mudguards

andy610
andy610 Posts: 602
edited September 2008 in Road beginners
does anybody else hate having mudguards on there road bike, i tried some sks raceblades quick release on mine but they kept moving, which others can i use which can be fixed on and just taken off for dry rides my bike is a trek pilot 1.0 2007

Comments

  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Have one bike with guards and one bike without, and then pick the bike you go out on by the state of the weather.
    I like bikes...

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  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    regular SKS Chromoplastic guards are the best. Normally (not this year, too wet!) I put them on in the autumn and remove them in spring. Its not hard to remove them, takes about 10 minutes, but I wouldn't do it on a daily basis. If you get the black ones, I find that visually they are very discrete and are not really noticeable (if that worries you). I am guessing the narrowest p35's are what you want - about £25. Effective, safe, virtually indestructible.
  • CanterburyTailwind
    CanterburyTailwind Posts: 162
    +1 for the Chromoplastics. They really aren't too garish/noticeable. But then I don't really get the whole fear of mudguards thing. I know aesthetically having them on spoils the clean lines of a road bike, but the benefit of not getting cr*p all over you far outweighs this. I've also heard that aerodynamically they are a hinderance...really?? Surely this only applies to pro cyclists trying to shave nanoseconds off their time?
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    I actually like the utilitarian look. As for aerodynamics, I'll worry about that when I get rid of the beer gut! To me, there is nothing worse than having a wet, gritty bum that you get riding without guards.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I'm getting on in years so I'm not as keen on having a wet @rse as I used to be. My new bike therefore had to take full mudguards, which made the choice a bit easier.
    For reasons I cannot articulate, I don't like Giant SCR's
    In the end I have gone for a Racelight TK from Epic, and asked them to fit the SKS guards in black so it's not so obvious.
    I enjoyed my test ride, and I'm going back to pick up the finished item in a couple of weeks. So excited!!
  • CanterburyTailwind
    CanterburyTailwind Posts: 162
    Let us know how you get on Keef. I was sorely tempted by the Kinesis, but went for the SCR in the end, as money was tight, and it was a few hundred cheaper. However, I still ponder over whether it was the right decision...
  • ris
    ris Posts: 392
    +1 raceblades, i usually check the weather forecast most mornings online and only if it is predicted to be unbroken sunshine for 5 days do i take them off.

    still carry waterproof jacket and trousers to be on the safe side though, can't trust british summer!

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