Clip on mud guards

[quixoticgeek]

Am pondering some mud guards for my bike that I can easily attach/detach. Currently I'm looking at the Crud Road racer.

Are there other guards I should be considering? I'm after something that will allow for largish tyres (~40mm), yet be easy to attach/detach.

J

[Torslanda]

Do Road Racers fit a tyre that wide? I would be inclined to use some proper guards and fit them permanently but that's only my opinion.

ETA: 38mm max. 40s might go

[quixoticgeek]

Do Road Racers fit a tyre that wide? I would be inclined to use some proper guards and fit them permanently but that's only my opinion.

ETA: 38mm max. 40s might go

I really don't like mudguards, but as I don't want to arrive at work with a wet and muddy arse, there's not much choice, at least on the days it's raining. Hence wanting something I can remove when I don't need it.

J

[PeteB99]

Have a look in your local Wilco. I've got a set similar to these on my commuter hybrid, only 1/2 to 2/3 coverage for the rear wheel but they keep most of the road spray off. They do a variety of wheel sizes but I only have experience of the 26 inch ones.

https://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/product/mudguards/mudstop2-26-mtb-mudguard-set-black-ox-of554/OX-OF554

[quixoticgeek]

Have a look in your local Wilco. I've got a set similar to these on my commuter hybrid, only 1/2 to 2/3 coverage for the rear wheel but they keep most of the road spray off. They do a variety of wheel sizes but I only have experience of the 26 inch ones.

https://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/product/mudguards/mudstop2-26-mtb-mudguard-set-black-ox-of554/OX-OF554

Where is the nearest Wilco to Amsterdam?

J

[PeteB99]

Lowestoft probably.

They do mail order but if you're in Amsterdam I'd have thought you'll be spoilt for choice regarding bike bits.

[quixoticgeek]

Lowestoft probably.

They do mail order but if you're in Amsterdam I'd have thought you'll be spoilt for choice regarding bike bits.

Nope, bits for BSO's sure, but for road bikes or anything that isn't a city bike, less so. There's maybe 2-3 bike shops inside the ring that are worth going to if you want something other than a city bike, that number goes up to 5 if you're male.

J

[The French Tandem]

Am pondering some mud guards for my bike that I can easily attach/detach.

Why would you ever need to detach them? Are you racing and commuting with this same bicycle?  In my humble opinion, permanent mudguards are way more efficient than clip-on mudguards. I saw quite a large sample of bikes with all sorts of mudguards during LEL. The bikes with permanent mudguards were significantly cleaner than all the others.

[quixoticgeek]

Why would you ever need to detach them? Are you racing and commuting with this same bicycle?  In my humble opinion, permanent mudguards are way more efficient than clip-on mudguards. I saw quite a large sample of bikes with all sorts of mudguards during LEL. The bikes with permanent mudguards were significantly cleaner than all the others.

Simple: i don't like mud guards. I also don't like a wet arse on the days it rains.

J

[D.A.L.E.]

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-mtb-clip-on-rear-mudguard/

Something like that? I had one of these on the fixie last winter, did the job.

[DuncanM]

I have Crud Roadracers on my Cube (the custom Cube mudguards got recalled for some reason, so became unavailable just before I got the bike).
I would be very surprised if they work well with 40mm tyres, and while they are removable, they aren't the sort of thing I would would want to be putting on and taking off on a regular basis. The velcro style attachment is fairly sturdy but when I try to remove them it feels like I'm going to unglue it from the seatstay/fork, and it's not straightforward to get the alignment right when you put them back on. Also, the bit just behind the BB is held on with a cable tie.
I think the definitive "stop me getting a wet arse but take it off it's not raining" guard is one of these: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ass-saver-regular/ I've seen them in use on clubmates bikes, but I've not tried one myself, so can't comment on it's effectiveness.

[Jakob W]

Unless the Dutch climate has changed beyond recognition since I was there, I'd suggest fitting proper guards and leaving them on until about, oh, June or so.

Is the objection to guards aesthetic, a dislike of rattles, or because of a penchant for off-roading? Because to a certain extent you've got to pick your poison - proper guards or a wet arse.

[quixoticgeek]

Unless the Dutch climate has changed beyond recognition since I was there, I'd suggest fitting proper guards and leaving them on until about, oh, June or so.

Is the objection to guards aesthetic, a dislike of rattles, or because of a penchant for off-roading? Because to a certain extent you've got to pick your poison - proper guards or a wet arse.

The aesthetic and the rattle. I do off road, but when I'm doing that there's a saddle bag to act as a sacrificial anode...

J

[Brucey]

IME most clip on mudguards for road bikes rattle like nobody's business.

On my MTB I use something like these;

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/mudguards/sks-xtra-dry-26-inch-rear-quick-release-mudguard/
 and something that goes onto the down tube.  It keeps the worst of the muck off but it isn't as good as full mudguards obviously.

BTW the whole question is predicated on the notion that full mudguards don't come on and off the bike quickly. I'm not sure this is the case; for some years I had a set that would come on and off the bike (using wing nuts and so forth) in a couple of minutes. In this case it was so that the bike could be knocked down for transport but the same scheme could be used for other reasons too.

cheers

[hubner]

Have (at least) two bikes; one for wet roads, the other for dry.

But even then you could still get wet if you get caught out by showers on the "dry" bike.

[LEE]

Raceblade longs are the best quality solution in my opinion.

I used CRUD guards for a couple of years but they are quite fragile and temperamental.  I ran 23mm tyres and I doubt they will cover 40mm tyres.

Raceblades attach very securely at the wheel skewers and brake bridge and can be removed in a few seconds, leaving the mounting hardware almost invisible.

[Kim]

But even then you could still get wet if you get caught out by showers on the "dry" bike.

Or ride through puddles.  Nasty-looking field run-off is common around here in all but drought conditions (but perhaps less so in .nl, where they know a thing or two about drainage).  On that basis I'd fit mudguards to anything not actually used for racing (or off-roading so muddy that you don't want them to clog up and/or you're probably going to get covered in mud regardless), and if I'm doing that it makes sense to use full ones, properly secured to minimise issues.

There seem to be some decent detachable mudguards for mountain bikes, but they tend to be the sort of thing that keeps the worst of the crud from going in your face/back, rather than keeping your feet/chain clean.

Brucey's suggestion of full guards arranged to quickly come off the bike seems like a good one.  Use those safety QR attachments for the stays (front *and* back), then it's just a case of wingnuts or something for the bridge/fork crown.

[zigzag]

i don't think mudguards like that exist (if they did everybody would have them). i had few ideas of custom made mounts using 3d printer, sugru and neodymium magnets, haven't got round to implementing it mainly as i use dedicated bikes for wet and dry weather.

[Jakob W]

Metal guards fitted to direct-mount bosses at the fork crown  and on the seat- and chainstay bridges should be pretty quick to remove; but then a) that kind of detail tends to be limited to custom frames, and b) guards mounted thusly are likely to be so solid that the only argument against is likely to be aesthetic.

[Brucey]

i don't think mudguards like that exist (if they did everybody would have them)....

Not everyone wants or needs them; they could be pinched, for example... It wasn't difficult to make the standard mudguards QD. On an old road frame, I used ESGE mudguards (think SKS) and

a) p-clips on the forks and stays configured so that long screws were used with nuts to secure the clip to the frame. The P clips stayed put whether the mudguards were on or not. A wing nut then secured the mudguard stay ends to each protruding 'stud'.  This would work with ordinary stay ends or with secu-clips.

b) the mudguards used the ESGE spring 'R' clip round the chainstay brace, which was wrapped in tape to prevent scuffs. Push on, pull off.

c) the fork crown and bridge brackets were slotted so that once the fastener was backed off ~1 turn, the mudguard brackets could be removed.

d) the side-pull  brakes were fitted with long centre bolts and were double-nutted to the frame. The inner nut remained in place so that the brakes stayed put. The outer nut was a nylock nut that clamped the crown/bridge bracket to the other nut. [With AK brakes the exact same effect could be achieved with Sheldon fender nuts and captive bolts of some kind].

The mudguards came on and off most easily when the wheels were out, but it was also possible to fit them and remove them when the wheels were in the frame if required.

 I wasn't 100% sure that a wing nut (with no nylon insert) would do for the brake bridge/crown mountings so I stuck with nylock nuts even though it meant using a spanner. A tiny lip on the bridge/crown brackets would have stopped them from falling off in the event of loosening there, and a tether of some kind (a wire tie from a freezer bag...?) could have made the wing nuts proof against falling off. The mudguards would then have been tool-free on or off.

If the wing nuts were to come loose on the P clips, this would be instantly noticeable by virtue of the rattling. In point of fact this didn't ever happen, but if plastic secu-clips were fitted in the same way, maybe the rattling wouldn't be so noticeable.

These days there are so many (better) fasteners available, I think I would perhaps make the (stainless) wing nuts fully captive (on headed bolts that are locked with additional nuts) and use slotted and lipped brackets throughout.

I also have an idea that in some cases it may be possible to reverse the R clip on the chainstay brace so that it snap on whilst being pulled upwards rather than being pushed downwards; this would help the fitment to the back of the seatstay brace, since there would always be clearance when required.

cheers

[zigzag]

i wonder if a mini version of qr skewer exists (~5 times smaller than the usual ones). it would make a neat looking fastener.

[mzjo]

I use the standard Raceblades (bikes built around raceframes with no guard provision), I think I have the wide ones and I had to do a bit of inventive bending to get them over 28 section tyres. But they do come off and go on very quickly, very handy for putting the bike in the 205.
I don't think any of the race bike type guards will cover your tyres; mtb or custom, Brucey style, would appear to be the choices

[quixoticgeek]

Have (at least) two bikes; one for wet roads, the other for dry.

It amazes me the number of times on here that people suggest having more than one bike to fit various different circumstances. That might be fine out in suburbia where you have a garage and plenty of space to store stuff. I've room for one bike in the basement of this apartment block, 2 if I am very creative, and that 2nd one isn't going to be easy to get in and out in a rush. It's not like I can store them in the apartment as the lift is too small, and I'm buggered if I can carry a bike up 13 flights of stairs...

J

[Torslanda]

Appreciate your circumstances are limiting.

As an analogy I remember what London despatch riders used to say about panniers: "Throwovers" quickly become "fell-offs" . . .

Anything not permanently mounted to a commuter will rapidly go the same way IMO.

The gist is, if you want stuff that works, there's a choice between aesthetics and a wet arse. Have you checked out Portland Metal Works stuff? Ducks chance of them rattling.

[DuncanM]

The Crud ones don't rattle on my bike, but I'm only using them because I bought a bike without regular mudguard fittings and the proprietary ones disappeared!). Raceblades worked on a previous bike, but they rattled like hell (were an earlier version though).
Neither are actually long enough for a proper winter bike - they might keep some of the weather off you but you will still end up with your legs from the top of you socks downwards soaked/covered in crap and a certain amount in your face (Crud are better than Raceblade for this). Plus they don't protect your bike much (again Crud > Raceblade IMO).