Mudguards - Good, Bad and Ugly

weekendwonder

Hi Folks,

What are peoples thoughts on mudguards?

Go naked and get muddy?

Or use a good make at a good price?

Maybe, DIY guards anyone done that?

:?

rich_teague

If you're riding in a group it's nicer if you've all got mudguards, getting a face full of muck off the guy in front's wheel isn't nice.

The best sort you can get (to protect your face) are the ones that go between your fork crown and arch. You can buy them but some innertube and zipties will be much cheaper and work just as well.

I suppose it's how much you care about the looks of your bike, no mudguards looks cool, but you get caked, mudguards mean you're less cool but you're cleaner.

Rich9

dont mind a front crudcatcher type, but rear ones look hidious IMO. But I guess they're there to do a job rather than for aesthetic reasons

MTB-NCL

I've been cycling in the salt when it snowed and the rear guard protected the bike very well

cat_with_no_tail

It's a personal taste thing.

I use them, I have front and rear cruds, and a bender fender. I figure, why not? Mind you, I also use my bike to commute.

There's bound to be someone along in a minute saying "mtfu, it's only mud, it's why we do MTB in the first place, if you dont like it, go join the roadies" blah blah blah.

I've got nothing against getting muddy, but I don't ride exclusively at nice clean trail centres and I'd rather not come home stinking of shlt.

biff55

i'll get my popcorn , could be a long thread.

weekendwonder

Good feedback, however, has anyone made guards for there bikes.

Some I've seen look like you could knock them up yourself.

Tel39

weekendwonder wrote:

Good feedback, however, has anyone made guards for there bikes.

Some I've seen look like you could knock them up yourself.

Old innertube cut length ways and fitted/cable-tied between that big gap in the front fork, (dont know the technical term for it!) stops the dirt/mud flying into your face, one of the best upgrades on my bike and cost zilcho!
For the rear, waterproof shorts

Rich9

never made mudguards for my bike, but I once made my Raleigh Grifter into a motorbike. Piece of cardboard and a lolly stick. sounded great

krazykayaker

Neoguard for the front to stop the majority of mud in the face

Then sod the rest, Get Muddy :P

77ric

Mucky NutZ FTW!

nah seriously, i replaced my NeoGaurd with one, the neoguard catches a lot of crap but it doesn't stop the fork stanchions getting covered in crap, while the mucky nutz stops the crud getting thrown up and on to the fork stanchions and into my face. looks pretty good too

krazykayaker

Each to there own but i prefer the look of the neoguard as never had any problems with it and it is very effective

I have heard of Mucky Nutz flying of and causing bodily damage though!!

Not sure how true the reports are though :?:

llamafarmer

I hate the look of mudguards, but I bought a rear crudcatcher recently because I'm sick of having a wet, muddy arse riding in Bristol. They work.

Northwind

krazykayaker wrote:

I have heard of Mucky Nutz flying of and causing bodily damage though!!

How?

Not having a go, but there are people who claim that crudcatchers are dangerous, that moto guards are dangerous... Always seems to be people who don't like mudguards but can't admit that their reasons are purely vanity, or how they like to ride.

Both perfectly good reasons of course but some folks aren't happy with that, they don't want to say "I just like getting covered in mud", they have to say "But getting covered in mud is what riding's all about! Why would you ride if you don't get covered in mud?!"

Most mudguard users seem happy enough that they're not covered in mud themselves. And sometimes, they get narked at the obvious barefaced bull**** that gets talked on the subject. But a lot of people who don't like mudguards seem to want everyone else to also not like mudguards.

Northwind

krazykayaker wrote:

I have heard of Mucky Nutz flying of and causing bodily damage though!!

How?

Not having a go, but there are people who claim that crudcatchers are dangerous, that moto guards are dangerous... Always seems to be people who don't like mudguards but can't admit that their reasons are purely vanity, or how they like to ride.

Both perfectly good reasons of course but some folks aren't happy with that, they don't want to say "I just like getting covered in mud", they have to say "But getting covered in mud is what riding's all about! Why would you ride if you don't get covered in mud?!"

Mudguard users seem happy enough that they're not covered in mud themselves. And sometimes, they get narked at the obvious barefaced bull**** that gets talked on the subject. But people who don't like mudguards seem to want everyone else to also not like mudguards.

diy

I use Topeak Defender M1 & M2. Where I ride it can get really muddy as some of the trails are green lanes and get churned up by 4x4s and dirt bikes. I take them off in the summer.

From an 'elf and safety point of view its probably more important to wear eye protection, because there is a lot of bacteria, horse poo etc in muddy puddles, which could easily give you an eye infection.

llamafarmer

Northwind

Agree with a lot of that, it's horses for courses. I rode at Afan yesterday without mud guards and got pretty muddy, but it was fine. Had I been riding in Bristol instead I'd have been absolutely plastered in the stuff - to the point where you're sliding around on the saddle, with a cold, wet arse - in those conditions I wouldn't think twice about the mudguard.

.blitz

If you're a weekend warrior who sterilses their bike on Sunday afternoon and doesn't go near it until the next Sunday then fair enough but if you're riding all year round mudguards are an absolute necessity.

If a bit of plastic lets me finish a winter ride in relative comfort then I really don't care what it looks like.

scottgeniusltd2005

i know guards make sense. i know i could get a nasty disease from road and track shite. i know i may get lower spine problems from constantly being wet. but i just can't do it to my beloved scott and stick guards on and detract from her beauty. so i make do with waterproof pants, a buff over my gob and glasses. i should know better at my age!!!!

Tostaryman

I'd second the 'comfort' benefits of using mudguards in the winter. Sure its a laugh getting covered in mud from head to toe every now and again, but when the temperature is 4 degrees C and the trails are soaking wet, mudguards ensure a hell of a more comfortable ride.

As to the aesthetics of mudguards, function over form every time for me. Just look at any serious road cyclist - http://www.teamsky.com/gallery/0,27401, ... ml#photo=4

Cue loads of sarcy comments re road versus mtb... yawn!