Definitely a top tip, the last five miles into a strong headwind was good practice on the drops, though gusts made it quite tricky to hold a line.
Also stupid hedge trimming here resulted in a flat with about 10 miles to go, shall try the stans in tubes for next ride. Also a top tip... if you take your saddle bag with tubes and pump off to give the bike a wash, don't forget to put it back on before heading out 
I'm not a fan of mudgurads, I don't really like the look or the wobbly fit, so I don't use them even in the yuckyest of conditions. I'm not bothered about getting a wet bum, so long as I'm in good training mode and hacking long I jut keep warm that way.
I'd suggest you slam some decent climbs in your rides. Whether they be rep's of short sharp ones where you do interval up them then do them again or whether they take an hour to climb, just climb more use your rotation and pace to regulate breathing and don't blow up, just keep going.
I'd also suggest intervals on the road, look ahead, spot a small rise in the road, ride the heck out of yourself to get over it then relax and rotate and bring back your breathing to a reasonable rate, then repeate. This will focus your mind, something that can be a bit of a grind on long flat sections.
I've just come back from a 3hr ride around Patley Bridge taking in Brimham Rock, the moors and the long res in the vally floor, it was snowy on top and well slippy but the climbs I added into the ride warmed my up, the decents had to be taken slowly due to the slipy road and water run off, I was wearing a simple marino base layer, 3/4 legs under long legs, a l/s winter top and a thermal gillet and fleece beanie and some cheap thinsulate themal gloves. All in all I was toasty and well comfortable dispite the amount of water being kicked up my bottom..
problem is if you have to stop,if you're wet you'll be miserable pretty quickly.it's hard to warm up again.so you enter into a cycle of getting colder and it being harder to pedal yourself warm.
I'm not a fan of mudgurads,
Burn the Witch. It was mudguard city today. One guy was having a right go at his brother for not having guards, think he was fed up with doing a stint only to have the favour repaid with rainwater, slurry and diesel. 
mudguards aren't really for the owner, more courtesy for those your riding with.
oldgit - MemberI'm not a fan of mudgurads,
Burn the Witch. It was mudguard city today. One guy was having a right go at his brother for not having guards, think he was fed up with doing a stint only to have the favour repaid with rainwater, slurry and diesel.
Agreed, cant see the attraction of sodding wet rear end and shoes/legs. Allied to that you'd be as welcome as a fart in a lift in any bunch.
However none of this matters if you ride on your own, all the time. In which case I wish you and your kidneys all the bast.
Now that I've tried mudguards I'm not going back!
mudguards usage is a sign of maturity.
^ I like that guys flaps.
In my club there is a mudguard amnesty from October to March. If you don't have mudguards then your not getting in. Indeed the use of a flap on the rear is encouraged for your following club mates comfort. 100 miles is a long way with constant spray in your boat race.
Whilst we are on the subject those Crud things are **** hopeless. They perhaps keep the rider dry but the spray off them! The mark II is better though but SKS are ftw with a big pair of flaps. *insert your own gag here*
Got the Crud Roadracer mk2 here. Bit fiddly to fit. Seems to do the job. Though I've not much to compare it to. Why do you say they're hopeless? Is it just the spray? Keeps me nice and dry but only done solo rides so far.
The Audax guys have impressive flaps
mrblobby - Member
Why do you say they're hopeless? Is it just the spray? Keeps me nice and dry but only done solo rides so far.
Aye its the following rider who gets the thin end of the wedge or rather not a thick enough wedge.
They look like they do a job for the rider but as I say the folk behind have a shower whether they like it or not. To be fair though, positioning is everything. If any guard is off square it doesnt help.
It does look like the mark II is alot longer though with a wider flare at the end. I reckon mark III will have it licked.
Crud 2's here. I'm going to take them off, the clearance is so tight that as soon as you ride over anything that sticks to your tyres it's rub rub rub. I'm sure some folk would be all right with it but not me. I spent ages 'centering' them today to try to alleviate it.
Race guards don't work either if you've got curvy stays, they don't stay put.
SO that's about £70 wasted.
Back to the wet bum. However, I always ride on my own so I suppose I should MTFU.
race blades in all styles are w4nk.
could be worth trying Giants close clearance guards - sort of a cross between proper SKS and Crud
race blades in all styles are w4nk
Mine work a treat, Wonder if it's the bikes?
DO those Giant guards need threaded stay holes ? Looks like it from the pics.
As for race guards, works fine on bikes with straight stays but mine are very curvy (CAAD4) and so in wrong place.
Crud 2 on my frame is pretty tight under the rear brake. Had to do quite a lot of fiddling to get a decent fit that didn't leave the rear guard rubbing at the top of the wheel and the longer flap a good few inches away from the wheel. Chap at my LBS said you can re-shape them a bit if you heat them with a hair dryer, may give it a go.
It does look like the mark II is alot longer though with a wider flare at the end. I reckon mark III will have it licked.
You do get a short and a long bit to stick on the end of the rear flap on the mk2. The long one does seem pretty long.
Crud 2's here as well. Using the long tail makes life much more pleasant for clubmates. Have riveted on a mudflap at the front as the standard ends are far too narrow.
Always have surgical gloves with me for punctures and as a back up for anyone with poor gloves. That said, i now carry spare gloves (sealskin waterproofs) in the winter months for anyone who needs them. Pal took up my offer of them today after i spotted him blowing on his hands. Call me Mr Popular !
Most of the time i use Gore Mistral Windstopper gloves. 3c and snow showers today gave me no problems.
Oh and Woolie Boolies rock.
I've got some SKS P35's on my new Hewitt Carbon Alpine. I had the crud ones on my Jamis and was always trying to stop them rubbing.
These P35's seem spot on, close'ish fitting (on a 28mm tyre) and quite light. Really quiet as well.
Must admit to using winter boots AND overshoes this Christmas on a ride round the Trough of Bowland. Feet kept dry as a bone and therefore warm and cosey. 
I'm now a softshell convert, seems to keep most of the water out but you don't sweat like a bugger in them.
When I went for the Alpine from Paul Hewitt, it was the mudguard fittings and the 28mm tyre I wanted.
I managed to get that and the weight of my Carbon Jamis in one all rounder. Just didn't save the money I was hoping in going from a Roadrat and Jamis Carbon to this new Hewitt. 
P1040343 by eastham_david, on Flickr
now I have no excuse at all not to go out in Winter and TBH this is the first winter I have tried road riding and it's not that bad at all.
Vortexracing, those P35's look good. Been doing a lot of tweaking of the Crud 2's and I can't quite get them where I want them on the back with the long guard and have them stop rubbing. I can see it annoying me over the next few rides.
One last question for you chaps... lights. Only done a couple of road rides in the dark so far and just used the magicshine I got for the mtb. Is that ok for use on the road if I angle it down a little? Or will it blind other road users causing them to swerve into my path and mow me down? What do you chaps use?
For those of you with no braze ons...
DO those Giant guards need threaded stay holes ? Looks like it from the pics.
yes but if you don't have any then use pclips
Well I'm not saying you shouldn't don mudguards, of course theres a reason for them, it's just well I don't use them.
But..
Having ridden around North Yorks over the last couple of weeks I can see why some choose to use them, in fact of all the people on the roads I saw out riding (and "by Gum" there were loads) I'd say 90% of them had them on.
I hitched up with an old guy on the road on my way to Grimwith Res the other day and he had them on, he said upon chasing me down "you're not from round here are you?" I asked how he could tell and he said "well it's horizontal rain and you've only got on a single lined rain jacket..and no guards on..
So there you go.
With me and me mates down here though we just don't use them. Maybe it's cos we're used to the roads drying out quickly or possibly we choose routes that we know won't be too wet, but you can't stop field run off so we've just gotten used to riding without them.
Maybe it's a throw back from years of racing without them..
Ahh well.
Lol at clubs stopping you riding without guards. Bless. Take up crown green bowling instead.
at mtb-er who doesn't understand why some clubs insist on mudguards on winter club runs.
aP...that at me? I'm far more of a roadie than a mountain biker. And I do understand the thought process behind it, but think it's rather poor. If you have such an issue with a bit of water, let them ride at the back of the group. If you are water-soluble and/or never race in anything other than warm sunshine, I can accept why you might not like getting a bit wet.
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