# Fenders for bike without bridge between lower rear stays



## zriggle (Apr 16, 2008)

Bought a Motobecane Fantom Cross Pro. It is completely missing the bridge between the lower stays, meaning that mounting fenders has just become a PITA.

There is a mechanism there that routes the front derailleur's cable (all cables are routed along the top tube), but it doesn't appear to be at the proper angle to anchor the bottom of the fender.

Any fender suggestions, or neat hacks to make something like a pair of Planet Bike Cascadia fenders work?


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

Make a bracket out of a strip of metal or some such thing (I have all kinds of random brackets and such laying around for things just like this) and attached it to the pulley bolt. It isn't ideal, but it should work.


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## Dale Brigham (Aug 23, 2002)

Get thee to a hardware store, and go to their fasteners department. Our local Ace hardware store has drawers and drawers of stainless steel metric bolts/capscrews in various lengths and sizes. They also have all sorts of stainless steel washers and aluminum spacers in neat little drawers (my local big-box home stores are not as well stocked in this stuff). 

Take the bolt off your bike's front derailleur cable pulley, take it to the hardware store, and get a few in the same diameter, but in longer lengths (they typically come in 5 mm length increments). It looks like an M5 from the photo, which is the same as water bottle cage bolts. I like the button head bolts for this application.

Next, get some washers that fit on the bolt, but are about as large a diameter as you can find ("fender washers" work well for this). These fender washers will be placed on both sides of the fender surface. Also pick up some M5 metric flat washers (get a bunch -- they come in handy).

Finally, find some spacers that fit on the M5 bolt, that will provide the "offset" you need to position the fender away from the pulley. The aluminum spacers I found that work well are in inch sizes (1/4, 1/2, 3/4 inch lengths), and the inside diameter just fits over an M5 bolt (it measures just over 3/16 inch on my not-very-good calipers). Pick up a few, unless you know exactly the length you need. You can return the parts you don't use, or just add them to your collection of small bike parts.

The order of the parts would be this, starting from the frame seat tube, and working to the tire: frame seat tube -- der. cable pulley -- M5 flat washer -- aluminum spacer(s) -- (maybe a M5 flat washer) -- fender washer -- fender -- fender washer -- (maybe another M5 flat washer) -- M5 bolt.

The fender washers can be bent (curved) to match the contour and angle of the fender. If you don't like the location of the mounting hole on the fender, you can drill a new one higher up. The fender washers will keep that hole from expanding and cracking the fender material. The M5 flat washers are in the mix just to help the bolt, spacer(s), and pulley play well together. Sometimes you need them, and sometimes you don't. 

I have fendered-up 5 of our bikes here at home, and it always helps to have a stock of M5 capscrews and washers, some spacers, and some fender washers in my shop to solve these little problems.

Have fun!

Dale


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## T0mi (Mar 2, 2011)

SKS raceblade will fit on any bike that doesn't provide way to fit a standard set :
http://www.sks-germany.com/?l=en&a=product&r=mudguards&i=5288300000&RACEBLADE%20SET


I have on set that I mount on my cx or road bike. Mounting is a 2min job.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

With zipties, a little drill bit, some washers, and a liittle resourcefulness, you can mount fenders on anything.

Zipties and duct tape are the most valuable supplies in my shop.


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## RedRex (Oct 24, 2004)

I just cut two holes in the fender and ran a zip tie around the down tube and through the fender's two holes. Ultimately the fender ends up against the downtube several inches above the bottom bracket. 

You can bent a metal strip with a hole on each end, and mount the stip on your brake caliper's bolt, bend the strip, then cut a hole in the fender and connect the strip to the fender.

The fender piece will end up running from inside the caliper to the bottom bracket. It will cover the portion behind your caliper, but a seatpost clip on fender covers this, or a rear rack.

This custom cut fender piece will fit any road bike.


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