http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/topeak-defender-rear-mudguard-xc11-29er/rp-prod74889

Had to happen… so just bought one of these for the rear.

I hate mudguards

Embrace the mudguards, they make your bike look shit but keep you relatively free of it.

man that is ugly.

Front only for me, can’t bring myself to have one of those on the back. I’m sure I’ll crack eventually

Mudhugger front and rear here. Best looking, most effective guards I’ve used. Still look shit but then so does looking like you’ve shit yourself.

The alternative is to go Yank style and only ride in perfact dry conditions “to like,protect the trails man”.

The alternative is to go Yank style and only ride in perfact dry conditions “to like,protect the trails man”.

Anyone want a couple of bikes?

Can’t do it.

Every time I fit a mudguard I take one look at the bike and take the mudguard back off.

And then I get covered in crap.

I do fit a muckynutz gut fender on really bad days though.

zippykona – Member

The alternative is to go Yank style and only ride in perfact dry conditions “to like,protect the trails man”.

Don’t listen to Elsie.
The alternative is to get muddy.
Which is fun.
🙂

Don’t they all still just act as mud traps then get broken in the car/fall apart?

My last one lasted 3 years even with car stuff, went pretty well actually. I broke it by standing on it in summer ! nothing to do with when on the bike.

Was that the same as the new one?
3 years is pretty good, can never get them to last.

And I usually get covered in crap falling off anyway.
🙂

I might accept a Bender Fender on my forks this year but I cannot bring myself to use one of those clip-on rear guards. Out on rides other people’s always seem to rattle, catch on stuff, fall off or swing around and not actually protect them. CBA.

Was that the same as the new one?
Can never get them to last.

Nopes, slightly different… but a generic theme.

Mudhugger F&R here on one bike, Mucky Nutz, Crud guard on the other. Yeah they look rubbish (especially the vast slab of plastic that is the 29er MH) but dry bum, dry camelback and no need to service reverb makes up for it. Anyway you’re not looking at it while you’re riding!

When your commute looks like this, your bike looks like that.

Embrace the wet cold mud.. There’s no escape.
Make your peace with it and remember the sunshine will return.. In 6 months

I tried to be “cool” one day and rode in wet/mud without mudguards. I thought “hey, the guys ride without them, it can’t be so much different!”.

Never again!

I prefer to enjoy the ride more than trying to convince myself that getting absolutely covered in cr*p and staying like that for few hours (not to mention getting undressed in the back garden after…).
Mudhugger + Crud Racepack 29er is my combo.

I fitted Mudhuggers for the first time yesterday. After 2 hours of sploshing around, my backside was dry enough that changing to drive home was optional.

Rear mudhugger certainly the best rear guard I’ve used to date, very impressive.

🙂

I bought one of those Topeak 29er mudguard things. It was good until it snapped off after 2 weeks.

My kit all goes in the wash after a ride even in dusty summer conditions. What are you trying to achieve by fitting mudguards. If it’s to continue wearing the same cloths after riding then you have bigger issues than mudguards. Hygiene and pong being the obvious ones.

Bender Fender on the front to keep the shit out of my eyes, as for the rest of me – who cares.

What are you trying to achieve by fitting mudguards.

It’s definitely better not being totally covered in shit from the off on a wet muddy ride. Regardless of how much Vanish you need in your wash later on. They also keep a fair bit of shit off your bike at the same time, which can only be a good thing.

But despite the obvious benefits I do find mudguards so ugly that I find them mentally hard to actually fit! I’ve currently got an Enduro-guard on the rear, which is minimalist in both form and function 😉 Looks okay though!

I also bought one of those Topeak jobs.

On the first ride I had to repeatedly stop to tighten up the QR to stop the guard rotating around the seatpost. Eventually I rode down a bumpy descent and at the bottom I found that I only had the QR and half the bracket left, the rest of the bracket and the guard itself were somewhere on the hill.

When returning the remains to the shop, I was told I had overtightened it and it was all my fault. My suggestion that it wasn’t fit for purpose fell on deaf ears. Fragile junk – avoid. Bought a Crudcatcher instead and that is fine.

ndthornton In my case it’s about comfort. Being constantly splashed with fresh litres of sticky mud on my back does not feel good. Not for me.

I also commute on my mtb, the route takes me through the woods. Not having any decent “cycling facilities” at work (not to mention the showers…) is another reason for mudguards.

And I prefer to get the stuff straight into the washing machine after the ride, than soaking it first in the bucket to get rid of the extra 10kg of mud… 😉

10kg of mud

I think Your mud is different mine. The most I ever get is very dirty. I avoid the thick, sticky clay type mud at all costs.

What are you trying to achieve by fitting mudguards

I wash clothing after each use. However, I quite like a mudguard because:

– saves a bit of wear and tear on my riding glasses
– keeps the dropper post dry
– some protection for fork seals
– keeps my bag from getting completely coated in crap
– I get pretty cold pretty easily if I’m soaking wet. It makes a lot of sense not to if I can reasonably help it
– there’s a difference between clothes needing a wash and being so filthy you need to hose them off before they go in the washing machine.

None of that is absolutely compelling. Not getting soaked, so I stay dry and comfortable for longer, is the best reason.

🙂

Have they fixed the crudcatchers now? Loved the old design but the single bolt version just didn’t work when it came out. Neat, but useless.

I love my front SKS Shockboard, if you’re riding fast in wet conditions big front mudguards are unbeatable. Wee bender fenders etc are good but it’s a whole other level. But waterproof shorts make rears less essential I think. Still useful though.

Northwind I used to hate the rear Crudcatcher’s – they were always coming off after every bigger bump. Until I realised there is a small lip on the other side of the guard, that needs to be pushed in (with a screwdriver) under a recess in a mounting bracket… 8) Rock solid since then!

Mudhugger’s – the best a man can get

medoramas – Member

Northwind I used to hate the rear Crudcatcher’s – they were always coming off after every bigger bump. Until I realised there is a small lip on the other side of the guard, that needs to be pushed in (with a screwdriver) under a recess in a mounting bracket… Rock solid since then!

Nah I got that (though it wore after a while so I ended up plastic welding the 2 parts together) It was the 1-bolt thing, couldn’t get it tight enough to work because it stripped the plastic first and it only had an allen key hole on one side. Ended up machining the “bolt” down and putting a bolt right through the middle but it just seemed like a total design disaster.

The older crudcatcher with the 3 bolts was ace, wish you could still buy those. Or the old mounting and the new blade design

I’m with cloudnine. Embrace the mud, leave it until the next morning and knock it off with a stick.

Never had a reverb fail due to mud nor have I ever had to replace my glasses!?

tomd – Member
I bought one of those Topeak 29er mudguard things. It was good until it snapped off after 2 weeks.

Mines on its 3rd winter, no issues with the qr slipping either, bit of a surf board on the rear but it does the job

I hate the look of my mudguards, but I like the way my kit stays much cleaner with them on, any xc local riding I do in winter is a total mudfest round here. I use a rear mud hugger which is excellent, and a mucky nutz face fender and gut fender when it’s really bad, and only really get mud on my lower legs.

I spent all of last winter with my trusty powa dfender. As a contact lens wearer I can’t get away without it as I can’t wear riding glasses.
Sold my 36’s and can’t make it fit my new pikes though!! One wet ride on Sunday and face full of crap despite a mucky nutz fender bender.
Waaaaaaaaa 😥

Zippykona – Could you tell me the make/model of the guards in your pic? Cheers

How can you spot the anti-mudguard fashionistas?

They’re the shit-faced ones. 🙂