Do you really need mudguards?
It is a rare rider who prefers the look of mudguards over the uncluttered aesthetic of a summer race bike, and many also find their association with the less ‘cool’ aspects of cycling such as touring and Audax riding an immediate turn-off.
However, these superficial shortcomings are not hard to overlook when you consider what a difference mudguards can make to your wet weather riding. On wet roads, instead of enduring a constant muddy spray from your tyres, mudguards keep you — and the bike — largely dry.
Even when riding through the rain, you’ll only get half as wet because you’re not being showered from below as well as above. What’s more, your expensive clothing stays clean. Well, mostly clean.
Get your bike ready for wet weather
As cycling gains popularity in South-East Asia and Malaysia, more and more people are discovering the benefits of riding with clubs and groups.
Many clubs encourage riders to fit mudguards for winter club runs, and if you happen to be the only rider without them on a wet day you may find yourself ushered to the back where your naked tyres can do the least damage — or at least create the least discomfort.
Even the pros are getting in on the act, looking at the number of ‘Ass-saver’ style mudguards fitted during the bigger early season races such as Milan-San Remo to ensure a little ‘comfort’ during these brutal epics.
A new direction in bike design
Michelin Pro4 Endurance 28mm tyres by Jack Elton-Walters 2
A trend towards wider tyres means frames are now more likely to have clearance for full mudguards. Photo: Jack Elton-Walters
Back when 23mm tyres were king, few road frames were designed with sufficient clearances for guards.
In many cases the only decent mudguards that would fit your frame were ‘temporary’ styles such as the ubiquitous Race Blade by SKS (a great design but not a lot of protection and fell off lots) or the Crud Products Road Racer (more protection but fiddly to fit and prone to breaking).
However, with wider tyres now the norm, and disc brakes growing in popularity, so frame and fork clearances have evolved to meet this demand and utilise the freedom disc brakes give to frame design.
Dress right for the colder months
The upshot of this means more room to fit mudguards, thus creating the ultimate ‘one bike for all seasons’. Specialized, Trek and Cannondale to name a few all now offer models with this increased clearance and clever removable mudguard mounts.
Bowman Cycles is another progressive brand that has worked hard to create a range of bikes that have effectively blended practicality with a clean and pretty aesthetic, as founder and designer Neil Webb explains: “By finding ways of either hiding bolt holes, integrating them into frame parts or having custom made, well designed and pretty, removable mounts — we use 3D printing — you can keep the look people seem to want, but also add mudguards when the mercury drops and the sky caves in with never ending precipitation.”
What mudguards will fit?
Mudguard wet muddy
Mudguards keep most of the road debris off of you and your bike. Photo: Chris Catchpole
Now obviously not every bike will fit a full set of bolt-on mudguards but that doesn’t mean you can’t get some really good ‘temporary’ guard sets that offer great levels of protection such as SKS’s Raceblade Long or Portland Design Works’ Full Metal Fenders.
If your frame has the clearances but no mudguard eyelets you can even buy adapters such as those produced by Axiom to allow you to run ‘proper’ guards.
If you are lucky enough to own a bike with clearances and mudguards fittings then take your pick of the myriad of good looking guard sets available. Your friends will thank you.
Our take
Unless you are a professional rider paid to suffer or a typical Belgian bred to be impervious to the rain and cold, using mudguards just makes sense. With so many styles now able to fit the majority of new bikes there are no excuses left for not using them.
No one likes being wet and miserable when out, including your riding partners, so you’ll avoid having to ride solo all winter due to not being invited on any group rides.
Tifosi CK7 back end with mudguards
