Mudguards

TheEveryman
TheEveryman Posts: 28
edited September 2018 in Road general
My arse was wet this morning, luckily I had my gym bag at work with clean undies otherwise I would've had a soggy bottom all day.

So I'm looking at mudguards, never had them before and still relatively new to cycling. I have a Btwin Triban 500se. There are threaded holes in the front and back forks which I believe are for attaching mudguards. Wheels are 700mm, tyres are 23mm.

I want the ones that fit close to the wheel, not the big plastic flap that sits just below my arse. Any protection for the chain and cassette would be a bonus.

I don't mind buying 2nd hand. Don't want to spend more than £20 for a pair ideally.

Suggestions ?

Thanks.
«1

Comments

  • defever
    defever Posts: 171
    Having a full mudguards on commuter bike was one of the biggest revelations for me.

    Advantage: They absolutely protect you and your components from grime, spray, mud, anything on the road.
    Disadvantage: Depending on what you get, it can be very fiddly to install initially and some cannot stand the rattle they make.

    I’ve had SKS Bluemels (I think it was 35mm size) on 32c and 25c for nearly two years. So fiddly to fit (need to adjust the length of the guard stays), but perhaps you can get it done at LBS for proper fitting. I got mine on sale for £19 at Decathlon (shop around online and you can find them in cheap price). SKS seems to be the king of rigid full mudguards.

    I then got Crud Roadracer Mk3 this summer (yet to fit it) for a bargain price of £15 on eBay (they come up from time to time). This is apparently the best removable (has Velcro-type attachment to the fork and seat stays) full guard. Lots of good reviews online and YouTube. I got attracted to the lighter weight and removable feature compared to SKS.

    Good luck and happy dry commute
  • surfercyclist
    surfercyclist Posts: 894
    And mudguards look shi t.
  • figbat
    figbat Posts: 680
    I have some ‘guards on my winter bike, an old Synapse. They were fiddly to fit but once done they are close to the tyres and wobble/rattle free. In the many mudguard posts that come up they never seem to get a mention but my experience of them has been good. M:Part Primoplastics, in black.
    Cube Reaction GTC Pro 29 for the lumpy stuff
    Cannondale Synapse alloy with 'guards for the winter roads
    Fuji Altamira 2.7 for the summer roads
    Trek 830 Mountain Track frame turned into a gravel bike - for anywhere & everywhere
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    defever wrote:
    I then got Crud Roadracer Mk3 this summer (yet to fit it) for a bargain price of £15 on eBay (they come up from time to time). This is apparently the best removable (has Velcro-type attachment to the fork and seat stays) full guard. Lots of good reviews online and YouTube. I got attracted to the lighter weight and removable feature compared to SKS.
    I got a set of the Crud RR3's too - then found out they use the velcro system - it's ok - but not sure I want to stick velcro tape on my bike - preferred the band on method of the RR2's - they were excellent, if a little close fitting.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,744
    If you've got mudguard eyes it shouldn't be too fiddly to fit proper guards especially with 23c tyres as presumably you'll have plenty of clearance.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Your bike's designed to take proper mudguards, so you can choose whichever you like.

    I've always used SKS Chromoplastics, but they are closer to £30 a set. These look to be 95% the same:

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sks-bluemels-road-mudguard-set/

    35mm width for you. Just lack the flaps and reflector which mine have.

    Take your time fitting them and you'll be able to get them uniformly close to the tyre. I cut the stays to length in-situ with a Dremel once all the fine tuning is done. It's far quicker and easier than taking them off repeatedly to do the job with a vice / hacksaw / file. Just watch where the sparks go
  • PhilipPirrip
    PhilipPirrip Posts: 616
    If I was to buy a new set now my preference would be the SKS Longboards which can be had for around £30.

    The rear guard will obviously protect your backside but also the extra length of the front guard gives added protection to your feet and the bottom bracket.
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    SurferCyclist wrote:
    And mudguards look shi t.

    Not in all cases.

    Matt black bike and gunmetal guards looks nice.

    Pastel bike with chrome guards also looks awesome.

    I sold my winter bike so back to ass saver and wet arse.
  • ayjaycee
    ayjaycee Posts: 1,277
    Giant used to make some labelled as 'Defy' which were designed for bikes without a lot of clearance. I think they have stopped making them but you might be able to track down some old stock IIRC they were quite a a good price even at RRP. I actually bought a second pair earlier this year for £12 in my local Giant store to stick in the loft just in case......

    A word of warning, you really don't want any mudguard too close to the tyre as crap accumulates very quickly when the weather turns.
    Cannondale Synapse Carbon Ultegra
    Kinesis Racelight 4S
    Specialized Allez Elite (Frame/Forks for sale)
    Specialized Crosstrail Comp Disk (For sale)
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Properly fitted mudguards can look rather stylish. I put some silver guards on a mate's electric blue Datum (slight overkill for a commuter, but the company were buying it for him) and I thought they went really well.

    I've never really understood people who ride in the rain but refuse point blank to sully their bike with mudguards. Is it because they spend the whole time imagining they are pros, suffering on some lone breakaway across a bleak Belgian lanscape?

    I'm too old to be putting up with unnecessarily wet feet or a constant stream of freezing filth being sprayed down my @rse-crack
  • peat
    peat Posts: 1,242
    Too much clearance and you'll get side spray, too little and they can block up. Getting a neat and discreet looking fit is an art, but totally worth it IMHO.

    The pushback some people have against mudguards is laughable. Who really wants to go for a cafe ride and come back looking like they've ridden Paris-Roubaix? The same people who bemoan their looks, i find, are the same people who'll fight over a guarded wheel on a wet club run.
  • ayjaycee
    ayjaycee Posts: 1,277
    Peat wrote:
    ........Who really wants to go for a cafe ride and come back looking like they've ridden Paris-Roubaix? ......
    The same people that Keef mentioned in his 2nd para above - we all know at least one of them!
    Cannondale Synapse Carbon Ultegra
    Kinesis Racelight 4S
    Specialized Allez Elite (Frame/Forks for sale)
    Specialized Crosstrail Comp Disk (For sale)
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,595
    I think you might struggle to get what you want for £20, though those SKS above are pretty much within budget.

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-narrow-road-mudguard-set/

    I have used SKS, Tortec and PDW.

    SKS and Tortec are pretty similar, but I would rate Torted slightly better for quality of the materials used - although they are harder to fit, the overall result is superior to that with SKS, which are a smidge more flimsy.

    PDW are in another league, being metal and all, but comparitively more costly.

    I've never had any issues with guards rattling, and I don't use any fancy leather washers or anything, it's just a case of (I find) making sure everything is cut to the right length, and tightened up good and proper, with tension on the arms.

    My old method with the stay used to be two pairs of mole grips, and a hacksaw - grip below where you want to cut, make a half cut with the hacksaw, pop another pair of moleys above the cut, and simply bend it to and fro until it snaps.
    Dremel is now the favoured method, have fitted a couple of sets this year - but as mentioned, beware the sparks!
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    SurferCyclist wrote:
    And mudguards look shi t.

    I thought that for about 15 years. And then I bit the bullet. Never looked back.

    What does look sh1t is your back and your kit and all of your mate's kits covered in crap.

    If you're a fair weather cyclist though - you might think mudguards look rubbish. But they're essential if you want to ride outside all year round.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I did a local sportive with a couple of colleagues. One was of the 'mudguards have no place on a road bike' persuasion, but I'd seen the weather forecast and took my wet weather bike. Sure enough the heavens opened after 10 miles and didn't let up till the end. We were all thoroughly soaked, but I was largely pink and kit coloured, while the other two were mainly brown. Pig slurry judging by the smell.

    Monday morning the other rider was asking me to send him a link to some mudguards...
  • ayjaycee
    ayjaycee Posts: 1,277
    Daniel B wrote:
    PDW are in another league, being metal and all, but comparitively more costly.

    Totally agree with Daniel on this. PDWs are the best made and most 'solid' mudguards that I have ever seen and also look really nice. I bought a pair a while ago but just couldn't get them to fit and regretted it as they were so nice. I will be needing to buy some more mudguards for another bike build before the winter sets in and it will be a choice between them and the Kinesis Fend Offs (very similar to PDWs but cheaper). I suspect the PDWs might win if only because they can be had in gunmetal grey or silver.
    Cannondale Synapse Carbon Ultegra
    Kinesis Racelight 4S
    Specialized Allez Elite (Frame/Forks for sale)
    Specialized Crosstrail Comp Disk (For sale)
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    PDWs are ace.

    They do require a bit of extra time to get them just right, but it is definitely worth while.
  • shamrock134
    shamrock134 Posts: 714
    Here are my PDWs. I've since blacked out the silver stays.

    OJraVop.jpg

    I came across a Focus Paralane on the commute yesterday with the guards designed for it. They rattled like hell!
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    My PDWs are on their 3rd bad weather season. I have only had to do one minor repair of rivetting another pop rivet.
    Plastic guards just cannot withstand an urban commute. Not my urban riding standard anyways.
    20180909_122446.jpg
  • surfercyclist
    surfercyclist Posts: 894
    [/quote]
    If you're a fair weather cyclist though - you might think mudguards look rubbish. But they're essential if you want to ride outside all year round.[/quote]


    I am a self confessed fair weather cyclist, however I do go out if roads wet but not pouring down so definitely return covered in the muck but quick hose down for me and bike and all sorted.
  • hopkinb
    hopkinb Posts: 7,129
    Them pdws look bare peng.

    I want to buy a bike with mudguard eyelets just so I can get a pair!

    I make do with raceblade pro xls, which are fine, except for the plume at the front, and the fact that the lack of length at the back means the chainset and front derailleur still get pretty dirty. Ok for the commute.
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    hopkinb wrote:
    Them pdws look bare peng.

    I want to buy a bike with mudguard eyelets just so I can get a pair!

    I make do with raceblade pro xls, which are fine, except for the plume at the front, and the fact that the lack of length at the back means the chainset and front derailleur still get pretty dirty. Ok for the commute.

    No need , they come equipped with solid qr attachment system as well.
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,595
    shamrock134 wrote:
    Here are my PDWs. I've since blacked out the silver stays.

    OJraVop.jpg

    Stealth!

    How did you black out the stays........?
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • hopkinb
    hopkinb Posts: 7,129
    JGSI wrote:
    hopkinb wrote:
    Them pdws look bare peng.

    I want to buy a bike with mudguard eyelets just so I can get a pair!

    I make do with raceblade pro xls, which are fine, except for the plume at the front, and the fact that the lack of length at the back means the chainset and front derailleur still get pretty dirty. Ok for the commute.

    No need , they come equipped with solid qr attachment system as well.


    Really? Pops off to google...
  • hopkinb
    hopkinb Posts: 7,129
    hopkinb wrote:
    JGSI wrote:
    hopkinb wrote:
    Them pdws look bare peng.

    I want to buy a bike with mudguard eyelets just so I can get a pair!

    I make do with raceblade pro xls, which are fine, except for the plume at the front, and the fact that the lack of length at the back means the chainset and front derailleur still get pretty dirty. Ok for the commute.

    No need , they come equipped with solid qr attachment system as well.


    Really? Pops off to google...

    Well so they do! Black or gunmetal for a ti frame? I'm erring towards black..
  • janwal
    janwal Posts: 489
    https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FSSLSMG70 ... c-mudguard
    £20 but don’t have fixing bolts. If you have an old stem or similar the bolts off that should fit.
  • shamrock134
    shamrock134 Posts: 714
    Daniel B wrote:
    Stealth!

    How did you black out the stays........?

    One of these oil markers did the trick. Seemed less hassle than spraying them.

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    21945911153_7fc79bd90f_c.jpg

    Old winter bike. No mudguard mounts.
  • hopkinb
    hopkinb Posts: 7,129
    Mine's a disc brake frame. Do I need front fork and rear seat stay attachment points?
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,391
    Anti spam bump
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!

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