Fitting Disk Brakes with Mudguards - Intro
Mudguards stop you and you bike getting muddy and wet, and disk brakes provide a method of braking that doesn't wear out your rims, and pads last longer than rim brakes between changing. This makes the two add-ons a good choice for the practical biker, but unfortunately it is not always a straight fit. I will explain ways to get around the fitting problems associated with fitting mudguards and disk brakes on the same bike.
Fitting Disk Brakes with Mudguards - Solution 1 - Choose the right brake.
Some disk brakes will fit on the bike in such a way that they do not get in the way of the mudguard stays. For example I have fitted some 180mm BB7s which would have fitted without any tinkering with the mudguard stays. Perhaps larger disk rotor are the solution as the callipers are usually mounted higher up.
Fitting Disk Brakes with Mudguards - Solution 2 - Bend Your Mudguard Stays
On fitting some Clarks CMD-8 Mechanical Disc Brake I found that the callipers got in the way of the mudguard stays. you can get around this by bending the stays using two pairs of pliers (one to hold, one to bend). Depending on the amount of bending done will mean that the stay has to be longer then the one on the other side, or you could bend the other side to match!
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Fitting Disk Brakes with Mudguards - Solution 3 - Lose the Stays
If you have a rack, then why not attach the mudguard to the rack at the furthest point back, and do away with the mudguard stays all together.
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To do this you will need some kind of bracket, I used a length of builders fixing strap, and some nuts and bolts and washers.
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Mudguards stop you and you bike getting muddy and wet, and disk brakes provide a method of braking that doesn't wear out your rims, and pads last longer than rim brakes between changing. This makes the two add-ons a good choice for the practical biker, but unfortunately it is not always a straight fit. I will explain ways to get around the fitting problems associated with fitting mudguards and disk brakes on the same bike.
Fitting Disk Brakes with Mudguards - Solution 1 - Choose the right brake.
Some disk brakes will fit on the bike in such a way that they do not get in the way of the mudguard stays. For example I have fitted some 180mm BB7s which would have fitted without any tinkering with the mudguard stays. Perhaps larger disk rotor are the solution as the callipers are usually mounted higher up.
Fitting Disk Brakes with Mudguards - Solution 2 - Bend Your Mudguard Stays
On fitting some Clarks CMD-8 Mechanical Disc Brake I found that the callipers got in the way of the mudguard stays. you can get around this by bending the stays using two pairs of pliers (one to hold, one to bend). Depending on the amount of bending done will mean that the stay has to be longer then the one on the other side, or you could bend the other side to match!
.jpg)
Fitting Disk Brakes with Mudguards - Solution 3 - Lose the Stays
If you have a rack, then why not attach the mudguard to the rack at the furthest point back, and do away with the mudguard stays all together.
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You simply drill 2 or 3 holes in the top of the mudguard, and then bolt the bracket, strap to it, then bolt the strap to the mudguard. As you can see my mudguard got snapped off owing to a pannier falling off. This method would work better with some 3/4 length mudguards.
All the best.
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