Hi all — I just got my first fenders, as I’m shifting from years of fair weather recreational riding to daily all weather commuting. And they rattle! Not terribly, but going over potholes / bumps and on sharp turns you can hear them. I realize this is picky, but having never had fenders, and having a belt drive bike, I’m used to my bike being completely silent — and now it’s very much not. Any advice? Are there simple effective fixes? Do dampeners exist? Should I have just gotten all metal fenders? Is this just a reality with all fenders?
I got SKS Bluemels (black, B45) because of the aluminum core, but thought the plastic casing would be lighter weight, less bendable, and potentially less ‘clangy’ than all metal or other materials. [https://sks-us.com/products/bluemels-fender-set-700c-650b-wheels](https://sks-us.com/products/bluemels-fender-set-700c-650b-wheels)
Thanks for any advice!
by BWH44
6 Comments
It’s all about the quality of the install. I have those exact fenders and they never make a sound. Figure out where the rattle is coming from and secure it down better
Edit, sorry, mine are silver. But otherwise the same
It’s a nuisance. I have had similar issues and have never found a great enduring fix. What does tend to work for a while is to cut a strip of foam or rubber (or cloth might work) and get it between the fender and the frame where they’re hitting (that’s usually the cause of the rattle). And then wedge, glue or tie that foam or rubber into place. As mentioned, it doesn’t last – you’ll hit a hole and it’ll pop out. But it works for a season or two.
I have SKS’s, installed them myself for the first time last year, such a fiddly process but they’re rock solid. Getting them even left/right and spaced consistently from the tires took some back and forth adjustments, and I had to bend the support rods to clear my front brake and rear rack, plus I needed to use spacers. THEN after everything was positioned right, I had to mark the rods to cut, remount, and cap them properly. I’d rather not do it again– happy these are dialed in for my bike– but it would go faster.
Personally I swapped my noisy metal fenders for plastic. Lighter too.
Rattles are no match for rubber dampers AND blue (not red unless using nice hardware or permanent is what you want) loctite.
If you have old tubes you’ve got a near lifetime supply of butyl dampers that only need to be cut to fit. Worth the extra effort IMO.
Little things like lock washers, nylon lock nuts and stainless hardware go a long, long way. This is also where accessory manufacturers cut corners 😔.
If the rattling is because it’s hitting the wheel, you might need to extend them further away from the wheel, or adjust the left/right tension to center them