On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 13:21:16 -0000, "elyob" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
A decent rack on the back will also operate as a mudguard. That's my tip for the day. Oh, and a crud guard on the front is essential.
Not in my experience. When I bought my first adult bike I thought that. So I go out on my first proper ride on this wonderful new toy. I am wearing the traditional jeans and cotton t-shirt of the non cyclist. I am also riding with my brother, Gareth and his friend Paul. The route is massively long six mile trip up the Taff Trail. In those days this section of the cycle path was unpaved. It was a mostly solid surface of various compressed gravels. It started to rain. So after this adventure I was able to evaluate the usefulness of mudguards. Gareth had mudguards, his cycling shirt was clean. I had two narrow stripes up my back. Paul had no protection so had a massive orange stripe up his shirt.
Although the rack (one of the Blackburn models with a parcel shelf) had protected me more than nothing there was still a significant problem. The next day I went to my local bike shop and bought mudguards. Stripe problem solved.
I note that most decent racks (I use SL www.slbike.com) do not have a parcel shelf so will not protect at all.
The other thing mudguards can do but a rack will not, is protect the rider behind. I do not always ride solo or last.
Nor mine. I thought the shelf on my rack would do the job, and it does somewhat but not that well. However, I found a short plastic mudguard that bolts neatly to the light bracket at the back of the rack. A reflector fills in the gap between the two. No more stripe. At the front the fat aluminium tube adequately fields the crud from the relatively skinny front tyre.
"Ian Blake" wrote
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
A decent rack on the back will also operate as a mudguard. That's my tip for the day. Oh, and a crud guard on the front is essential.
Not in my experience.
Although the rack (one of the Blackburn models with a parcel shelf) had protected me more than nothing there was still a significant problem. The next day I went to my local bike shop and bought mudguards. Stripe problem solved.
I note that most decent racks (I use SL www.slbike.com) do not have a parcel shelf so will not protect at all.
The other thing mudguards can do but a rack will not, is protect the rider behind. I do not always ride solo or last.
I'm amazed at encounters with "mountain" cyclists without mudguards who not only have mud all over their backs, bikes, crotch areas etc but also over their faces, fronts, shoulders, from following someone down a muddy track. They tend to wear goggles or sun glasses in all weather, which are so smeared up they probably can't see that other cyclists are covering the same ground staying fairly clean and comfortable thanks to mud guards. You have to laugh though as they thunder about trying to look deadly serious and purposeful, but covered in [censored]!
I'm amazed at encounters with "mountain" cyclists without mudguards who not only have mud all over their backs, bikes, crotch areas etc but also over their faces, fronts, shoulders, from following someone down a muddy track. They tend to wear goggles or sun glasses in all weather, which are so smeared up they probably can't see that other cyclists are covering the same ground staying fairly clean and comfortable thanks to mud guards.
MTB mudguards don't do much to protect the guy following. Ones that do tend to be close to the tyre and jam up the wheel with sticky mud
-- Tony
"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the right." - Lord Hailsham
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I'm amazed at encounters with "mountain" cyclists without mudguards who not only have mud all over their backs, bikes, crotch areas etc but also over their faces, fronts, shoulders, from following someone down a muddy track. They tend to wear goggles or sun glasses in all weather, which are so smeared up they probably can't see that other cyclists are covering the same ground staying fairly clean and comfortable thanks to mud guards. You have to laugh though as they thunder about trying to look deadly serious and purposeful, but covered in [censored]!
Hmm...you're assuming the dirty ones are covering the same ground. On several of the routes I ride the best start/finish is at a touristy place that has trails suitable for riding by all the family on basic bikes so while we may ride *some* of the same ground we're unlikely to ride *all* of the same ground.. (Mind you, I do use mudguards but they're not as efficient as those fitted to road bikes for reasons already explained by several other posters). Hence I'll get back for my post ride cuppa covered in muck while the ones sticking to the tame trails will at worst have a skunk mark on their back if they totally lack guards. -- Pete http:[email hidden]/Stuff
