We didn’t really think much to this when we pulled it out of the packaging. But then we mounted it to a bike and do you know what? This is an excellent ‘guard.
- Brand: Ass Savers
- Product: Win Wing MTB
- Price: £29.99
- From: https://ass-savers.com/
- Tested by: David ‘Sanny’ Gould for two months
Pros
- Fits almost every mountain bike design out there
- Brilliant coverage for your back and hind end which can be fitted or removed in seconds
- Does not have the challenging aesthetics of most traditional mudguard designs
Cons
- Could I have a fat bike version?
- It doesn’t protect the back of your seat tube below your knees from getting filthy
Our rating
Mudguards are not exactly the sexiest of bits that you can buy for your bike but as anyone who has ever suffered the ignominy of a sopping wet off road ride in freezing rain through every manner of clart imaginable and gotten home to find their chamois looks and feels like they have experienced some dreadful bowel letting disaster, they are a pretty much an essential if you ride in the UK through the depths of winter….and spring, summer and autumn too, for that matter.
Sure, the advent of waterproof riding shorts/trousers means that you don’t need to ride with a mudguard but if you value your fancy Gore-Tex shorts not been worn out in a matter of months by the grinding paste coming off your back tyre, you know they make sense. I destroyed two pairs of waterproof leg wear that way so you can learn from my mistakes.
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The market in mudguards is a healthy one. Into the fray come Ass savers with their first proper foray into the world of MTB rear guards with the Win Wing MTB. Ok, so there was the Fendor Bendor but it was really aimed more at the gravel and urban market. The Win Wing MTB takes the lessons learned from the gravel version and applies them to the MTB market. As such, the mount is wider and the guard bigger but whoa there kingfish, just what is a Win Wing and how does it differ from other mudguards out there, I hear you ask?
Let me enlighten you.
Most rear mudguards are designed to cover the entire top of the wheel. As such, they tend to be quite large and bulky. Once fitted, you are pretty much stuck with them in place and there is no easy way to fit them mid ride unless you happen to carry a massive ride pack. With the Win Wing, Ass Savers have eschewed this traditional approach for something which, to my mind, is just that bit better.
Constructed using a stiff, slightly curved , height adjustable, wishbone design with built in adjustable straps, the body of the guard itself is made of polypropylene and features four small adjustments holes which allow you to set the guard up to be horizontal with the ground for optimal protection. There are fold points built into the “wing” to lend stiffness to the guard. Finally, two frame protection stickers are provided to prevent paint rub.
The Win Wing extends to cover only the rear top section of the wheel, which initially looks somewhat odd. How can it stop your back and the back of your legs from getting manky when half of it appears to be missing? Fortunately, physics is your friend here as the water, mud and occasional jobby that are ejected from your rear wheel come from the portion that is covered and not the bit in front. The theory makes sense and I found that in practice, it is borne out by real world riding.
It’s not been the wettest of summers but a sopping wet ride down some switchback roads above Morzine on at Saracen Ariel 60 was a proper real world test which it passed with flying colours. As well as keeping me dry from below, it ensured that my rear light mounted on my seat post was completely splatter free. This is a critical test for any mudguard as keeping a rear light clean of water and muck is essential if you don’t want to be forking out for new rear lights regularly and also for being seen in wet weather. On damp alpine trails, it did a fine job of keeping my back, bag and shorts mank free.
On my daughter’s 27.5 plus Surly Karate Monkey, a day long ride in the Lakes based around Claife Heights saw us ride through a fair amount of standing water. Despite hitting several puddles and water crossings at speed, her back and shorts were pretty much immaculate. Her lower legs, especially at the front, not so much but then that’s not what the Win Wing is designed for.
In terms of size, I found that it easily accommodated a 3in mountain bike tyre with room to spare while the curved design of the height adjustable wishbone mount and secure fixings that could be properly cinched down meant that there was minimal side to side play on even the roughest of terrain. I tried my darndest to induce tyre rub but singularly failed despite positioning it within a few millimetres of the top of the rear tyre. It just worked exactly as claimed.
Overall
Having used my own personal narrower gravel version of the Win Wing on my mountain bikes previously, I was eager to try a proper MTB version that did not restrict the width of tyre that I could run. To my delight, it worked an absolute treat and has continued to do so. It does exactly what it says on the tin with the added advantage of even greater coverage for only a few extra grams of weight. It offers protection where you really need it. I totally love it. Recommended.
I’m afraid the aesthetics of this “mudguard” challenge me considerably!
I’ll be sticking with my Crud and SKS for this country, (Britain), permanently mounted because it will rain again, heavily and unexpectedly.
I’ve been using one for a little while now. I love the gravel version, this sits on my do it all hardtail, but the mtb version is fitted to my FS and it has been great.
I did manage to get a little tyre rub on rough descents however, but I think it’s down to the seatstay profile. These are best used with rounded stays, mine are flex stays so are flattened somewhat so the wing doesn’t sit flush. you can nip it up pretty tight though and it’s only very rarely, if I hit something harder than I should that it wiggles.
I’ve used mudhuggers previously will great success and very little rubbing. I’ve also used other seatstay attaching mudguards , mt zefal etc, but they’ve all worked loose eventually, and the damage done depends on when you notice.
The win wing is by far IMO the best mudguard out there for ease of fitting and function, plus it looks quite nice, for a mudguard.
As Journalism goes, theres bold statements, and then there is….
“Does not have the challenging aesthetics of most traditional mudguard designs”
Ahem. each to their own and all that…
I have the gravel version and it’s fantastic. People talking about ‘aesthetics’ and mudguards in the same sentence – or paragraph – seem to be missing the point(s) which are:
1. All mudguards are basically hideous. No-one ever fitted one for looks, they exist to stop the utter misery of having a soaking wet, grit-coated backside. No-one ever said to anyone, ‘Wow, beautiful mudguard, mate’.
2. The great thing about the Win Wing is that you can take the thing off in about 30 seconds – you could even, if you were mad enough, side it into a pack and carry it round, but that would be insane. Point being that when it’s not on the bike, its looks are irrelevant.
3. I’m with Sanny on this, I actually think it looks okay, not in a ‘I must fit this to my bike because it will enhance the looks’, but okay. But then I think most mudguards look singularly awful, I’m looking at you Mudhugger, Crud, SKS etc, etc, etc. The limited edition gravel one on the missus’ Rujo looks pretty cool tbh, but YMMV.
4. Show me the pretty mudguards then…
is this guard stable on rough terrain and when jumping ?
Already flagged but –
Does not have the challenging aesthetics of most traditional mudguard designs
Completely agree as it has it’s very own challenging aesthetics to contend with!