SKS P45 fenders...do I need to cut they stays? And I don't want to.
 

Hi all... Building my first touring cycle (a 1985 cannondale) I bought the SKS p45 fenders and they stick out really far from the wheels.. Is cutting the stays down common practice? I don't really want to do this, but if I did something wrong let me know..excuse my shop I'm the dirtiest man alive.

Yes, you do. It's common practice to trim the stays (if I recall, the instructions suggest it). Or don't use the caps!

The front fender should be even around the wheel.

It looks like either the fender needs to be moved up at the fork crown or the rear of the fender needs to be moved closer to the wheel (or both).

Note that you probably don't want the stays to stick out beyond the fender.

I raised mine up in the front, which brought the back closer to the tire.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...Fenders003.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...Fenders004.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...Fenders005.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...Fenders006.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...Fenders007.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...Fenders008.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...Fenders010.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...Fenders011.jpg

Thanks for the bad news...the instructions actually tell me to adjust until they fit and it has arows indicating that I should somehow magically move the fenders various directions..I almost died laughing when I read those insturctions.. What did you use to cut yours? Also Ill try it in the front of the brake too..


Thanks..

I cut the stays and use the caps. An easy job for a dremel. I like using the caps to help keep everything in place. An alternative is to trim the tops of the caps to allow for some adjustability.

Yes you should cut the stays. The fender should follow the curve of the wheel evenly at a consistent distance for clearance.

Someone posted a picture here several months ago of a nasty, nasty gash on their leg from coming to an awkward stop and somehow hooking their calf on an extended fender stay. I don't think it had a cap on it. It was ugly. Real ugly. Once you get the fender positioned correctly, cut the stays to the proper length and install the caps.

I use heavy pliers/dikes to trim the smaller stays then use the caps as it leaves a sharp edge.
On my honjos (one piece thick round aluminum stay) a mini pipe cutter left a fantastic dull slightly conical edge that I didn't need to sand or smooth. I cut them so they were flush with the clips at the dropouts.

Drag the cut ends across a brick or rock a few times.

I don't use the caps because I use the fenders with and without a Tubus Tara rack. The rack mounts to the fender eyelets (like all lowrider racks) and the fenders are mounted to fender eyelets on the rack (and this requires adjusting the stays).

If that's "bad news" for you, your life must be perfect!

It's "futz 'till they fit"! It's not a science and there's a lot of variation in bike geometry.

By the way, watch out for toe overlap. (Not that this is something to worry about. You just don't want to be surprised by it. It's a minor issue for me when starting up.)

Some metal snips I borrowed from a friend.

"10 Wheels" managed to move the fender up under the fork crown and avoided needing to cut the stays. And he has a similar bike (but the fork is probably different). (His mounting approach might be a bit atypical but if it works, what the heck.)

A small tubing cutter does a marvelous job of cutting those stays, onec you settle on a length. You can cut them so the little rubber covers fit, or flush with the hardware on the fender.

Cut looks like it was done with a machine ----- easy too

If you fit them closely then cut them, you will have issues should you choose to use a larger tire.

hey OP,

sell me your pedals :)

If you need to raise SKS fenders at the brake bolt/fork crown, you can often have interference between the bracket and the lower headset race. Just bend out the top of the bracket to the rear and you can raise it higher.
I found the rear bracket for the chainstay bridge to be not so good. I replaced it with a small ziptie.
Cut and round off the stays to the correct length. Sharp edges are an injury waiting to happen. I used a dremel.

Ha, I got those pedals for 10 bucks (at a swap) with leather covers and red leather straps.. They're some MKS dealies..don't know much else about them..

Yes, my life is not that hard, but cutting things is not my forte...

Thanks for the help.. I got the fenders on there now and don't look as crazy anymore..