Mudguards- do they make a difference

[bonj2]

Mince. We're not all die-hard, fashion-slave road racers. My mudguards let me ride to work on wet roads without getting wet and clip off and on in seconds.

You don't have to be.

You can't ride to work on wet roads and not get wet - because the spray and splashes from cars going through puddles gets you wet.
Either you cycle in clothes that it's acceptable to get wet, i.e. you get changed when you get to work/home, or you cycle in clothes that it's NOT acceptable to get wet - in which case you dont' really want to be riding on wet roads even with mudguards. So what, again, is the point of mudguards?

Still, I suppose if you've got raceblades they are more acceptable than full on mudguards that never come off and are not used 99% of the time.

 

[Mr Pig]

There are degrees of wet. I've cycled on wet roads with mudguards and without, I know the difference and the mudguards work. You may think they do, you may think they don't, either way I don't care :0)

 

[eldudino]

I don't understand how people have issues with mudguard fitment, surely dodgy fitting is the problem, or poorly designed mudguards. I've done a few thousand miles with mine on and never had one pop off as Bonj has, or had it rubbing etc. though this is on a 26" wheel urban hybrid with plenty of clearance, so maybe it's different on an audax or race bike? Or maybe it's just that all mudguards made for them are shite? Or people that ride them went to the Trotter Bros. school of fitting mudguards?

 

[RedBike]

Without getting into the whole mud-guard debate. Yes they do slow you down.

They add a suprising amount of weight to the bike and they do add more drag in windy conditions or at high speeds.

As such I've no intentions of removing them from my commuter / winter hack and no intentions of fitting them to my race bike.

 

[Downward]

I just got one that fits to my seatpost. It saves me getting a wet ass. Not fussed about when legs etc but sitting in wetness is crap.

 

[threefingerjoe]

Sounds like someone's Mudguards didn't give him enough love when he was a child.

 

[kyuss]

Anyone seen these yet? Being a bit of a fashion victim they're the first mudguards I'd be happy to fit to my good bike. I'm genuinely quite excited about them.

 

[asterix]

I've got mudguards, I don't care.

 

[eldudino]

Anyone seen these yet? Being a bit of a fashion victim they're the first mudguards I'd be happy to fit to my good bike. I'm genuinely quite excited about them.

These were posted on another thread (might have been you, I'll let you confirm) they look pretty good to me, the additional pics show them being very close to the wheel which is going to be necessary on a race bike, but they look to be a nicer fitment than race blades.

 

[jimboalee]

In my experience, there is nothing worse than a spray of rainwater from the front tyre reflecting off the downtube onto my shoes every time the pedals go round.
Wet feet + long ride = Plantar Fasciitis.

200 km Audax in 1995. Set off in sunny weather. Pissed down at midday and rode through rain for two hours.
Anti-inflamatorys and three weeks off the bike,,, NOT again.

 

[Archie_tect]

After getting them, I'd not use my bike without mudguards again- who wants a permanent black stripe up their back in a vain attempt to look 'cool'?

 

[RedBike]

Anyone seen these yet? Being a bit of a fashion victim they're the first mudguards I'd be happy to fit to my good bike. I'm genuinely quite excited about them.

I was just thinking how great are those then I noticed they stay in place by having a pad thats designed to rub against your rims!

I'm pretty sure you'd never notice that pad rubbing when everything is clean but as soon as you get mud/ bits of gravel on that pad it's going to drive you nuts.

 

[dodgy]

I was just thinking how great are those then I noticed they stay in place by having a pad thats designed to rub against your rims!

I'm pretty sure you'd never notice that pad rubbing when everything is clean but as soon as you get mud/ bits of gravel on that pad it's going to drive you nuts.

I'll be waiting for the first user reviews.

 

[Jonathan M]

I always wear cycling clothes when cycling, for anyone that wants to cycle like a politician, preferring to ride their bike wearing their business suit, then maybe mudguards are for you. But for serious cyclists like me, any water that splashes up is inveitably outnumbered 10 to 1 by water falling from the sky onto you.

Mudguards, I'm afraid - cannot be trusted, are of no benefit, are time consuming to faff around with, look bad, and slow you down.

OK, individual circumstances & opinions apply here.

I cycle too & from work, plus also have to be on & off site at times during the day. I wear my work clothes to ride in, no fancier than trouser, shirt & tie, no suit for me! So mudgurds are pretty useful for me. Regarding water from the sky, well, I thought that was what waterproofs were for? Besides, rainwater tends to be somewhat cleaner than water that has fallen onto the road and is splashed up by the tyre.

Regarding your second point, I trust my mudguards, they have not failed me yet. They have a big benefit for me & other cyclists around me. I don't have to faff with them becuase I fitted them properly and don't mess around with them according to fashion/weather etc. Look bad? Always suggests serious considerate cyclist to me, concened about their bikes welfare and the welfare of other cyclists. Slow me down? I'm not competitive in my riding, so makes no difference to me. Even on the few sportives that I've entered it is my personal challenege rather than how close to the top I can come. If I want to ride fast then I'll use my other bike, without guards, and that weighs alot less.

 

[bonj2]

OK, individual circumstances & opinions apply here.

I cycle too & from work, plus also have to be on & off site at times during the day. I wear my work clothes to ride in, no fancier than trouser, shirt & tie, no suit for me! So mudgurds are pretty useful for me. Regarding water from the sky, well, I thought that was what waterproofs were for? Besides, rainwater tends to be somewhat cleaner than water that has fallen onto the road and is splashed up by the tyre.

well, cycling in work clothes = shirt and tie, that's effectively the same as cycling in a suit - just 'cos you haven't got a jacket, you're still cycling like a politician. Your reasons for cycling is something other than the sheer enjoyment of cycling - if it was, you wouldn't bother with mudguards.

Regarding your second point, I trust my mudguards, they have not failed me yet.

Translation: "I really hope that mudguards breaking is something that only happens to other people."

They have a big benefit for me & other cyclists around me.

Translation: "I don't notice the difference myself so I'd like to think other cyclists do".

I don't have to faff with them becuase I fitted them properly and don't mess around with them according to fashion/weather etc.

Translation: "I daren't take them off in good weather in case I can't put them back on again, or if I do they break."

Look bad? Always suggests serious considerate cyclist to me, concened about their bikes welfare and the welfare of other cyclists.

Translation: "Yes, they look bad, but I like to pretend that if I didn't have them my bike would 'wear out' faster."

Slow me down? I'm not competitive in my riding, so makes no difference to me.

Translation: "Mudguards are a convenient excuse for why I'm a slow cyclist."

Even on the few sportives that I've entered it is my personal challenege rather than how close to the top I can come.

Translation: "I like to pretend it isn't a race."


If I want to ride fast then I'll use my other bike, without guards, and that weighs alot less.[/QUOTE]

Translation: "There needs to be as many differences as possible between my summer bike and my winter bike."