Surely a couple of quid spent on a guard is cheaper than the laundry bills after every trip out? Or are we missing something.....Testosterone, ego trip etc.???
A lot of cheap bikes come without mudguards fitted and it probably doesn't occur to the people that buy those kind of bikes to actually fit them.
Riding at this time of year without mudguards, even on the road, is just silly - unless you are "training" and therefore more concerned about every last gram that can be trimmed off your bike (which probably doesn't have clearance for mudguards anyway), in which case you will be togged up in lycra that would be so sweaty and stinky by the end of the ride it would need to go in the wash straight away even if conditions were bone dry, so what's the difference if it's got a little bit of mud up the back?
I have to say I was amazed to see a few people on the Poor Student ride on mudguard-free racing machines. Can't imagine what state they would have been in by the end.
Riding at this time of year without mudguards, even on the road, is just silly - unless you are "training" [snip]
On the contrary - if you're training the last thing you need is 2/300 miles a week getting sprayed with water all the time. Although I have to go back a few years (having not raced seriously for well over ten years) there certainly weren't many decent riders then who'd consider doing a winter's road training on a mudguard-less bike. Surely things haven't changed that much - have they?!
'Course, *competing* is a different matter, and many's the time I've had a gritty, icy chamois by the end of an early season race. Anything for a cheap thrill, me.... ;o)
there certainly weren't many decent riders then who'd consider doing a winter's road training on a mudguard-less bike. Surely things haven't changed that much - have they?!
I don't know about ten years ago, but even a large proportion of Audax riders seem to think themselves above mudguards these days.
Surely a couple of quid spent on a guard is cheaper than the laundry bills after every trip out? Or are we missing something.....Testosterone, ego trip etc.???
A lot of cheap bikes come without mudguards fitted and it probably doesn't occur to the people that buy those kind of bikes to actually fit them.
Riding at this time of year without mudguards, even on the road, is just silly - unless you are "training"
Depends on the type of riding - for off-roading, guards can be more of a hindrance than a help, should thick mud, bits of tree, etc. get wedged in the gap between tyre and guard thus locking a wheel up [1].
David Belcher
[1] Hence mudguards being strongly advised against for 'cross bikes [2] [2] Though on my old frame, which was a bit short on clearance in parts, a mix of mud and dead leaves happily locked up the front wheel at the fork crown in a couple of races!
Depends on the type of riding - for off-roading, guards can be more of a hindrance than a help
OK, fair point - if a slightly different scenario to what the OP was talking about.
I would have thought that for off-road cycling mudguards would be pretty redundant anyway as you are going to get muddy even with the best mudguards in the world.
Depends on the type of riding - for off-roading, guards can be more of a hindrance than a help
OK, fair point - if a slightly different scenario to what the OP was talking about.
I would have thought that for off-road cycling mudguards would be pretty redundant anyway as you are going to get muddy even with the best mudguards in the world.
For an all-dayer in cold conditions I still much prefer to use them (and even on a short ride, a face full of mud or cow-[censored] isn't really something I go looking for).
Depends on the type of riding - for off-roading, guards can be more of a hindrance than a help
OK, fair point - if a slightly different scenario to what the OP was talking about.
I would have thought that for off-road cycling mudguards would be pretty redundant anyway as you are going to get muddy even with the best mudguards in the world.
Yes and no. One of these boards for mounting on the seat post will spare you from a fair amount of dirt and wet on your back without compromising the ride in most situations. I extended mine quite a bit with some foam material (sleeping mat). Being out all day with a wet lower back is not really pleasant at this time of the year. As for the front: Any mudguard that extends low enough to protect your feet and chainset is likely to present a hazard when riding off road. However, a very short front mudguard at least offers some protection for the headset and the riders face.
Yes and no. One of these boards for mounting on the seat post will spare you from a fair amount of dirt and wet on your back without compromising the ride in most situations. I extended mine quite a bit with some foam material (sleeping mat). Being out all day with a wet lower back is not really pleasant at this time of the year. As for the front: Any mudguard that extends low enough to protect your feet and chainset is likely to present a hazard when riding off road. However, a very short front mudguard at least offers some protection for the headset and the riders face.
That's exactly the arrangement we have settled on, too.
Yes and no. One of these boards for mounting on the seat post will spare you from a fair amount of dirt and wet on your back without compromising the ride in most situations.
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
However, a very short front mudguard at least offers some protection for the headset and the riders face.
That's exactly the arrangement we have settled on, too.
For the front part I rely on the oversize downtube. The headset needs replacement soon, anyway. With a new one installed I will mount a front fender.
