Mudguards on, mudguards off, mudguards on...

[mcshroom]

Rainfall in my part of Cumbria Cumbria is a sort of arc with the driest being April and the Wettest being October (or at least it has been since my spreadsheet at work started in 2005)

 

[.stu]

I've got a set of PDW Full Metal Fenders on my carbon bike which has very tight clearances but with the right tyres I get no rubbing at all. OK the bike looks better with no mudguards but that's form over function, and I prefer to keep all the road muck on the road where it belongs. The guards really hug the tyres tho so they don't look too bad.

 

[Bodhbh]

I have to say, I find installing mudguards the most miserable job going. Not only is it more fiddly and takes longer than more 'serious' jobs - i.e. changing a headset or BB - but after you've gone thru the bother, you have a downgrade. Apart from no wet arse, yes, but against that - the possibility of rattling, fouling the tyre, extra weight, periodic adjustment....It's cancelling a negative, not introducing a positive.

So leave them on, or it'll drive you nuts.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I use clip-on mudguards, and this time of year they're clipped on the whole week, and I only remove them on Sundays to clean the bike. I have a bolt permanently screwed onto the bridge between my rear seat stays, which used to hold a 'permanent' rear mudguard, until I removed the mudguard. No such luck with the bolt, though: it's a permanent fixture to the bike .

 

[fossyant]

1 road bike with guards all year, my commuter has guards all year. 1 road bike without guards.

My MTB still has it's ICE tyres on - I haven't changed them yet.

 

[Paul139]

I did try to put some on my Raleigh Airlite 100 at the beginning of winter last year. What a kerfuffle. I ended up having what could be called a "slight" disagreement with them and they ended up in the bin. When I get caught out I have to suffer a wet behind.

 

[SquareDaff]

Leave the mudguards on the "winter" bike all year then buy a "summer" bike!

 

[Brightski]

Anyone else had to put theirs back on due to the rain. Depressing.

I've put new guards back on my Giant Defy, the last set fell apart after two years of winter use. These were shiny black ones, bought for a discount from http://www.veloecosse.com/productdetails.asp?productid=12971


Usually takes an hour to install them, that is if you can get the bolt off that goes from the back of the forks into the brake assembly - unfortunately the bolt was completely glued to the inside of the forks - mud and muck meant it was not budging. I was not sure if it was threaded or not.

After an hour or so of frustration and gallons of lube on the joints, I decided to start bashing the bolt out which eventually worked. A complete time burglar.

I don't like having the mudguards on, but it's much nicer that a wet rear end.

I hope the summer comes soon.

I leave them on all year round on my training bike

 

[Deleted member 1258]

All my bikes have mudguards, they stay on all year.

 

[DCLane]

I did try to put some on my Raleigh Airlite 100 at the beginning of winter last year. What a kerfuffle. I ended up having what could be called a "slight" disagreement with them and they ended up in the bin. When I get caught out I have to suffer a wet behind.

Raleigh Airlite's can't take guards, not even Raleigh's own. I had Raceblades on mine and they did OK.

Me, I've got a 'bad weather bike' with guards (1986 Raleigh Team). That's fine getting wet.

I'll fit them to the main bike if it's a club run/training session, otherwise it'll be the Raleigh Team that gets used.

 

[fossyant]

Race blade longs are pretty damn good. I just got them onto my Ribble, just.

 

[Paul139]

Raleigh Airlite's can't take guards, not even Raleigh's own.

Ahh, that would explain it then.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

My mudguards come in the shape of a car , call me a fair weather cyclist, a chorus of "Booo - fair weather cyclist" rings out, but there i said it .

Should it rain when i am out i get wet, but just like cows and sheep we are all actually waterproof.

Anyway i cant go out in the rain as my bike is made of carbon and it is fact that carbon melts when in contact with just one drop of rain.

 

[User33236]

My commuter has a Topeak DeFender M2 on the back. As it fits in a few seconds I take it off and on as required and I never use one of the front.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I have two road bikes,one with guards one without. I use the mudguards bike as much as the one without in both winter and summer as rain falls all year round. The mudguards make my cycling a tiny(not noticeable)bit heavier but a damn sight more comfortable on wet dirty roads!