Mudguards ????

neilg7777

After a couple of riders saying I should get some mudguards I have come to the idea that this weather is going to be crap all year so have decided to get some. Has any body fitted them to a Felt z95 if so which ones did you buy and do they rub (cant stand rubbing noise when cycling) I have put a 5mm allan key between wheel and fork and it only just fits. I have 25mm tyres thanks Neil

goonz

Depends which ones you buy really I guess. I fitted SKS Raceblades to my Speedster on 23's which is not really made for mudguards but there is no friction/noise etc.

I was the same I didnt really want to ruin the look of my bike with unsightly guards but now they are fitted, I cant believe I went so long without them! No more wet shoes and soggy ass! Love it.

peat

Crud mk2's should fit more or less anything if there is any doubt. However, i would go with solid fixing if your bike has the picks ups.

I thought my mk2's would be good just to get me through the winter, but to be honest, i think i will leave on full time now. They are very subtle and very effective.

One thing i have found though, the 'group ride tail' attachment is useless in practice as it waggles around fairish, so the chap behind still cops a bit of splash. I replaced it with one of the shorter optional tails that comes with it. Looks far nice imho and still keeps the protection.

Anonymous

I would use proper ones if it has the mounts.

The Cruds did not fit my Focus frame so be careful of any frame where the seat stay kicks back from axle rather than going straight up to seat tube. I could have modified them, but it was far too much of a faff. Even the front one annoyed me!

Got some Raceblades now. They still needed modifying a little but I love their simplicity and the fact that means they come straight off when back from a ride.
Easy to initially fit and a doddle to fit/remove after that. They offer less coverage than Crud's but work for me.

Following riders are not protected by 90% of guards people use so I would not worry about that.

You can get long raceblades, but they involve fitting to brake callipers so I avoided those.
They did attach to spindles though which I thought looked a great idea.

Bobbinogs

I use the Raceblade Longs and have found them to be excellent. Once the brake caliper attachment has been fitted then fitting/removing the guards just takes a minute or so. The coverage is great and they don't flap around like some other designs.

Cruds Roadracers Mk2 also work well for many folks but I found that I needed to adjust mine constantly and they seemed to bounce around a bit on the ride.

My club has a 'mudguard for group rides' rule and I think it is a good one. I don't mind the 'man up' stuff if racing but I don't so figure there is no excuse for going out on any kind of social ride and not having guards if the weather merits it (364 days a year), especially given that a lot of 'mud' on local roads is not mud!

rolf_f

Peat wrote:

One thing i have found though, the 'group ride tail' attachment is useless in practice as it waggles around fairish, so the chap behind still cops a bit of splash. I replaced it with one of the shorter optional tails that comes with it. Looks far nice imho and still keeps the protection.

I've ridden behind both. Whilst I'd agree that more gets through than you'd expect from a bike with a long Crud tail (though it depends heavily on rider style) you certainly get a lot more protection than with the short tails which give no protection at all that I've ever noticed. I certainly wouldn't be riding behind you with that setup. Personally, I just put the long tail on for club rides and leave the short one on otherwise.

bobones

I would give the Raceblade Longs a try. The Cruds will be a struggle with 25mm tyres and they do tend to rub. The Raceblade longs give excellent coverage for the rider behind if that's important.

goonz

bobones wrote:

I would give the Raceblade Longs a try. The Cruds will be a struggle with 25mm tyres and they do tend to rub. The Raceblade longs give excellent coverage for the rider behind if that's important.

Im more worried about my own butt but then again I have never ridden in a group...

stueyboy

I fitted some crud mk2's to my bike in November and they were great at first but I've just taken them off as they basically didn't last very well. The end of the line was a recent sportive I did when it rained for 3 hours. That finished them off. I'm hoping for a dry spring!

MrSweary

I've had Crud MkIIs fitted to my Felt Z85 for about six months for the commute now with no issues whatsoever with similar clearance. I had to cut down the rear one due to the frame geometry but that was expected after watching the Crud fitting video. The video makes fitting a breeze imo.

If you are riding through really filthy weather you may want to pop the wheels off when you clean it and wipe out the insides just to keep everything running smoothly. Otherwise the only adjustment I've had to make was to heat the mech guard and bend it outwards slightly which took all of 5 minutes.

sedente

those cruds always come through

feemackenzie

+1 for Cruds

I have them fitted on my Felt z95. it is a tight fit especially the front but a squirt of gt85 on the underside of the guards help minimise mud build-up. Worth every penny.

neilg7777

Thanks for the replys. I think I will go for the cruds unless this nice dry spell continues then I may wait a bit lol
Neil

MrTea76

Hi neilg7777,

Did you buy the crudcatchers in the end? If so, did they fit with your 25s as I have the same bike?

Thanks

markhewitt1978

Bobbinogs wrote:

I use the Raceblade Longs and have found them to be excellent. Once the brake caliper attachment has been fitted then fitting/removing the guards just takes a minute or so. The coverage is great and they don't flap around like some other designs.

+1 on this one! I have them fitted to my bike and don't even notice they are there!

Only drawback being the connection to the QR skewers means you can't swap out wheels easily e.g. for turbo trainers.

iPete

I'm currently running both Crud MkII and Raceblade longs.

On bumpy London roads the longs have started to fail. The rear clip broke and I've had to put my own nut/bolt through (ironically a spare plastic nut/bolt from a Crud).

In terms of easy removal they are probably the same, depending on your needs. When I remove the Longs from the racebike I have to remove the hangers from behind the brakes as it wouldn't be safe to keep them on.

Then you have price/weight, both of which go to the Cruds.

Overall I'd buy the Cruds again.

ugo.santalucia

iPete wrote:

I'm currently running both Crud MkII and Raceblade longs.

That'll soon be a thing of the past...

smidsy

ugo.santalucia wrote:

iPete wrote:

I'm currently running both Crud MkII and Raceblade longs.

That'll soon be a thing of the past...

I can't see you being sponsored by Crud any time soon Ugo

ugo.santalucia

smidsy wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

iPete wrote:

I'm currently running both Crud MkII and Raceblade longs.

That'll soon be a thing of the past...

I can't see you being sponsored by Crud any time soon Ugo

You're back! There's a tale of a broken Mavic that can't be fixed in the Workshop section, quick!!

smidsy

I think you will find normality has now been restored :-)

badgermilk

Have you looked at the Giant mud guard?
I fitted them to my Defy a few months back and am really happy with them. They should fit any bike as long as you have lower bosses on the forks. Currently have 25mm conti gp 4000s with no problem

pilot_pete

Full guards on an out-and-out road bike with minimal clearances is always going to be a compromise. I opted for a winter bike dedicated to riding through crappy weather/ roads and am very pleased thati did. I understand this is not an option for everyone and saved up for two years myself to buy mine, riding my summer pride and joy throughout two winters.

My winter bike is actually a cross bike which has oodles of clearance. Infact too much clearance as I had to fashion longer brackets to reach 'up' to the brake mounts on forks and seat stays! The fact it has disc brakes also made fitting a little more tricky, but the result is very satisfactory. I have SKS Bluemells fitted, the wide version and coupled with 28mm Gatorskins makes for a comfortable, very dry ride compared to no guards.

My final point would be to make a mud flap out of something plastic, like the plastic containers that screen wash or car oil comes in. Fit these to the back of both front and rear guards and your feet will stay considerably drier, bottom bracket and gear cable runs much cleaner and all other club members will want to follow your wheel!

PP

Dopey73

Carbonator wrote:

The Cruds did not fit my Focus frame so be careful of any frame where the seat stay kicks back from axle rather than going straight up to seat tube. I could have modified them, but it was far too much of a faff. Even the front one annoyed me!

Hi Carbonator, or anyone else with a GF02,

I ride a 2013 GF02 105 triple. Will the Cruds (Roadracer MK2) fit this bike? The stock 700x28c tires probably do not leave enough clearance, but perhaps 23c's will work? Or even 25c's?

Please let me know, thanks in advance!

Dopey73