caliper bolt question

[Parrot of Doom]

The SKS mudguard on my new bike rubs at about the 10 o'clock position, just behind the rear caliper (as it approaches the seat tube). No amount of fiddling will fix this (trust me), there simply isn't enough space between the frame and wheel to sort it out. So what I want to do is cut the mudguard in two. I'll attach one half to the underside of the brake caliper as it is now. The other half I want to attach with a new bracket, terminating on the caliper bolt. This way, I can lift the part of the mudguard that rubs well clear of the tyre (it isn't rubbing at the caliper, its rubbing between the caliper and the chainstays).

The trouble is, the caliper nut (allen fitting) fits flush with the frame, and there's nothing on which a mudguard bracket can be clamped. Does anyone do a different design of nut, longer, that won't fit flush with the frame?

http://www.simpsoncycles.co.uk/product.php/2247/sh...

There's a pic of the caliper on there. See the nut on the back? I need another one of those, but with a larger head, so it can clamp a bracket to the frame.

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Friday 19th November 15:41

[Mars]

Got a pic?

I had to cut my SKS guards at the end to thread the rear one between the narrow gap between the chainstays. I'm wondering whether you could cut out a couple of U shapes from each side to fit them around the calipers, but to leave the top portion intact, or is there absolutely no room for that?

[Parrot of Doom]

See where the "LE" of the Ribble logo is, on the seat tube? Draw a line across from that and that's where the rear mudguard rubs. That's why I want to chop it in two, to move that part away from the tyre.

[Mars]

That's frustrating (although the bike looks absolutely fabulous).

I found to get mine the right dclearance (close, but not **that** close) I had to push and pull the other end a bit. The end where it attaches between the chainstays was fixed, but I had some height to play with under the seat-stay bracket (I have disks so plenty of clearance where you have calipers), and the two supplied brackets could be altered to actually increase clearance between the seat stay and chain stay mountings.

I acknowledge that it was a heck of a faff though. Can you perhaps bend the bracket that attaches to the caliper mounting bolt, so as to force your clearance a bit? If not, I might seek inspiration from your LBS rather than cutting it in two, although you could be right and that's your only recourse. Shame if so. It does look good as is.

Mine's here:

[Parrot of Doom]

I've bent it as far as it'll go. Cutting it in two is easier, I just need to find a modified caliper bolt that'll hold a bracket from the back.

[Conian]

If I had a bike that pretty I'd have the mud guards off of it!

[Mars]

I'm sure, like me, in the spring he will. In the meantime, the mudguards will help keep the bike pretty.

[Parrot of Doom]

The aluminium "spokes" that support the mudguards - are they cut to length when fitted? I was wondering if perhaps they're a 1/4 inch too long.

[Parrot of Doom]

Hmm, maybe I should try shortening the topmost pair very slightly, to see if it shifts the curve of the mudguard toward the front of the bike a little.

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Monday 22 November 09:43

[Mars]

Parrot of Doom said:

Hmm, maybe I should try shortening the topmost pair very slightly, to see if it shifts the curve of the mudguard toward the front of the bike a little.

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Monday 22 November 09:43

Before cutting them, remove the plastic "top hats". Then you can slide the brackets/spokes up and down to aid fitment. You can then mark up where you want to cut them (remember they need to slide into the top hats to keep them in place, so don't cut them too short).

As I said, took me a fair while to get it right.

[Theoldfm]

Parrot of Doom said:

Hmm, maybe I should try shortening the topmost pair very slightly, to see if it shifts the curve of the mudguard toward the front of the bike a little.

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Monday 22 November 09:43

I have exactly the same bike as you - the blue Ribble training bike with Shimano 105 groupset. The frame is designed for mudgaurds and so they will fit - the only real reason that they would not is if your tyres are too big a profile or if your wheel is not mounted correctly (i.e. not properly located within the dropout).

If it was me, I would undo the mudguard stay nuts (from the end nearest the tyre) and then slide the mudguard back a bit, wiggle it around until it stops rubbing, then tighten it all up again. The length of the mudguard stays are usually adjustable simply by undoing the small nuts on the end of the stays next to the tyres, you shouldn't need to cut them down as the stays should be on the outside of the bracket and the stay simply slides through a hole in the bolt.

Believe me, it is possible to stop the mudguards rubbing without cutting them. As a quick fix, you could simply bend the stays out so as to effectively shorten them rather than faffing around with the bolts.

Either way, it is possible but will just take a bit of messing about with.

[Theoldfm]

Theoldfm said:

Parrot of Doom said:

Hmm, maybe I should try shortening the topmost pair very slightly, to see if it shifts the curve of the mudguard toward the front of the bike a little.

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Monday 22 November 09:43

I have exactly the same bike as you - the blue Ribble training bike with Shimano 105 groupset. The frame is designed for mudgaurds and so they will fit - the only real reason that they would not is if your tyres are too big a profile or if your wheel is not mounted correctly (i.e. not properly located within the dropout).

If it was me, I would undo the mudguard stay nuts (from the end nearest the tyre) and then slide the mudguard back a bit, wiggle it around until it stops rubbing, then tighten it all up again. The length of the mudguard stays are usually adjustable simply by undoing the small nuts on the end of the stays next to the tyres, you shouldn't need to cut them down as the stays should be on the outside of the bracket and the stay simply slides through a hole in the bolt.

Believe me, it is possible to stop the mudguards rubbing without cutting them. As a quick fix, you could simply bend the stays out so as to effectively shorten them rather than faffing around with the bolts.

Either way, it is possible but will just take a bit of messing about with.

^^^^^^

If that doesn't work then the problem is more likely to be that the mudguard bracket (under the brake caliper) needs moving back a bit... i.e. towards the rear of the bike slightly.

If the bracket is bolted / rivetted in place then you should be able to move it, redrill the mudguard and refix it. Sometimes it is simple crimped around the mudguard and it can just be slid back... the problem you appear to have is that there isn't enough length of mudguard between the brake caliper and the bottom bracket... if you see what I mean?

If the mudguard can be slid in the direction of the red arrow, then it should move out as per the red line and give you the clearance that you need... so much more simple 'in the flesh'