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faster

Über Member
Try fashioning some tyre skimmers out of coathanger wire, have it drag on the tyre, it's an old trick ,used to discourage picking up flints and thorns in the tyres, might work?
You will have to ingenious on where you mount them , but behind the BB my best bet,or some form of scraper.

Surely a skimmer mounted behind the BB would only be effective at preventing mudguard clogging when you are riding the bike backwards?
 
I don't mean to be facetious but isn't the answer to ride in places which aren't covered in mud. It can't be very pleasant. I ride all winter with guards and I've never experienced a problem such as is described.

I can promise you we have more than our fair share of crappy roads in Lancashire.

It got very muddy at the weekend. I found plenty of muddy roads. In not sure how you'd avoid them short of turning around as soon as you find them. You don't need to go out looking for mud.
 

grldtnr

Senior Member
Surely a skimmer mounted behind the BB would only be effective at preventing mudguard clogging when you are riding the bike backwards?
If riding fixed, yes! Depends on what to mount and where really.
I've not done it, but old enough to see the use before 'tubs' went out of fashion.
 
Location
London
I do have a Cervelo for riding in decent weather. I only put her away two weeks ago.

The Kinesis I built for good weather gravel riding, without guards, and as a winter bike. It does both very well and is the best winter bike I've owned. Can still average 16/17mph which is more than fast enough for winter.

You can probably see it's also set up for short tours.
Nice
when you say "built-up" you mean you put the bits together yourself?
I had the idea that you got the lbs to do most things
am also intrigued, at the risk of getting too intimate, as to why I would be/was surprised at you riding such a beast.
Back to the bike - am impresesd by the daylight i can see under the guards - no coathangers in the seatpack for you.


>>You can probably see it's also set up for short tours.

Can't see a rack. Is the fork carbon? You plan to attach things to it?
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
Have to say haven ridden with full guards and long mudflaps on the Rourke for years with 28mm tyres that even with tight clearances have never had any clogging even when out in the sticks.
However, recently have been riding without and fitted a Zefal-type whale-tail to stop the diarrhea strip and protect the saddle-bag with a view to running with 32mm in the future for added comfort over our increasingly schitty road surfaces (the Rourke's 853's quite stiff).

614207



There may be some days when I'm going to regret this and it does lead to more wear and tear on the drive train with all the extra crud, but it may be worth it :blush:
 
Last edited:
Location
London
Is this a problem on just the front or back @Dogtrousers or both?
 

a.twiddler

Veteran
Have you done this, or just read about it, or is it just a cunning idea? bitd these were around but fitted to a non-guarded wheel secured by the rim brake bolt and nut (at fork crown/seatstay bridge). Shown to have no anti-puncture merit (which is why they became extinct).

Have you tried to fit "smaller wheels" to a bike, or just read about it? If 'yes' tell us how it went.
I used to use tyresavers which generally fitted to the brake bolt, being of a finer wire than coathanger wire. The wire that fitted to the brake bolt
was connected to the wire that rested across the tyre by a fine piece of clear plastic tube each side so the wire could rise or fall with any imperfections on the tyre surface. I wore a few of them out over the years as the abrasive grit that was carried round by the tyre wore away at the wire where it rested on the tyre. I was able to fit them under the mudguard at the brake bolt because I had enough clearance, unlike the OP.
I never needed to try alternative fittings such as at the ends of the mudguards. They did need rechecking or adjusting from time to time to make sure they were still resting on the tyre centrally. I have seen thorns and flints flicked out by the tyresavers so they weren't completely useless but they weren't a 100% deterrent.

Although not strictly relevant to the OP's situation I have changed from 27 X1 1/4 wheels to 700C wheels in search of a better tyre choice when the former were becoming less common on new bikes. Mind you, that was back in 1983 when I was having my frame refurbished and components upgraded in any case. The result, for me at least, was highly satisfactory.I have rarely had issues with mud clogging mudguards (and with that particular bike, the increased clearance inside the mudguards after changing the wheels made that even more unlikely.) I have had mudguards clogged with snow, however. The only solution to that is probably, no mudguards.

More recently, I did consider for a while seeing if it was possible to fit 26" wheels to my 700C disc braked tourer as due to the discs, swopping them would have been easier. I'd read about it being done on the Cycling UK forum. I might also have to consider such things as shorter cranks to compensate for the (relatively small) drop in BB height, though just riding it with lower cornering clearance in mind would also have worked, and slightly lower gearing due to the smaller wheels. With the same cassette on the back, it might even have been possible to swap the wheels over summer and winter.

In the end, apart from a slightly lower stand over height and maybe handier handling in tight spaces, the cost/ benefit ratio wasn't enough of an incentive over my 700C set up to justify it when it's a nicely balanced bike and fulfilled 95% of my cycling needs. The thought resurfaced a few times over the years and then along came recumbents into my life which put everything into a whole new perspective.

Generally speaking, whatever my tyres, I like mudguards.
 
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