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 😉

[i]Why does the look matter? form over function? get real [/i]

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. 😀

[IMG] [/IMG]

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.

"don't care if my clothes or face is muddy TBH. Rear mudguards are just a waste of space."
=
Mudguards are a waste of space TBH. I enjoy shite all over my face/glasses, water pouring down my waterproof socks/boots and my bike looks cooler to other middle aged men. And apparently they rattle or something.

Oh for ****s sake.

It's a bit of mud and a bit of water, for a few hours maybe once or twice a week, it might even reach your skin...Oh. The. Horror. God forbid that you may come into contact with dirt, I mean how ****ing awful that must be...

I mean, I can shrug off all my clothes and chuck them into the washing machine, and low, they come out pristine, and look, see how the hose washes away the mud from the bike...

😉

what about the chip on your shoulder, how is that protected? wipe clean?

My shoulders never get dirty, my righteous indignation prevents the dirt from clinging

i've got one of those brake post ones from decathlon. works great.

[img] [/img]

And your spectacles nickc, do you enjoy stopping to clean them every few metres when it's pissing down? Your feet during winter, personally I prefer them to stay dry and warm...you're a kinky devil nickc, and each to their own. One man's ****less fashion sense is another man's righteous manly abstinence, I can understand that...

I wear contacts, I think I already said...In the pissing rain I don't wear glasses. My feet haven't got wet in years, unless I stand in water higher than the cuffs, sorry to disappoint. I ride in the winter pretty much every weekend. sometimes the shorts over my lycra are pretty muddy, my actual arse, not very, maybe a little damp.

You must be a pretty delicate little flower sodafarls

"You must be a pretty delicate little flower sodafarls"

You wouldn't believe it. I'm so short sighted and astigmatic that I wear spectacles in bed, the muscle mass on my calves has yet to overwhelm gravity and prevent inclement precipitation from flowing down my weedy calves into my sealskins, and my bike iz like so gay with mudguards (front and rear during winter months).

Anyway, I'll stop now incase I get banned for grooming.

I think they look 'orrible and getting propper dirty is half the fun. If you wear the right kit the worst of the weather stays out anyway.
MTFU and embrace your inner child IT wants to play in the mud. If you want to look all clean and pristine and not get you little booboo selves dirty on a mountain bike go and be a ****in roadie 😀

Maybe this is a rear mudguard point of contention not a mudguard issue, as surely those bespeckled folks should be allowed to ride bikes during the wetter months without stopping every few pedal strokes. If that is the case, and it's all about the rear mudguard, I'll suggest that the rufty tufty bollocks spouted by the rufty tufty types above should try avoiding the rufty tufty bollocks for a season, and bathe in the warm glow of dryness and lack of sexual attention from 45 year old mbuk readers who would rather perform cunnilingus on the ex-wife than de-rad their rig with something as old fashioned and practical as mudguards.

I removed my mud guards years ago. Can't possibly have them ruining the aesthetics of my bikes 🙄 Actually I just made that up, a little.

No, got fed up with removing seatpost to remove mudguard when seasons change so waterproof shorts/waterproof trousers all the way for me 🙂

sodafarls - put cork in bottle 😉

Never used a Mudguard I LOVE MUD!!!
Waterproof Short or Trousers depending on the weather thats about it.

Simples

Right now, the roads are wet.
So if I venture onto the roads on a ride, I'm sporting a Crud catcher, both front & rear.
A wet backside in these temperatures is not pleasant nor something I relish much..
I wear the MT500 overbooties and ride wearing glasses too. I even have gloves that I wear.
I've ridden all but 3 days since the 25th Dec.

Any idiot can be uncomfortable.

Hilldodger - where do I call anyone names? I am not at all bitter.

I have no issue with people disagreeing with me but I would like some sort of ratuional reasons why.

Clearly i ride a lot more and in more adverse conditions than those who don't like mudgueards. Mudgueards save me from being soaking wet and filthy all teh time - it allows me to go into a pub for example without trailing mud everywhere.

Probably 35 hrs riding in the last couple of weeks and I shall have my mudguards on for a solo strathpuffer.

I don't just ride a few miles every couple of weeks

I do ride in the hills - not just trail centres and I tend to ride for 5 hrs + at a time - too long to be wsoaking wet unnessasarily

"sodafarls - put cork in bottle"

Make me Elaine. I know I'm right. I'm going to put a mudguard on the turbo trainer bike right now.

Well said sodafarls

CG you couldn't put a mudguard on that beaut anyway.

I ride my SS most days, it has a front Crud Catcher on most of the year and a rear one through the winter or rainy periods -just don't need the kit in the wash every day routine and makes bike that much easier and quicker to clean. With Ti29er here all the kit I can to keep me out every day for the last two weeks.

However no mudguards will ever go on my Yeti or my Merlin or .... I get muddy on those days...

...though we do run front ones, fork guards on the DH bikes when racing in the mud, very very helpful when racing to see where you are going and to keep going through the whole run.

TandemJeremy
Hilldodger - where do I call anyone names?

Here:

Mudguards every time. anyone who rides without one is daft IMO

No thanks necessary 😉

I'm about to fit some crud's to my XC bike, it gets used for commuting and the constant stream of icy slush runnign down my neck is getting ridiculous!

Road bike - crud's new guards (untested as yet), no astetic issues, they'r prety much invisible from a distance.
Touring bike - SKS chromoplastic in white to match the frame (lilac with white decals)
Trail bike - none (but could change if the XC bike experiment works)
XC Bike - Will be getting a rear crud guard asap!

Back in the day before big tires were fasionable, I used to ride MTB with a full rear mudguard!

Mudguards for me. I dont give a **** about what my bike looks like as long as I aint got crap in my face and all up my back.

[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4262015927_30091d4c81_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4262015927_30091d4c81_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Waterproof shorts are all well and good, but what about when you want to sit down in the pub ?

Crud guard up front!

Waterproof shorts on the rear! 😆

Yes they look shiite. For a few hours it doesn't matter, but if I'm out in big hill in the winter, I view them as safety items, since they do work very well at keeping you dry, and therefore warm.

I use a downtube mounted front one for all of the wet parts of the year. The rear get put on or taken off, but usually only used when theres running or standing water.

+1 for mudguards, not using them is just vain, and laughable.

"Grrrr I'm a butch mountainbiker and I NEED my bike to look pretty :x"

[i]dry, and therefore warm[/i]

This is my big issue. I admire anyone who is able to stay warm and comfortable when they're soaked and plastered, and of course I like getting covered in mud as well. But I've spent too much time shivering myself to pieces (particularly on trains on my way home) after getting a soaking, and that kills my fun incredibly quickly. 🙂

Clearly i ride a lot more and in more adverse conditions than those who don't like mudgueards. Mudgueards save me from being soaking wet and filthy all teh time - it allows me to go into a pub for example without trailing mud everywhere.

Probably 35 hrs riding in the last couple of weeks and I shall have my mudguards on for a solo strathpuffer.

I don't just ride a few miles every couple of weeks

That is exactly it - if on top of jerseys and shorts, every time I went for a ride I also had to wash overshorts & my waterproofs, then I'd be running the washing machine every day or else I'd also need 5 different sets of waterproof / waterproof shorts. As it is, I was out for 4 hours yesterday in mud, snow, horrible slushy gritted roads, through stream crossings, and it was raining when it wasn't sleeting, jersey is in the wash, trousers I was wearing came back pretty much dry, fine to wear another day. Okay if you only ride once a week on a Saturday maybe, but if you ride most days, then it would be a right old pain not having guards.

I do ride in the hills - not just trail centres and I tend to ride for 5 hrs + at a time - too long to be wsoaking wet unnessasarily

Again, totally right, wet arse is okay if you're doing a short ride where you don't stop for lunch, but otherwise, if you're doing a normal length day ride, like 40 miles or so, with a stop in the middle, it is minging to have grit up your arse when you stop.

I think they look 'orrible and getting propper dirty is half the fun. If you wear the right kit the worst of the weather stays out anyway.

'The right kit' is mudguards. You can wear £200 worth of waterproofs and fancy waterproof shorts that needs washing after every ride, or you can put on £10 of mudguards, that are zero maintenance, and mean you can ride wearing normal gear.

It's a bit of mud and a bit of water, for a few hours maybe once or twice a week,

I guess the people who are into the anti-mudguard fashion victim thing are mainly people like you - once a week riders, who can cope with cleaning loads of extra waterproof clothes after every ride, and don't need multiple lots of ride clothing, so can afford to buy the expensive waterproof shorts and the like. Most regular riders you see out seem to have them nowadays.

I have these on my bike (hardtail though), got em for about £8 in a sale. The fork mounted mudguard seems to magically keep all the front wheel muck off my face, and the back one works perfectly too.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=36755

Joe

the GF has stolen my crud catcher as she's riding to the uni each day on slushy roads.

i'd rather ride all year with a guard on the down tube to prevent dreck kicking up into my eyes. i keep meaning to make up a RRP catcher for the fork too.

but, so long as the ground is frozen and/or covered in snow i don't need the guards.

So, going gaurdless is only for part-timers

Waterproof trousers are an ideal solution for post-ride pub stop/train journey as when you whip them off, your whole legs are completely clean and dry. Simples!

Can't recommend highly enough the Gore ones, mine have been tested in all sorts of conditions.

And, yes, I absolutely refuse to put a mudguard on the MLC. She's too beautiful 🙄

So there are those that are too manly for mudguards and those that are so manly they need mudguards?

I'm confused

I am not manly 😯

Well put Lifer. 😀

nickc:

I ride in the winter pretty much every weekend

😆

So sometimes you go for 2 weeks or more without a ride.
Is that supposed to be a lot of riding to substantiate your point? 😆

I hope they are long rides and the wet shorts chafe on your arse for a good 5hrs at least - proper manly 😉

What about the poor sod on your back wheel getting sprayed. I know that most people don't care about riding friends but my rear guard is there as a courtesy only. Its the front guard that has the most affect for my comfort.

CG:

No, got fed up with removing seatpost to remove mudguard when seasons change so waterproof shorts/waterproof trousers all the way for me

😆

Most lame reason yet? The seasons change many times a year around your neck of the woods? 😉

To be fair though, seatposts are a bugger to remove and refit, those Q/R are a right pain or worse still what mtb'er has a 5mm Allen key about the place.

I go for comfort over looks any day but like to use easily removeable guards to cut down on the weight etc when it's really dry. Current preferences are for -

Topeak Defender M1 on the front. Most of the time just use the back half of it, if it's actually raining use the front and the rear. Much more effective than a Crud Catcher as it turns with the wheel.

On the back I'm currently using a CycraGuard - QR fitting that's tough enough not to break/turn. Topeak Defender rears are good but can be a bit fragile. A Crud Catcher is probably the most indestructible option but they're not long enough and difficult to take on and off.

For what its worth I use a crud catcher front and rear, keeps the wet off my arse and the mud out of my eyes.

Surely no one is ever going to read all these posts about mudgaurds though?

"Surely no one is ever going to read all these posts about mudgaurds though?"

I read through the second page to make sure no-one was disagreeing with me.

I love crud catchers and could kiss Pete what's his face for designing them.
Also love to stay warm and dry. So wear water proof shorts and cruddies even in a moist summer.

[i]I guess the people who are into the anti-mudguard fashion victim thing are mainly people like you - once a week riders, who can cope with cleaning loads of extra waterproof clothes after every ride, and don't need multiple lots of ride clothing, so can afford to buy the expensive waterproof shorts and the like. Most regular riders you see out seem to have them nowadays.[/i]

Never seen the point in mudguards - and certainly not in waterproof stuff when riding. Understand that others may want it, but it's just unnecessary IMO. Not really a fashion thing - just - why? I don't fit a klaxon, big flapping wings and a spitoon to my bike either, because I don't want them on.
6 days/wk btw, usually 11hrs+.