Corrosion
That hole is not intentional. I’d reinforced this fender mount with a little steel washer, which over the last 5 months of riding did what you’d expect when cuddled up next to a piece of sheet aluminum in a damp environment: the aluminum welded itself to the steel washer and weakened itself enough so the cup spacer that I had to space it from the brake-area bridge could act like a punch and punch out a neat little – but not little enough to be used to bolt the fender to the bike – hole in the middle of the fender.
sigh.
A new set of V-O Zepps would cost $65, so that’s not going to happen. Maybe a couple of pieces of spring steel, bent to the right radius & plastidipped, to use as bridgeplates?
Comments
Well, accurately isn’t strictly essential; the piece of steel on the inside wants to be bent at a larger radius so it will cuddle up to and support the fender (plus the plastidipping will reduce the abrasion) and the one on the outside, which is smaller, is more of a tent shape with the bolt hole at the apex. And these fenders are about 4 years old and have seen about 12,000 miles of riding (first on my project bike, so I had to reroll them for 45mm tires, and then when I put them on the kit bike I reradiused them to 650b from 700c), so they won’t have their looks spoiled by yet another kludge.
Big hard rubber washer on both sides?
I think the spring steel would work but it’s no fun trying to bend it accurately.