Why don't people use mudguards on commuters?

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

You’re a DISGRACE, man!

Rule #32

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 enthusiasts.

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

Quick look at Evans…
25 quid to fit
http://www.evanscycles.com/uploads/File/Stores/servicing_pdfs/london/LondonBridge_ServicingPriceList.pdf
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.

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 have not noticed my Raceblade Longs slow me down on my Giant Defy Advanced SL (cost of mudguards is <1% of total bike). I have noticed that it is a LOT cleaner than most of the other bikes on our club runs. I also commute on a rather bling steel fixed wheel rather than a “hack bike” The fact that it has full narrow mudguards and a rack for a briefcase pannier just serves to increase my satisfaction in its fitness for purpose.

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!

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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
Without
With

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.

Exactly why I got fed up of a short commute w/o guards on my bike. Short enough to ride in normal clothes but the spray was an issue many times more than rain was.

my satisfaction in its fitness for purpose.

Exactly why my current road bike is so good imo, and why my next one will be even better.

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.