what's the verdict?

and if you're a mudguard fan what would you recommend for a full sus?

Mmmm. I wonder, theres a thread about this somewhere.

Basically a old style crud roughly in the middle of your seatpost. This has worked for me for about 10 years.

Waterproof shorts – no guards works fine for me

Uplink +1

although I also use a mudguard to stop the worst of the wet mud going up my back 🙂

I use a dirtmonkey I bought from Halfrauds (Oh the shame 😕 ) for about £10 it is set about 4 inches from the tyre to avoid it hitting the wheel hence the need for the waterproof shorts.

Uplink +2, water proof over trousers / water proof over trousers cut down to shorts.

+3 and a mudguard on singlespeed for winter and moved to fleet for known muddy rides. 4 hours with a wet arse is not fun – they are fugly mind

Waterproof shorts and a mudguard if I'm going to be out all day.

Waterproof shorts – no guards works fine for me

+4

crudguard all year round, and goretex shorts in the winter, may to october. 8)

Mudguards every time. anyone who rides without one is daft IMO – why does the look of your bike matter more than its function? I ride most days and simply prefer to be warm and dry rather than get spray all over me.

Its nice to be able to go into a pub without splashing mud everywhere as well.

Mudguards just look wrong to me. Another vote for waterproof shorts here.

Why does the look matter? form over function? get real

i hear you on the mudguards look shite but around 2 months ago i fitted one to my xc bike for the 1st time ever and did a truly torrential ride around, i am now a convert and have them on most of my bikes, i can live with it looking crap for the comfy side of the ride.

They do look bad, I can understand why that bothers people (though mine look fine IMO, but on a full suss they can be awful). What narks me is when people come up with ridiculous ways to rationalise their dislike. "They don't make any difference". "They rattle" "They just break" "They can be dangerous in a crash" and my personal favourite, "They're no use for PROPER mountain biking".

But nothing wrong with not fitting them just because you don't like the look, it's their a**e 😉

Why does the look matter? form over function? get real

Funny thing Jezza, on some posts you're all 'freedom of choice' and 'make up your own mind' but really it comes down to is 'think like me or I'll start calling names' – you're just a bitter old man really aren't you, stick to the wiping and swiping eh………..

cock

Funny thing Jezza, on some posts you're all 'freedom of choice' and 'make up your own mind' but really it comes down to is 'think like me or I'll start calling names' – you're just a bitter old man really aren't you, stick to the wiping and swiping eh………..

nail on the head…………..well said that man.. 😆

Ghey Gaurds for me

This could get nasty!

Handbags ahoy!!

They're shit.

They look shit, they don't make shit all difference, they scratch your paintwork, they're just something else to clean. Even not wearing waterproof shorts is better, and TBH a normal pair of shorts over the usual Lycra is enough to keep the worst off anyway.

nickc – are you sure??
Its weird that when i ride with a mate with no mudguard his face/eyes are covered in mud, me with a mudguard have a clean face and more importantly clean eyes (contact lenses)
With a rear guard it save the worst of the wet running off your shorts down your legs into sealskinz or shoes. Surely even been 1% drier is better than none at all?

I wear contacts. In the slurry I wear clear lenses, don't care if my clothes or face is muddy TBH. Rear mudguards are just a waste of space. My saddle catches more.

Let them eat cake

Mud guards are cool…
At 'my speed' they make it look like I'm towing a water skier. 😀

All the lot for me, front fender, crud catcher and crud rear.

who knows what you could catch if you dont use protection?

had a mate who did not use crud guards front and rear.
got a face full of cow pooh slush in a farmyard in the dales.
he caught campilobacter{sp?}
made him proper poorly for months.
he runs a bike shop with his brother in mirfield.

waterproof shoerts and those new protectors on the forks, mudguards are fugly!!

they do look shit but they work brilliantly.

I've got a crud catcher, new design raceguard and the best bit of all, a neoprene pissflap thing on the fork to stop that bit of grit that gets thrown up and forward at exactly the right trajectory to match my forward motion and get me straight in the eyes when you've taken your glasses off briefly because you're going so slow they just misted up.

Crud catcher and rear crud guard with waterproof shorts for proper long rides in the rain. Saying guards don't work is obviously bs though clearly they work best on a hardtail where you can fix it near the tyre. Just looking at the state people with and without mudguards are in at the end of a group ride shows that.

Oh and spot on about TJ.

As much as I hate agreeing with TJ, I have to admit I do on this subject 😆

Never seen the sense in not using a crudcatcher when its proper shitey. Just common sense.
Now have some cheap Gore-Tex army cut-offs also. They work a treat.

Always used a front & rear crud mudguards.
Don't care what my bike looks like, particularly when it's really mucky. I don't understand how mudguards on your bike looks any worse than the appearance that you have just had an uncontrolled violent outburst of dysentry all over your shorts & up your back if you don't wear mudguards.

so…waterproof shorts and a crud catcher. I thought I was the only one who thought about buying cheapo army surplus trousers and cutting them up. Genius.

Just fitted some for the first time as I need to get in my car after riding and I have beige leather seats- the alternative is getting your nob out on the car park to change into clean clothes
I must admit I think they look ok- white ones on a black frame- not that it matters obvously 😉

Best solution is just to stay in when it is shitty outside.

endura stealths keep me dry ….

although i have been seen sporting not 2 mudguards but 5 …… 2 cruds on downtube , one up the seat tube and a rear one out the back , and one on the front of fork …. they might be back on for the puffer since its looking like its not going to be -19 🙁

Mud guard,crud catcher under the frame and inner tube thingy beween forks an…waterproof shorts. It looks shite,but I don't care….it doesn't look great without mud guards.

the verdict is they look shite… end of thread

Waterproof shorts convert here – no crud guard for first time in years on my bike. Homemade fork doofer though, and thinking a steerer mount front guard.