Flinger Unisex's Race Pro Road Bike Mudguard Set, Black, 700x18-32c

Product Information

Utilising a similar construction to SKS ‘guards, each mudguard has two stainless steel bridges fixed to it for the 4mm diameter, V-shaped stays to attach to. If your road bike doesn't have mudguard mounts, there are still a lot of mudguards options available to you. It sounds like a faff and took a bit of experimenting and Dremelling, but the end result is actually pretty neat and works really well. Still a shame that the bike doesn't really live up to the dream of a lightweight aluminium rim brake road bike with space for 28mm tyres and guards! This is probably the easiest decision you can make surrounding fenders because your bike makes it for you; it will have eyelets for braze-on mudguards or it won’t. You’ll be surprised at how much difference they make. Unless it’s raining hard, most of the wetness you feel when riding without mudguards is likely to have come from the road and your tyres. Mudguards keep you drier and more comfortable.

As the guards will be going on a bike that is also ridden ‘ sans fender’, the ease of fitting and removal is important, as is the speed and simplicity. We like a guard set to be easy to keep together off the bike. Too many parts to get lost or slide under the fridge are never a good thing. How we test This, combined with the minimally fussy fitting, makes the SKS Raceblade Pro XL Stealth Series better than any of its clip-on competitors - which generally either don’t fit as well or don’t offer as good protection. Value-wise they are a bit more expensive than the competition, but they are also readily available for less online. The Pacific Northwest is famous for its wet weather, so it’s no surprise that Portland Design Works makes some of the best fenders out there. Made from anodised aluminium, the PDW Full Metal fenders offer full wrap coverage and laser-etched graphics. Mountain bikes, because of the huge variety of design thanks to factors like suspension and huge tyres, need a mudguard fitted very high above the wheel. The solution is a rear mudguard that clips onto the seatpost so the height above the wheel can be adjusted, and a front mudguard that's attached to the down tube. These mudguards are useful for commuting bikes, especially where clearance might be an issue because of frame design and/or wide tyres. The simplicity of fitting makes them attractive, and they can be whipped off in a minute too. While these mudguards don't provide 100% protection compared to full-length options, they do keep a surprisingly large amount of spray off.

Mudguards are also a vital courtesy on group rides. Sit directly behind a bike that’s not fitted with mudguards on a wet ride and you’ll soon realise just how much water tyres can spray up. A long rear mudguard, preferably with a flap, keeps spray out of the face of the rider behind you. Many clubs and riding groups demand mudguards over the winter. Even full-length mudguard coverage doesn't necessarily prevent that arc of spray that comes from a fast-spinning wheel, fitting a flap (an Ass Saver performs well) to the end of your mudguards is a great way to offer absolute coverage, and it'll probably help you make friends on the winter club run. How close should it sit against the tyre? Cycling clubs and group-rides the world over will have differing policies when it comes to mudguard usage. Some clubs will flat-out ban riders from joining if they don’t have full coverage, with the argument that if Rider A invests time and money into fitting full-length mudguards for the benefit of the riders behind them, it’s unfair to then have to sit in the permanent-shower behind Rider B’s uncovered wheel. This bar is unusual in that the drops flare outwards by 16° while the tops rise 20mm from their central point. This rise will come in handy for those looking for a more upright position for long rides on or off-road without getting a new stem or – for anyone who has maxed out their steerer tube – a new fork.

Partly this is due to the dedicated ‘winter bike’ becoming a bit of a dying breed. Fewer road frames are being built with mudguard eyelets, while the move to bridgeless seatstays – facilitated by disc brake specific frame designs – means that this key other mounting point is being lost too.There are fenders / mudguards which do provide more coverage at a similar price - even within SKS’s own range, such as the SKS Longboards. If wet weather protection is most important to you, the choice between the two is pretty obvious. But there will be those who prefer the tidier looks of the Bluemels Basics. Mudguards are an absolute essential for cycling on British roads, and while nothing can beat a set of full-length bolt-on guards with storm flaps for coverage, many bikes these days – particularly those built for performance – don't come with the necessary eyelets to attach traditional guards. This is where the market for clip-on guards has grown, and while they will always be a compromise they can reduce the need for an extra bike – and in the case of the Flinger Race Pro Clip perform exceptionally well. The Pacific Northwest is famous for its wet weather, so it's no surprise that Portland Design Works makes some of the best fenders out there. Made from anodised aluminium, the PDW Full Metal fenders offer full wrap coverage and laser-etched graphics.