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I was discussing the current crappy weather and the onset of winter with another cyclist at work, and they were saying they can't bear fit mudguards as they look terrible, but they will wear waterproof socks and shorts, etc.
My point was that I don't mind looking a bit daft for the pleasure of having a slightly drier back and less mud on my face. I have also recently taken to wearing knee length Sealskins socks and waterproof shorts. So I may look a bit of a tit, but together with the mudguards I can get home and be dry and mud-free under my gear.
What camp do you fall in? One or other, or both, or neither (cos you is hard 😉 )?
At some point hard becomes stoopid...
Mudguards for me, but fit/wear what you like as long as there's fun involved.
ACF-50 all the things. Especially if you are riding somewhere salty
Rachel
Might have to buy some of that. Been getting annoyed with rusty stem bolts, etc.
I used to avoid mudguards, but I have given up now and I use Crud products when it's really wet.
Waterproof shorts are ok (trousers even better tbh) but they can wear through pretty quickly when you are sitting on gritty mud. And so does your saddle.
Having said that wearing full waterproof gear is really nice and comfortable in proper filthy weather, but shorts still leave you exposed to cold wet splashing anyway.
I mostly commute on my Pickenflick as it's the bike I enjoy most. Has a downtube fender on it currently, and would have an ass-saver but that doesn't fit my saddle. Don't mind a bit of wet, but it's pretty miserable on a full-wet commute (don't have waterproof kit), and rocking up to the office sopping and muddy isn't great really. My Hack has guards & a rack, so gets used on proper wet days, or if I have to go between office & meetings in 'work' clothes, but I enjoy riding the bike less, so gets used less often.
My commuter has full guards. Sometimes they get removed for a dry spell/extended ride.
I always have a fork fender fitted to my MTBs, with hardtails I'd put a rear crudguard on. I can deal with a wet arse for a few hours off-road, but riding to work a wet arse is last thing I want.
There are some mudguards which look a little clunky but surely nothing that's more embarrassing than getting soaked by road or muddy-puddle water being flung over the rider by his own wheels. Each to their own.
I always use a fork fender on anything with suspension forks but that’s more to keep crap off the seals than anything else. I can’t bring myself to fit one of those gopping Mudhugger things though - when it’s really wet I either don’t bother riding or else ride more slow, steep, techy stuff and don’t go blasting through massive puddles on fireroads.
Put a mudhugger on the rear like the one on sam hills bike. Mainly to look after the shock and linkage bearings but it definitely kept my arse loads cleaner as well.
Pleased with it and it doesnt look too bad.
I'm in between - cycraguard on the rear, look's ok (IMO), nothing on the front.
I'd rather be comfortable and have fun than hard and cold/wet though. I have Gore Windstopper leggings in which I've never felt cold even when soaked in the depths of winter, a Berghaus waterproof that is a size too small but works really well, and wear merino socks when it's cold.
I went out in the freezing rain this afternoon - great fun, although some stretches of path were a bit like playing Russian roulette - and came back with a layer of ice on my bars, but generally felt quite comfortable, although my fingers were borderline. I think I'll invest in some pogies in the near future.
Mudguards all the way. road water is dirty...and on the country lanes near me is contaminated from all the cattle excrement and other detritus that is washed off the fields and gathers on the grass verges that line the roads. And the same goes for all the usual crap that settles on road surfaces like oil, diesel, the snot and spit that yoof's seem to eject from their windows frequently. You really don't want a couple or so hour shower of that crap. Better to get moist from nice fresh and clean rainwater. Mudguards make you look no more of a pratt than normal bike clothing IMO. Really, nobody looks good in bike apparel. If you're bothered about the way you look then cycling is not the sport for anybody.
Road bike has full length guards on over winter. Any road bike I buy must have mounts for full length guards.
MTB has a mucky nutz and down tube guard on pretty much permanently, and I run a mudhugger most of the time.
Fashion? We’re weirdos in tight clothes with a polystyrene mushroom on our heads. Who cares if you have mud guards on your bike.
single speech and mudguards.
Mudhugger front and rear for me. Have used a front fender for years. I like riding fast downhill and don’t need the constant spray of mud in my eyes. The rear Mudhugger not only protects my backside but also my dropper post. I usually ride singlespeed in winter, too but this year as my frame is broken I’m going to ride through the winter with my Di2 set up on my carbon race bike. Also have a set of winter tyres when it gets really sloppy.
Mudguards all the way.
A wet, muddy arse and lower back look far worse than guards do for me. Feels awful too.
Plus I am 50 now, so don't have to worry about fashion anymore.
It's official as my son told me.
I remember my first real MTBevent was the Selkirk Merida MTB marathon in 2008. It was very muddy, and my photo at the finish line was just ridiculous.
Since then I’ve had front mud protection year round. The down tube catcher also doubles as another layer of rock protection.
The down tube catcher also doubles as another layer of rock protection.
Very true. Fist sized flint is my concern on the North Downs. Anything to protect the down tube is a bonus.
yes horrible round exeter recently Ajan . Although I'm only riding fire roads /light trails/tracks on this bike I made a conscious effort to reduce the crap spraying both on to me and the components whilst still running 29+ up front. Also sorted the cold wet hand issue yesterday too.
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Commute bike is a Brompton with mudguards. I only ride 5 miles each way so wear work clothes. Life's just too short to get the black stripe up my clothes.
Winter road bike was designed and built for me to use Salmon guards with standard drop brakes - I discovered a pair of Chorus DP Skeleton brakes in the spare room last weekend so they've replaced the old Centaur DP/SP brakes for better stopping-ability.
I've really cut down on mtb since my retinal detachments but still ride my CX out in the Surrey Hills or 650b drop bar - I use an AssSaver to reduce buttock crack mud.
Full mudguards all the time for me. Very rarely even take them off. I like to go to a pub halfway round a ride if possible. Its nice not to be covered in mud.
I also put a small mud deflector on the seat tube on any bike with a dérailleur to keep mud off the front mech and chain. Its nice to make components last longer
Commute bike is a Brompton with mudguards.
Hijack - So are these as effective as SKS Chromoplastics on a road bike?
So are these as effective as SKS Chromoplastics on a road bike?
Yes, the Bromptons come with good guards. I replaced the front flap with one about 30-35mm longer and that helped minimise foot-level spray.
While here - MTB has crud guards F+R 6-8 months of the year, road/gravel bike has guards year-round. Been that way on the road since I got an Equilibrium set up for winter maybe 7 years ago, haven't gone back.
I may look a bit of a tit
TBF Tom, if you were worried about that, you probably wouldn't leave the house.... (;
Always a guard up front, a 26er on the back now the weather's come in (it's what I had at hand and works pretty well ). I look at mates in the pub and they're sh1t high. Pointless. Shorts and components just wear out quicker.
Cheers Jameso - more excited about impending Brompton ownership than I have been about a new bike in years.
TBF Tom, if you were worried about that, you probably wouldn’t leave the house
Joe said something very similar on a ride today 😘
At one point I heard spontaneous laughter behind me, and when asked his answer was just "your socks."
I also put a small mud deflector on the seat tube on any bike with a dérailleur to keep mud off the front mech and chain.
got a piccy TJ ? can't quite picture it if you've full guards already .
Not got full guards - just mudhugger type ie from seatstay rearwards. Plus a section around 8" long on the seattube to protect the mech. I make it out of greenhouse guttering as its thermoplastic and can be moulded to shape
Edit - full guards as in front and rear in my post - sorry for the lack of clarity
Brompton has mudguards, they live on it
Commuter (arkose) has mudguards, also live on it
Mudguards on these are two are very effective
2 MTBs, both run mudguards in the winter. Pogies were in use last weekend. Personally can't see the point in getting myself caked in mud/spray when something like a mudguard is so simple and so effective.
Mudguards on these two are less effective (but still good) so I also winter myself
I really used to not care how it looked, but:
1) laziness favours leaving just the front guards on
2) rear MTB guards don't look nice
So the last couple of years I've run just front guards on the MTBs, either beef curtain or brace mounted bit of plastic.
It keeps enough out of the eyes.
I run full length mudguards on the commuter all year round though, on the road it's miserable enough without a damp arse.
commuters who don't have mudguards are spraying other riders behind them, it's disgusting getting someone elses road sh1te sprayed at you
Full length guards on the road bike. I don't see any reason you wouldn't, other than physical reasons, such as not being able to fit them on bike.
They don't work so well on MTB and tend to break when you crash...
If someone refuses purely out of vanity, I'd probably assume they didn't ride much. It's not such a big deal for a 45 minute fair weather ride. Personally I spend more on winter kit than I do on bikes, because it's so much more important than the bike itself.
Mudhugger on the back of the bike, troosers on me if it's really bogin. Both get a shower at the end of ride
commuters who don’t have mudguards are spraying other riders behind them, it’s disgusting getting someone elses road sh1te sprayed at you
Riders close enough behind me to get sprayed with my road shite are too close, therefore deserve it 😀
I have ot admit I've been riding my guardless CX/gravel bike the most lately and gettting utterly covered in mud and spray, this is both commuting and for fun because it's still the most fun bike right now.
This in preference to both my road and fixed commuter bikes both of which have guards but don't really do off-road, and the MTB which probably isn't getting used again till spring.
On the commute I've been wearing my trusty old cut off goretex DPM overshorts and a waterproof on the really bad days, and for weekend/night rides I've been putting up with getting soaked to the bone and covered in mud... I think maybe some sort of clip-on guards might be an idea now.
My ultimate (but as yet still unrealised) plan is to assemble a combined winter road/gravel bike as a year round commuter and winter road bike to save the carbon, with permanent guards and practical parts and to stop commuting on the local roads as much (we've a lumpy few tow paths that will cover half my route nearby)...
Disk braked singlespeed here with full length guards, going well so far - also bought a ninja-esque balaclava last week for the early mornings where it's around freezing, that made me happier that I care to admit.
The more I ride that bike though I keep thinking it would work really well with flat bars & hydros with a cheap 10 speed set up for a bit more range, might do that for the summer & get some spangly polished mudguards into the bargain and knock up another winter beater for next winter... then feel sorry for that one too & tart it up with a few new bits then give it a comfortable retirement (repeat ad nauseum)
they were awesome socks T!
I had a 'work' fixed gear road bike, full guards and waterproof panniers. Used all year round, unless icy, then it was the old MTB with 'spiked tyres'.
One road bike had guards (only just managed to fit raceblade longs and the clearance was tight), the best bike not.
Not riding on roads now, but the old MTB just has a splash guard on the back - looks horrible, but saves washing the camelback every ride. The FS just has the usual splash guard on the forks only.
Mudguards on, SS belt drive for the win. Also bar ends fitted as I like the extra options with thick, warm gloves on. Moderate conditions I'm still in shorts but if it gets cold or horrendous then the water resistant bibs and assorted layers under the MT500 jacket.
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ive-decided-winter-is-finally-here/