Imagine you bought a beautiful mountain bike. And on the first sunny day they decided to run the novelty to the fullest, having gathered with friends for a picnic several tens of kilometers from the city. And all would be fine, but the weather gave way to rain, and when I tried to go faster my whole back began to be covered with a thick layer of dirt. Then you decide that tomorrow you will install the wings for the bike and will no longer endure it.
Does your bike need such protection?
Wings are installed not only to protect clothes from dirt, but also to protect components from excessive clogging.
Many mechanics and advanced riders oppose installing mudguards on sports bikes. Despite the fact that they will to some extent protect the rider from dirt on the back, this is still an extra unit, which means extra weight and additional maintenance problems. Therefore, the decision to install the wings for the bike will have exclusively for you.
Choosing wings: types
Mudguards, like other bicycle parts, there are a huge number of varieties:
- The most common are full-sized wings. The oldest type that appeared with the release of the first bicycles.
- Sports. They are made of flexible plastic, which saves them until the mount bursts. Designed for mounting on mountain bikes with 24-29 ”wheels. High-quality models as a whole fulfill their function and look pretty stylish.
- There are sports swamps-shields to protect the frame from dirt. They are a small shield made of plastic (about 15-25 cm), which protects only the stem and steering column from dirt. This type of bicycle wings is very popular among mountain bike lovers and new hardtail fans who do not have any dedicated fixtures for arches on the fork. A similar swamp is installed on the seatpost to protect the carriage and shock absorber.
Determine the size
Fenders for a bicycle are selected depending on:
- wheel size;
- tire widths;
- type of frame.
Most of the wings are universal, i.e., can be simultaneously mounted on wheels 24/26 / 27.5 / 28/29. In nature, there are also retractable wings, but as practice shows, such a design is not very successful. The wider the wheels, the wider the swamp, and the wider the swamp, the better it protects. The standard width is about 60 mm. Fatbikes are usually not protected.
Attaching the wings to the bike also has several varieties. Rear:
- On the seat post / tube.
- On a specially selected jumper on the frame and arc. Only suitable for frames that support this feature.
- Using an eccentric seatpost clamp.
Types of front wing attachment:
- To the stem with a spacer nut.
- On a gorilla or crown of a fork and an arc. For hard forks only.
- On the legs of the fork with straps.
Bikes that cannot be mounted on wings
There are very few such models. Basically, these are only track bicycles, frames of the last century with a very abstruse design, as well as narrowly focused and special-purpose bikes. It also happens that you can install wings on a bicycle, but this is not recommended. For example, in such cases:
- Your bike has a rear shock absorber. For this, a maximum carriage guard will do.
- Your bike belongs to some kind of sports discipline where a swamp is not needed. This is usually BMX, trial, highway, street.
- There is no mounting location or is it occupied by something else.
In all other cases, you can install the swamps.
Sports wings
Sport wings are usually made of plastic and have a maximum of two attachment points. The installation of the wings on the bike can be done at home and even in the field. Varieties of mounting the rear swamp can be as follows:
- Seatpost clamp . It can be produced both with a plastic adapter and with a fabric tape, which is more versatile, but may begin to move out over time. An improperly fixed and adjusted wing will constantly fall onto the wheel. A hexagon / screwdriver is required for installation.
- A seatpost clamp is not a very popular, but cheap type of mount, which is becoming less common. Has an ordinary bracket with two ears for the clown. It clamps itself, additional tools are not required.
Mounting a sports swamp
It should be understood that all the swamps are different, therefore, it will not work to tell how all models and types are mounted. To install both swamps, we need a 4a hexagon and / or a screwdriver (depending on the type of wings), for older models - an open-end wrench of 10 mm and 15 minutes of free time.
The installation process of the rear wing is as follows:
- Cut the label and plastic ties, if any.
- Wipe the mount from dirt.
- We unscrew the bolts of the clamp and disassemble it.
- We put a rubber gasket into the clamp and tighten it on the seatpost. It is not necessary to tighten the bolts to the end, it may be necessary to slightly adjust the position.
- Next, we attach the leaf of the bog.
- We adjust the position and tighten all the bolts to the end.
Mounting the front swamp with mount in the plug stem:
- Remove the front wheel.
- We assemble the spacer adapter in accordance with the instructions, if it has not been assembled before.
- We connect the mounting hole and the adapter with a bolt.
- Insert the spacer plug into the stem hole and tighten it to the maximum, after aligning it perpendicular to the plug.
- Return the wheel to its place.
Touring bike wings
Full-sized bicycle wings are plastic or metal arcs that close the wheel to about the middle horizontally. They can be attached with two or one arch. On the market you can find universal models that are adjustable in height to provide maximum protection against dirt.
Such bicycle wings cover at least a quarter of the wheel and protect against dirt very well. They are mounted on touring and hybrid bicycles with tires no wider than 1.95 ”, but there are also models for mountain bikes.
Suppose your frame and fork allow the installation of swamps. In this case, you need a screwdriver and / or a 10 mm wrench. To fasten the arcs - the key to 8 or hexagon to 4. Attaching the front wing is very simple:
- Lean the front fender with the bracket against the hole in the crown of the fork or on the gorilla if the fork has a shock absorber.
- Insert the mounting bolt from the kit, the washer and turn on the nut. If there is a thread in the gorilla, then just make a bolt.
- As you can see, the arcs have almost fallen into place, and they only need to be tightened. All modern forks have a thread in the ears for arcs. So just screw both arcs.
- Adjust the swamp in height so that it is as low as possible and closer to the tire, but does not touch it.
- Tighten the bolts to the end.
Rear mudguard installation
The rear wing on the bike is a bit more difficult to install. A full-sized swamp at the end can be attached to the frame or have a quick-release clamp for the seatpost. The latter is more versatile and suitable for almost all bicycles, and for mounting it is not necessary to remove the wheel. Also, almost all modern swamps have adjustable arches for greater versatility. Therefore, full-sized 26 ”bike wings can fit 28” wheels.
To install the swamp:
- Pass it between the hind feathers down until it rests with a bracket in the jumper on the frame.
- If there is a thread in it, just turn on the bolt, otherwise insert a through bolt, washer and turn on the nut.
- As in the first case, screw the arcs to the frame.
- Screw / snap the clamp onto the seat tube or screw the end onto the frame.
- Adjust the swamp in height relative to the frame and tighten all the bolts.
- Replace the wheel and recheck the brakes if necessary.
Done, you have installed both wings and are now completely protected from dirt.
Should I leave the bike in the workshop?
If you are not confident in your abilities, it is best to take it to a workshop for installing swamps. The procedure will take from the force of 20 minutes for complex frames, in most cases it will be done right with you.
Usually the desire to install wings for a bicycle comes after a trip along a field road in rainy weather. Of course, the work in this case will be dirty. It is recommended to wipe the bike before returning to the workshop.