[Closed] Why don't people use mudguards on commuters?

Fashion, that's how shops sell them.

Cos it's not cool innit.

Just like clowns on mtbs without them.

Cos it's not cool innit.

Just like clowns on mtbs without them.

carry over from the sneers that guards on MTBs get? (not from me!)
Unless well fitted, they rattle, flap, and fall off?
as above, can be awkward to fit?

FTR, I had guards on my commuter; and when my MTB doubled up as commuter (in the 90s) I would take off the guards at the weekend.. still leave the pannier rack on though 🙂

yeah, they're on there and they look a bit s@*t !!

I would say full guards are the most revelatory item you can put on your roadster bike.
Think mine looks ok
[img] [/img]

I hate mudguards, 10 years in the bike trade and never saw one that stayed where it was meant to and didn't rub or rattle after a few rides.

my commuter has no guards but I'm in the lucky position of showers in work so I ride in kited up, if I was riding in work clothes I'd have to just put up with the irritating works of satan

Why do so many people choose NOT to use them?

Perhaps people commuting without mudguards have no idea how much difference it makes? Or maybe they don't realise that by not fitting them they're spraying crap all over my face when I'm behind them? On my commute it tends to be students so I can understand saving the £20 for something more useful (booze).

Think mine looks ok

lol

My commute is mainly off road and involves 2 sets up steps and I never get any rubs.
Perhaps set up is key.

ssimon:

I've had SKS bluemels on my commuter for two years. Only had to touch them after stupidly spraying the bolts with WD40 with the thought that it would protect them from road gunk/salt. Oddly enough they loosened off! 😆

Other than that they don't make a noise, they stay where they are, they don't break. It's not the most technical job in the world to fit them.

I don't think it's a choice that people make. I think it's simply down to people either not thinking about it at all, or not realising just how much difference they make (if it's raining, I'm going to get wet anyway, right?)

I hate mudguards, 10 years in the bike trade and never saw one that stayed where it was meant to and didn't rub or rattle after a few rides.

😯 I've got them on a couple of bikes and even with tight clearances, I simply don't have this problem. They take a bit of time to fit, but do them up properly with a dab of threadlock and they're just fine.

10 years in the bike trade and never saw one that stayed where it was meant to and didn't rub or rattle after a few rides

Back to school! SKS fit fine.

i haven't got round to fitting any on mine yet. it's only been 18 months since i bought the bike too...

(i suppose i'll do it this weekend, it's actually long overdue and this thread has just reminded me about it!)

SKS fit fine.

ditto.

phatstanley - Member

SKS fit fine.

ditto.

Beth Ditto. My SKS have been on for years, no problems.

I'd go as far as asying that anyone who doesn't have mudguards on their "commuter" is at best a fair weather cyclist. Just ridden 10 miles to work through rain with SKS P35s and 25c tyred. Arrived with a dry derriere and relatively dry feet. The bike looks pretty clean too. What is not to like?

Even on the proper road bike, SKS Raceblade Longs have been a revelation.

Off road, I have one of those british fangled Genesis bikes with downtube mounts for a proper crudguard. It works perfectly and when really muddy, the bike has a two-tone mud fade to the rear!

Lots of cycle commuters only commute in fair weather and get the bus/train when it's wet. Hence don't really need them.

If I was going to commute I would want showers, lockers and a drying room at work. In that case as the amount of water coming from the sky is normally substantial in the UK I'd not bother. I wouldn't commute if I didn't have the facilities.

Currently work does but it's not worth using a bike to cross the hall from the bedroom to the office.

In the shop I see LOADS of folk as per the OP - riding in the wet without mudguards, often on really daft bikes for commuting.

Lots of cycle commuters only commute in fair weather and get the bus/train when it's wet. Hence don't really need them.

I disagree. I see hordes of them every day, all year round in all weathers, and many of them are out there all the time. So, it's not that.

It must just be a mix of ignorance and some misguided sense of what's 'fashionable'. Commuter bikes, by their very nature, shouldn't be about fashion, but about reliability and comfort, surely. In which case, get some mudguards on there!

mike, I have all that but proper guards still keep me, the bike and others drier and cleaner!

theflatboy - Member
mike, I have all that but proper guards still keep me, the bike and others drier and cleaner!

With the amount of rain this winter I've got used to having my SKS guards on my road bike. Took them off the other day as the weather was lovely, but can't get used to the way my bike looks without them! They're going back on and staying on - as others have said, never had so much as a rattle from mine.

Rainwater tends to be fairly clean and falls onto your front. With a rainjacket, only the tops of your legs tend to get wet. Road spray is muddy, oily and gritty and sprays up your @rse! (And all over your bike, shoes, legs etc). Hence I ride with mudguards on my commuter.

I spent ages sourcing carbon monocoque forks with mudguard eyelets (Enigma), and the SKS guards mounted to them have never let me down.

Many people have moaned about the reliability of fibre flare lights.
Mine has lasted years and not being covered in spray must help any lights longevity.

mikewsmith - Member

theflatboy - Member
mike, I have all that but proper guards still keep me, the bike and others drier and cleaner!

Well done, I guess you don't see the other side then.

you've lost me...

+1 for SKS

Fitted them to my hybrid, my Mate's hybrid, and the Brother-in-Law's commuter - They can be a bit time consuming to fit, but once adjusted properly, they stay put !

some people just deal with the wet and don't care about the bike. If you have dry gear to get changed into and a nice shower then why not.

Oh right, I do see that people can do whatever they like. I don't attack people in the street if they don't have guards on, just look at them with a mixture of pity and amusement.

The tyres on my commuter are so thin that the spray just hits the frame at the front. At the back I get a small amount on my ass but waterproof shorts so not an issue.

I have them on my bikes I use to commute, but I hate them with a passion - the benefits outweigh the negatives, but I find if there is one thing that needs working on, and it likely to end up slicing my hands open, then it's mud guards, they end up snapped (toe overlap makes this inevitable with my crappy commuter) and generally all over the place no matter what I do to them.

I hate mudguards, 10 years in the bike trade and never saw one that stayed where it was meant to and didn't rub or rattle after a few rides.

In contrast, I've fitted SKS guards to two of my bikes, and Mrs R's bike. They're all working perfectly after several years and thousands of miles.

I hate mudguards, 10 years in the bike trade and never saw one that stayed where it was meant to and didn't rub or rattle after a few rides.

I have 3 different SKS guards on bikes (Bluemels, Commuter and Chromoplastics), and apart from the horrible ball ache to install them, they are all absolutely fine.

Did a sportive on Sunday and was quite impressed by the number of riders running mudguards. I don't have them on the racer (as that doesn't often go out in the wet) but I do have them on the hybrid - it's all part of making yourself comfortable, as part of the "there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad kit" theory.

Because I keep forgetting to put them back on.

there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad kit

When I read that LEJOGLE book I couldn't help but think how much suffering would have been avoided by using guards.

It's suprising how little time it's actually raining though. I've been commuting (25 mile round trip) 3 days a week for ages now and I rarely get rained on. Even over the past month I only got properly rained on twice. The ground is usually wet though, (including run off from farms. Mmmm, slurrytastic) so the mudguards are really good for keeping me clean as well as dry.

I take pleasure in my commute and like to do it as fast as possible.
I use a couple of grands worth of carbon road bike, rather than a hack bike and don't want to add unnecessary weight, drag and rattles.

I think you have to just accept that in this country, you will get wet.
I do have showers and washing facilities at work though...

How do you carry your clothes / things you need for the day, beefy?

How do you carry your the clothes / things you need for the day, beefy?

I fit what I need for the day in a small camelbak, but keep most stuff at work in a locker.

IME the likes of Beefheart go through brakes calipers and transmissions rapidy due to the water and salt.

Also clothing like jackets that has to get washed frequently as it gets covered by crap every wet ride.

Mudguards don't slow you down significantly anyway - an utter joke that they might.

Each to their own.

I think you have to just accept that in this country, you will get wet.

As others have mentioned, rain is fine. Yes, you get a bit wet, but a decent jacket and trews sorts that out.

The real issue is spray from the ground, surely? As others have said, that's not nice clean and pure rainwater. It's filthy, and protecting yourself, and your bike, from that is a good thing.

Its more fundamental than all of the above I think...

Simply put, most bikes do not come with them fitted as standard, and most people that buy bikes for commuting simply buy an off the peg bike (and maybe some lights and a helmet).

If commuter bikes/hybrids etc. came with well fitted (integrated even?!) sturdy guards out of the box then you'd see a lot more of them because people won't remove them for the same reason they wont fit them, laziness and ignorance of why they are there.

I fit what I need for the day in a small camelbak

[url= http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#32 ]Rule #32[/url]

Full guards on my commuter, plus I've been donning waterproof jacket and overtrousers as the guards don't seem to keep the pissing rain from overhead off of me for some reason...

My MTBs don't have them though, front arch fenders only to keep it out of my eyes, if you are allergic to a bit of mud up your back then MTBs ain't really for you... IMO of course

It's suprising how little time it's actually raining though. I've been commuting (25 mile round trip) 3 days a week for ages now and I rarely get rained on. Even over the past month I only got properly rained on twice.

Good going. My morning routine in the last month or so has been to pick up my waterproofs and boots from where I left them drying overnight!

Simply put, most bikes do not come with them fitted as standard,

+1

Also, don't underestimate how mechanically inept 99% of the population are (plus, they might not even have space to fit them if they live in a 3rd floor flat etc). I'd bet most people NEVER service their bike after the day they buy it. I see no end of squeaky chains and brakes that don't work.

Lots of commuters aren't bike [i]enthusiasts[/i].

So their most likely option is to get the local shop to fit.

Quick look at Evans...
25 quid to fit

35 quid to buy
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/sks/mudguards-wide-road-ec004915

So 60 quid... on top of the 150-200 they may have paid for their cheapo hybrid.

I hate mudguards, 10 years in the bike trade and never saw one that stayed where it was meant to and didn't rub or rattle after a few rides.

You must not have had good mechanics then!

SKS guards on my Kinesis, fitted myself and have never made a noise or worked loose. Used to take them off in the summer when they were on previous bikes but just leave them on now as I like the look of them.

[URL= http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp187/rcatkin/Bikes/null_zpsb2732373.jp g" target="_blank">http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp187/rcatkin/Bikes/null_zpsb2732373.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Quick look at Evans...
25 quid to fit

I very much doubt they charge that, or anything at all, to fit them when bought with a bike.

I would suggest its more to do with UK bike marketing "mountain bikes" and "racer" that have to be ridden with specialist safety equipment by people who aspire to be a pro.

As opposed to the more suitable general purpose bike complete with guards and a rack you can ride in jeans and trainers and is actually a good way of getting from A to B.

I hate mudguards, 10 years in the bike trade and never saw one that stayed where it was meant to and didn't rub or rattle after a few rides.

You must have worked with some pretty poor mechanics fitting some very crap mudguards!
Nip into Moores Cycles in Isleworth and it'll be my pleasure to do it properly for you. 🙂

We fit them free if bought with a bike.

I use a couple of grands worth of carbon road bike, rather than a hack bike

I've also used said guards to ride to races in the rain over the winter, and removed them to race. Then ridden home. There is nothing to dislike about them. And I have 30 pairs on back order 😉

At last, pictures!

[url= http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2878/12618652753_724021d48a.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2878/12618652753_724021d48a.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

My feet still get a little bit wet as I had to cut the front guard down to minimise toe overlap, but spesh defrosters take care of that at this time of year 🙂

I'd agree that most folks don't understand benefits of a good set of guards. It can rain for 5 minutes but the road can stay wet for hours afterwards.

Edit: I also have all the gear and showers etc at work, I just prefer to avoid getting too wet in the first place. It's OK every now and then, but not every day.

I just never have. Maybe cos I come from mountain biking originally I've learned to enjoy rain, mud and the elments. It hasnt cost me any more in drivetrains or pads, certainly not significantly. Its not because of fashion, its not speed worries, I just havent and cant see why I would.

With[img] [/img]
Without[img] [/img]
With[img] [/img]

I understand why people don't for MTBing or Weekend Road rides, But for the purpose of riding to work i don't get why not. Its riding for utility surely getting there cleaner and less stinkier is a bonus.

I'm not a neat freak but do use mudguards when I can on all my bikes. Makes a huge difference in comfort as well as being more presentable when walking into work/shops/pubs/cafes etc

It can rain for 5 minutes but the road can stay wet for hours afterwards.

my satisfaction in its fitness for purpose.

A lot of it comes down to how long you're on the bike for. A couple of hours on or off-road w/o guards in the wet is fine but I can think of a number of rides I've done where the guards were one of the things that made it possible at all. You can only handle a certain rate of soaking over time before the cold gets you and wheel-spray can soak you as fast if not faster than the rain itself. That and the wear and tear than regular wet weather use causes, so much of that is reduced by guards.

often on really daft bikes for commuting.

this is funny, are they riding bikes with one wheel or no chain?

lots of people couldn't give a toss about what type of bike they are riding, they just buy one and ride it to work, sometimes in the rain sometimes not. They probably can't be bothered fitting mudguards and don't really care if they get wet. I'd say most peoples commute is probably less than 10 miles each way so not a great length of time on the bike either.

I commute in bike gear and shower at work, I did have mud guards on the mtb when i used that for commuting but have just bought a road bike and haven't bother fitting guards yet and probably won't ths year now, I might do for next winter though.