Bad placement of rear fender?

Hello,

I recently added a set of full fenders to my commuter/bad weather bike.
Yesterday I took it for a 50-mile ride on very wet roads and I ended up
quite dry, but I'm starting to have doubts about the placement of the rear
fender.

The fenders are a Zefal Cab model. I believe the rear fender was intended to
hook to the seatstays, but I don't have anywhere to hook it up there (and
the front derailleur is in the way). So I securely tied it low on the down
tube, right on top of the front derailleur.

Here are some pictures so you get a better idea:
The whole setup: http://mysite.verizon.net/llopis/fender/img000.jpeg
A close up: http://mysite.verizon.net/llopis/fender/img001.jpeg

I'm concerned that all the water/mud that gets thrown into the fender drains
on top of the derailleur. It was certainly really muddy this morning. Is
this something I should be concerned about, or will most of the water drain
before it gets down that far? Should I try to move the fender a bit lower
on the down tube and bend the end a bit so it misses the derailleur as much
as possible? Or am I screwed and should think of getting a totally
different model?

Any suggestions/comments appreciated. Thanks!


--Noel

On Wed, 03 Mar 2004 15:05:09 GMT, Noel Llopis
wrote:

Hello,

I recently added a set of full fenders to my commuter/bad weather bike.
Yesterday I took it for a 50-mile ride on very wet roads and I ended up
quite dry, but I'm starting to have doubts about the placement of the rear
fender.

The fenders are a Zefal Cab model. I believe the rear fender was intended to
hook to the seatstays, but I don't have anywhere to hook it up there (and
the front derailleur is in the way). So I securely tied it low on the down
tube, right on top of the front derailleur.

Here are some pictures so you get a better idea:
The whole setup: http://mysite.verizon.net/llopis/fender/img000.jpeg
A close up: http://mysite.verizon.net/llopis/fender/img001.jpeg

I'm concerned that all the water/mud that gets thrown into the fender drains
on top of the derailleur. It was certainly really muddy this morning. Is
this something I should be concerned about, or will most of the water drain
before it gets down that far? Should I try to move the fender a bit lower
on the down tube and bend the end a bit so it misses the derailleur as much
as possible? Or am I screwed and should think of getting a totally
different model?

Any suggestions/comments appreciated. Thanks!


--Noel

First, put a mud flap on the front fender! Your bottom bracket is
going to get soaked from all the water kicking up from the front
wheel. I use a piece of thin rubber sold at the hardware store in the
plumbing section, 6 inches square. I cut it into basically a wedge and
bolt it to the bottom of the fender. Other people have other ways of
making mud flaps,

Top swing front derailleurs like yours do have a major pivot right
behind the seat tube, don't they? This is what stops you from moving
it further down? Can you swap in a bottom swing derailleur?

I'd do what I can to get the fender down there, but I also wonder if
there will then be enough coverage on the back of the wheel to stop
you from getting a stripe. Maybe others can confirm one way or
another.

But do a front mud flap no matter what! I bet a good part of the crud
on the derailleur is from there.

On Wed, 03 Mar 2004 15:05:09 GMT, Noel Llopis
wrote:
The whole setup: http://mysite.verizon.net/llopis/fender/img000.jpeg
A close up: http://mysite.verizon.net/llopis/fender/img001.jpeg

Nice! I like it. Looks pleasant, AND functional.

I'm concerned that all the water/mud that gets thrown into the fender drains
on top of the derailleur. It was certainly really muddy this morning. Is
this something I should be concerned about, or will most of the water drain
before it gets down that far? Should I try to move the fender a bit lower

I'm not sure a front derailer is really that delicate. It's probably
okay to get splashed and muddied every day. Maybe the occasional
lube or grease...

on the down tube and bend the end a bit so it misses the derailleur as much
as possible? Or am I screwed and should think of getting a totally
different model?

Any suggestions/comments appreciated. Thanks!

You might try buying or making a derailer cover/boot. I'm pretty
sure they exist for front derailers for mountain biking; but if not,
it ought to be easy enough to make.
--
Rick Onanian

Attach the end of the fender to the brace between the chainstays. Fenders
usually come with pre-drilled holes, and you can use a zip-tie to attach.
So you will rotate the entire fender forward.

I agree with the other note to attach a mudguard on the front flap if you
will be riding much in wet weather.

Bruce

Bruce Frech wrote:

Attach the end of the fender to the brace between the chainstays. Fenders
usually come with pre-drilled holes, and you can use a zip-tie to attach.
So you will rotate the entire fender forward.

That's the problem, I can't do that with the current derailleur. As Dan
correctly pointed out, it's a top-swing derailleur, so there's not enough
room between the tire and the derailleur for the fender.

I'm debating between getting a cheap bottom-swing 105 front derailleur (only
$20 from Performance right now) or trying to make a protective boot for the
derailleur like Rick suggested. I might go with the new derailleur since
it'll probably work better than the LX derailleur I have now for 39-52
rings.

I agree with the other note to attach a mudguard on the front flap if you
will be riding much in wet weather.

Yup, that's part of the plan :-) Although I was surprised how well it did
just like that in fairly wet weather (but not going through major puddles).


--Noel

Noel Llopis wrote:
Bruce Frech wrote:

Attach the end of the fender to the brace between the chainstays.
Fenders usually come with pre-drilled holes, and you can use a
zip-tie to attach. So you will rotate the entire fender forward.

That's the problem, I can't do that with the current derailleur. As
Dan correctly pointed out, it's a top-swing derailleur, so there's
not enough room between the tire and the derailleur for the fender.

I'm debating between getting a cheap bottom-swing 105 front
derailleur (only $20 from Performance right now) or trying to make a
protective boot for the derailleur like Rick suggested. I might go
with the new derailleur since it'll probably work better than the LX
derailleur I have now for 39-52 rings.

I agree with the other note to attach a mudguard on the front flap
if you will be riding much in wet weather.

Yup, that's part of the plan :-) Although I was surprised how well it
did just like that in fairly wet weather (but not going through major
puddles).


Some people simly cut a notch out of the fender for the derailleur. I'm
curious, did you shorten the fender? Most that I'm familiar with will cover
the whole half of the wheel from the bottom bracket to where your fender
ends. Why is yours so short?

Rob Strickland

Robert Strickland wrote:

Some people simly cut a notch out of the fender for the derailleur. I'm
curious, did you shorten the fender? Most that I'm familiar with will
cover the whole half of the wheel from the bottom bracket to where your
fender ends. Why is yours so short?

No, I didn't. That's the way the fender was. It's the Zefal Cab model. I was
a bit surprised as well that it was so short since I was used to the Planet
Bike fenders on my mountain bike.

On the other hand, I have no problem removing the wheels, and that used to
be a bit problematic with the fenders on my other bike.

I can't really cut the fender enough because the derailleur really takes
over the whole back of the down tube. I already ordered a new bottom-swing
Tiagra front derailleur (for a whole whopping $12 ;-), so that will
hopefully fix it.


--Noel

On Thu, 04 Mar 2004 16:23:51 GMT, Noel Llopis
wrote:

Robert Strickland wrote:

Some people simly cut a notch out of the fender for the derailleur. I'm
curious, did you shorten the fender? Most that I'm familiar with will
cover the whole half of the wheel from the bottom bracket to where your
fender ends. Why is yours so short?

No, I didn't. That's the way the fender was. It's the Zefal Cab model. I was
a bit surprised as well that it was so short since I was used to the Planet
Bike fenders on my mountain bike.


It does look short. When you spin it around to meet the chainstay, it
looks as if the back end might allow some water to spray on your back.
And you won't be able to add a soft flap if the end is above
horizontal center line of the wheel.... Well, see what happens and be
prepared to scab in an extension?

On the other hand, I have no problem removing the wheels, and that used to
be a bit problematic with the fenders on my other bike.

I can't really cut the fender enough because the derailleur really takes
over the whole back of the down tube. I already ordered a new bottom-swing
Tiagra front derailleur (for a whole whopping $12 ;-), so that will
hopefully fix it.


--Noel

That should allow you to move the fender down. With the fender meeting
the chainstays and a mud flap up front (critical!), I get a little
muddy water on the sides of the chainstays but little else n the way
of bottom bracket crud.

"Noel Llopis" wrote:
I recently added a set of full fenders to my commuter/bad weather bike.

Those seem a bit shy of full fenders... I'm in the process of putting a
rear fender on the front of my wet weather bike so muck isn't thrown up on
the lens of my fender mounted headlight.

Should I try to move the fender a bit lower
on the down tube and bend the end a bit so it misses the derailleur as much
as possible?

I used to have wider fenders that interfered with the front derailleur. I
was able to trim the fender enough that it cleared and still provided some
protection for the derailleur. When/if you rotate your rear fender forward
so that you can attach it to the chain stay bridge you could loose adequate
coverage at the rear. Since I have my fender zip-tied to my rack I'm not
using the stays so I cut the fender just above the rear stay to eliminate
the metal piece then added coverage with a rear mud flap. A nice
low-mounted front mud flap is always a good idea, as well.

http://128.83.80.200/bike/mudflap1.jpg
http://128.83.80.200/bike/mudflap2.jpg

As you can see, I'll make mud flaps out of anything that doesn't run away!

Robert Canon wrote:

As you can see, I'll make mud flaps out of anything that doesn't run away!
http://128.83.80.200/bike/mudflap1.jpg

That is such a great idea! Making a fender out of a mouse pad!! As a matter
of fact, I have that exact Dell mousepad in my drawer. I've just cut it up
and created a front mudflap for my fender as well.

How did you attach yours? I just drilled two holes and secured it with zip
ties, but I'm not sure how permanent that is.

Thanks for the great idea ;-)


--Noel