mkeller234

My Lotus is my everyday commuter and errand bike. When I built it I used some SKS fenders that I knew were narrower than they should be. This winter has proven that point as all the slush and gunk has routinely sprayed from the sides of the fenders. Another point of failure was how short the front fenders were and all of the crud that found its way onto the down tube and bottom bracket.

Recently I grabbed some cheapie planet bike fenders at the local bike shop that are the proper width but I still had the length problem. I figured I could make my own mud flap, something weather resistant and durable for very little money.

I bought a sheet of rubber trim, the kind used around floors in dept store bathrooms and some stainless steel hardware. I spent about two hours measuring cutting and drilling.

For just over 5 dollars here is my result:






Here is my bike before with the narrow sks fenders on it. They were better quality than the planet bikes I bought but also twice as expensive.

noglider 

Excellent job!

I might make a mudflap out of a plastic milk jug, which has the disadvantage of being a bit inflexible, i.e. not flappy enough. But it's worth a try.

What are you going to do with the SKS's? I just put a pair on my Crosscheck. I think it was money well spent, though I think they would benefit from a mudflap, too. My downtube and the fronts of my ankles got dirty.

rhm

I recently made a mudflap out of plastic from a bottle of laundry soap, which is not floppy at all. Is floppiness an advantage?

noglider 

Floppiness is good when you're stuffing the bike in a car. The fenders make the bike so much bigger. Also, the flap can catch on things, and you want it to let go by flopping back. It's also necessary when you're resting the bike with the fork tips on the ground, which you may not do, but I do.

bikamper

No pics, but I have made a pair for the front and rear fenders of my commuter using thick leather. Mounted them with pop rivets and back up washers.

Grand Bois

I bought a leather flap from Velo Orange. It's so thick and the tire is so close to the fender that there isn't room for it.

JunkYardBike

I did a really sloppy job with some vinyl stair tread. It kinda bridges the gap between floppy and rigid. Also, it look inelegant, but I think the extra length really helps reduce the spray from the front tire.

JunkYardBike

I didn't like the angle it set at bolted to the inside of the fender, so I bolted it to the outside. Probably not a clean enough look for many, but does the job.

Yeah, my front fender line is way off - I can thank the dual pivot calipers for that.

Wildwood 

Don't mean to hijack a thread, but this seemed the right one to ask a mudflap question.

Would anybody buy leather mudflaps? Maybe not, because home-made is the epitome of cheap and recycled.

However, I know an 85 year old disabled man who occupies his time with small projects. He made me two sets from different patterns. He can add layers of leather for more or less "flappiness" or insert a plastic mid-layer for a firmer mudflap. The flaps are NOT made from thick cowhide like a Brooks saddle.

Apologies if this question is out of line in any way.

Charles Wahl

Not out of line at all. Leather is great, but not ideal for continued exposure to spray, so I'd suggest that the wheel side of “composite” flaps be plastic; black or clear. Also, they should be long, nearly touching the ground -- Junk Yard Bike is about the only one in this post whose flap is really long enough to be effective in keeping spray off the BB and pedals. It's easy enough to trim them to length. I bought a V-O mudflap on a whim, but it's too short for my fenders, and like Grand Bois I think that it's overly thick. I'd be willing to mount it on the outside, but I think that it's simply too stiff, and might fatigue the fender when buffeted around by wind. I think that the flap should be flared, of course, but also have some flex, and hold it's shape by taking the fender concave shape, more at the top than the bottom. That way, a bit of flex could happen, preventing fatigue of the fender end, but it would still keep shape well -- I think it's a very fine line between too floppy and too stiff, actually.

Does anyone else have a “fix” for the deposit of crud that develops on the tops of the chainstays where the rear fender crosses them (and is coped to fit between them)? I have only one bike with fenders, and this bugs me -- SKS two-stay model. I'm thinking of laminating a flared plastic extension to the inside of the fender, that covers the insides of the chainstays beyond the fender at this location, but I've never seen a bike with something like that.

mkeller234

I actually redid mine last night to remedy to make it a lot longer, I cut a rear mud flap too. I used a different material that is a bit floppier so I may redo it again this evening.

John Nolan 

I just use a scrap of old inner tube held by a couple of cable ties laced through holes in the fenders. Seems to work.

wahoonc

I use leather for looks on some of my C&V bikes. You could give it a coat of proofide to make it last longer.

I run my mudflaps about 2" off the ground on the front, rear I am less concerned about.

I bought one leather mudflap, happens to be a Berthoud But it was a lot thicker than I thought necessary so I used it as a pattern to make some that were a bit thinner. I have not played with laminating one yet.

Aaron

mickey85

I'm contemplating buying a set of leather flaps for my Phillips Sports...I got a set of black Rivendell flaps for the Univega - the body is mostly canvas, with a reflective strip and leather details. I like them - they're a good size and are flappy enough that I don't get much mud on my shoes (when it's wet here, it's an inevitability that I'm gonna get dirty); however, they seem to like holding weird shapes - they were bent to fit into a smallish box, and as a result, still haven't flattened as I would like them to. Eh, they keep mud off ya. I honestly would consider another pair of them to go on the Phillips, as they're just as cheap as other's leather flaps (I'm thinking VO specifically - they're both around $14-15), and would match a Riv or Acorn bag, were I to get one.

bikamper

I treated the pair I made with lots of Obenaufs before mounting them to the fenders and they've held up well. I also mounted a large reflector on the rear one as it is a tad longer. Doesn't help anyone to see me, but it helps to keep the flap from flopping.

mickey85

Another thought if you're worried about the flap deteriorating is that you might varnish the inside of it - it wouldn't be as flappy, nor as pretty probably, but it WOULD keep it protected...I'd guess that Neatsfoot would also work, but wouldn't crack

noglider 

Wonderful ideas here. Could one (some) of you share your pattern(s)?

JunkYardBike, what do you clean and polish your bike with? I'm impressed.

mkeller234

3rd time is a charm! I used a different material for my second attempt and did not like how flexible it was. I watched it blow backwards in the wind on my ride home this morning. For my third attempt, I used the heavier material and added one more inch past attempt two. I still would have liked it to be a tad wider but that is as wide as the material allows.

Attempt 1, 2 and 3:


Here you can see how floppy the 2nd one was:


The final product:

JunkYardBike

I take photos of them just after they are built...and never again!

mkeller234

Haha, thats the way to do it! When I started the mud flap project I took the chance to wipe my Lotus down... MAN it was filthy! The sidewalls were grey with streaks all through them and parts of the frame were caked in grime.

I am going to post my template in case any one is interested in it. I made it in Adobe Illustrator so it is perfectly symmetrical. I also included a circle and cross hair to show where to drill and a center line for reference. I can offer to adjust the length and width for anyone who wants a modified version.

I will post a .pdf of it in a bit, it's on another computer.

southpawboston

i experienced the same problem-- my only option is to mount it to the outside of the fender, which can look okay on some bikes but not on others.

rhm and mkeller, great work!! i will use these examples as inspiration for my own DIY flaps.