I have a Datum that has some Race Blade XL on, but id like longer fixed guards to keep my legs and feet a bit dryer.
I usually have either 25mm or 28mm tyres for the road, or some 32mm Gravel Grinders for any offroad bimble.
I have had SKS Chromoplastic mudguards before, but im not sure what width to order. The frame takes 32mm tyres max, but im unsure which mudguard width would be best, or even which dimension on the bike to measure (between chain stays?) Or the seatstays below the bridge?
Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
SKS P35 (35mm) is what you want. 🙂
I’d say P30s if you don’t use the 28mm tyre but it seems you’re maybe thinking of wider...? 30s will be tight in a 28mm tyre, 35s will look fine.
Ace. Thank you
Just re-read your post. You might strugggle with the 32s, it might be a bit tight. I’ve got 37mm tyres in my touring bike with 45mm guards and it’s spot on but 40mm tyres might be too much. It’s a case of suck it and see, because you’re using a wide range of tyres at some point it’ll look daft as the 25mm tyres will look small under 35mm guards.
Ive just checked a 35mm guard on a 33mm Schwalbe X1 tyre and it just fits. Just....
I used to run 25mm tyres under P35s on a Pacer and they certainly didn't look small in there; in fact the clearance was tight between tyre and guard: the P35s have rather an angular profile compared to the wider SKS models and this means that while they're very effective at covering 25s and below I think they'll struggle with anything larger. If you had more frame/fork clearance you could set the guards out more, but I suspect the side coverage would be marginal on a larger tyre.
I'd say if you can fit P45s in then they're the better choice of Chromoplastics IMO if you're contemplating tyres above 25mm. But it may also be worth looking at the Bluemels models, which IIRC tend to have a wider profile, or indeed other brands (eg PDW do a wider version of their aluminium guards).
Probably measure both the chainstay and the seat stay tbh. Usually frames specify a max tyre size and a max tyre size with guards. 32mm max tyre in a frame often means 28mm max with guards.
I usually stick to a max tyre size = guard size -8mm, my current guards are 45mm M:Part Primoplastics and a 37mm (semi slick) is just rubbing in a few places so I'll have to swap to 32 or 35mm tyres.
The Primoplastics get a lot of good reviews too, road.cc prefer them to chromoplastics, they're definitely easier to adjust as they don't need a spanner to tweek them.
I’m using the 40 something mm sks full mudguards on the stock tyres. 32mm. I wouldn’t go any smaller with the mudguards. These wouldn’t look to Big with the 28mm contis I plan to use. Happy to send a pic if that helps.
32mm SKS bluemels here, with Schwalbe G-one's at 30mm, comfortable but no spare room.
I have Dia Compe ENE 35mm alloy guards https://www.singletrackbikes.co.uk/m11b0s482p46639/Dia-Compe_ENE_Mudguards_Silver_Pair over 32mm tyres on my Pompino, see below, close but very pretty, should be fine with 28mm tyres, but as said above you may not be able to fit any mudguard with 32mm tyres, plus mudguards over 35mm may not fit in the frame/fork without butchery regardless of tyre size. Personally I am not a big fan of SKS/Bluemells and similar designs as I find the internal stay bridges cause water to track out wards and drip off the end of the brackets, onto my feet/legs. Also they never last that long IME and are too prone to becoming misaligned if nudged etc.
I posted previously on another thread about my experience of fitting Vittoria Hyper 32mm tyres to a touring bike which has SKS P35 mudguards, which are supposed to be for tyres up to 28mm width. To provide enough clearance for the tyres to fit, I had to raise the mudguard at the fork crown (the bracket has a slot rather than a round hole to allow this). The sides of the tyre are just visible when seated on the bike, so I expect that in heavy rain and on wet roads the mudguard will not stop water being flung from the sides of the tyre when riding at speed/downhill.
There is good clearance otherwise between the centre of the tyre and the mudguard, so I am not concerned about mud etc. on the main central tread causing the wheel to lock up. That said, the Hypers are smooth road tyres, not knobblies, and I’ve no intention of riding that bike off road in muddy conditions, even with the reassurance factor that the SKS Secuclips provide.
My advice would be to get 45mm width subject to checking fork crown and rear stay clearances first.
Incidentally, there is quite a bit of variation between the different SKS/Bleumels guards:
- the Bleumels versions have a rounder cross section, whereas the SKS chromoplastic guards have a square shoulder section
- both brands appear to be available in standard and economy versions. The economy version lacks the front mudflap and the rear reflector. I replace the rear reflectors on my bikes with a PDW Fenderbot light, and the advantage of the version with the reflector is that the two mounting holes are also the correct position and distance apart for the Fenderbot fixings (and for other lights designed to replace the reflector in that position).
- The mudflap currently supplied on the SKS chromoplastic guards appears to be much shorter than the one on the Bleumels versions. Longer is much better for keeping spray from the tyre hitting your feet.
Personally I am not a big fan of SKS/Bluemells and similar designs as I find the internal stay bridges cause water to track out wards and drip off the end of the brackets, onto my feet/legs. Also they never last that long IME and are too prone to becoming misaligned if nudged etc.
I've seen the comment about the internal brackets made by many people. Looking at your bike, I note it is a relatively small size and appears to have significant toe overlap, so I wonder if this is generally more of an issue for smaller frames/bikes with pronounced toe overlap.
I've also read similar comments about the durability of the chromoplastic type guards, and even suggestions that the formulation of the plastic may not be as good as it used to be etc. However, I suspect that the key issue might be in the fitting, and in particular minimising vibration of the guard around the mounting points, especially the seatstay bracket (assuming the bracket is used rather than a bolt through fixing). If the guards are fitted to the bike such that they are "prone to becoming misaligned if nudged etc.", that suggests that they may have sufficient play or movement available in how they are fitted, for the resulting vibration to greatly reduce their lifespan.