jerseyJim

Having trouble finding fenders for my Surly LHT.

I have 26" wheels and currently running 26"x1.75" Continental Contacts. I would prefer black metal but at this point will settle for any quality fender that will cover a 26"x1.75" tire and fit into the 2-5/16" fork clearance. Anybody use a 700c fender on their 26" wheels? Will that work? Thanks for the help.

seeker333

SKS 26x65 will work. SKS fenders can be found many places. All of them are polycarbonate, some have an Al laminate sandwiched in the polycarbonate for increased rigidity, available in silver or black.

No one makes regular size black metal fenders AFAIK (Wald has black 26x80mm), you'd have to buy regular silver Al or SS fenders and paint them desired color. Velo Orange sells excellent metal fenders in complete DIY kits, and free shipping >$100 till 1.1.13.

Properly sized 700c fenders normally would not be a good match fit-wise for 26" wheels, both width-wise and diameter-wise, although it is possible to bend metal fenders to alter their original shape.

jerseyJim

Hey thanks for reply. Unfortunately none of those options will fit on the Surly. The gap on the front fork is 2-5/16" or about 59mm. So I need a fender 58mm or less that will still cover a 1.75" tire which is about 45mm. So I figure between 50 and 58mm wide. I haven't been able to find anything that meets these requirements and was hoping somebody here has a solution.

Thanks again!

Lasse

You could bend the front fender a tiny bit in between the forks or file off some material to fit 60mm fenders.

ClemY

VeloOrange has 60 mm aluminum fenders. They could be bent/indented slightly to fit.

https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...5&material=211

jerseyJim

Thanks!

A 60mm fender is my fallback solution. I'd prefer something that fits correctly.

fietsbob

I have gapped front mudguards , cutting at the L bracket, then making another one,
to affix to the other portion, to attach to the front of the fork..
a cork plugs the bottom of the steerer tube.
a little notch lets condensation out.

seeker333

They all fit on my LHTs, OP. 60s will rub on chainstays, I protect the powdercoat with 2 bits of protective inner tube rubber.

You could trim the large fenders a bit with a file or rasp so there is no interference, or just limit tire size to 45mm and move down to SKS 55mm fenders. These definitely will fit, they're in my garage on LHT now.

Either way, any of the linked fenders can be made to fit LHTs; I have fit both SKS and VO to mine.

Fender installation requires the installer to exercise a little judicious shimming, bending, spacing, cutting, filing, etc to achieve a professional-looking result. Hardly any of them are ever simply bolt-on.

Your comments suggest you a virgin fender-er.

Thulsadoom

It were me I'd just use regular old Planet Bike Hardcore 45mm fenders designed for 700c wheels. They'd catch everything that comes off those 1.75 tires.

fietsbob

True, most water comes off the center of the tire, as the wheel spins.. highest point.

12bar

My Trucker has 26" wheels and I went with Woody's Fenders they are pricy but fit perfect and are unique.

tdister

I have the Planet Bike Full ATB fenders (60mm) on mine and would buy the same thing tomorrow, if need be.

They do touch the fork but it's just a kiss. No flexing the fenders, no rattles and the powdercoat looks great at point of contact (just checked). I'm fairly picky too.

https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Fr.../dp/B000RYBGKM

No mudflaps and the logos come off easily. I can take a picture in a few if you're interested

EDIT: I just checked and, after playing for a few seconds, there is about a hairs-width of clearance between fender and fork on both sides. just enough for a post-it note to not get jammed. I doubt it will stay like this after a ride but they are pretty well a perfect fit.

Louis

Here's my 52cm LHT, 26x1.50 tires,with SKS P-45 fenders. There is about 10mm remaining space from fender edge to fork and slightly less at the seatstays. I'm guessing a slightly wider fender (for your 1.75 tires) would fit. The P-45's were easy to "persuade" into shape to fit a 26" fender-line by tightening the stays slightly.

jerseyJim

Thanks for all the great responses! Sounds like the best wy to go s to by 60mm wide fenders and modify tham slightly. I will certainly conside allyou seuggestions. Thanks again!

iforgotmename

Not metal but they fit on my LHT https://www.woodysfenders.com/store/

cmill189

Planet Bike Cascadia, I swear by these fenders. I have a skinny pair on my commuter and the ATB's on my Trucker. They fit perfectly between the fork and seat stays. they also hug a set of Big Apples quite nicely.

Scooper

I've got Gilles Berthoud stainless fenders on my road bike (700c x 25 tires), and the fender line is perfect. Berthoud has them in 26" (40mm, 50mm, and 60mm widths) and 650 (50mm width) sizes.

https://www.wallbike.com/berthoud/fen...-steel-fenders

enigmaT120

Scooper, how much clearance do you have between your fenders and tires? It looks great. Peter White's people told me they reccomend something like 18 mm clearance, as I was looking at their 700 x 60 mm to go on my Fargo with the 700 x 50 mm tires. Do you go on gravel and stuff where you have to worry about something getting lodged in between the fender and tire?

Scooper

The fenders are currently off the bike, so I can't measure the clearance. However, the tires are 700c x 25 and the fenders are 40mm wide (33mm inside rolled lip to rolled lip), and I've never had anything get lodged between the fenders and tires. I ride mostly on hard pavement with occassional rides on p-gravel MUPs.

jerseyJim

Hey thanks all for the advice. I decided on SKS P65's. They are a little tight around the tubus cargo rack and the front fender but they deformed nicely and fit snug and secure. Excellent hardware and fasteners and they went on easy. Haven't ridden with them yet. Here are some shots. Thanks again all.

LeeG

Looks great, I used P55 on my LHT, plenty of room for 2.0 tires and 1.75 studded tires.

juggleaddict

planet bike cascadias on my 26" trucker. That's as low as they go without modifications to the metal brackets. That's with conti contact 1.6 tires.

LeeG

JerseyJim, if you are ever considering a front platform rack the OldManMtn Sherpa fits perfectly on the top dropout eyelet once you remove the hub hardware from the bottom of the rack. It's kind of a pricey rack but it doesn't weigh much and with four attachments with p-clamps, mid fork and brake bosses, it's a very solid setup.

https://www.oldmanmountain.com/Pages/...rontRacks.html

When using front panniers I slid them back as far as they could go with gorilla tape protecting the panniers where they rubbed on the cantilever brakes but have since switched to linear brakes so it's no longer an issue.
Low riders sit too low on 26" wheels for my taste so this is a good compromise.

dbg

I'm installing the P55's on my 88-trek-850 build now. DON'T anybody get the blackburn 26 x 45mm. There's no way they would fit around my 26x1.5 tires without offsetting them by several inches (which looked stupid) to avoid the support bar holders (that would certainly pinch even smaller tires). I didn't return them because they MIGHT fit my 650bx32mm conversion project (or I will attempt to bend/distort them).

jerseyJim

Update... Back in January I put sks P65's on my girlfriends Surly LHT. Based on the results and the suggestions above I put P55's on my Surly. I have 1.75" Continental Contact tires. They fit better than the 65's. If anybody wants fenders on their Surly LHT I can recommend the SKSP55's wholeheartedly.



Here is a picture of the 55's installed.

In a side note at the same time I ordered a Nitto M12 front rack not realizing that they are not supposed to fit Surlys. I was able to twist the brake boss mounts so they fit and the rack is on nice and snug. So anyone looking for a nice little front rack I can suggest the Nitto M12.