Custom fender mounts for Tight-clearance Bikes

I have an older frame that can only take up to 23mm tires. The Portland Design Works road fenders are great. However, there is one thing that annoys me: The Z-bracket on the rear fender. These are quite annoying to put on. If you want to avoid scratching your rear brakeset, you’ll have to remove one of the brake pads. I would like to avoid doing that as I take great care to align my brakes.

Here is my solution: I bought a second Z-bracket. I cut each bracket into two complementary pieces. I then used removable zip-ties for binding. The zip-tie may not even be necessary, as there is already significant compression force between the two mating surfaces. You can leave the piece screwed on to the brakeset permanently so that you can easily mount and unmount the fenders.

I used a hack-saw, a “portable” NYC apartment-friendly woodshop and some patience. If you have power tools, you may not need patience.

Pictures below!