How much difference do mudguard mounts make?

[Gillstay]

Always mudguards, and mount make them safer and easy to set up. Why buy expensive components and then let all the road muck get into them. A nice chain guard needs to come back into fashion in my eyes.

If you lived in Europe I doubt you would have asked this question, which I always find interesting.

 

[fossyant]

Commuting - essential with mudguard and pannier mounts. Winter I use my CX bike with Race blade Longs - little fiddly to set up initially, but once done, you can whizz them on and off very quickly. - the CX bike has no mounts at all - which is a bit tricky bike packing (found an axel mount rack now).

 

[Velorum59]

These days I prefer frames without them as I dont like mudguards.

It was different when I was younger of course and commuted to work on my bike as I needed to keep my clothes as clean as possible. There days this is not a consideration and I live in practical quick drying outdoor wear (Mountain Warehouse mainly!) so getting wet doesnt bother me. My Carradice saddle bag save my posterior and leather Brooks saddle from the worst of the spray from the back wheel.

 

[Punkawallah]

"I think I'll leave the guards off, as I do love cleaning the bike" said no-one, ever

Just me, then? :x)

 

[T4tomo]

All things being equal between similar bikes, how much would you value a bike having mudguard mounts?

£86.43

 

[MichaelW2]

If you plan to fit mudguards for winter road riding, plan to use full length, chromoplastic, bolt-on models.
If you have a traditional front suspension hybrid bike, then almost nobody supplies a pair with bolt on rear and clip on front.
Planning to use a clip-on/velcro/elastic band/split mudguard for winter is madness, madness!!!

Fixing trad full length guards, I have used a small ziptie at the chainstay bridge, it is reliable and quiet.

 

[VinSumRox]

I have fitted Kinesis Fend Off mudguards to our road bikes, close fitting and no rattles, keep you and the bike clean , can't see the point in taking them off for a Scottish summer.

 

[Sea of vapours]

"I think I'll leave the guards off, as I do love cleaning the bike" said no-one, ever

Probably never in quite those terms, but bikes are vastly easier to clean, both quickly and well, when they're not encumbered with mudguards, which create all sorts of bits that retain dirt, and the mudguards themselves don't need cleaning when they've not been fitted.

Personally, I ride all year, and frequently, without mudguards and don't have a 'winter bike' either. I just rinse/clean the bike every time it's used (in wet weather or mucky roads that is). Admittedly, if I couldn't do that, or rode in groups, I'm sure I'd fit mudguards; same applies to commuting; but if those things don't apply then the overhead of rinsing the bike is very small, and I'm going to wash my cycling clothes every time anyway, so mudguards are just an overhead.

Edit: Oh! And I actually do like cleaning the bike!

 

[ColinJ]

I bodged a rear mudguard on my DIY 6-speed bike by zip-tying a length of scrap tyre onto its skinny rack...

 

[PaulSB]

I have fitted Kinesis Fend Off mudguards to our road bikes, close fitting and no rattles, keep you and the bike clean , can't see the point in taking them off for a Scottish summer.

I ride a Kinesis ATR V3 for gravel and winter. I use the Fend Offs, fantastic guards.

To answer the question if buying a bike that I know will have guards mounted then I would only consider a bike that would allow full length, metal, bolt on mudguards.

 

[wafter]

Probably never in quite those terms, but bikes are vastly easier to clean, both quickly and well, when they're not encumbered with mudguards, which create all sorts of bits that retain dirt, and the mudguards themselves don't need cleaning when they've not been fitted.

Personally, I ride all year, and frequently, without mudguards and don't have a 'winter bike' either. I just rinse/clean the bike every time it's used (in wet weather or mucky roads that is). Admittedly, if I couldn't do that, or rode in groups, I'm sure I'd fit mudguards; same applies to commuting; but if those things don't apply then the overhead of rinsing the bike is very small, and I'm going to wash my cycling clothes every time anyway, so mudguards are just an overhead.

Edit: Oh! And I actually do like cleaning the bike!

I'd counter that with the argument that bikes require so much less cleaning when guards are fitted - no crap splattered up the seatpost tube and into the clamp area, no mud and gunk all over the drivetrain, accumulating around the stay bridges, fork crown or down tube... not to mention the crap it keeps off the rider.

Using the bike pretty much daily I could never stay on top of washing after every ride; especially in the winter. Mine didn't get washed at all over winter and, while dirty in the spring it never presented a problem; perhaps other than the braking surfaces on the rims getting a better life if I'd have been more attentive.

As someone who otherwise finds cleaning some stuff rewarding, I still hate doing bikes so can only conclude that you're a sadist

 

[fossyant]

I'd counter that with the argument that bikes require so much less cleaning when guards are fitted

I agree. As a commuter, guards protect the headset and reduce the crap that get's sprayed on you. I clean my bikes after any wet ride anyway, but getting soaked feet or a wet ass is not funny. It's about comfort. TBH, only one bike has full time guards, my commuter. The CX can take race blade longs for winter road rides - off road I just get dirty as the guards won't take a 38c tyre . The two vintage road bikes can't take guards at all - tight clearance, and the FS MTB just has a splash guard on the fork to protect the suspension.

 

[Sea of vapours]

As someone who otherwise finds cleaning some stuff rewarding, I still hate doing bikes so can only conclude that you're a sadist

If I were a sadist, as distinct from a masochist, I'd be tracking you down and obliging you to clean my bikes :-)

I did say that, were I commuting, I'm sure I'd use mudguards as I'd need to stay clean myself and washing every day would be stunningly tedious. That said, my typical 'washing' of the bike is a hose and it takes less than two minutes. Pretty much everything comes off since a) the drivetrain is waxed, so there's no oil anywhere for stuff to stick to, b) the frame and wheels are ceramic coated, so nothing sticks, and certainly not when sprayed with clean water. Drying it is the irksome part.

 

[wafter]

If I were a sadist, as distinct from a masochist, I'd be tracking you down and obliging you to clean my bikes :-)

I did say that, were I commuting, I'm sure I'd use mudguards as I'd need to stay clean myself and washing every day would be stunningly tedious. That said, my typical 'washing' of the bike is a hose and it takes less than two minutes. Pretty much everything comes off since a) the drivetrain is waxed, so there's no oil anywhere for stuff to stick to, b) the frame and wheels are ceramic coated, so nothing sticks, and certainly not when sprayed with clean water. Drying it is the irksome part.

My mistake!

Mine gets waxed everywhere too; however waxing the frame generally only gets done when the bike's in bits given the pain of getting into everywhere. I'm using carnauba wax which is great but doesn't last forever; how often do you find you need to re-apply the ceramic coating?

Have you considered making a little pressure vessel to use as a compressed air source for blowing bits out with? You could use a tubeless tyre inflator if you have one of these; my plan was to repurpose a discarded nitrous bottle I'd found but never got around to it.

Also, have you considered a final rinse with clean rain water, or distilled water? You can get the latter from a condenser drier if you have one (apparently one of the few good facets of the bloody things) and neither should leave water marks

 

[Sea of vapours]

Quite a 'dangerous' mistake to make, that one; certainly in some scenarios :-)

I've not used the full-on, 'permanent' ceramic coating stuff. Mine is the Silca spray, applied with a microfibre cloth. I do it after a proper wash with shampoo and a mitt and it lasts in 'very effective' mode for a few weeks. In winter I'm probably re-doing it after 3-4 weeks and it's still working at that stage.

I've certainly considered compressed air, but not the idea of using my tubeless tyre cylinder: good idea :-) And as to drying, that's to avoid corrosion, rather than for water mark avoidance. And to avoid drips as the bike lives indoors.