Crud roadracer alternatives

mulletmaster

I'm looking to replace my cruds from my winter bike which is a boardman team carbon. The lack of rigidity in the cruds is irritating and almost every ride I have to stop to re centre them to avoid rubbing. A friend recommended SKS raceblade longs but unfortunately they have been discontinued and I cannot find them.
Does anyone know of any sturdy guards for bikes without mounting points and tight clearances?
Cheers

chris_bass

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SKS-Race-Blade- ... blade+long

is that not what you are after?

bsharp77

I had a few problems sourcing them too, they seem the best design, especially for tight clearances.
Theres a thread about them over on road buying advice.
I ordered a set here and had them delivered yesterday:

http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/c ... -%20Black'

mulletmaster

That is indeed what I'm after but Amazon are out of them like all the usual sources. That's great thanks for the source!

dj58

Does indeed look like they have been discontinued, they are no longer listed on the SKS website.

jgsi

DJ58 wrote:

Does indeed look like they have been discontinued, they are no longer listed on the SKS website.

SKS in good service mode sent me a replacement front.. as the button mechanism refused to unbutton.. however the design is slightly flawed, so if they have withdrawn to go back to the drawing board, probably a good thing.

dj58

JGSI wrote:

DJ58 wrote:

Does indeed look like they have been discontinued, they are no longer listed on the SKS website.

SKS in good service mode sent me a replacement front.. as the button mechanism refused to unbutton.. however the design is slightly flawed, so if they have withdrawn to go back to the drawing board, probably a good thing.

Lets hope so, I might fire off an email to them and ask the question.

kingofthetailwind

DJ58 wrote:

JGSI wrote:

DJ58 wrote:

Does indeed look like they have been discontinued, they are no longer listed on the SKS website.

SKS in good service mode sent me a replacement front.. as the button mechanism refused to unbutton.. however the design is slightly flawed, so if they have withdrawn to go back to the drawing board, probably a good thing.

Lets hope so, I might fire off an email to them and ask the question.

I just changed from Race Blade Longs to Road Racers. I has issues with the button mechanisms on the Race Blades as well. Either they would be very reluctant to release, or as was the case a couple of weeks ago the rear released on its own and the guard jammed between the brake caliper and tyre. I skidded to a stop from about 25mph at the front of the group, nearly causing a pile up. Other issues were the hassle of fixing punctures, lack of coverage for the seatpost/BB area. The front nose section is completely useless as well. It rubs unless you have it pointed 45 degrees up.

So far I'm finding the Cruds easier to fit and adjust, quieter, lighter, and much better looking.

mulletmaster

Easier to fit and adjust certainly but the lack of rigidity means they adjust themselves and start rubbing in my case. I am running them mightily tight though in a boardman team carbon with 25mm tyres on. I'm not sure if I want to risk the gaurds jamming up and having me off though. May just stick with the cruds until SKS come up with something to replace the raceblade longs.

craker

I got my new set of longs in summer as a warranty replacement (excellent customer service by SKS, they were over a year old but the rear had broken near the brake bridge so I claimed not fit for service).

The clamp that attaches the rear to the brake bridge has just broken. I've cable tied it together, still a bit unimpressed with the reliability.

Tempted to try cruds next time around.

Bobbinogs

I contacted SKS and they have confirmed that the Raceblade Long is being reviewed and a replacement planned for 'next season'. Not sure what that last bit means, but if it refers to the race season then planning a new mudguard for April has good and bad points!

deadhead1971

I had some sks raceblade longs last year and was disappointed that they didn't last very long at all. The rear one sheared in half, at the mid point where it passes through the support/bracket.

Since then I've started using something that looks a bit more like a mtb rear guard, called a Swan Zefal. I think it was about £12 from eBay and it's been fantastic for well over a year.

The only thing is, it's probably not great for group rides because there's still spray. But for solo riding it's perfect.

DCI Gene Hunt

I had sks raceblades that were useless, as no matter what, the front guard didn't reach the fork, when I rang sks they didn't want to know and I was fobbed off.

fudgey

I am just about to order some raceblade longs, but quite regularly hit 40+mph and the last thing i want is a failure.

I can probably modify them to strengthen them if it comes to it for piece of mind, but at £36 for a pair of mud guards you would expect them to be above and beyond good!

I guess i can order them and take them back if they are dangerous/poor

Bobbinogs

SKS Raceblade Longs are very good. At my club, they are generally considered to be the best of the options available for low clearance frame/brakes. They are not infallible though. The biggest problem is the part which clips onto the retainer can unclip when hitting a pothole, etc. The trick there is to make sure the mechanism is kept clean and is securely clipped before setting off.

FWIW, I was an early adopter for the RLs and bought the MKI units. The MKII was a significant improvement (SKS provided me with MKIIs as free replacement sets after I emailed them photos of the MKIs I had bought). Hence, I am looking forward to seeing what the MKIIIs offer but am happy to use the MKIIs for now.

Cruds are a good option but the clearance really is minimal (most folks cannot ride 25mm and get the Cruds to work whereas this is no problem on the RL's). Also, Cruds can be prone to constant adjustment and rubbing when honking because they flex more. However, many riders rate them well and the aftersales service is excellent (they promptly helped me FOC when I lost some screws, etc.).

Ultimately, all these solutions are just the next best option to decent mudguards on bikes with proper clearance but I guess we all know that!

fudgey

Cheers Robin, fingers crossed they will be ok. I ordered a set late last night from hargroves cycles. £35.99 delivered.
Should be here tomorrow.

genoni

Fwiw my race blade longs kept sheering, they were made of duck tape by the end. V disappointing. However, I used the little brackets with conventional SKS guards that I cut up. so far so good

fudgey

Got the SKS raceblades on Sat but only got round to fitting them last night.
For £35.99 i feel robbed! (full price was £44.99 but hargroves had a deal on - sod paying that!)

In all honesty i dont think they are the best quality for the money - but i fitted them, and hey fitted my bike just about.

Have not been out for a ride yet to see if they wobble/catch the wheels the yet but they feel reasonably secure and they also blend in quite well being black and you dont really notice them too much.

Will see how they go i guess.

markhewitt1978

I ran Raceblade Long last winter and they were ok, but the metal attachments which go inside your brakes etc got very rusty, by the end of the winter they looked completely horrid.

I was hoping to be able to keep the attachments on for the summer but after I put my GP4000S tyres back on for the summer they wouldn't fit.

I've tried some Cruds this year but they aren't any better, very tight fit again and a nightmare to get fitted in the first place.

Bobbinogs

Fudgey wrote:

Got the SKS raceblades on Sat but only got round to fitting them last night.
For £35.99 i feel robbed! (full price was £44.99 but hargroves had a deal on - sod paying that!)

In all honesty i dont think they are the best quality for the money...

If you had paid the RRP of £30 for Cruds you would have also been left wondering about VFM. Unfortunately, VFM and cycling rarely go hand in hand

fudgey

I did look at the cruds in the bike shop and came to the conclusion that they were flimsy tat and opted for the SKS.

Hmm maybe i should get to the drawing board and design something half decent. Looks like there is a market for it!