Mud guards

runny
runny Posts: 13
edited October 2013 in Road beginners
Just wondering whether people tend to put mud guards on their road bikes. Of course, I have them on my MTB. But I'm a road bike newbie, and looking around the cycle paths etc. other road bikes don't seem to have them.

Can you put them on, and what are the pros/cons?

Comments

  • BrandonA
    BrandonA Posts: 553
    I think a lot of people use them. If you look at sites like Evans Cycles they have lots for sale. I've never used them on a road bike and last year I got soaked as a result. This year I intend to buy some.

    The bike won't look as cool (esp when you ride with mudguards on a dry day) and they may slow you down but its a balancing act between those days when you'd get drenched without them.

    You can also buy some which supposedly help keep some spray away from your chainset which can't be a bad thing.
  • kentphil
    kentphil Posts: 479
    SKS make great guards. Take longer to fit than you would think, but once on there brilliant.
    1998 Kona Cindercone in singlespeed commute spec
    2013 Cannondale Caadx 1x10
    2004 Giant TCR
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    +1 for SKS and for mudguards in general. Very sensible thing to have on your bike, not just for keeping your person clean and dry but for the drivetrain of the bike as well.
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • turnerjohn
    turnerjohn Posts: 1,069
    if you have a proper race bike aka without eye-let mudguard mounts you maybe able to squeeze a set of Crud roadracer mudguards on (same Crud who do MTB stuff your probably know) their super light, super strong and about the best looking guards you can get....not that thats saying much !
  • dai_t75
    dai_t75 Posts: 189
    I bought some cruds for my triban 3 last year before I realised they had the eyelets to take proper guards (I was a newb then :oops:), but they have been excellent and I can't fault them. I put guards on my missus bike not long after mine and went for the SKS's based on advice from here. They are more secure than the cruds, but overall I prefer the cruds. They look better (IMO),they were a lot easier to fit and they have this handy shape of the back guard that protects the chainring/front derailleur from picking up too much rubbish.

    Overall though you won't go far wrong with either option.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,458
    runny wrote:
    Just wondering whether people tend to put mud guards on their road bikes. Of course, I have them on my MTB. But I'm a road bike newbie, and looking around the cycle paths etc. other road bikes don't seem to have them.

    Can you put them on, and what are the pros/cons?

    Pro's
    The spray off your back wheel in winter especially when you have ridden through a cow pat is best avoided. The other thing is, it is genial to have mudguards when riding in a group especially when bloke in front rides through said cowpat.
    Another advantage is that a lot of salt on the roads can wreak havoc on your nice shiny bits.
    Oh and another thing, you are less likely to soak your feet when riding through puddles, especially when turning.

    Cons
    You will have to fit them and unfit them twice a year. Solution: get a winter steed and save yourself the bother of fitting and refitting.

    SKS Raceblade crudcatchers - try and get the 'Raceblade long' - better protection.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    Bolt-on 'guards such as SKS chromoplastic are secure, quiet, effective and durable. Fit and forget for the next 5 years.
    You need a bike with eyelets and sufficient tyre clearance.
    Most UK roads are damp or wet for most of the year. Even if it isn't raining, you still get dirty spray which is not good for your gortex. With 'guards, you don't need a waterproof to ride on a damp road.
  • simon_e
    simon_e Posts: 1,706
    Most people who ride in the wet want something to keep the rain, spray and sh*t off them and their bike. A soggy, grit-caked chamois isn't fun and drinking from a bottle splattered with goodness-knows-what is a quick way to an upset stomach. While commuting I often get the impression that I am wetted more from below than above.

    Full length chromoplastic mudguards like those from SKS or Tortec require a frame with eyelets and adequate clearance. Otherwise there are SKS Raceblade, Raceblade Longs, Tortec Razor Guards and Crud Roadracers. Choice is down to personal preference, and you'll find differing opinions online and discussed on this forum.
    Aspire not to have more, but to be more.
  • Schoie81
    Schoie81 Posts: 749
    I have a mudguard for my bike that fits onto the seatpost and can be fastened by hand in seconds. This means I can easily put it on / take it off so don't have to ride with it on when conditions don't require it. Hate having them on when not needed. Doesn't look great and i'm sure more permanent guards look better, but its there to do a job, not look pretty, and it does that job nicely. The bracket also has a nice bright reflective patch on it, which is a nice touch as its usually gloomy when its wet - every bit of brightness helps people see me!! I also tend to stick my bike in my car quite often which means taking the wheels off - which would leave permanently fixed guards exposed and likely to get broken/damaged - dead easy to either take this one off, or just spin it around on the seatpost so it sits above the crossbar instead.

    Wouldn't be without them on a wet ride - as Simon E says - you get wet from bottom to top rather than top to bottom when the tarmac is wet!
    "I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated"
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    To make things more comfortable like the above posts put them on. You are not likely to break and speed records in the driving rain and howling wind so just look after yourself. Come the spring you can then take them off again.

    I also have the SKS raceblades.
  • Phil562
    Phil562 Posts: 73
    Kajjal wrote:
    To make things more comfortable like the above posts put them on. You are not likely to break and speed records in the driving rain and howling wind so just look after yourself. Come the spring you can then take them off again.

    +1 Absolutely
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,870
    Removable mudguards are a good compromise.

    I use mine all year round and they keep me dry.

    It makes the rain a lot more bearable - and a wet road is no bother.

    It's also quite courteous to others you are riding with.
    _
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    It's also quite courteous to others you are riding with.

    This really, it's up to you if you want to cake yourself in shite but caking others is not good form :wink:
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    edited October 2013
    I have just graduated to having 2 bikes; one carbon lovely just for dry days and the other Racelight Tk with full Chromoplastics for anything beyond moist.

    Occasionally I come unstuck when I go out on the dry bike and the weather changes it's mind half way round. Then as the spray of freezing water / grit / horse sh1t slurry is making it's way down my @rse crack I remember why I wanted a bike with mudguards.
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    Had that pleasurable experience mountain biking in the welsh forests. Got part way round and the heavens opened. I have never been that wet ever again :shock:
  • prando
    prando Posts: 47
    LBS fitted 'Giant recommended' to my Defy 1. Very close fitting and there is an annoying vibration/noise when travelling over 'rougher' Tarmac. :(

    My experience is that it is the 'older' cyclists (55+) who seem to favour mudguards. Essential in my book.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    "My experience is that it is the 'older' cyclists (55+) who seem to favour mudguards. Essential in my book"

    Guilty as charged m'lud.

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