Crud road racer mk2 failed

[Alexvs]

I was riding home last night and after a while I heard a snap and saw bits fly in the air which was a bit of a shock. I turned round and used my light to locate half of my front crud mudguard in pieces all over the floor.

Has anyone had one or both of their crud's fail in this way before?

Not sure whether to replace with another or try others.

Thanks

 

[phil_hg_uk]

The only time I had a problem was when a branch got lodged in the front guard and the stays gave way, but they are designed to do that it beats going over the handlebars I find

 

[zacklaws]

I'm not sure, but if you have the bits of the mudguard and send them back to the manufacturers they will replace the mudguard. I know they did replacements for the original crudcatcher.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Probably caused by something getting tangled up with the guard - twig etc. They are designed to failsafe. Crud supply replacement parts - IIRC about £6.50, depending on which piece. Have a look at their website. I have fixed mine on occasion by using superglue and relocating the plastic bolts - of course it depends where/how they break (I was wary of relying on the glue alone - wouldn't want a piece of the guard falling into the path of other riders).

 

[ColinJ]

As mentioned above - the Roadracers are designed to fail safe.

I remember seeing a report in Cycling Weekly a few years back about a cyclist who had been very seriously injured when an acorn (of all things) had jammed under his front mudguard and sent him over his handlebars.

I'd rather have mudguards that shatter when debris gets under them, than risk something like that happening. It's bad luck when it happens so do your best to avoid running over stuff to minimise the likelihood of it happeneing.

As many CycleChatters know, I promote Crud Roadracers (see signature link for review! ) and am a fan of the design. In all fairness though, I have broken mine twice - once when I got the strap of my Camelbak bag caught in the front one (I absent-mindedly yanked the strap rather than untangling it), and once when I dropped the bike on the rear one when trying to get through an awkward gate. I consider both of those failures to be my fault rather than a design fault.

The other thing that some people complain about is rubbing noises from the Cruds. Think about it - you are only using them because your bike doesn't have adequate clearance for conventional mudguards - of course there isn't going to be much room so things will get stuck in there from time to time! I don't like the noises either, but minimise them by adjusting the Cruds and riding through puddles to sluice out any accumulated Crud. It's better than getting muck all over you and your bike!

I'm not sure, but if you have the bits of the mudguard and send them back to the manufacturers they will replace the mudguard. I know they did replacements for the original crudcatcher.

As youngoldbloke points out - they now make a charge for that. (I reckon people were putting together complete mudguard sets by sending in for the various free replacements parts! )

 

[chugsy]

Email Crud customer support - I had two incidents of toe overlap which I explained what had happened and they sent me free replacements both times. The first incident happened on their maiden voyage - I booted off the front whilst stuck in traffic and lost the tail piece. Tried to blag some free screws and nuts (no way was I going to pay £6.50 just for those!) and got complete set of tails for free too plus double sided tape enhancements. The second time the main unit (front again)got dragged through my brake caliper and sheared off before the cable tie mount. I emailed my thoughts and opinions on the product (politely) and was sent a new main unit which was unexpected! In the meantime I had already sawed off the twisted/ripped sections of plastic and glued the two halves together to form a shorter front guard. Works better for me with less toe incidents (although I'm better on my roadie now than when this all happened!) . Still, I have spares just in case.

Email them - nothing to lose I say. Whilst I can't recommend them 100% their customer support is pretty good. And they look cool!

 

[chugsy]

Having said that, I came off this morning big style - winter bike and I went our separate ways in the middle of a mini RAB. That bike has SKS chromoplastics which did not budge an inch. If I had been on the road bike no doubt I would have been roadside for 5mins adjusting the thumbscrews trying to work out the rubbing as it was I just picked myself up and rode off... (must remember to check over the bike in daylight - dark going into work and dark leaving)

 

[Alexvs]

Thanks all for your replies, you're right I'd prefer it to fail then cause me injury. Don't feel so bad now and even though I didn't notice anything fouling the guard but it could've been anything and I wouldn't have really seen it being dark. I'm just gonna buy another set anyway then I've got spare bits for if the back has any problems etc. I'm suprised the back hasn't given way already after last weekends fall but wouldn't be surprised if that weakened the front also. Faith restored, thanks again.