Muds guards

[Boyfrom64]

Currently I am looking for a new roadbike (newbie rider) and I have narrowed my choice down to three bikes - Felt F95, Orbea Aqua T23 and Scott Speedster S55 /35. Bsr the Scott the first two do not come with bikes however, it is my intention to ride all year long, and as I do not have the funds for the one bike, I am looking for a model that will fit the bill.

Can anyone tell me from experience of these of the firt two bikes, is it possible to fit mudguards? Secondly, does anyone have any particular mudguards that I can look at which are likely go fit the Felt / Orbea?

Mant thanks,

 

[Fast_Mark]

Felt F95 rider here and I spent the whole of the winter, bar the days where there was too much snow on the ground, commuting on it. Bum and face kept dry with the help of some Crud Raceguards. They took a while to fit as the instructions they came with a a little tricky to follow at first, but I have to say that once they're fitted they work brilliantly. So my advice would be to go for the bike which fits you best and closest suits what you're looking for.

As irony would have it I took the guards off on Monday night to give the bike a full clean in anticipation of lots of sunny dry commuting. Tuesday afternoon... First rain in about three weeks!

 

[BrumJim]

+1 for the Crud Raceguards option. Choose the bike you like, then fit mudguards as necessary.

 

[Boyfrom64]

Crud Raceguards it is then.

Thanks guys for the replies and recommendation.

Fast_Mark, what is your opinion of the Felt 95?

 

[oliglynn]

Crud Roadracer mk2 should fit all but those road bikes with the most absolutely insanely small clearances round the tyre. Got mine on today.

 

[fungus]

You'll probably have to run 23mm tyres though, not that I use anything else mind

 

[oliglynn]

I run 23's and they fit fine, but according to their website, as long as you have enough clearance between tyre and brake arch to fit a 4mm allen key through you can fit them regardless of tyre size

 

[ColinJ]

They aren't Crud Raceguards folks - they are Crud Roadracers; different beasts. Raceguards are the big ones for the back of mountain bikes.

I run 23's and they fit fine, but according to their website, as long as you have enough clearance between tyre and brake arch to fit a 4mm allen key through you can fit them regardless of tyre size

Well, there is also the consideration of tyre width but certainly 23s and 25s don't have a problem there.

 

[tbtb]

Very low weight, those cruds too. Reading that they only require the 4mm clearance, not particular tyre sizes, I'm thinking of putting them on my bike w/ 28mm tyres. Perhaps the curve (of the cross section) would be an issue with wider tyres?

 

[Glover Fan]

I was put off them because I heard that they are quite weak. Is that not the case then? Are they easy to put on and take off? I don't want them on all the time.

 

[cyberknight]

Mine have lasted 2 winters so far and they are fine , apart from the pile strips which do eventually get full of muck, but you just buy a box of the stuff really cheap and replace them , in fact the crud website says thats exactly what they use for them.

You can install them in less than 10 minutes i reckon and once set up right , videos on the website showing you how to do it they are great and heaven forbid you were to break a bit you can order a spare part from crud by sending a certain number of stamps .

They are designed for running close to the wheel so on occasion i have had a leaf stuck in the gap which is easy to remove but as they are plastic they do have some "give" so if you catch them on something they do tend to bend a bit rather than snap .

They are so light and you can even take the extensions off for a smaller guard that i leave mine on all year round.

+1 well worth the money

 

[Fast_Mark]

Just to answer your question boyfrom64, I've found my Felt to be great. This was my first road bike since I was about 8 years old and I've not looked back. It's quite an aggressive riding position but that's what I was looking for. Budget for a new saddle though. Lots of the reviews I read said that it was too hard, and after a winter trying to break it in I have to say I agree. Other than that though it's been faultless.

 

[gaz]

Very low weight, those cruds too. Reading that they only require the 4mm clearance, not particular tyre sizes, I'm thinking of putting them on my bike w/ 28mm tyres. Perhaps the curve (of the cross section) would be an issue with wider tyres?

They will definitely not fit 28mm tyres, anyone that runs 25mm with them is very lucky!

 

[ColinJ]

I was put off them because I heard that they are quite weak. Is that not the case then? Are they easy to put on and take off? I don't want them on all the time.

It is true that the Roadracers are fairly brittle but they are designed that way. They have very minimal clearance on most bikes and if you got a stick or other debris wedged in a stronger mudguard you could jam your wheel up with potentially lethal consequences. The Cruds will sacrifice themselves to save your neck.

I broke my front guard when I got the strap of my bag trapped in it and picked the bag up quickly. I broke the rear recently when I dropped the bike on it but I didn't manage to break the guards in 18 months of actual riding. You should be okay if you are careful.

The first time I put mine on it took me about 30 minutes. When I replaced the Mk1s with the Mk2s it took me about 20. I swapped out the broken piece of the rear guard and used part of my old MK1 to replace it and that took 10 minutes.

I reckon you could get them off in 5 minutes and on in 15 once you have had a bit of practice.

 

[oliglynn]

I can get mine off in 5 min and on in around 10 - although I swear time in the garage goes at twice the rate of that of the outside world...

Yes they are built to sacrifice themselves. I broke a front blade when falling off on a pile of mud, and Crud were very quick to send a replacement!