Forum home› Road cycling forum› Road beginners

Mud guards

mask of sanitymask of sanity Posts: 610
edited May 2009 in Road beginners
This probably sounds like a stupid question, but bear with me...

Can anyone tell me the purpose of having mudguards on your bike? Obviously they help to keep the mud of you (hence the name) but to me thats not something thats important. I just think that if you're going to go out in wet conditions then you're going to get wet/muddy and its kind of part of the fun.

So is there another purpose to them other than that of keeping you clean or is it really that simple?

Posts

  • bomberesquebomberesque Posts: 1,701
    nope, it's really that simple

    I have full guards on my road/commutor bike, they are a godsend on a wet road. You'd be surprised at how light the kit you need is so long as you stop road spray from soaking you.

    I wouldn't have thought that getting muddy was part of the fun for road biking but there you go. Now mountainbiking is a different story ... mud guards there are really to stop the worst of the much from a) making a paste between your shorts and your saddle and b) coming up off the front tyre getting in your eyes, under your specs. I don't use them much, but mostly coz the rear ones mostly attach to the seatpost and don't stay still.
    Everything in moderation ... except beer
    Beer in moderation ... is a waste of beer

    If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
    then riding a rigid singlespeed is like licking it
    ... or being punched by it, depending on the day
  • mask of sanitymask of sanity Posts: 610
    oh ok, thats cool. Am i right in saying you can get after production ones? Because i have an Allez and it doesnt have the fittings. Would these be ok to fit panniers on. Don't really know how all that works tbh.

    Obvioulsy i''d rather go out in the dry but sometimes when you get caught in it its quite nice! Or maybe im just weird... lol. Its definatly nice when you get home after a wet ride!
  • AnonymousAnonymous Posts: 79,667
    It also alleviates all the cr*p thrown up at riders behind you on a group ride.
  • Chris SwanseaChris Swansea Posts: 78
    Using mudguards is also appreciated if you ride in a group!
    Trying my best to do 300 miles a month on and off road.
  • bicebice Posts: 772
    They stop getting crud all over your drive chain. I put on race blades if it is/has been wet.
  • Chris SwanseaChris Swansea Posts: 78
    Has anyone had experience of the different brands of 'race guards' (clips on's) that are available?
    I have read a review of one brand and it slated them, but there do seem to be other brands out there.
    Trying my best to do 300 miles a month on and off road.
  • giant_mangiant_man Posts: 6,878
    The SKS Race Guards are fine, I've had them for a couple of years now and they do a good job. You have to be careful to safeguard against them rubbing on your frame and taking the paint off - a bit of tape usually does the trick - but apart from that they're fine.

    The Topeak defender is the same thing but probably cheaper.
  • bomberesquebomberesque Posts: 1,701
    for aftermarket guards, SKS seem to have the best rep out there. I've had Zefal guards and now have SKS and the SKS are so so so much better that I wouldn't even question it next time. For those old enough, these used to be called ESGE 20 years ago and they were the bollox back then.

    As for clip ons, I've never used them myself but have heard good things about SKS raceblades. They will never be quite as effective as a full set but they seem to be a good compromise for a race bike where you want to take them off in good weather and / or don't have the braze-ons / attachments for them

    as for panniers, if you don't have the braze-ons / attachments at the rear drop out then you can look for a rack that attaches through the hub QR (think about how weigth weenie your hub is though) or you can get a rack that cantilevers off your seatpost. Beware of the seatpost ones, they usually have a max loading of 10kg and I wouldn't attach them to a weight weenie seatpost. Have a trawl thorugh your internet seller of choice's site and see what they have CRC have a wide range of racks and guards, but so will others.
    Everything in moderation ... except beer
    Beer in moderation ... is a waste of beer

    If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
    then riding a rigid singlespeed is like licking it
    ... or being punched by it, depending on the day
  • Chris SwanseaChris Swansea Posts: 78
    ESGE Chromoplastic... that brought back a few memories!

    I wondered where they went when I was looking for guards for my touring bike. I ended buying SKS anyway!

    I'll check our their raceblades.
    Trying my best to do 300 miles a month on and off road.
Sign In or Register to comment.