Really exciting topic this one, but I like to overthink things and this one has got me going in circles.

I’ve got a road double century coming up on Sunday and the weather forecast suggests fairly constant rain on Saturday followed by a few showers on Sunday, with pretty strong winds on both days. What I can’t decide on is whether to just stick on my Sealskin socks or to stick the SKS Race Blade Pros on the bike too. I’ve not actually ridden with the Race Blades before as I’ve just ordered them due to the forecast.

How wet does it have to be before you admit defeat and stick mudguards on?

Would the extra weight and wind resistance of the mudguards be worth it, given it might be dry for most of the day?

My current thinking is to see if the roads are wet or not before I start – if yes then keep the guards on, if not then risk it and take them off.

Any thoughts to help me come to a decision and stop thinking about this minor, irrelevant point.

raceblades don’t have great coverage to keep your feet dry so

sealskins and raceblades.

Would the extra weight and wind resistance of the mudguards

Give over.

Weight and resistance 🙄

What mudguards don’t protect you from is the misery of a faceful of manky spray from the unguarded rider in front – consequently you’ll ride harder to stay on the front all day long….

Overshoes as suggested, plus the joy of a dry ar$e

Give over.

Marginal gains!!

Told you I overthink things, but they do add 1 lb of weight, and it is going to be windy. As I’ve never used these guards before I’ve not idea if this will make a noticeable difference, but even a tiny difference adds up over 200 miles.

Would the extra weight and wind resistance of the mudguards be worth it, given it might be dry for most of the day?

A million times over. Makes an enormous difference in keeping warm, for other riders, (who will get pissed off by getting a soaking from the spray off un-mudguard bikes) as well as yourself.

but even a tiny difference adds up over 200 miles.

i think being dry and warm will add up to more.

but even a tiny difference adds up over 200 miles.

like the difference between having trench-arse and not?

weight/resistance of guards even over 200 miles is negligible, unless you’re gunning for a record attempt* ignore it.

*unlikely given the weather 😉

*unlikely given the weather

If only that were the only factor against me!

Fit the guards. Definitely worth it over the distance. May not keep all of the spray off due to the limited coverage but will help you to be more comfortable which is worth any weight penalty in the long run.

If a unanimous STW opinion wasn’t enough, the weather forecast is now looking slightly worse. Mudguards it is!

Thank you all for indulging me and helping me come to a decision, I was starting to annoy myself with my trivial musings. Now on to worrying about the next minor detail….

Proper mudguards and overshoes

Definitely fit the mudguards. I had exactly the same conundrum 2 weeks ago when I went for my first triple century and made the wrong call. I had about 15 minutes of rain on the morning session, just enough to make my crotch all damp. It made it chaffe pretty badly and I really regretted it.
In the end I went home, had a shower, fitted the mudguards and got new dry clothes.
Even then I felt like I’d been wire brushed by the end of the ride.
(it didn’t actually rain again after I fitted the guards, but still the right call)

Good luck with the ride.

How wet does it have to be before you admit defeat and stick mudguards on?

Yeah, I was like that once.

They come with me on every ride. And it’s not defeat. It’s win.

Definitely fit the raceblades but note that they can be a bit awkward until they’ve been adjust properly for your frame so really you need to try that out before your event.

As stated though, raceblades’ coverage on shoes is less good than full guards though IME it’s still not bad – much better than no guards – but as such, water proof socks/overshoes are the way to go too.

Definitely fit the raceblades but note that they can be a bit awkward until they’ve been adjust properly for your frame so really you need to try that out before your event.

This, if you’ve not used them before the weekend then don’t. A wet arse is horrible, but a mudguard rubbing on(through) your tyre for 200 miles will be worse, you’ll also need to get used to the difference in toe overlap. My guards live on my bike 24/7/365

Assaver and some velotoze.

No seriously, fit the guards. The above is actually fine to keep your feet and rear dry, but mudguards will work better and protect both you and the bike.

Will fit them tomorrow and go for a shakedown ride before Sunday, so should avoid the mudguard rubbing for 200 miles issue (although I’d rip them off and shove them in the nearest bin after a few miles rather than ploughing on for 200!).

Getting used to the toe overlap shouldn’t be a problem as I run full length guards on my commuter, which has the same geometry as my decent bike.