wittybike

This is more than likely a stupid question but I really have no idea about this; I'm trying to customise my bicycle & found some old mudguards I like but they are 26" and my wheels are 27", so is it a no go?
thank you!

belacqua

My attempts have been failures, though that doesn't mean it can't be done.

sailorbenjamin

I've used 26" Raleigh Sports style fenders on 27" Raleighs. The trick is to get the ones with bolt on stays rather than weld on ones and make longer stays. Don't know if other kinds will work. Grab a beer and work it out, or do you not have the 26ers yet?

wittybike

I don't have them yet, they are taunting me on ebay! They are 26" hammered french ones with bolt stays, my wheels are 700c 35mm, not sure if I should just buy the velo orange ones but I would prefare the real deal.

southpawboston

I'd be inclined to try. Like you said, it's hard to pass up real French hammered fenders, and I've found that you can generally adjust the radius of any size fender by +/- 10% by gentle stretching or pinching the rolled edges along the length of the fender. I've done this going from 700C to 650B, and for you to go from 26" to 700C would be just a little more of a jump. But I'm betting it can be done. The trick to success is to tape small block spacers on the tire and just rest the fender on the wheel without any attachment. Step back and look at the fender line from several angles. If it's not right, adjust the fender some more. Keep repeating, and once you have a perfect fenderline, attach the fender such that the hardware isn't stressed, but rather just holding the fender exactly as you had it perfected. Don't use the hardware to try to help achieve the right fenderline.

rhm

I agree. Your fenders will get a bit narrower in the process, and you may not have room for 35mm tires, but you can probably make it work.

southpawboston

The width will decrease slightly, perhaps by a few millimeters, but aren't most 26" tires on the wider side?