Spoke protectors - are they really that necessary ?

BD1993

Recently purchased the new Whyte 901 and noticed it came with a spoke protector. I'd quite like to remove it as I feel it doesn't look that good on my bike. Would removing it be a silly idea? How likely is it going to be needed?

Thought people?

Thanks.

cooldad

Aka a rookie ring.

Can't see they do any harm, but real gnarly mountain bikers have to remove them, along with any reflectors.

It's only needed if your mech wants to fight with the wheel.

The Rookie

It can be an issue in very muddy conditions collecting mud between it and the back of the cassette, otherwise its just a security blanket and a properly setup mech shouldn't need you to use one.

oxoman

Rookie or Dork ring are either a love or hate thing, personally I hate them and as mentioned above if bike is set up properly not needed.

ilovedirt

As above, if the bike is set up correctly, it's a completely pointless piece of plastic, new bikes just tend to come with them because the people building them often don't know what limit screws are or how to set them correctly. First thing I do with a new bike is remove it (though some customers get weirdly attached to them and actually complain if you leave it off after a service...)