Racks, mudguards and panniers.

Jamey

My bike is a Specialized Crossroads and I currently have one of those mudguards that clips onto the seat post. I don't have a rack or panniers at present as I just use a backpack.

1) How easy is it to fit proper mudguards (bear in mind I'm a total novice at bike mechanics and stuff)?

2) Any particular mudguards people would recommend for my particular bike? I have Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres fitted (700 x 38 to be precise).

3) How easy is it to fit a rack? Same caveat as question one.

4) Any particular rack and panniers people recommend? Do all Panniers work with all racks?

Random Vince

most panniers work with most racks

i'm using a blackburn rack because it looked the strongest and was the correct width for my bike's rear end (some will need to be pulled open a little when fitting them)

if you've ever stuck your head under your car's bonnet and thought "yeh, i can fix this" then you can proberbly fit mudguards and a rack, it's not rocket science, its bike fixing science :P

i learnt by trying and then taking it to the bike shop when I'd given up.

I do not reccomend 'dirt monkey' mud guards tho

T800

Take a look at this month's mag for a review of mudguards. Mudguards are simple enough to fit, but they can be a bit fiddly to adjust so that they look just right and have more or less even clearance from the tyre along their full length.

Tubus racks are well regarded and pretty simple to fit. I'm not sure if your Spesh has eyelets near the rear hub dropouts or braze-ons on the seatstay(s) for mudguards and racks to be bolted to. If not, there are plenty of options for you. If your LBS can't help. have a look at the Tubus Web site to see some of the accessories that are available for fitting racks to bikes. My Tubus rear rack has eyelets for the mudguards to be fitted to.

Panniers come in a wide variety of sizes and prices from many brands. The vast majority will fit virtually all rear racks. Have a look at what's in stock at your LBS. Think about what you can afford and what you want to carry (e.g. lightly loaded on the commute to work but filling up with a stop at the supermarket on the way home). Altura, Ortlieb, Vaude and Carradice are all well regarded, and a set of waterproof Agu panniers got a Best Buy award in a recent edition of the mag. Don't necessarily buy the biggest panniers you can afford if you think it'll only lead to you carrying excess weight around.

alfablue

I think Tubus racks are the finest IMHO but they are expensive (I paid £90 for my stainless steel Cosmo, prices start around £60. They have a 10 year warranty), Tortec make a rack very similar in design to Tubus, but for £30 (and it was a Cycling Plus Best Buy).

A good feature of the Tubus and Tortec racks is that the panniers fit lower and further back on a secondary rail which improves stability and increases heel clearance which can sometimes be an issue with certain frame geometries / pannier design / foot size combinations.


Tortec



Tubus



For mudguards, SKS Chromoplastics are generally held to be the best. I have them in different sizes on both my bikes. They cost about £23 and are usually easy to fit. They come in different widths to suit your tyres, and for 26" or 700c wheel sizes. They are almost indestructable, and they have a safety release on the front one (in case an object gets pulled up by the front wheel and jams). Mudguards that are close to the wheel are much more effective (c/w seatpost mounted ones).

If you are unsure the LBS should be able to fit both for you (maybe even free if you have a generous LBS, assuming you buy from them!)

Jamey

Thanks guys.