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Berthoud mudguards can make noises. My problems on a bike I use on mixed terrain was fixed by adding a second set of stays, the middle of the rear and the long extension on the front both flapped about. I’m using very short rear stays, attached Thorn style to an eye on the rack, they’re solid as fuck now. I think noises can emanate from bolts where they attach to the frame, and where the guards interface with the stays. I’ve experimented with small pieces of rubber and leather washers here and there, and they’re silent. Try adding rubber washers at the frame first.
Yes, you can reuse the SKS QRs normally specced on the front, I’ve used them at the rear to allow wheel removal on ‘track ends’. They’re very solid, takes some force to pop the looped bit of the sks stay out and back in again.
Skülly-
Missed your reply, thanks for the tips! I will definitely try adding leather washers between the mudguards and the frame when I get the chance.
I think I also need to re-radius them, they're too big for my tyres (50 mm Berthoud with 32 mm GP5000), so I pushed the mudguards in so they follow the tyre, which isn't good.Regarding contact points, I've got a third mounting point on the front (custom rack for my Edelux) which has definitely helped.
I'll let everybody know what I did once I'm happy with the noise level :)
And once again thanks @motoko as well!
Veblen
I'm having a lot of thoughts about mudguards right now, let me share my anxieties all at once :
1°) Stainless steel mudguards noise :
I fitted Berthoud stainless steel mudguards on my bike (the ones that are epoxied black).
They look pretty, but they make very sketchy noises when the road is ever so slightly bumpy. I’m never sure if it’s coming from my steel bike or the mudguards, and I don’t need this kind of stress on rides. They aren’t mounted with any rubber washer, as I’m a little strapped for space in the rear triangle. They might also be under a bit of tension : they’re 50 mm and I’m running 32 mm tyres, so I have to push the rear part in quite a bit to have a nice fender line.
Is this noise unavoidable with stainless steel mudguards, even when mounted with rubber washers everywhere? This is not about stuff hitting the inside of the mudguards by the way, just the mudguard making lots of noise when vibrating. I’m considering moving to SKS longboards for this sole reason. I’m very happy with them on my commuter, they’ve been completely quiet so far.
2°) SKS Quick release :
Speaking of SKS, can their automatic stay release be used as a quick release, or is it solely a security feature made to be used once or twice ? I’m having thoughts about QR full coverage mudguards using fidlocks and the SKS stay release.
3°) Has anybody found a way to reliably prevent loosening of mudguards screws ?
My nice bike has vertical threaded eyelets at the chainstay bridge, the seatstay bridge and under the fork crown. Again, this looks nice, but I’m not a fan functionality wise. Through holes instead would be better and allow me to use nylstop nuts, which have been perfect for me in the past. For some reason, blue loctite isn’t working. I remove my mudguards periodically, maybe the threads are dirty and loctite isn’t sticking to anything ? Serrated washers have never worked for me. I have never tried wedge lock washers (would they work on plastic mudguards though?). I also have considered simply putting tape on the bolts, maybe that would prevent them from turning, and thus loosening ?
All suggestions are welcome !
4°) Attaching mudguards to seatstays :
I am looking for a way to attach fenders struts on the seatstays, as my bike currently has hidden eyelets on the inside of the seatstays, which are a pain in the ass. P-clamp are the obvious answer, but I’m looking for something which wouldn’t have to be removed when I remove the fenders. I considered using a Tubus clampset, which has two holes, but alas the smallest diameter they have is 14 mm, while the seatsays’ diameter is only 10 mm. Will I be able to bend them to fit nicely around my seatsays ?
I will eventually have eyelets brazed on the dropouts, as God intended, but in the meantime I’m looking for a temporary fix.