Tell me your experiences with Crud Road Racers.

andy46

I'm thinking of buying some Crud mudguards and would like to hear what people who really use them think of them.

I can't fit normal mudguards on my bike so I think the Cruds are my only option. The thing is I can't help but think they won't last long, they look so flimsy. Then there's the fitting, I've watched the video but I can imagine them rubbing quite a bit when out on a ride.

So come on then good people are they worth getting and will they keep my bike cleaner?

napoleond

If they fit (you need 5mm clearance between tyre and brake bridge) they are fab!

Anonymous

They are good, I have had to chop 10mm off the bottom of mine to fit my liespeed, They are flimsy when off the bike, but when on and secured thay are really good. Well worth 20 odd quid.

clu

Thumbs up from me. I'm currently using them on the bike I use every day and I just can't fault them. Been using them for most of this year with no problems at all.

Bozman

Good on "normal" roads but i found them a nightmare on country lanes/roads, you can pick mud up on your tyres left by tractors etc, this then builds up on the inside of the cruds creating noise and tyre rub.

d87heaven

Better than no mudguards, not as good as 'proper mudguards'. Worth a try I would say. May need a little cutting here and there but you can fit them pretty easily.

redvee

Bozman wrote:

Good on "normal" roads but i found them a nightmare on country lanes/roads, you can pick mud up on your tyres left by tractors etc, this then builds up on the inside of the cruds creating noise and tyre rub.

I've encountered this. I rode to work along wet, muddy lanes and when I rode home 8+ hours later the roads were dry and the mud had dried inside the guards, as it was dark I couldn't see what was making the ride home so hard.

rolf_f

To me there isn't much in it between Cruds and 'proper' mudguards. You do get more protection from the Cruds and they are much lighter.

On my bike the clearances are tight so they need some setting up and even then the front nose piece can rattle on the tyre on rough ground but otherwise fine. They stay on the bike year round. Once the fuzzy bits are a bit worn, the guards seem to sit inplace without any rubbing quite happily and if you need replacement parts, they can be had cheaply from Crud (though worth seeking out cheap sets of Mk1 guards as those can be even cheaper).

I have occasionally had the mud build up problem - it will mainly happen if you live in an area with a lot of clay soil. It's not to hard to remove though - pull the mudguard away from the tyre and let it ping back. The mud tends to drop off in chunks then.

Anonymous

Exceptional when fitted correctly.
I find give them any shock (pothole etc) they can move and then rub.

Would definitely buy again

Mike39496

coriordan wrote:

Exceptional when fitted correctly.
I find give them any shock (pothole etc) they can move and then rub.

Would definitely buy again

+1 to this, they are a pain in the arse until you manage to fit them so they no longer rub.

g00se

I think they're great. A pain to fit first time. But I can now happily remove them and put them on again in about 10 minutes. They do sit close to the wheel so can make a noise if debris gets pulled up into them. But I had some close fitting SKS guards on a hybrid that did this and the flexibility of the Cruds make it easy to get stuck stuff out.

Hunt down the fitting video on youtube. The 'pull up' trick and the pushing in and out of the stays to get the bushes to sit properly are good tips.

My tip if you tend to take them off and on regularly - put some electrical tape around the forks and seat stays where the guards' stays are attached. It may save on some scratching if you get some grit under there - and it's a good reminder where they should be re-attached too.

nferrar

Rear is very good IME (newer extended version), the only downside is it limits me to 23mm tyres whereas idelaly I'd run 25s or 28s on the winter bike. I gave up on the front, it fitted OK but I often transport the bike in the car with the front wheel off and it's too fragile for that + occasional toe-overlap meant regularly losing the bottom bit.

andy46

I run 23mm tyres, I think I'll give them a go seeing that most people like them.

I can get the Mk 2's for £21.95.

Anonymous

Sad times when we're shopping for mudguards in frikking August....

Escher303

I found them endlessly annoying, required continuous fettling and I have a a degree in Heath-Robinsonism! I don't have much clearance on my frame either and I tried SKS race blade longs after chucking the cruds in the bin. Far, far superior, no mud build up problems, easy to take on and off. Just much better in every way and will fit bikes with very little clearance, in fact I think they need less clearance than the cruds as the brackets that hold them on fit flush with the underneath of the brakes.

cubedean

They worked perfect on my boardman comp, but when i went to fit them to the team carbon there wasn't enough clearence on the front and were constantly rubbing.

Have not yet tried to fit them on the Cube.

Overall, if they fit they are great.

Also had fantastic service from Crud themselves, after my boardman comp got stolen (without the guards on) they supplied my FOC the brackets and o rings to refit them.

mustol

They're excellent, as long as you have the clearance and only want to run 23mm tyres. They're easy to set up (watch the video on the Crud website first as it gives a couple of useful tips). Obviously, they are fragile, so just be careful when you are storing the bike - if you put a cover over your bike, don just pull it off without ensuring the cover hasn't snagged the guard, as this will snap it off (nothing that some good black tape and some superglue won't fix)!

BelgianBeerGeek

g00se wrote:

I think they're great. A pain to fit first time. But I can now happily remove them and put them on again in about 10 minutes. They do sit close to the wheel so can make a noise if debris gets pulled up into them. But I had some close fitting SKS guards on a hybrid that did this and the flexibility of the Cruds make it easy to get stuck stuff out.

Hunt down the fitting video on youtube. The 'pull up' trick and the pushing in and out of the stays to get the bushes to sit properly are good tips.

My tip if you tend to take them off and on regularly - put some electrical tape around the forks and seat stays where the guards' stays are attached. It may save on some scratching if you get some grit under there - and it's a good reminder where they should be re-attached too.

^this. I left a pair on my bike whilst it did commuting duties and the front one has rubbed a slight groove into the front fork (hopefully not terminal). I don't use them now, but if I was going to return to them, I would regularly remove them and inspect the frame and forks for damage. My only quibble with an otherwise excellent product.

dav3e

Fitted some (Mk II) approx a week ago on my 'wet weather' bike with no problem at all. Didn't need to cut any off, and have clearance with 25mm tyres. Only thing is, I have yet to try them because the weather has been good enough since that I haven't needed to use the bike !!!
So if buying them means plenty of dry days, then it's money well spent.

rolf_f

BelgianBeerGeek wrote:

^this. I left a pair on my bike whilst it did commuting duties and the front one has rubbed a slight groove into the front fork (hopefully not terminal). I don't use them now, but if I was going to return to them, I would regularly remove them and inspect the frame and forks for damage. My only quibble with an otherwise excellent product.

Helicopter tape stops this. Use on all contact points. Only takes a moment.

I can understand why the less patient among us use Raceblades but gawd do they look dire! Cruds hardly even notice.

Incidentally - re toe overlap on the front tail piece. You can get sticky patches from Crud (come as standard now) that glue the tails on so the joint isn't solely reliant on the screw. I did lose one tail (no sign of damage so not sure how it happened) but have done many miles since with the glued on tail and its been fine.

Speller78

I've found them really good apart from the mud build up problem as mentioned by a couple of other people.it took quite a while to get in to the state where it was rubbing on the tyre and when i worked out what was going on and broke off the pottery i'd manage to fire with the friction the sudden decrease in resistance was brilliant!

napoleond

Pic of my 'winter' bike



I run them with 24mm Vittoria Open Paves.

ricklilley

I bought some last week from Halfords (reserved them online to collect in store for £13, so worth a look), i think they were supposed to be Mk1s, but i got given Mk2s in the shop.
If you can get some cheap Mk1s, the spares pack from Crud which contains the new (different) parts is £6.50. So could work out cheaper than buying a set of Mk2s.

I watched the video a couple of times before attempting to fit them. And it only took about an hour to fit them both. Fortunately i didn't need to trim anything off to make them fit.

Done about 100 miles since fitting them, and they are fine, yes they are a bit flimsy and move about. But this is what they are designed to do, to float over the wheel.

I did look at Race blades, but getting a set of Cruds for £13 was all the persuasion i needed.

MattC59

I've used them for a couple of winters now. As long as they're fitted properly, and it doens't take a rocket surgeon to do that, they're great. No flapping, no rubbing, no water and filth up your legs or back. Not a lot more to say really.

andy46

They sound good, some good tips here too. I'll make sure to get some helicopter tape as I don't want any damage to the forks.

Thats a pretty nice 'winter' bike you have there NapoleonD same wheels as my 'best' bike

benno68

They've worked well for me, used them on a Giant Defy and Cube Agree GTC Race.

Hals1967

No problems with them at all on my old Allez as a commuter.

Just fitted a set to my Genesis Flyer for the commute - very tight under the back brake, had to file some off the rear guard where the tie-wrap goes through but haven't had a run out with them yet.

Time will tell.

Niffleman

I have fitted them fine to various bikes I have owned including a Trek 1200SL, a Carrera Valour and Virtuoso and my wife's Legnano. I tried to fit them to a 2012 Raleigh Airlite 300 and had problems with the back brake as the clearance is very, very tight so I have moved over to SKS raceblade longs. In my experience they are excellent if they fit, but be careful if you transport the bike in a car and remove one or both wheels as you can snap them easily. A good product, if they fit. Mk 2's give significantly better coverage and, I think, are worth the extra money.

Hals1967

It's a no-go for Crud Mk2's on my Genesis Flyer. Tiny bit of rubbing whilst fitting them on the bike stand but when out on the road under load rubs like crazy on the back. Front ok though. Lots of faffing about but just too tight in the end. Might be slightly better with 23mm tyres but any crap off the road will jam up very quickly with the minimal clearance I have. Looks like I'll have to try SKS raceblades or put up with a wet arris.

I'd defo recommend the Cruds though, if they fit they are excellent.

twoshots

They are a perfectly good option for tight clearances on some bikes. Having riden group rides with people with standard mudguards the mk2's with the extra 'tail' on the rear will be much appreciated by the person on your wheel. There is a tail on the front as well and it seems to significantly reduce spray on to your feet.

I do suffer some rubbing from time to time, especially with road grit getting stuck between tyre and mudguard (the clearance is very tight) but nothing that would stop me from buying them again. If my bike had clearance for proper mudguards then they would obviously be a better option (perhaps with some added Heath Robinson 'tails' from an old plastic bottle just like the mk2's!)

Be aware, the first time you fit them you may well disappear into the garage for a very long time. You'll may still be fiddling after the first few rides till you get them just right.

I'm actually starting to look forward to Autumn already...

ror3h

I'm also running them on a Genesis Flyer, the clearance is very tight under the rear brake but I managed to get them to run fine with 23mm tyres, allbeit after a bit of work with a stanley knife. The rear gueard does get clogged up with mud from country lanes but it's nothing major and it's easy to remove. The coverage is great, better than the SKS guards I was running on my old Tricross commuter, as they really hug the wheels.