply punched holes in my mudflaps and then ziptied them to the holes in the brackets (the same holes that the rod that attaches to the bike use). I'm not super happy with this solution as it allows the mudflap to fly crazy in the wind (I used clear placemats for my mudflap material of choice).

I think I'm going to try to weave some coathanger into the mudflap in order to make them stand still, although I'm already sure that I won't be happy with the way it looks. I'll add that I attached the flaps on the outside of the fenders because I have my fenders as close to the wheel as possible and there simply isn't very much room for them to be mounted on the inside.

I've seen individuals attach reflectors and the like to the mudflap itself, and I could probably do that in order to keep them hanging more vertically, although once again, I'm not sure I'll be happy with the results.

I'll post some pictures later today if I get around to it.

unkchunk

Thanks for the replies. I'm already sold on the concept of long as possible front mud flaps, having noticed the water breaking off on a tangent during hurricane Katrina. Also a widening flair to compensate for spray from counter steering. And from some photo examples, was starting to lean to a zip tie attachment because it would be easiest to remove or replace.

Last week the apartment maintence guy was replacing some anti slip rubber stair mats so I got four steps to experiment with. I have Freddy Fenders on my old 26" bike and their mud flaps are just a visual aesthetic device. But there is plenty of room between the end of the fender and the mounting bracket to drill and it's all plastic. My new 700 bike's SKS fenders have hardly any room between the mounting bracket and the end. That's what had me a little worried.

jcm

The photos on this thread show good common sense. Zip ties work as well as my riveted solution. I just won't be removing mine because it rains here year-round. It's the shape and size that counts for water/grit deflection and these guys have done exactly what I have done.

The problem with the front fender spraying back (off the front edge) is because of the fact that they typically don't extend beyond 12 o'clock. Check out ANT bicycles. They use a retro French style fender that extends to about 1 O'clock. This helps alot. I believe Gilles Bertoud also uses these - he is French, of course. The beauty is that you may be able to rotate your fender forward to simulate this without paying the big bucks for hammered aluminum or stainless. Check to see if your crown clip slides. Just add more flap to the rear end to compensate.

chicbicyclist

Don't they sell SKS specific mudflaps/mudguards at wallbike? I don't know if its a standard size, but would like to know anyway, I'm planning on replacing my fenders and get a SKS one.

ETA: Here's the website: https://www.wallbike.com/fenders.html

HiYoSilver

hey, thanks for the sks flap link. I haven't added any because I wanted them to look nice.
Now to decide if I want to take the plunge.

marqueemoon

I drilled directly through each fender and used short stainless bolts with a nylon washer on each side. I attached the mudflaps on the inside of the fender.

ponchotempest

I did the same thing with an old inner tube and a short length of bent 1/4" threaded rod (instead of a coat hanger). I used rubber cement too, cus i dont trust my own uber sewing skills.


Attached as such:

jcm

That's some serious Battlebikin'!! BTW, those washers really are called fender washers!
I have a guy coming over next week to show me how to post picture to BF. You're all gonna gag!