New Crud Road Bike Specific Mudguards

mr.crud

Well, I have been following this forum closely letting it run its course, and it has thrown up some interesting points.
Firstly, I would like to shoot whoever it was who took the photo of the roadracers on page 6.
They are upside down and without their endpieces. I hardly recognise them myself! They give a very distorted image of what the 'guards are like in practice.

Secondly, as to the pilestrips rubbing, you will find they adjust to your rimsize and will be friction-free after one ride.

If you have any other queries please post here, I will return shortly

Cheers
Mr Crud

OldSkoolKona

mr.crud wrote:

Well, I have been following this forum closely letting it run its course, and it has thrown up some interesting points.
Firstly, I would like to shoot whoever it was who took the photo of the roadracers on page 6.
They are upside down and without their endpieces. I hardly recognise them myself! They give a very distorted image of what the 'guards are like in practice.

Secondly, as to the pilestrips rubbing, you will find they adjust to your rimsize and will be friction-free after one ride.

If you have any other queries please post here, I will return shortly

Cheers
Mr Crud

/Starry eyed hero worship on

Is this the one true Mr Crud, creater of all things crud including the Crud Catcher, the Crud Guard and the DCD? I salute you Mr Crud, you are a veritible legend and great to see you branching out into the roadie world (I say this as someone who has been recently joined the dark side of the skinny wheels and is looking forward to his road run tomorrow :-))

/Starry eyed hero worship off

spasypaddy

mr crud, i had to cut my rear one down so that it would fit under my brakes, i ride a planet x. thoughts?

forgotrafe

Have just got back in from my first very wet ride with lots of surface water and have therefore updated my review.

mr.crud

I am the one...the only..
Your adulation will not go unnoticed.

Can spasypaddy (a nom de guerre?) post a pic of his errant planet x?
I confess it would be beyond my powers, but if I could just SEE the problem.

spasypaddy

i shall go out and take a photo tomorrow for you. i tried to fit it in the bike shop, with the mechanics help we succeeded but only when we cut it down to stop it rubbing.

Oddjob62

Anyone know of any shops in North/Central London who stock these? Wouldn't mind grabbing a pair (ooh err) tomorrow

djb1971

Just fitted a pair to my Focus. There's a few pics on my blog link below.
couple of points for mr crud on there if he reads it.

Only done a few miles with them just but doing a 100miler with them tomorrow so a proper test with the crap weekend weather

IF YOU NEED SOME - wiggle have them in stock and use promo code

FREE5-PPEM1

and you'll get them delivered for £20 if you don't like to use Ribble

jpm5555

djb1971 wrote:

Just fitted a pair to my Focus. There's a few pics on my blog link below.
couple of points for mr crud on there if he reads it.

Only done a few miles with them just but doing a 100miler with them tomorrow so a proper test with the crap weekend weather

IF YOU NEED SOME - wiggle have them in stock and use promo code

FREE5-PPEM1

and you'll get them delivered for £20 if you don't like to use Ribble

Top call on the voucher - thanks.

I had an order with Wiggle for these that hadn't been processed. I just cancelled and reordered with the voucher

djb1971

you're welcome

spasypaddy

Oddjob62 wrote:

Anyone know of any shops in North/Central London who stock these? Wouldn't mind grabbing a pair (ooh err) tomorrow

the Cyclestore in friern barnet, they got one pair in yesterday and i popped in today to say hi and told them they should start stocking them. turned out they had ordered one pair in to test ride them... i bought them there and then.

fnegroni

On my Kiron Scandium, at first the front tip (without extension) of the rear guard was rubbing on the tyre: a 23c Conti GP4000S, which has we know has a slightly higher profile than most 23c and in fact measures the same circumference as a 25c.

All I did was, before fitting the front extension lip, I pulled up the tip and bent it slightly, and kept it bent for about a minute. That molded the plastic to stay raised. I then fitted the front extension lip and it is now rub free.

BTW, what Mr Crud said about the pile strips is true. They now hardly rub at all.

prj45

Epic fail with the inner tube install at 1:16, what's happening with that valve?

jimmcdonnell

the Cyclestore in friern barnet

Ah, one of my prouder moments - I taught James, the young man who runs the shop, his GCSE Design Technology a few years back. Nice to see them going on and doing well...

The shop (http://www.thecyclestore.co.uk/) is a good'un too, if you're in that part of the world. It's near the spot Oscroft Bros. used to be - now there was a proper old bike shop! A bit like the cycling equivalent of Arkwright's in 'Open All Hours'...

redvee

Just dry fitted the front to my Tricross single with v-brakes. Got to sort out the gap between crown and guard as there is too much clearance though I may leave the large gap at the crown, hitting Maplin's later so might see if I can get some longer re-usable cable ties. Fitted in 3mins, took longer to work out which was front & rear

djb1971

Right.

I've done a fair old run (75m) with these this morning and well,

there's nothing much to report.

They worked very well considering I thought they were very flimsy looking at first compare to full guards, rear and front cover is fine. They cover your ass & feet as well as full guards. They haven't budged at all, even in gale force winds. They have stopped all sorts of dead bits and muck from the country roads from hitting my legs.

The only thing that I really wish for is a longer rear guard, front section. This could do with being 2-3 times the size so that it can go all the way down to the chainstays and be tied on there because muck still gets slung onto the front mech area from the back wheel.

These are the best option on the market for road bikes . Mr Crud, I will happily test a new longer rear/front section if you ever make one

spasypaddy

jimmcdonnell wrote:

the Cyclestore in friern barnet

Ah, one of my prouder moments - I taught James, the young man who runs the shop, his GCSE Design Technology a few years back. Nice to see them going on and doing well...

The shop (http://www.thecyclestore.co.uk/) is a good'un too, if you're in that part of the world. It's near the spot Oscroft Bros. used to be - now there was a proper old bike shop! A bit like the cycling equivalent of Arkwright's in 'Open All Hours'...

haha hes a good chap is our Jay, he fitted my guards for me yesterday (he did back, i did front) as he wanted to learn how they work. always got deals for their regular customers as well.

FeynmanC

111 miles, in the dry, yesterday.

No problems to report. A slight rubbing sound occasionally but no marks on the tyres after that distance makes me think it's not serious.

Several leaves or little stones picked up by the tyres were dealt with by the guards without me having to stop or clear them.

I've not used them in the rain yet, but i'd agree that a longer front section on the rear wheel would protect the mech, but that is my only suggestion for improvement.

Mr Crud - you have designed a 99% perfect product! Congratulations

Ian.B

Thanks to the OP for alerting us to these - they look like a must have and a big step forward from raceblades. I've always been happy enough with my raceblades but quite a few of the rubber bands which fix them on have broken and don't seem to be replaceable, so I have been wondering what to do. I've just ordered mine now from CRC - Ribble seem to have sold out for the moment.
Ian

Fireblade96

Just got mine from CRC this morning.
Am in the process of fitting them (front on, rear still to go) in preparation for my little bimble in Devon/Cornwall over the next few days.

Dammit, the Wilier's turning into a tourer :shock:

LazyBoycp

If you do decide to go for the Crud guards, just make sure you do as they say on the instructions and check the tightness of the thumbnuts before every ride.

I've just been out for a short ride to test the guards out but didn't check them and obviously didn't tighten one of them enough - after about 8 or 9 miles of Manchester's finest (read crappiest) roads I heard a bit of a rattle that I assumed was a leaf or something stuck between the tyre and the guard. When it was safe, I stopped to remove it, at which point I realised that the thumbnut on the non-driveside chainstay had disappeared and the mudguard stay was rattling in the spokes. Decided there was no point going back to try to find it, so just shoved the stay back on the lug and carried on. Maybe I shouldn't, but I was miles from home with no other easy way back... :oops: It came off a few more times after that but was otherwise fine. No problem with any of the other nuts. Will need to get in touch with Mr Crud to get a new nut.

Despite what happened, I'd still recommend them with regard to their quietness - other than the occasional 'ping' when going into a pot-hole while cornering they were great. Pretty dry roads at the moment, so no proper experience of how well they protect against road spray.

In case Mr Crud returns and reads this... I think somebody mentioned in an earlier post that they thought that providing an extra thumbnut would be a good idea, and I'd agree. An extension for the front of the rear guard might also be helpful. Also, I've heard that things like hairspray can help things like handlebar grips stick to the bars without making them irremovable - any idea if this could be done to the thumbnuts so that they're less likely to unscrew?

forgotrafe

djb1971 - agree with you re longer front for the rear guard. I think they'd need to supply two though as some bikes have such little gap between frame and rear wheel it might be a problem. I was thinking the long front could have a cable-tie lug on it like the main guard so that you can cable-tie it to the seat tube, probably somewhere near the front mech?

LazyBoycp - 'twas me that said an extra nut would be good as I'm a self-sufficient type rider. Mr Crud tells me he's not (except for a mobile phone and some nice friends) so it probably didn't even cross his mind. You can get something called Loctite or threadlock for bolts, maybe a dab of that would be good?

I'm in Manchester this weekend and it wasn't dry yesterday when I went for a quick blast. Got thoroughly drenched. But at least it gave me a chance to test the guards in the rain and update the review I wrote with some better real-world experience.

redddraggon

I was looking forward to trying these guards out with all the position reviews. I've fitted loads of SKS guards/raceblades to mine and other peoples bikes with no issues so thought this would be easy.

I just spent ages trying to fit them at my sisters house, had to remove them in the end.

At the moment they don't meet the Redddraggon seal of approval.

I found a few issues -

There was no way I could get them to not rub where the guard was between the frame and tyre - by the reusable cable tie on the front and back. The front wasn't too bad - I could bend the blade and it'd stop rubbing for a while, but eventually the blade would relax back to it's original position. Unfortunately on the back the rubbing was so bad that the rear wheel wouldn't even rotate - even though there is plenty of space between frame (Deda Nero Corsa) and tyre (Vittoria Open Corsa CX 23mm), the guard just wanted to sit on the tyre and adding the extension just made it even worse.

The Reusable cable ties were pants - it was a struggle to undo them - had to cut the rear one in the end. I've got loads of normal black cable ties and I think I'd rather use them.

Pilestrips - I thought I'd got the front set up right so I stuck the pilestrips down - and then found I needed to move the guard away a bit so the pilestrips started rubbing on the tyres - they were stuck down too well to pull off and reposition.


I'd cycled to my sisters and had hoped to cycle back with the guards fitted, but as the tyres wouldn't really go around I had to leave them there. I reckon they've got potential - crud has been really ambitious trying to get the guards to go between the fork/frame and tyre, unlike the SKS raceblades that don't even try.

I reckon with a bit of butchering, ie removing most of the back guard past the cable tie it should be fine. Unfortunately for me at the moment they are a bit of a disappointment.

mr.crud

Hi Reddragon
So sorry you have had problems, but I reckon from your comments, you have tried to fit them without reading the instructions, a habit I am prone to myself.
The cableties should just rest the 'guards gently up against your brakes. If you really tighten them, you will find the guard will be distorted, and yes it will rub on the tyre. Likewise the pilestrips. Fit at the very end, when everything else is lined up. Then they cannot foul your tyre
If you have over 4mm clearance on your bike, the 'guards will fit. But you must follow the instructions.

Fireblade96

Having fitted mine, I found:
- front fits well and easily - good clearance
- the rear, however, is very prone to rubbing at the part in front of the rear wheel, i.e. forward of the part where the cable tie attaches it to the brake. I've tried to bend it upwards here but it's still rubbing to some extent, though only very lightly. There's certainly very little clearance at this point between the wheel and the mudguard, but as in this position even if they do rub they won't get pulled into the tyre, it's less of an issue.

I'm off on a 3-day jaunt into the West Country tomorrow. Given the forecast I hope the Cruds work - if they're stil on the bike when I get home on Tuesday night then they have been a success, if they find themselves sitting by a Cornish roadside then they haven't.

Watch this space for the test results! I've been using Crud guards on my MTB for years so let's hope the road version lives up to that heritage....

redddraggon

Lol, that was a quick reply

mr.crud wrote:

The cableties should just rest the 'guards gently up against your brakes. If you really tighten them, you will find the guard will be distorted, and yes it will rub on the tyre.

I'll try it again, although I did put them on loosely at first and was still getting rubbing.

mr.crud wrote:

Likewise the pilestrips. Fit at the very end, when everything else is lined up. Then they cannot foul your tyre

I did do it at the end But I do like to tinker which is what caused me to need to relocate the pilestrips.

spasypaddy

red dragon this is the exact same issue i had with the back guard so i just cut it down

fnegroni

spasypaddy wrote:

red dragon this is the exact same issue i had with the back guard so i just cut it down

I recommend the ones of you who have experienced the same issue with rubbing at the back follow Mr Crud's advice.

I also suffered from the limited clearance issue, and I initially bent the front lip of the rear guard upwards. That was last night and this morning it was still ok.

But I noticed I pulled the zip tie too much.

I just undid the zip tie like MrCrud suggested a couple of posts above, and I can see that pulling the zip tie just enough to rest against the seat stay bridge/rear brake, the front of the rear guard is not bent, and there is now plenty of room.

RESULT!

The guard should definitely feel like it can travel back and forth, but not up down.

Granted, some bikes might have extremely limited room there anyway.

Liversage

I've bitten the bullet and ordered these for my Specialized Sirrus. Then I went out today to see if I could buy the bolts that would normally be there for calliper brakes to pivot.

We don't have them, said Halfords.

We don't sell them separately, said my LBS - you'd essentially have to buy a set of cheap brakes and throw the extraneous stuff away.

So - can anyone show me a website link or tell me about a shop in London where I can buy just the bolt on its own, suitable for attaching the mudguards to? In an ideal situation, it would be just great if this bolt could be made out of black plastic, seeing that all it has to do is hold on the mudguard.

Mr Crud - what would you recommend? Can you supply the bolts for people who don't have centrally pivoting calliper brakes?

FeynmanC

Get to your local ironmonger (or B&Q if you must) and find a bolt and nuts of the right size and length. If you get locking nuts you'll be able to add a second at the end of the bolt to make sure the cable tie doesnt come off forwards. Either that or get some flanged thingies (see Redvee's pic on page 5).

You should even be able to get them in black if you go to a decent ironmonger, and be able to just buy a couple rather than a pack of 20.

I love ironmongers me :oops: