Tyres and clearance for Crud Racer m/guards.

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ethan5

New Member
Hello,
I've got 700c x 25mm tyres at the moment. The clearance between the rear tyre and the downtube (From the saddle.) is only about 2mm. Would that be enough for me to fit Crud Racer guards? The bike originally had 23mm tyres before I got it and I was thinking of putting 23mm Specialized Armadillo Elites on. What would be the difference/advantage of changing to that size? I like the idea of the puncture protection of the Armadillos!
Thanks for your time.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
There are 3 places where clearance is an issue with Mk2 Crud Roadracers - under each set of brake callipers and where you are talking about - between the rear tyre and the seat tube. (The Mk1 rear guard didn't reach round as far as the seat tube so it wasn't an issue, but the protection offered wasn't as good as the new design.)

In each case, you want at least 4 mm clearance but preferably 5 mm or more. It sounds as though you could probably get 4+ mm by changing back to 23C tyres, though actual physical sizes of tyres do vary. I've had some 23Cs that were considerably chunkier than others of a different type.

The standard test is to see if you can slide a 5 mm Allen key into each of those 3 gaps. If you can, you can definitely get the Roadracers on. If you have only 4 mm clearance, it would be a very tight squeeze but some people have managed it by filing away enough plastic on the Cruds to free up a bit more space.

The Roadracers are very good but they can be fiddly to set up to avoid rubbing noises. Even when set up properly, you will get leaves and dirt trapped under them from time to time and you will hear those noises. What I do is to ride through shallow puddles to rinse out any silt which is building up. I also hose out under the guards when I get home from mucky rides. It is surprising how much stuff gets trapped in there, so it is worth keeping on top of it.

I have found my MK2 Roadracers to be as effective as any conventional mudguards I've ever used, but conventional guards won't fit my current bike.

In case you are interested, here's my Mk2 Crud Roadracer review.
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
Hello,
I've got 700c x 25mm tyres at the moment. The clearance between the rear tyre and the downtube (From the saddle.) is only about 2mm. Would that be enough for me to fit Crud Racer guards? The bike originally had 23mm tyres before I got it and I was thinking of putting 23mm Specialized Armadillo Elites on. What would be the difference/advantage of changing to that size? I like the idea of the puncture protection of the Armadillos!
Thanks for your time.


If you tell us what bike it is someone on the forum may be able to tell you they fitted cruds on theirs.

I fitted crud mk 1 s on my Scott Speedster which has tight clearances.The mk 2 is a big improvement in design, keeping the spray off the bottom bracket area.

re the tyres I wouldnt think you would notice much difference in the ride on 23s to 25s. There would be a small weight advantage with 23s,
and 25s would be a bit more forgiving on rough roads.
 

PaulSecteur

No longer a Specialized fanboy
I have just fitted a set to a spcialized sectuer with 25mm tyres. It has about 4mm of clearance, but it still rubbed like buggary on the rear.

The main problem area is under the brakes as the clearence is at its lowest there, and an inch away is the joint for the lower mudguard too.

I have got them almost right by sanding some of the inside away in that area. It seems that the design is too curved for 25mm tyres and you have to remove some of the internal plastic from that area. The front can be dont with a bit of jiggling, but Im also goint to sand sone from the area under the brake and the joint with the front tip extender to gove a bit more clearence.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I have just fitted a set to a spcialized sectuer with 25mm tyres. It has about  4mm of clearance, but it still rubbed like buggary on the rear.

The main problem area is under the brakes as the clearence is at its lowest there, and an inch away is the joint for the lower mudguard too.

I have got them almost right by sanding some of the inside away in that area. It seems that the design is too curved for 25mm tyres and you have to remove some of the internal plastic from that area. The front can be dont with a bit of jiggling, but Im also goint to sand sone from the area under the brake and the joint with the front tip extender to gove a bit more clearence.
I think 25mm tyres and Roadracers are going to be a problem on a lot of racing bikes. I used to ride 25Cs but switched to 23Cs and my Roadracers just fit now. No way would I have squeezed them in with my old tyres.

If you have 5mm of clearance, you need to be careful how you set the Cruds up so with 4 mm it is always going to be very tight. 
 

GrasB

Veteran
Location
Nr Cambridge
There are 3 places where clearance is an issue with Mk2 Crud Roadracers - under each set of brake callipers and where you are talking about - between the rear tyre and the seat tube. (The Mk1 rear guard didn't reach round as far as the seat tube so it wasn't an issue, but the protection offered wasn't as good as the new design.)
With my Mk2 I got the a pack of bits which included the old Mk1 'short nose' as well as the full length Mk2 guard.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
With my Mk2 I got the a pack of bits which included the old Mk1 'short nose' as well as the full length Mk2 guard.
I did too, but I think it would be a shame to give up the extra protection.

If there wasn't clearance for all the front part of the MK2 rear guard, I'd be tempted to keep what I could of it and saw off the rest. It wouldn't be hard to come up with a bodge with a cable tie to hold what was left in place.
 

e-rider

Banned member
Location
South West
From my experience 5mm clearance is necessary under each caliper and 4mm between tyre and seat tube.

Generally not a chance with 25mm tyres.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
From my experience 5mm clearance is necessary under each caliper and 4mm between tyre and seat tube.

Generally not a chance with 25mm tyres.
I'd agree with that.

I have heard of people using a file or dremel to cut away some the plastic on the outside of their Roadracers to increase the effective clearance. (Obviously you'd void any guarantee and potentially weaken the guards if you overdid that.)
 

celt1972

New Member
on a trek 1.5 tripple couldnt get mark 2 to fit with standard 25mm tyres so i have put on 23mm tyres and plan to try fitting again. i think it will be grand, they better be worth it...
 
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