keithc440

Having just had full length mudguards/ fenders installed on my OCR Team 2003 I have myself added some home made mudguards. They are 3 inches wide at the top, 4.5 inches wide at the bottom and 8.5 inches long. The top 3.5 inches are secured to the inside of the mudguard using 3 rivets with washers. My Dad helped me with his drill and staple gun. Has anyone else done the same and what was their experience regarding longevity? I am concerned they may blow off in the wind but there again I am a bit of a worrier.

pinerider

I think mggagnonlv mentioned on a previous post that he has some homemade ones on his. I have fenders but not mudflaps, I think they would add to much in the way of wind resistance (every little bit helps!), but I may be wrong. I know my feet sure get wet without them!
What did you make yours out of? Cutting them out of plastic laundry detergent or bleach bottles seems to be the most popular method of making them.

keithc440

Used some plastic sheets that came under a tray of cakes from the local supermarket. They are transparent so look good and are about 2 to 3 mm thick. Will let you know how they go on a test ride. Was suppose to be going out this morning though I have just woken up to driving rain and gales here in England. Will see how the weather looks this afternoon safety wise.

keithc440

Well just got back from a ride. Mudflaps stayed in place and did a good job of keeping me clean and my bike cleaner. Found it necessary to clean wheels and bottom bracket and chain though. It was however very muddy on the roads here in West Lancashire today (a bit like Flanders without the cobbles in this part of England) so overall I was pleased with there effectiveness.

Michel Gagnon

Indeed, I have made 2 pairs and 1 extra rear mudlfap on a trailercycle so far.
I followed the model given on Alex Wetmore's bike pages (New style). My front mudflaps are 10 cm wide, and my rear ones are 13 cm wide: just a bit wider than the reflectors, and all these go down to about 7 cm off the ground.

For base material, I have used the kind of rubber "carpet" sold to protect public corridors that could be slippery when wet. It's the same thing as the stairtread cover Alex talks about, except it's sold by the metre. One metre long (it's 90 cm wide) will supply you with 6 or 7 mudflaps, including errors...
Basically, the material I used is very flexible, even at -30 C. On the rear mudflap, I have attached oblong 2.5" x 5" SAE (automotive) reflectors, which are much brighter than the typical bicycle reflector. For those in Canada and U.S., these are found at Canadian Tire and other auto parts store, and even the amber ones (which are much more visible) are legal almost everywhere, providing you also have a red reflector.


How to attach them?

I have one set of metal fenders and set of plastic fenders, and they all are black.
The plastic fenders have a metal bracket inside with 3 holes, but only 1 is used to rivet the fender to the bracket. I drilled the fender vis-à-vis the two extra holes, so the weight of the mudflap is directly supported by the bracket. I also drilled an extra set of holes about 3 cm higher. I used two black zip ties to attach the mudflap inside the fender.
The metal fenders are attachet to the strut with a bolt. I used that bolt as a support point (I inserted the mudflap between the strut and the fender), and drilled an extra set of 2 holes 3 cm higher to put a zip tie and make sure the mudflap stays upright.

Why did I use zipties? I wasn't sure of the solidity of the system and didn't want holes to widen with times, especially if the plastic was to become brittle in Winter. Experience showed, however, that the plastic remained flexible.

So far, these mudflaps have been around for about 1.5 years, including 1.5 Winters, and they behave correctly. So far, I had to replace 1 zip tie that I had hit with my toes.

As for the mudflaps, they do their job perfectly. BTW, the rear mudflaps are useful for my rear passengers because I often tow a trailercycle... and a child trailer.

Regards,