Hi All,

Does anyone think my front fender is sitting a little too close to the tire at the top? Is it too hard to tell just by looking at these pics?

It looks like it may be a bit too close. More important, does it rub?

No, it doesn't rub at all. I was just thinking about the possibility of a rock or something getting lodged between the tire and fender.

If it doesn't rub, does that pretty much mean it is okay?

If it doesn't rub, I guess it's okay. I gave my front about 1/2 inch. I wasn't worried about rocks, I was thinking about leaves and twigs getting stuck and just making irritating noises. No damage, just a hassle to have to listen to and pull out. (Even at 1/2 inch I still hear stuff whip up there and make sounds and fall out once in a while.)

I wouldn't be happy with it. If you bring it closer in the back of the tire, the top should pivot up.

Then again, I find that I'm never happy with my front fenders -- they're always offcenter or vibrating or just somehow asymetrical.

That's usually adjusted by the nut & bolt on the fork. Loosen those and jockey it around a bit, then be REAL careful when you tighten it. It's real easy to put the fender off-center while you are tightening that nut & bolt.

When adjusting the nut and bolt on the fork, how do I deal with the stays? I am guessing that they need to be loosened and adjusted as well--at least, the stay closest to the fork would need to be, right? I need to ask b/c my LBS installed my fenders, so I have no idea how they are installed or ajdusted. Also, is there a strategy that can be used to be sure that I don't put the fender off-center?

Thanks for all of your help!

Ah. I just bought mine and put them on myself, and learned through my mistakes. If your LBS installed them, you might just take it back and ask them to make the desired adjustments. Should just take them 5 minutes, if they're willing. If you don't want to take it back, all you need to do is loosen the one bolt on the fork to raise the fender - don't need to mess with anything esle. You do need to make sure you center it and not twist it off-center when you re-tighten it, and you need to make sure you tighten it enough so it doesn't vibrate loose and fall onto your wheel while you are riding (both mistakes I made installing them myself). By the way, mine are Planet Bike fenders. I'm thinking that's what yours are from the pictures.

I'd bring them in at the back a little. With a bit of tweaking you'll balance out at around 1/2 inch clearance evenly all around. This will mean you will likely want to cut the stay wires. But that's why they give you the little plastic caps so that you can custom fit the stays to your needs and then cap them to avoid hurting yourself. A Dremel and cutoff wheel will make sort work of the excess wire. Or even some good cutters. Or just mark them with a notch from a file after all the setting up and then take it all apart and use a hacksaw or whatever to do it.

One advantage, other than visual balance, is that the rear of your fender will sit more forward and you'll be that little less likely to get toe strikes with it then.

Yes, they are Planet Bike Cascadia ATBs--I know I will love them once they are corrected.

I think I am going to take the bike back to the shop for adjustment. Even if the fender's position isn't an issue as far as mechanics is concerned, the front fender bugs me aesthetically. Unfortunately, I am not comfortable with tools, so I am going to leave it up to them to shorten the stay wires and even out the fender. I really wish it had been installed correctly the first time.

Thanks again for your help and advice!

FIXED!