Mudguards on a roof rack

I’ve put mudguards on my mountain bike. The front is one of those fancy RRP Proguards, and the rear is one of the big flappy Mudhuggers. I don’t care that it makes my bike look like a dog lifting its tail to poo, if it keeps my arse a bit drier it’s well worth it. Plus I’m so slow no one ever rides behind me to see it anyway.

My worry is that my bike usually goes on a roof rack. Usually facing backwards (though I guess I can change that). The Mudhugger looks a lot like a big giant wing. It is going to catch the wind as I hurtle down the motorway towards a day of gnar-shredding and tear the bike from the roof, sending it tumbling down the road? Will it lift the whole car up, causing me to crash into a truck or possibly motorway bridge? Will it bend or possible snap the mudguard?

WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THIS BEFORE I BOUGHT IT!

Nip the mudhugger down with some velcro or a cable tie?

Mount it forwards??

I mean both of those are sensible ideas, but getting my car to do a backflip would be more fun, right?

Get to the top of your local really high mountain and disconnect your chain. Freewheel backwards down said mountain, making sure you reach motorway speeds.
If your mudguard doesn’t make you airborne then it’ll be fine on the car.

HTH.

Anything could happen! It might be fine but on the other hand it may flap itself to death. I saw a car on the A303 a few weeks back and the front wheel of the (road) bike on the roof (mounted forward) was flapping wildly (the driver must’ve felt something?!), approaching a roundabout it settled down and on the other side it was fine until it reached about 65 and then it was off again! Lot more to worry about roof mounting bikes than just remembering the extra height!!

Get to the top of your local really high mountain and disconnect your chain. Freewheel backwards down said mountain, making sure you reach motorway speeds.
If your mudguard doesn’t make you airborne then it’ll be fine on the car.

I live in Hull, which makes this idea tricky. BUT a few weeks ago I went for a ride and my freehub exploded? Coincidence? Or something more sinister…

Anything could happen! It might be fine but on the other hand it may flap itself to death. I saw a car on the A303 a few weeks back and the front wheel of the (road) bike on the roof (mounted forward) was flapping wildly (the driver must’ve felt something?!), approaching a roundabout it settled down and on the other side it was fine until it reached about 65 and then it was off again! Lot more to worry about roof mounting bikes than just remembering the extra height!!

Hmm, so I need to plan my routes so they’re all roundabouts. That could be tricky.

Err, this may be a silly question, but why not turn the bike rack round?

Err, this may be a silly question, but why not turn the bike rack round?

No that’s a really sensible question, and realistically what I’ll probably do (or as Jon Taylor suggests strap it down).

Fit the mudhugger using velcro straps instead of zip ties

That way you can whip it off before you put the bike on the roof and put it back on when you ride

Only takes 60 seconds to fit, this is what i do with mine when the bike goes in the boot

Err, this may be a silly question, but why not turn the bike rack round?

Or turn the gearbox round. 5 (or 6) reverse gears, drive backwards.