Mudguards.

[Brandane]

Apologies if this has been done to death before but a search for "mudguards" was a bit vague.

I have a 2 week old Specialized Tricross which I have been really enjoying until today!

Had a great plan today, to ride Glasgow to Edinburgh on the Forth & Clyde / Union canal paths. Started off fine but the paths are so sodden after recent rain that it was really no fun. Kept having to slow down for huge puddles, and away from them the surface was pretty much a mush of mud/leaves/water. By the time I got to the Falkirk wheel (about 25 miles) I had had enough and got the train back home. Average speed today was a shade under 10mph, and that was with a tail-wind. So no fun at all.

My bike was quite literally caked in mud, and you could hear the mud grinding in the chain, cassette and gear shifters; not what you want to hear on your new baby!! A GENTLE jet wash at Falkirk sorted out the bike, but I didn't really want to give myself a scoosh....(mud was caked right up my back, yuk).

Soooo, mudguards. Are they any good, and has anybody come up with "quick-release" versions, as I carry the bike in the back of the car quite a lot, which means taking them off.

 

[Paulus]

Hi there, there are things called race guards which are very quick to put on and off the bike, here they are.http://www.evanscycles.com/products/crud/racepack-ec018738

 

[MacB]

I use this style of clip on ones:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Polisport-Colarado-Wheel-Clip-Mudguard/dp/B0011FMCRW

you have a bracket that mounts to the fork and seatstay crowns, then these just slide into bracket. Put them on and off in seconds and the bracket is very unobtrusive when not in use. I got mine at LBS for about £10

 

[Randochap]

Mudguards are essential, as you have discovered. It's no fun getting drenched in muck and can be a hazzard to your health if that muck includes certain "organic" matter on country roads and trails (check out your water bottle!), not to mention the wear caused by grit and grime being thrown into your expensive drive train.

I don't use a car rack and also jam my bike into the back of the car. As long as you are relatively careful, there should be no problem with mudguards in situ. SKS mudguards are pretty resilient, but for real coverage and strength consider Honjos (see VeloWeb Garage).

Your Tricross should have plenty of clearance for proper mudguards so don't bother with flimsy "clip ons." They're next to useless. Also consider a front mudflap at minimum and, if you ride with others, a generous rear mudflap is important too.

On edit. Argument for full coverage:

 

[MrRidley]

If i were you i'd keep my nice shiny new bike well away from this path, even in summer the puddles never go away.

 

[Brandane]

Thanks for all the helpful replies as usual.

Think I might go with these ones:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25796

Randochap... As you are from Canada you probably have a bigger boot/trunk than I have! It is a Toyota Corolla, and not the huge thing of the same name that I got when renting a car in Florida a few months ago. Even with back seats down, the bike only just fits in with both wheels removed, so mudguards have to come off. Are you anywhere near Peachland B.C.?? Have friends there who we used to live next door to in Jamaica many years ago.

 

[icebergx]

I'm having a similar dilemma at the moment.
I'm gonna be using my new Bike (Specialized Sirrus Elite) in Denmark to commute short distances, on (relatively) clean, urban bike lanes. The problem is, it rains a hell of a lot there.
My mate's given me a spare, rear SKS mudguard with stays (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/sks/race-blade-mudguards-black-ec012084) and flap, but I think it looks a bit "old fashioned on my shiny modern bike.
Are mudguards with stays more effective than clip-on ones?

I use this style of clip on ones:-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Polisport-Colarado-Wheel-Clip-Mudguard/dp/B0011FMCRW

These look pretty cool but are they effective?

Thanks and sorry for Hijacking the thread

 

[l4dva]

Brandane - I have the same bike as you and I use these mudgrauds

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25809

They are only £8, and I found them to be perfect really. You just fit the bracket onto ur frame and forks then you can clip on the mud graud when ever u need it. They don't make ur bike look really old fashioned either, they look aright in my opinon, deff look a lot better than the old skool style mudgrauds. They are really easy to use and work really well and for £8 you can't really go wrong. I might be able to get you a pic of my bike with them on if u want? They keep me a hell of a lot dryer than with out as well so im happy.

 

[Randochap]

Randochap... As you are from Canada you probably have a bigger boot/trunk than I have! It is a Toyota Corolla, and not the huge thing of the same name that I got when renting a car in Florida a few months ago. Even with back seats down, the bike only just fits in with both wheels removed, so mudguards have to come off. Are you anywhere near Peachland B.C.?

No big car here. Old Honda Accord. Bike either hangs out of the boot or, more often, goes in the back seat (see oil stains on upholstery) with front wheel removed.

I live on the coast, so I'm a ferry ride and 410 kilometres away from Peachland. Also a full degree south. The interior, like most of BC is a great place to ride, though it gets very hot there in the summer and very cold in winter. Of course, we have to deal with the constant pissing rain.

Which brings us back to mudguards: Though they're better than nothing, clip ons don't give full coverage and are prone to shimmying, especially in crosswinds. A bit unnerving. I don't like being in pacelines with riders who use them.

 

[Brandane]

Brandane - I have the same bike as you and I use these mudgrauds

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25809

They are only £8, and I found them to be perfect really. You just fit the bracket onto ur frame and forks then you can clip on the mud graud when ever u need it. They don't make ur bike look really old fashioned either, they look aright in my opinon, deff look a lot better than the old skool style mudgrauds. They are really easy to use and work really well and for £8 you can't really go wrong. I might be able to get you a pic of my bike with them on if u want? They keep me a hell of a lot dryer than with out as well so im happy.

I saw those ones on the chainreactions website, but wasn't sure from the photo and description just how they clipped on, as obviously they have a permanent fixing point at the brake caliper mounting bolt. Would seem then that they come in 2 parts, one of which separates from the permanently mounted bit. That would do for me! No need for a photo but thanks for the offer, I might just get a pair of them. As you say, at that price you can't really go wrong...

 

[l4dva]

Yeah theres basically a small bracket that goes onto the frame and the fork at the front. you can adjust these slightly as well to move closer to the tyres or away from the tyres as well, I like to have it as close as possible. When the mud guards arnt on you can barely notice the brackets, esp the front one as this sits under the fork. Then all you do is hook the mud guard in and fix them in with a nut that you tighten using your fingers simple. Mine have never come loose or anything so there pretty solid.

Granted as randochap says they wont be as effective as a full set of mudguards, but they do a great job of stopping the majority of spray off you, your going to get wet from the water that falls from the sky anyways, you just needs somit to stop it spraying up off the ground chucking all the road crap onto your back/face and onto your bike as well. And for the money I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[l4dva]

By the way my bike dose still get dirty when i ride in the rain. Just not as much with the mudguards on, and of course im a lot lot cleaner.

The back mudguard pretty much chucks the spray of water back onto the tyres/rims, I guess this would be the case with any type of mudguard though. So my back tyre will get pretty dirty but the front one is not soo bad. I do generally have to wipe off the crap off my rear rim when I get bac from a ride in the rain, and I only ever ride on the road. But because it stops the spray you dont have to worry so much about the rest of the bike getting caked in sh*t its just the places where the mudguard deflects the spray to.