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I used to use mudguards alot back with the crud catchers etc.
However I began to use them alot less. I think because I was riding with a group that demed them slightly uncool/unnecessary. Also because I was trying to ride fast most mudguards arent very aero.
Last year I barely did any MTBing over the winter due to it being so wet.
This year I've done alot local MTBing in the Chilterns, probably the most i've ever done over Winter.
Its pretty dam muddy out there but if you know your route you can avoid most of the mud on the ups at least.
I've found a decent front mudguard (ie both forward + backwards) can make a real difference to how much I enjoy the downs when its wet + muddy. Its frankly a lot nicer mtbing when your not getting mud thrown in your face or up your a**e h*le the whole time. And its alot easier to stay warm if your drier!
Anyhow Mudguards are great 🙂
I agree. I'm very happy with my Mudhuggers. Rear one spoils the look of the bike, but so do I as soon as I get on it. Dry arses rock though.
+1
Keeps a lot of crap off your forks and mech as well
Try covering yourself and your bike in ScotchGuard.
I love my front mudguards, shockboards- basically a canoe that you attach to the fork crown. Actually none of my bikes has a back one now, I broke my last one and crudcatcher decided to pursue an exciting future of making shite... But I'd not be without a front. At the very least, a bender fender
i have never used a rear mud guard and never will but my mudhugger front is the nuts
The rear Mudhugger is a [i]vast[/i] improvement over anything I've used previously.
I don't think it looks [i]that[/i] bad either, all things considered...
The rear Mudhugger's brilliant. Might not look great, but works really well, and a lot more secure than the seat post mounted guards. With all the slop at the moment it's staying on - who cares what people think/say! 😀
A bender fender's a good idea all the time, if only to stop so much crap getting flung at the stanchions.
Dry arse FTW! Mudhuggers are fit & forget & one of the best looking out there
Back in 1990, when once out on a ride on my much missed splatter Explosif, I met another mountain biker who told me that I needed to have a 0 deg 150mm stem and cut my bars down to about 300mm or so, because that's how everyone was doing it.
Being, at the time, young-ish and impressionable, I took his advice. For me, it was shite advice. Uncontrollable steering and painfully sore shoulders and neck yet I persisted, thinking that this was how mountain biking should be done and look like.
Suffice to say, as far as what others think in terms of what a bike should look like, I leave with them and follow my own experience. Which, as far as mudguards are concerned, front and back Mudhuggers, even with a down tube crud catcher, keep me almost mud splatter free!
F#ck what the cool kids think. Mudguards are not aesthetically pleasing but they serve a purpose. If they get you out riding when you wouldn't bother without them they are a good thing. If they keep you clean and dry rather than cold, wet and muddy they are a good thing. You really think there'd be some aero performance gain without mudguards? That's nuts. Anyway, embrace the bad weather, fit some mudguards, dress appropriately and get out and ride.
Ditch the mudguards in the summer though. They're ugly and slow you down 😉