# Mounting fenders on frame w/o chainstay bridge



## SadieKate (Feb 22, 2006)

My next bike project has started. I'm ordering wood fenders from Cody on eBay, but my frame has no chainstay bridge. He has never mounted fenders to a bike without a chainstay bridge.

Does anyone have suggestions? I don't want to use zip ties - just not an option for me.

So far, the best idea I've come up with is using a bottle cage clamp facing backward at the bottom of the down tube and then somehow make a u-shaped bracket to bolt to the cage mount and the fender.

I need an elegant MacGyver solution. 

Thanks for your help.


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## Cervelo-er (Apr 10, 2004)

*It's not too hard...*

See the pics in my thread ... http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=79803

So, you can order some "stays" that are already bent from your bike shop who may get them from www.rivercitybicycles.com in Portland, OR which is one of the places that makes the wood fenders. They retail for about $15 and I went ahead and bought them...though you could do the same thing with a set of stays used for mounting standards rear racks and bend them yourself. They don't need to be very thick since they aren't bearing much load...could maybe bend up some hose clamp material from larger PVC industrial applications...

Anyway, it's a little more difficult with wishbone stays because you have to mount a piece on the side abutting the seat tube somehow without going through a brake bridge. I'm going to get a longer thru-nut for the backside of my rear brake and then just cut and mount a small piece to fit in that 6 inch area. The tolerances are very close on my bike as you can see, so I haven't messed with it yet. I've been on a few rides in the rain and haven't missed having that little section open.

You can see where I used hose clamps on my frame. I wrapped a little handlebar tape around the fork and seat stays to make it easier for the hose clamps to fit. All this and a little dremel fun and there it is. I've since mounted some Heinekin "mud-flaps" (custom dremeled of course)...will try to get some pics of those up at some point.

I'm guessing I'll have had an easier time with SKS fenders than you'll have with the wood.

Might be worth paying a shop to do it...

Anyway, hope the pics help.


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## Gunther (Jul 28, 2004)

Sadie Kate,

I have three suggestions that might work.

1. A reflector mount clamped to the seat tube, positioned near the BB and facing rearward. Requires lots of clearance between wheel and seat tube, but you may be able to move the mount up along the seat tube a bit to avoid having it positioned in the pinch point. Check with Bike Tools Etc. for a good selection.

2. A large conduit clamp mounted as described above. You can get these at most hardware/home improvement stores. Look for rubber coated ones (black or assorted colors to match your frame). Select size to match seat tube. Bend and rotate the tab so that the mounting hole is positioned to connect to your fender. The trick is to find the right style up front to keep the design clean.

3. Two rack clamps mounted on the chain stays ahead of the wheel with tabs pointed inward toward one another. You can connect a bridge between them using a piece of metal strap. Connect one of the fender-supplied L-brackets to your new bridge. 

Hope this helps. 

GtB


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

There is a school of thought says that if you can't get it done with Duct Tape and Zip Ties it ain't worth doing.

OTOH if you root around the small parts bins of a bike shop that is more than a few years old you will find lots of coated brackets that ought to be easily adaptable to fit your needs. (Also lots of older cyclists are pack rats and might have something around that is just perfect).

MB1
Older Cyclist
Duct Tape and Zip Tie guy


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I saw a bike that used a "third eye" type chain watcher that was made of plastic. The guy had cut off the curved portion and drilled a hole into the plastic piece. It was clamped on the seat tube about three inches up from the bottom bracket facing the rear. The fender was mounted by drilling a hole through the fender and using a small sheet metal screw. With wood fenders, you could get fancy with a countersunk screw, just don't overtighten and crack them.


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## SadieKate (Feb 22, 2006)

Thanks all for lots of great suggestions and no zip ties amongst them which, I'm sure, took a lot of self-control. MB1, you must be a Red Green Show fan.

Gunther knows that my husband is proud of the fact that the drawings he takes to the city permit office are better than the pro contractors, so he sent me the illustration below. For the drawing alone, I think he wins the Elegant MacGyver Award.


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