Should I or Shouldn't I?

prawny

Now I'm a full time all weather commuter, I'm wishing I had a commuting hack with full guards to keep me dry and protect the BB area from road crap. I've had the raceblade style (tortec, not sks they are a bit poo)

The fact is with a wife and a nipper (and the fact I am fat and unfit) I don't do any riding other than commuting.

I'm seriously considering fitting full guards to the boardman via the magic of p clips and leaving them on permenantly. Now I know guards look cack but in the midlands it rains alot, should I go for it? I'm really not sure.

Somebody make the decision for me! :roll:

whyamihere

Full guards. They're worth it.

always_tyred

whyamihere wrote:

Full guards. They're worth it.

Agreed. Think also of your shoes, headset, brakes, your bum, your saddle, your seatpost, the bag on your back.

If anyone makes fun of you, overtake them.

cyberknight

Yup full guards

I only live down the road in drizzly burton and the times i have wished i had had full guards.

In the summer i rough it with a crud catcher and the rear guard is not a must with a full pannier rack on

In the winter i have the full set and wear over shoes theres nowt worse than a shoe full of water off the road , like pedaling with a bath on each foot :roll:

ride_whenever

Skin is waterproof.

I wear less in the rain.

White Line

Full mudguards are ace!

And say if it is sunny for a week or so, they aren't that much of a hassle to take off and but back on. Just make sure you store them somewhere safe as they are easy to bend/snap. :oops:

Always Tyred wrote:

If anyone makes fun of you, overtake them.

Love it!

bomberharris72

I've got SKS chromoplastics on my commuter(my only bike and fitness tool) and I think they look kind of retro cool in a way! Definitely worth it for the pedal to work.

Obviously if I won the Specialized Tarmac in Cycling Plus then I'd rather cut my right leg off with a rusty blade than let a mudguard get a sniff of it but then again I wouldn't be riding to work, I'd be out having fun!

roger_merriman

if your bike is used 100% as a commuter then guards wouldn't be a bad idea they do make a fair differnce.

Bassjunkieuk

bomberharris72 wrote:

I've got SKS chromoplastics on my commuter(my only bike and fitness tool) and I think they look kind of retro cool in a way! Definitely worth it for the pedal to work.

Obviously if I won the Specialized Tarmac in Cycling Plus then I'd rather cut my right leg off with a rusty blade than let a mudguard get a sniff of it but then again I wouldn't be riding to work, I'd be out having fun!

Oi, that Tarmac's mine ;-) I'd say if you want them get them. I don't think I could quite bring myself to a full set of mudguards but I have occasionally considered the mini guards that clip onto the seat post to at least keep your bum dry. I've seen a few nice looking ones but don't really have the need for them at the moment :-D Maybe once winter rolls round I'll consider them as it can be a pain trying to get cycle shorts to dry at work if you get soaked in the morning.

Deadeye Duck

raceblades. Keep them on for the week, take them off at the weekend

This oppinion could slightly be biased due to the fact that I'll be doing the same

gtvlusso

No guards for me ever - just another thing to fall off/maintain/fit and they look silly......

snailracer

Guards reduce maintenance by keeping crap off your BB, chain, headset, etc.

edhornby

I don't bother with 'guards either - you have them, you still get wet

I have a waterproof top, I wear overtrousers rolled (up to the knee when it's warm) and neoprene overshoes for the winter

Headhuunter

ride_whenever wrote:

Skin is waterproof.

I wear less in the rain.

Agreed, unless it's cold and wet, I just wear shorter shorts, a vest top and no socks. Don't bother with guards, waterproofs etc etc

gtvlusso

snailracer wrote:

Guards reduce maintenance by keeping crap off your BB, chain, headset, etc.

Wrong!!! They do naff all....tried, used for 2 seasons and thrown away 8 years ago! never looked back and my maint has never channged.

alfablue

I'd go with guards, even if its not raining but the road is wet your shoes and backside get soaked. On my commuter/tourer I have black SKS ones, they look fairly discrete but do a great job. On my road bike I have none and the cold and wet I have suffered reduce my ride distance when its raining (I have now bought raceblades for this bike). I don't care about appearance, function is everything, but that said they don't look at all bad. Neither do I have any problems with rattling or falling off, I have just fitted them properly.

gtvlusso

alfablue wrote:

I'd go with guards, even if its not raining but the road is wet your shoes and backside get soaked. On my commuter/tourer I have black SKS ones, they look fairly discrete but do a great job. On my road bike I have none and the cold and wet I have suffered reduce my ride distance when its raining (I have now bought raceblades for this bike). I don't care about appearance, function is everything, but that said they don't look at all bad. Neither do I have any problems with rattling or falling off, I have just fitted them properly.

Agree, they do keep the water off your butt and back, make it better for anyone tailing you - but do nothing to fend of water ingress on the bike or stop your chain/bb or anything else getting wet. Personally, I don't mind being wet, as stated previously "skin is waterproof" - old army saying. And no one has yet tailed me!

Kieran_Burns

the only thing I find is that the mudguard simply transfers the water from the bottom of the bike to the top.

Rather than spray your BB from the front tyre, it goes all the way to the top of the guard and sprays your water bottles / frame / thighs

I do find the moving parts stay cleaner and the rear guard is a must though

always_tyred

gtvlusso wrote:

alfablue wrote:

I'd go with guards, even if its not raining but the road is wet your shoes and backside get soaked. On my commuter/tourer I have black SKS ones, they look fairly discrete but do a great job. On my road bike I have none and the cold and wet I have suffered reduce my ride distance when its raining (I have now bought raceblades for this bike). I don't care about appearance, function is everything, but that said they don't look at all bad. Neither do I have any problems with rattling or falling off, I have just fitted them properly.

Agree, they do keep the water off your butt and back, make it better for anyone tailing you - but do nothing to fend of water ingress on the bike or stop your chain/bb or anything else getting wet. Personally, I don't mind being wet, as stated previously "skin is waterproof" - old army saying. And no one has yet tailed me!

Its entirely up to you if you use them or not, but "mudguards don't do anything" comes under the fanciful roadie theory category I'm afraid GTVL!! they quite clearly keep water out of the headset and brakes, off your bum, back and out of your face. Your feet stay drier. The do nothing for the drivetrain.

They do look crap +> You are so vain.

alfablue

Kieran_Burns wrote:

the only thing I find is that the mudguard simply transfers the water from the bottom of the bike to the top.

Rather than spray your BB from the front tyre, it goes all the way to the top of the guard and sprays your water bottles / frame / thighs

I do find the moving parts stay cleaner and the rear guard is a must though

I wonder what setup you have. With SKS p35 full guards the front one goes low enough to protect feet and BB and also far enough round at the top to stop the spray blowing back at speed, it really does keep all the water off.

Edit: I would also suggest that the water coming from the top would have been coming anyway, rather than somehow gravitating upwards.

always_tyred

Kieran_Burns wrote:

the only thing I find is that the mudguard simply transfers the water from the bottom of the bike to the top.

Rather than spray your BB from the front tyre, it goes all the way to the top of the guard and sprays your water bottles / frame / thighs

I do find the moving parts stay cleaner and the rear guard is a must though

You shouldn't have drilled those holes in them to make them lighter......

You are using raceblades, right? Get a 4l coke bottle, cut it in half lengthways, do some Blue Peter jiggery pokery and extend them under the fork crown so that they actually work. Or just mtfu and get (a) proper ones or (b) none at all.

alfablue

Ah, raceblades, that explains it - yes they will fall short at the top, but it may be the only option on some frames, still better than nothing. Coke bottle/Blue Peter sounds like a fix.

prawny

Cool so i think I may give it a go then, I hope they fit now I've made my mind up, I got drenched this morning.

Maybe if I turn my Boardman into i wet weather commuter I can convince mrs Prawny I need a new dry weather bike :twisted:

Anyone ridden a Willier Escape? (I'm cheap I don't do carbon!)

always_tyred

prawny wrote:

Cool so i think I may give it a go then, I hope they fit now I've made my mind up, I got drenched this morning.

Maybe if I turn my Boardman into i wet weather commuter I can convince mrs Prawny I need a new dry weather bike :twisted:

Anyone ridden a Willier Escape? (I'm cheap I don't do carbon!)

So, kids, every time you need a new bike, put mudguards on the old one!!

Christophe3967

Mudguards for the commuting bike - I really don't care that they ruin the look of the bike.
Wouldn't dream of putting them on a road bike though. I did have a set of race blades on my last commuter but they always needed adjusting and whilst they're OK you can't beat the full length proper SKS ones imo.

jedster

No guards for me ever - just another thing to fall off/maintain/fit and they look silly......

If you go for good guards and this means full lnegth SKS chromoplastics they dont rattle, they dont work loose and they dont need maintenance. I agrre that bikes look better without guards but my commuter is about function not aesthetics.

LDN-Flyer

What a tough decision, I'm so glad its one i don't have to make, i really don't know what i would do. [/sarcasm]

snailracer

Front mudguards are, by themselves, not effective for keeping the BB/chain area clean. For this, you need a long mudflap, which never comes fitted with the bike (for warranty reasons). The front mudguard is for hanging the mudflap.

Roastie

The "'guards do nothing" comments very amusing. How far can self-delusion go?

My experience tells me that full 'guards:

make a huge difference in protecting both the headset and frame from water ingress; water ingress to the frame can kill bottom brackets as well as cause damage to BB threads significantly reduce the spray on your feet (& legs, body, face, clothing ...) help keep muck off the drivetrain

Mike Healey

Why worry about how they look? Just make sure there are flaps (front helps keep the feet drier/less wet and the rear one keeps following rider from getting splashed

prawny

Right new question, has anyone fitted full guards to a bike with no mountings before? Is it tricky?

Looking at some proper race bikes the clearances don't look too bad, but that said I haven't had a close look at a proper audax bike to know what I'm looking for.