Mudguards

[Radar]

Warning retrobike induced OCD calamitous woes...
My winter road bike has permanent mudguards fitted. The front guard skews to the left at the front, i.e. not square and true to the forks and wheel. Which in the grand scale of things really isn't that important. But it bugs the pants off me. If it is possible to true it i would like to do so.

When really knackered and i look down at my front wheel i momentarily doubletake and wonder which way to steer, front of mudguard goes one way the wheel the other. Not helped by fact guard is fatter and blacker than tyre.

So how to alleviate this trauma and make it true? Slacken brake nut and adjust guard, then tighten? Or is it the stays that hold the back of the guard? (My reasoning being whole guard isn't true, and stay tension is twisting guard into correct position at rear?)

Or is this one of those 'that's just how it is' moments?

 

[firedfromthecircus]

Most likely to be in the stays if it is an SKS style guard.

Loosen all the stay nuts off so they just hold, make sure the guard is sitting straight, and then tighten each one just a little, and repeat until all are tight enough. Like torquing a cylinder head, if you crank one right up while the others are loose it can impart a twist.

 

[xerxes]

Re:

I've had two sets of full length SKS mudguards on three different bikes. After much faffing I could get it close, but always ran out of patience before I got it absolutely perfect.

As firedfromthecircus says, loosen everything, including the brake nut, then part tighten, so that you can jiggle things into place, then tighten fully once you have it as close as you're willing to accept.

As a last resort, you could buy a handlebar bag, that way you won't see it from the saddle.

 

[The History Man]

Or use a paint stripper heat gun to gently shape it.

 

[Radar]

Re:

Many thanks for the replies (on both threads - not sure how it got posted twice).

That makes sense. Hopefully saved me sometime faffing with the thing. Although I do get the feeling there might be a voodoo ritual that needs to be undertaken to get it properly true