How To Instal SKS Bluemels Fenders On LHT

They call them fenders these days. I prefer to call them mudguards. Here is my account of what I did to instal them (Bluemels SKS) to my Surly LHT. The learning curve, as usual, was very steep. But if I can do it, so can you. Read on if you have the time. I am writing it for my own self. I might soon forget everything that I learnt from this exercise.

Front Mudguard installation 

Tools Required – Spanner # 8 and hex wrench # 4, a pair of pliers and some grease. Later you will realise that you also need a bolt cutter or hacksaw. This is not mentioned anywhere.

This is what I did based on viewing 3 youtube videos on the subject and the literature that came with the product. If I do it again, I will do it in a different way, the reasons for which are explained later. But no harm jotting down truthfully exactly what I did. 

First insert the four plastic end caps in their respective places, namely on either side of the two clamps that come fitted to the MG. It is a little tricky. The plastic end cap has a very thin slit side. The metal clamp should slide through that so that it stays snug. The pointed part should go through the hole. For this to happen smoothly, the hole of the clamp has to be in perfect alignment with the clamp's side. Use the pliers to do this alignment. Please remember, once inserted properly, it is very difficult to slide it back down. I am not sure if this will make much sense to someone unless you try it out yourself.  

Step 2 - Insert the stays with the plastic ends (the non-plastic ones are for the rear wheel) into the end caps. Use the four bolts to secure the stays with the end cap.

Step 3 – Secure the stays against the fork on either side with two of the smaller bolts (use hex wrench #4). Since the inside threaded part of the fork’s end has painted surface, the first time is really hard. I had to turn the bolt in and out several times to strip the paint inside. Once it is smooth add some grease and secure the stays.

If I install another pair of MG I will do these three steps last. The reason is discussed at the end of this description.

Step 4 – Insert the biggest bolt through the clamp and the hole in the middle of the fork and secure the nut on the other end. Use a washer here. Hold a spanner on the nut and a hex wrench on the other end. Tighten whichever is more convenient.

Step 5 – Now secure all the bolts tight but not too tight.

The installation instruction PDF from SKS

Now you will find that the MG is fitted all right but looks awful because it is not in alignment. What none of the effing youtube videos or the official literature from the company tell you is that you need to now cut the stays to size so that the MGs don't look deshaped and misaligned. Here is what they look like with the original stays (without trimming) attached.

Here is what they look like (picture above). Front and rear. Look at the end of the MG where it is attached to the stay. The stay needs to be trimmed by about an inch. I will get a bolt cutter tomorrow and then post another pic. First I have to get a bolt cutter. Bhanubhai (my hardware supplier from Bentinck Street) zindabad. I am off to Chandni tomorrow. Will carry the stay for Bhanubhai to understand what I need to cut. 

I hate it when I have to stop a work for the want of a proper tool. In this case it was a bolt cutter. So the next day during lunch break I went to Bhanubhai and bought for myself a heavy duty Taparia bolt cutter for Rs 800. It's a 14-inch cutter. Anything smaller would've failed actually. The stays are really strong German material.

On second thoughts, I should have probably spent a little more and got for myself an angled grinder. Because with a bolt cutter, you cannot do anything else except cutting bolts or nails, which is not a very frequent requirement unless you are a professional mechanic, particularly the heavy duty 14-inch stuff that I bought. An angle grinder can be used in various situations around the house, including for bathroom cleaning. But then I have made many other such superfluous purchases in life. This is perhaps one more and one of the less expensive spending mistakes in life :-)

Anyway, back home I took the stays off while the MG remained attached to the frame. Held the mudguard in a proper shape parallel to the wheel with a piece of thread tied to the rim and then measured the stay from the center point to the end cap. I marked the cutting point, slightly shorter than where the end cap ends. I put different marks on the two arms of the stay (upper and lower), so that I am not confused later. With one stay thus measured I held the other stay matched to the marked one and put the same marks. The idea is, both the stays on either side should be exactly the same size.

Now came the cutting part. Just one tip, if you are as novice as I am. Hold a towel kind of thing loosely over the end that is going to shoot out in any direction, including your eyes, when it is cut (potential energy converted into kinetic energy, I guess). Collect the ends safely and dispose them off safely later. They are tougher than any nail I have ever seen.

The ends of the stay, now that you have cut them, will be slightly rough. If you are very fastidious about these things you can file them. I did not. I installed the stays once again. Now the fender looks a lot more respectable.

I did one more small improvisation. The front part of the MG was a little raised and not entirely parallel to the wheel, like the hood of a raised pique hat. I did not like the shape. So what I did is put a few washers on the bolt joining the MG to the frame. This somewhat pressed it down. Possibly a longer spacer and therefore a longer bolt would do the job better but then I'll have to get a longer bolt first, to get which I will have to take this bolt off and go to Chandni. Lot of work that can wait.

One other point to mention about the front wheel MG installation. You don't need to take off the wheel to do it.

Rear Mudguard Installation 

It's much the same as the front MG installation. Will mention the differences. The first thing you do is take the wheel off. Then slide the bridge up the MG. The rear MG is attached to the frame in two places, as opposed to only one for the front. Bolt them up there. Measure the stays and ensure that the fit is right. That's it. Here also a spacer would make the mudguard look nice but that would mean getting a longer bolt. I can live with the MG looking slightly pushed out at one end.