Mudguards

zerostar

Having not ridden a bike in about ten years I am about to buy a bike to cycle to work on.
clearly I am going to need mudguards, but it seems as if lots of bikes dont come with eyelets to allow mudguards to be fixed.

Is that right?

carrock

Yes.

Although crud racer guards don't need eyelets

http://www.crudproducts.com/products/roadracer

Wooliferkins

There are plenty of bikes out there with mudguard eyes but race bikes do not have them. You have to drill down beyond the broad brush "road bike" tag. SKS raceblades are another option on eyeless frames.

wgwarburton

..but raceblades are not the same as proper mudguards, they'll keep the worst off your back and face but you'll still get covered in spray.

zerostar

Thanks for the advice.

I have to say to my (pretty uninformed) eye it seems pretty strange not to have this capability. Even something like this giant defy 3.5 doesnt seem to have them

http://www.dalescycles.com/2010_Giant_D ... lash-4.htm

wgwarburton

zerostar wrote:

Thanks for the advice.

I have to say to my (pretty uninformed) eye it seems pretty strange not to have this capability. Even something like this giant defy 3.5 doesnt seem to have them

http://www.dalescycles.com/2010_Giant_D ... lash-4.htm

You're quite right. The confusion arises because most bicycles are sold as sports equipment for recreation, not vehicles for transport.

Have a look at bikes like the Ridgeback Horizon, or Edinburgh Bicycle's Revolution Explorer models, they may be more what you have in mind.
If you look for bikes that are being pitched as "Audax" or light touring/commuting bikes you should find that they are more suitably specced.

If you prefer a model like the Defy, you might well be able to fit mudguards using "P-clips", as long as there's sufficient clearance. Your Local Bike Shop should be able to advise. Beware of limiting yourself to very narrow tyres in order to be able to squeeze 'guards onto a frame that wasn't designed for them, though, slightly fatter tyres are generally more forgiving and can offer a slightly softer ride, less punctures, less frequent pumping-up etc.

Cheers,
W.