Help with connecting rack and fenders

**CyclaSutra** · 03-12-2006, 08:04 PM

Hey! I hope some of you gals have had this trouble before... I ordered an awesome rack and fenders, but can't ask my LBS for help putting them on because I didn't order from them. The rack says it's supposed to screw into the "threaded seat-stay bosses" which I don't have on my old mountain bike turned commuter.

I'm having a helluva time attaching these pix for some reason. I just hope somebody else has had this problem and knows what to do about it!

I'm trying to figure out if I should go to the hardware store and get a bolt to go between my rear triangle tube and the seat tube, or whether I should just try to zip tie it ...

and on the right side of my suspension fork, no eye to hold the fender doodad... so should I just zip tie/duct tape it all together and hope for the best ??? Just seems like my 6-year-old race-worthy aluminum hardtail wasn't made for this attaching stuff business.

**tprevost** · 03-12-2006, 08:08 PM

Hey Cyclesutra,

Sorry, no help here. Just wanted to say that I've taken in parts to my LBS that I've ordered elsewhere and it hasn't been a problem. They may charge you for whatever time they spend, which is fair if it takes a while.

Good luck!

Tracy

ps. you can always say it was a gift (to yourself, but they don't need to know that!) and could they help you with this problem

**sydney_b** · 03-12-2006, 09:37 PM

Clamps used to route electrical cables along beams work well. They look like this:

http://tinyurl.com/mbpht

I think if you look around, you can find some that are metal, but plastic coated, or with some rubber to protect your paint finish. It's so fun to explore the hardware store.

/s

**Nanci** · 03-13-2006, 05:42 AM

A related question- my (non-touring) bike _does have the "threaded seat stay bosses," so I think I could put a rack on it, but what does the top part of the rack attach to?

Nanci

**Veronica** · 03-13-2006, 06:02 AM

I don't think that you will be able to mount a set of full fenders on a suspension fork. Even if you did zip tie/clamp it, the fork is going to go up and down - that ain't good for the aluminum connectors. They will probably break quickly AND depending on how closely you mount the fender to the tire, it might get pulled against the tire when the shock compresses.

There are companies that make fenders for MTBs. These offer way less coverage than a full set of fenders, but they do work better than nothing. REI (on line) has a huge selection. Search for fenders on their site.

As far as LBS doing it - it can be expensive. It takes me more than an hour to do the initial setup and I've done 3 or 4 bikes. OTOH, I can't imagine the LBS walking away from money if you offer it.

Nanci, how the rack attaches to the bike depends on the design of the rack. This Rivendell uses either bosses or (included) clamps for when there are no bosses.

Veronica's rack clamps to the seat post.

-thom (stealing Veronica's account)

**Nanci** · 03-13-2006, 06:13 AM

I think my eyelets are too low for either of those racks. They are right by the hub. So, the clamps that go on the seat stays (lower attachment) come with the rack, correct? Then if there were clamps that came that would attach the upper attachment, then a rack like Thom's would work, otherwise, Veronica's rack would work, except I'm worried a little by the amount of drop it has, because I'm on a 47" 650 with about 2-3" of exposed seatpost...

Hmmm.

Thom, Cyclasutra said it was a hardtail, not FS.

Thanks,

Nanci

**CyclaSutra** · 03-13-2006, 06:28 AM

Thom,

Thanks so much for the help.

These ARE mountain bike fenders, and the top part attaches to the susp fork in such a way that it isn't affected by the couple inches of float left in my old fork.

SydneyB's idea about the tube thingy with eyelet looks like it will work great!

My major problem is one I couldn't post the pic of... the back rack has two vertical posts that fit nicely onto small eyelets by my cassette, but instead of bolting to the seat stay bosses, my two little jutty-out-thingies at the front of the rack have nowhere to attach, so I'm thinking of getting a bolt to go between my rear triangle and seat tube to hold them together and keep the rack from tilting.

Thanks for all the ideas, guys and gals! (I KNEW there was testosterone lurking here! But I'm glad for it!)

**DebW** · 03-13-2006, 06:36 AM

I can see fenders working with plastic zip ties or clamps, but don't try that with a rack that's going to carry weight. Only braze-ons or a metal clamp firmly attached to the frame (as in Veronica's picture) would take the stress. As someone said, the suspension fork is not going to work for anything that attaches both above and below the suspension.

**Veronica** · 03-13-2006, 07:04 AM

Nanci,

Most racks come with much longer arms than the ones pictured. Blackburn racks reach to the eyelets by the drop outs. Seat stay clamps can be used in either the upper or lower location, as needed. The rack should come with at least one set of clamps or you can use the item in Sydney_b's post. BTW, nothing in my post suggests that CyclaSutra had a FS bike.

CyclaSutra, my concern about flex is in the part shown in your photo. Those arms are going to have to flex where they connect to the fender. They will never stay in the quick release with the fork motion. Did he just say "quick release?" What quick release? You do have quick releases for the front fender right? Look at the photo of Fluffy. See the small black plastic tabs that connect the fender to the fork? The support arms just pop in and out of those. There is no hard attachment point. It is an important safety feature. If you pick up a stick between the fender and the tire and do not have a quick release, you get to play Super Woman over the bars.

It is rare, but it does happen. With the quick release, the fenders just pop out and typically fold up - giving their life to save yours.

If you don't have the QR, there will be a lot of flex at the fender and they just aren't designed for that.

-thom

**CyclaSutra** · 03-13-2006, 07:21 AM

Thom, It's a Planet Bike MTB fender, and the top of it attaches to the top of the fork.

THe suspension parts of the fork are above where the fender attaches; therefore the flex in the fork is all going on ABOVE where the fender and the wheel are. So it doesn't look like that will affect the fender stays at all. But not having them "affixed" yet, it is hard to tell. My fender didn't come with any black plastic doodads to use near the hub. Hmm. But the arms do have that sticky-outy-thing where they attach to the fender.

I'm going to have to get it all attached before I can tell what will be a problem.

And it is a Topeak Exlporer MTX rack

and I think I've got a generic pic of it here, but I don't know what to do about those front arms. Hardware store clamps might be better than putting a nut through those eyelets between the seat post tube and rear triangle.

**Veronica** · 03-13-2006, 08:51 AM

So the fork has the suspension in the steerer tube, not fork arms? In that case you are right, no flex issues. OTOH, I don't use planet bike because they do not have those quick releases I mentioned. However, lots of people do.

The front arms on the rack do connect to either the bosses on the seat stay or to clamps. Those arms can be bent pretty much as much as needed to get them to line up with the bosses, presuming the bosses are near the top of the triangle and not down near the bottom.

-thom

**Veronica** · 03-13-2006, 09:10 AM

So freaky to see another post under my name - and it's not me.

For the record Thom doesn't generally lurk (other than stalking me) but he's the fender/rack guru in my household. It seemed easier to just have him reply.

V.

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Help with connecting rack and fenders

I think something like this would work ...

Thom

Thanks!

Fender seems OK

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