Broken clip on SKS muguards

[PJ520]

My trek 530 has SKS mudguards and twice (long story) the stainless clip that attaches the rear mudguard to the frame has broken at the bottom of the tab attaching it to the frame. I fixed it by inserting a zip tie through the piece that wa still attached to the mudguard and round the little cross piece in the frame. I have yet another replacement clip in hand. Is there any reason I should install it? As the zip tie fix seems to work just fine. Have I somehow installed the whole 'guard wrong or what?

[DaveP]

If the clip is fitted to the right spot on the guard, ie. there is no fore and aft pressure on it, then its probably a vibration / fatigue problem.
Its a good quality fix. Not pretty, but not a safety issue either.
If it outlasts the original arrangement - call it an upgrade!

[NUKe]

I'd say depends how long the clip has lasted, but they do break from time to time, I usually get about 20K miles out of one. There is nothing wrong with your Zip tie fix either just watch it is not wearing in away the paint.
several friends don't even bother with the clip but dril small holes inthe mudguard and thread a cable tie through the holes

[profpointy]

they have a finite life and break due to fatigue. Mildly annoying, but treat them as consumable just like chains, or inner tubes, and thus not a big deal

Sjscycles in Bridgewater has 'em, not expensive but worth buying a half-dozen,, otherwise postage cost is disproportionate. t

[Brucey]

there are many different designs of mudguard clip and there is no perfect solution. The fundamental problem is that a standard mudguard flexes when you go over a bump, and this stresses the mounting on the seat stays.

So it doesn't really matter if you use a clip, a welded bracket, or a bolt-through fitting, they can all break.

The only thing that provides a really good solution is to fasten the mudguard to the rear carrier; this stiffens the whole assembly and helps take the stress off the bracket.

If you use the standard type like this;



they last a whole lot longer if you mount it such that you can't see the bottom of the slot when the bracket is mounted. Using slightly larger washers than normal can help with this.

When the bracket breaks, if you make a bracket that is 'U' shaped with a hole in both ends, you can mount this both sides of the seatstay bridge, and that will support everything nicely.

In a way, having this part break is preferable to having the mudguard itself fail, which can happen with some mudguard types.

I've made the same part up in stainless steel that is twice as thick, but it is nearly impossible to clinch the thing onto a plastic mudguard in situ.

cheers

[PJ520]

Thanks everyone for your replies. At least I know I'm doing nothing wrong. I think I'll stick with the zip tie. Last time I bought a small L bracket, about 3/4" each leg from a hardware store. drilled a hole through the mudguard part of the broken clip (a pain because it's stainless) and bolted the L bracket to the clip. It lasted quite a while but was as ugly as sin.

[pete75]

Another option is to drill and tap the brake bridge, drill the mudguard and attach with a flat headed machine screw and washer.

[Mark1978]

Just to clarify you're talking about the now discontinued Raceblade Long which attaches to the QR and brakes? Or the SKS Raceblade which attaches to the stays / fork?

[Brucey]

Neither, I think. He means 'proper' SKS mudguards, doesn't he...?

cheers

[Mark1978]

Ah yes "Broken clip" rather than Broken "clip on"

[PJ520]

Another option is to drill and tap the brake bridge, drill the mudguard and attach with a flat headed machine screw and washer.

"Brake bridge' I never knew what that piece was called. Ta.

[enigmatic]

Those attachments supplied with new guards are useless and never last. Both my winter frames came with tapped eyes built in to the rear brake bridge. I drill a small hole in the mudguard then a suitably shortened stay screw/Allen bolt to secure it. That's fine if you have sufficient wheel clearance, otherwise (and as I've done in the past) drill 4 small holes, just room to thread a zip tie, to form a square under the bridge, then use two ties to secure the guard, one each side of the brake bolt. That gives you twice the security and some redundancy if one breaks - although I've never had that happen.

[Brucey]

Another option is to drill and tap the brake bridge, drill the mudguard and attach with a flat headed machine screw and washer.

"Brake bridge' I never knew what that piece was called. Ta.

call me pedantic if you like but it is surely only a brake bridge if it has (or could have) a brake on it.

So if you have cantis, drum brakes, roller brakes, disc brakes, no brake at all (fixed gear) or a caliper on the chainstays , you still have to hang the mudguard off something and that something is probably more accurately referred to as a seatstay bridge, aka 'brake bridge' by some...

cheers

[enigmatic]

Pedant

[pete75]

Another option is to drill and tap the brake bridge, drill the mudguard and attach with a flat headed machine screw and washer.

"Brake bridge' I never knew what that piece was called. Ta.

call me pedantic if you like but it is surely only a brake bridge if it has (or could have) a brake on it.

So if you have cantis, drum brakes, roller brakes, disc brakes, no brake at all (fixed gear) or a caliper on the chainstays , you still have to hang the mudguard off something and that something is probably more accurately referred to as a seatstay bridge, aka 'brake bridge' by some...

cheers

As a bicycle seat is more correctly called a saddle then by your logic it would be more accurate to call it a saddlestay bridge......