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Old 03-27-10 | 08:47 AM
  #3  
conspiratemus1
Used to be Conspiratemus
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Joined: Jan 2009
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From: Hamilton ON Canada
I installed my SKS fenders with a daruma bolt but you have to do some fitting to make it work. A fender (like the SKS) intended to be attached with an L-bracket can't lie flat against the bottom of the fork crown, the way a daruma wants to hold it. It has to compensate for the fork rake and still follow the circumference of the front tire: if the fender is brought up against the front of the crown there will have to be a gap between the fender and the back of the crown. If you try to make the fender sit square on the bottom of the crown, the tail of the fender will stick way out past the tire where your foot will hit it (if the stays even reach that far.)

Metal fenders intended for daruma bolts are indented or "buckled" as they pass under the fork crown to provide this compensation. You fine-tune it by bending the fender further (after bolting it to the daruma) until it "gives". You can't do this to a plastic fender because it will simply crack.

So to make a daruma work with a plastic fender you have to insert some kind of wedge-shaped spacer between the fender and the back of the fork crown, drilled so the daruma bolt will pass through it. The wedge must be carefully shaped to just fill the gap with the fender in the correct alignment with the tire. (With all the fitting and filing you will find it easier to remove the L-bracket entirely, by drilling out the rivets.) Put a piece of rubber or leather between the wedge and the fender to protect the fender from pressure from the wedge as you tighten it up. You don't want any bending stress on the fender after you're finished: if the fender cracks it is likely to get drawn into the fork and lock up the front wheel. (Don't ask me how I know.) The nice thing about SKS fenders is the breakaway attachments to the fork eyelets which prevent this type of disaster.
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