SKS Secrets

[kevin lindsey]

I'm in the process of building my Bleriot and thought a pair of SKS
fenders would be practical and look great, too. However, I was
naively unprepared for the amount of tweaking, cutting, fitting, and
cursing required to install these things on my bike, a circumstance
made worse by the almost-nonexistent instructions included with the
fenders. Suffice it to say that I botched the job and have had to
order a new set of stays for my second installation attempt. Couple
of questions:
a) I have a set of 41mm 650bs and am a little concerned about whether
there is enough room for tires this big and a set of fenders on the
Bleriot. I got the rear fender installed more or less OK, but the
clearance between it and the tire was really tight. Am I pushing
things to far to expect 41s to fit with fenders?
b) Are there any secrets I'm overlooking when installing SKSs?
c) The front of my front fender came warped. Is there a way of
unwarping it, or will I have to cut it off?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Kevin

[Lee]

Kevin, I'm in transit right now but can write up something when I get
into my lab. I just installed SKSs this past weekend. One question
though: what size fenders did you order? I used P45s on my 650B bike
with new SOMA B-line tires. They are ~36mm wide and the clearance is
about as tight as I would want them. Maybe 4-5mm at some points.

Best,
Lee

[kevin lindsey]

Lee -
I used the P45s, too. If you're only getting 4-5mm clearance running
36mm tires, then I'm wondering whether my 41mm stuff is simply too
big.
All the best,
Kevin

[Jack]

I used 45Ps on my Bleriot with Nifty Swifty tires (33mm). It was an
easy installation and I have plenty of clearance, but I can see that
41mm tires could be a little too large.
Jack

> > > Kevin- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Jeremy Till]

I've installed SKS's a few times (i have a couple of pairs which i put
on seasonally here in norcal); it's definitely a trick the first time
but gets easier each time you do it.

In terms of clearances, the fender clearance is determined by two
things: the width of the fender and the positioning of the frame
bridges/fork crown. The rule for adequate clearance with fender size
is usually tire width+ ~10mm; so if you're using 41mm tires you should
be shooting for about a 50mm wide fender. If your SKS's are the "P50"
model then you should be all right, if they're something smaller like
the P45 that might be causing some of your clearance issues. Other
bleriot owners will have to chime in to tell you whether or not the
frame can take that combination, I don't have experience with them
myself.

My usual order of operations is to secure the fork crown mount and
bridge mounts in the rear, focusing on having a good fender line
between the bridges, and then sliding the rear of each fender in on
the stays (leaving all 4 nuts loose) until the fender line matches, at
which point i secure the bolts. I will say that I'm probably way less
picky about fender line than most on here. Since fenders are kind of
a functional, seasonal thing for me I don't really care about getting
them "just so."

In terms of the front of the fender being warped, do you only notice
it on the bike or or when it's off? If it's only on the bike, it may
be that your brakes (i assume you're using the silver sidepulls) are
deflecting it a little, that happens with the shimano sidepulls on one
of my bikes. Again, it's only a few mm so I don't really care about
it, YMMV.

On Oct 18, 7:49 am, kevin lindsey <lindsey.ke...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Ray Shine]

Wow!  Coincidence.  I'm installing a set of those on my Atlantis. I put the front on yesterday afternoon, then got sidetracked by the Giants/Phils game.  My bike is still down stairs on the rack, but I have to go earn a living now.  I can tell you later how I put them on.  I have installled several sets on different bikes over the years, and they are some tricks.  It's not that difficult, but others here probably have some tricks of their own, too.

One of the first things I do is tape rubber spacers (I use 3/8 inch, sometimes half inch) to four places on the inside of the fender, then set the fender on the tire. That gives me uniform spacing on the entire radius.  By the way, tie down the brake lever so the tire doesn't rotate.  Next,I carefully measure for the size spacers I will need at the mounting points. i use plastic, others I have seen use cork.  I also mount the wire struts and mark them off for trim.  I leave a bit on the ends for the tweak.  then I cut all the spacers and the struts, remove the wheel, and mount it all up.  I remove the rubber spacers, replace the wheel, and do my final tweak.  It usually takes very little.  Use Locktite on all the strut nuts.  They will work loose, otherwise.

Hope that helps.  By the way, I can't find the P-555 anywhere.  Anyone know where I can get some?

---

From: kevin lindsey <lindse...@gmail.com>
To: RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Mon, October 18, 2010 7:49:12 AM
Subject: [RBW] SKS Secrets

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[kevin lindsey]

Thanks for the thorough reply.
Pending further input, I'm leaning towards the conclusion that P45s
simply don't work very well with 41mm tires. However, I'll make a
call up to RBW later this morning for their input.
The warp was noticeable right out of the box, with a 15-20 degree
twist. Even with the greatest clearance I obtained on my front
fenders, the warp still rubbed my tire.
Kevin

[Lee]

Yeah, I doubt the 45's will work with the 41mm tires. The front fender
was pretty easy to install as per Jeremy's post. The rear fender was
trickier as my Quickbeam is a 650B conversion. So, regular mounting at
the chainstay and brake bridges left a huge gap. Essentially what I
did was to slide the rear fender in over the tire. Then, situated the
fenders for a good line and measured the length of the gap between the
fender and the bridges. I then rigged up a cork to take up the space
between the chainstay bridge and the fender. And, I extended the
length of the fender bracket to the brake bridge by using a slotted
tab (actually a door fastener I got from the hardware store).

One thing I did away with was the plastic covers on the ends of the
stays. It was hard to measure them accurately and so they kept messing
up the line. So, I cut the ends of them off, leaving about 4mm of the
top part of the cap. Then, I fit them over the stays and taped them
down with electrical tape.

Here are some pics:
http://tinyurl.com/26ogncm
http://tinyurl.com/2cqb222
http://tinyurl.com/24tlw2v

Good luck!
Lee

[Angus]

If the fender was warped right out of the box I would send it back.
I've "un warped" them in the past, it was straight, but not pretty!

I 2nd the vote for a bit more fender to tire clearance than
necessary...additional overlap at the sides helps the fender "work"
better in the rain.

Angus

[Angus]

One other thing I did when I had the Atlantis repainted was to add a
set of fender bosses to the back of the fork blades about 4 or 5
inches above the dropout eyelets.

This seems to have stiffened the front fender mounting somewhat (it
doesn't flex side to side as much), it certainly shorted the stays and
it uncrowded the area around the dropout.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16951387@N08/4847125706/

I also went up one fender size (width) and it is much easier than
fiddling around with tight clearances.

Angus

[Doug Van Cleve]

*Careful* application of heat from a heat gun and twisting the appropriate direction will straighten any of the plastic fenders and/or allow reshaping them.  That said, too much will pretty much turn them to mush and you will have the opportunity to burn yourself.  It is a judgment calls as to which is more hassle, trying to straighten or reordering/reshipping...

Doug

[Frederick, Steve]

In my experience, the SKS P-50 is a better match for 650b tires. I've use them with everything from Col de la Vie's to Hetres and Fatty Rumkins and they've worked fine...

Steve

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[Erik C]

Kevin

I have P45s and Fatty Rumpkins on my Bleriot. The fit in the rear
isn't really an issue its more the front. Its tight, but I havn't had
any issues so far. I ride on gravel roads daily and the only time i
notice the clearance is if the farmers have dropped some clay in the
road and it clumps up on the tire. If it does that i'll get some
scraping as small stones get glued to the clumped on clay.

Regard,

Erik C

[kevin lindsey]

Eric -
I think I got the rear fenders properly spaced last night, although
the clearance is very tight. If I can un-warp the front ones, then
I'll try putting them back on; like you, I found the front fenders to
be the more problematic of the two.
Many thanks to all for the very helpful advice.
Kevin

[Ginz]

Kevin,

I had a warped SKS front fender that warped because of the way it was
stored for a few years. A gentle bending and coaxing with a heat gun
(or hair dryer) set it back into shape. Also, the stays will do a
good job of pulling the fender into shape.

Good luck,
Ginz

[kevin lindsey]

Ginz -
How hot did you make the fender before you started to bend it back? I
have a heat gun but am somewhat hesitant to use it for fear that I'll
end up melting it or somehow making the problem worse.
Thanks,
Kevin

[David Sprunger]

Kevin,

Here's something to avoid. I had a twisted SKS front fender once and
followed someone's advice to try putting it in a warm oven for a few
minutes. I preheated the oven to 250 degrees, turned it off, and then
put the fender in with the timer set for a minute. Unfortunately, I
was distracted by something, and when I remember to check on the
fender, it was irrevocably shriveled. Even worse, the oven and
kitchen smelled of melted plastic for at least a day.

When I got the replacement fenders, I installed them, twist and all,
and over time, the warping subsided (or I quit noticing it).

Good luck with your project.

David Sprunger
Fargo, ND

[Ginz]

How hot did I make it? Not very hot. Just warm it up so that when
you bend it, it stays bent and sets in the net position. The plastic
has a sort of memory that is can be reprogrammed with heat and a
little bending (I hope no materials scientists are reading this!) A
hairdryer would be fine. Don't get it so hot that it melts.

How warped is this thing?

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

I have abandoned SKS fenders unless I have a customer who can't be
convinced to try something else. The Planet Bike Cascadias are a bit
less expensive, easier to install, give better coverage, and in my
opinion they look nicer (especially now that they removed the gaudy
planet bike logo from the rear fender).

[Marty]

I just came across the new 'Special Edition" SKS Bluemel fenders here
in Chicago (Village Cycle in Old Town) , and I must say they are the
nicest I've seen. Very sturdy, matte black finish, rigid profile,
nicely integrated flaps, and wide enough for some serious rubber.
$50.00 These are going on my new Bombadil for sure. (I'll be running
40mm Schwalbe Marathon XRs) I have a set of Planet bike fenders on my
Stumpjumper, and the SKS seem far better.

Marty


On Oct 20, 11:43 am, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery
<thill....@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have abandonedSKSfenders unless I have a customer who can't be

[Ray Shine]

I happened to be at RBW yesterday and saw a Sam in the showroom that had a beautiful set of "prototype" SKS fenders.  They were much longer than regular fenders, and had integrated plastic/rubber mud guards.  On top of that, they were painted.  They looked really good.  I wish I had snapped a pict of them with my phone, but didn't think to do that.  I hope they are available soon.  I'll be right in line to get a set, painted or no.

---

From: Marty <mgi...@mac.com>

To: RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com>

Sent: Sun, October 24, 2010 11:15:28 AM

Subject: [RBW] Re: SKS Secrets

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[Montclair BobbyB]

I really like the look of the SKS fenders, but only wish they made
really wide ones to fit my 700c x 50mm tires. I bought a set of SKS
P50 fenders, somehow believing I could use them on my Bombadil... so
while they're the same width as the tire and look like they might fit,
they really aren't wide enough.

What I really need is something like the Planet Bike Cascadia 29er
fenders (which come very wide). Does anyone run these on a Bombadil
(with 50mm tires)? Also, have you ever seen them in silver? I can
only find them in black.

BB