Should I or Shouldn't I?

always_tyred

Yup.

You can get p-clips for the rear stays, front forks and so on, no problem.

Zip ties will also work, and you will need one to hold the rear guard to something in the region of the bb.

The problem is securing under the front fork crown, and to the seatstay bridge (if there is one). This is where the clearances might be tight on a road bike. So you'll be looking at the narrowest guards you can find, and some shaving of the mudguards at the narrowest point might be required.

Another problem I had was that the holes which the the brake bolts are supposed to go through positioned the guards too close to the tyre. This might not be a common problem. You just have to suck it and see.

It required me to cunningly drill some holes to thread zip ties through, and stitching a couple together around the fork crown/bridge (front/rear). It was even trickier on the front, for other reasons, but the solution ended up about the same.

prawny

Cool thanks,

I'm thinking SKS P35s or should I get something cheaper incase it doesn't work/I destroy them with my impatience?

alfablue

SKS are by far the best, buy cheaper and you may well end up upgrading to SKS anyway. Cheaper to get the best straight away. It is very difficult to destroy them!

prawny

Yeah I just looked actually there aint much out there cheaper anyway (does that make sense? TFI friday eh!)

I'll keep y'all posted as to how it goes - like anyone actually cares

alfablue

I do care prawny

prawny

Aww thanks alfablue, you're a true gent. (you are a gent aren't you?)

alfablue

(just checking) Yes, a gent

secretsam

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

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 ;-)

No, it's mine

And get some guards, if only out of consideration for the poor s0d behind you.

Kieran_Burns

Always Tyred wrote:

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.

I've got the full SKS 35mm ones on mine. I have to add though that they only tend to cover the bike when I'm going down the bridleway and it's raining - it's that combination that does for me.

The full ones also comes with the bottom flap as well - although I did manage to knock it off this week

always_tyred

I don't understand how the water is coming out anywhere near the top of the bike - knobblies and vast quantities of water? Wow - I've never met anyone who's exceeded the capacity of mudguards before!

alfablue

when I ride without guards there is water thrown forwards from the top of the wheel, this then blows back on the bike and my face at speed. Maybe he is referring to this. It is just water that clings to the tyre rather than the whole mudguard filling up. Proper mudguards sort it.

Kieran_Burns

The water coming out the top of the mudguard has always been an issue due to (as said above) the water travelling around the tyre. I can't see how a 'proper' mudguard would stop this effect.

I'm also not sure that my SKS guards AREN'T proper mudguards :?

alfablue

Kieran_Burns wrote:

The water coming out the top of the mudguard has always been an issue due to (as said above) the water travelling around the tyre. I can't see how a 'proper' mudguard would stop this effect.

I'm also not sure that my SKS guards AREN'T proper mudguards :?

When I say proper mudguards I mean ones that fit with sufficient forward of the headset. It doesn't stop the water travelling around the tyre, it stops it being thrown upwards prematurely thus preventing the "blowback" issue. My SKS mudguards do stop this, if you have SKS mudguards (p35, p45 etc) they should stop this also. Raceblades won't stop it. If yours don't stop it I can't explain other than you might have it fitted with the bracket behind the head tube rather than infront (thus reducing the overhang at the front by maybe 3cm) or you have some weirdly clingy to water, tyres. :?

Kieran_Burns

the guards are fitted in front of the headset - there is one thing that might explain it: how close to the tyres should you fit the guard? I leave quite a gap, so stones don't get caught 'tween guard and tyre - should it it be closer?

alfablue

Ah, that may explain it, mine are between 10mm at the back and 15mm at the front, really determined by the available clearance. I have no problem with stones, I did once collect a twig which forced the "Secu-clip" to work as intended, no harm done.

That is 15 mm from tyre to centre of guard, not 15mm gap visible from the side.

roger_merriman

Kieran_Burns wrote:

the guards are fitted in front of the headset - there is one thing that might explain it: how close to the tyres should you fit the guard? I leave quite a gap, so stones don't get caught 'tween guard and tyre - should it it be closer?

depends how wide the guard is, I've got a reasonble gap on the big hybrid which i thump about light off road as well.

these are fairly big wide guards they cover 38mm fine and would cope with wider.