My winter Singlespeed is in full winter mode currently, I'm looking out of the window and trying to think positively, and think it might be time to take the mudguards off.
But...
It will rain immediately afterwards won't it..
(in fact it will probably rain as soon I hit 'Submit' on this post won't it, for even daring to consider it)
think it might be time to take the mudguards off.
Thanks for that, really needed a laugh after the day I've had.
Probably at the "Fools Spring" stage
<image failed - ah, well >
and think it might be time to take the mudguards off.
Dont you dare! Despite the sun we have had for 3 or 4 days, the local trails are about as wet as they have ever been and we don't need the rain that will come when you remove them.
Overnight at least we've clearly been in 2nd winter this weekend 🥶
Apparently 18th March is average day for first mowing your grass in England.
To offset all this positivity and make sure we have a decent summer I'm having a new bike delivered with mudguards already fitted on the 17th and won't be removing them, because what's the point?
No, it’s still a slippy slidey fest and even after 3 dry, sunny days still giant puddles and waterlogged fields all over.
Singlespeed hardtail has a big front mudguard all year round. Levo (that also commutes) has big mudguards all year unless there’s a very good reason not to!
Please leave your mudguards on until September at the earliest! 😉
I thought about taking the road bike off the trainer today, but thought better of it. Gravel bike is still the best bet for roads covered in the crap that weeks of rain have washed everywhere and its mudguards can stay fitted for the foreseeable.
Road ride yesterday after 4 days of glorious spring sunshine. Mudguard bike is out of action so took the "summer" bike.
Spent 30 minutes washing and lubing it this afternoon as the pretty scenic lanes, while mostly dry, still had random patches of mud and field run off that coated the bike, me, and any poor sod sat in my wheel.
Spring - is it mudguard removal time...?
Hi Dawson, welcome to the UK! You'll love it here, I'm sure you'll have a great time. But anyway, the first week of March is definitely not mudguard removal time 😉
My mudguards stay on all year round on one road bike and on the e-mtb as the UK weather is so unpredictable
If we actually have a dry spell where the road and trails aren't wet and/or muddy then ill break out the nice road bike and the downcountry bike for some dry fun!
All year round for me. Why take them off?
I'm definitely in the "why take it off" camp. I don't run a rear mudguard because of aesthetics/vanity or whatever else you might call it. But even in summer a chance puddle or squidgy patch on a descent increases the likelihood of something going in my eye and spoiling the fun. And I can't use glasses because I sweat so much they are constantly steamed up. I've tried three or four times over the years and nothing works.
Had a lovely dryish gravel ride last night, but only because I deliberately avoided the bits I know are still a muddy shitfest.
June or July for me though I did do a ride the other day without it as ai forgot to put it back on after the wash - and I didn't die.
Thankfully, my local trails do dry out so mudguards aren't needed all year round.
I suppose I see it as part of the change of seasons and a sign that the worst of winter is behind me
I only run a front fender and it stays on all year. Even when it's dry, when you remove the fender you realise how much dusty crap hits you in the face and eyes.
My mudguards stay on all year round on one road bike and on the e-mtb as the UK weather is so unpredictable
British weather is fairly predictable - we live on a mild, damp island with Atlantic weather systems. What is weird is that people believe that we have a Mediterranean climate and start wearing t-shirts when the sun comes out in February (icy wind, but guns out!) and think that because we've had less than a week of dry weather that it will continue until October.
Front mudguard is always on.
Rear mudguard is always off. Only rear mudguard I have fount that doesn't clatter when riding off things is the mudhugger but I really don't like how it sits on my bike.
Uglyguards F&R on the hardtail. Prefer RRP on front and MH on rear. May remove rear in summer but not often HT gets ridden. Other bikes get the MH swapped over until it dries out enough I'm not getting pebble/soil dashed on every descent.
Rarely take the front guard off any bike, but do have a shorter one for sunny trips away especially if I have to remove and refit it. Bolt on guards are so good now and MH with the velcro fasteners a lot nicer to frame paint. I just can't see why you wouldn't when the weather is horrible/trails are wet.
This afternoons ride had definite spring vibes. I expect normal service will resume soon and the rain will resume.
Just put some fresh guards on the gravel bike! Roads are mostly dry, but still partially flooded in places, and covered in a layer of salt (re-gritting every evening and it's really accumulated). Off road - some patches with superficial drying, but otherwise boggy/soft. Nice to enjoy the sunshine though, and it's probably warm enough for legs out today 😎 Not so much champagne gravel, as thick stout right now!
Spring is here! Fingerless mitts this morning for the first time this year, and I heard my first curlew an hour ago on the moors above Peckett Well.....but the correct answer is: it's never time to remove mudguards. Why bother?
Just put some fresh guards on the gravel bike! Roads are mostly dry, but still partially flooded in places, and covered in a layer of salt (re-gritting every evening and it's really accumulated).
This is actually really winding me up 😂
It's perfect top-down weather for the MG at the weekend, but the roads are absolutely crusted in salt! Might have to drag the motorbike to the front of the garage instead.
Spring is here! Fingerless mitts this morning for the first time this year
Last time I checked the weather for tonight's ride was hovering around freezing for the way home, now it's going to be 10C at 10pm and I'll be hugely over-dressed!
I'd leave the mudguards on: I have just mowed the lawns so it will probably chuck it down very soon...
Imagine - we'll soon be back to PermaAutumn...
Last time I checked the weather for tonight's ride was hovering around freezing for the way home, now it's going to be 10C at 10pm and I'll be hugely over-dressed!
Yeah, I've now started bringing different gear (gloves etc) with me for the warm, sweaty, uphill ride home as opposed to the cold, freezing downhill ride to work. Which is ok but means I'm lugging 2 lots of gear round with me!
Yea, when I used to do a long commute into London I'd regular end up in 3 different sets of kit each day during late spring!
Set off first thing in the frosty darkness wearing every layer possible, then by Windsor Park I'd be stripping off adown to base layers s it was already 7C warmer, then by home time it was shorts weather 😂.