CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff

ass-saver: it doesn't

(5 posts)
  • Started 10 years ago by Wilmington's Cow
  • Latest reply from allebong

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  1. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Yes, this is a 'safe for work' thread. I've had an ass-saver sitting in my garage for ages. It's basically a strip of rigid plastic with some folds in it so it can store under your saddle, and be flipped out when needed. It's by no means intended as a 'mudguard', but to keep the worst of the road grime off you in an emergency.

    Given I'm on the cross bike (while awaiting new tyres for the Kaff (as well as re-centring the rear wheel and sorting the brakes)), and it's wet, the ass-saver has finally been deployed.

    As Roibeard pointed out at PY last Friday, it looks ridiculous. But hey, if it's effective.... Which it isn't really. Okay, so on a mildly wet surface, or a little patch of a metre or so of grime, it'll catch 'some' muck. But anything more. This morning, for example... The problem is added to by the fact that it appears once it has been folded and unfloded a few times it loses a bit of rigidity. It's floppier than an octogenarian who has forgotten to take his viagra. Which means the coverage is even worse than before.

    Roll on the weekend and Kaff fettling. Can't believe I commuted for a good couple of years without any mudguards....

    Posted 10 years ago #

  2. steveo
    Member

    Wonder if cutting the flap off and leaving it in place might save your Brooks.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  3. rust
    Member

    I used the similar on mucky nutz on my mtb for a while. While it didn't stop that much mud in general it did seem to keep it off of the saddle/arse interface and meant you at least weren't sitting on a damp saddle.

    Just purchased a mudhugger (https://www.themudhugger.co.uk/), which should probably win some kind of ugly award, but should hopefully make the Strathpuffer a little better this weekend.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  4. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Ugly, but close-fitting and with a wide drive-side wrap-around, it might actually work a bit.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  5. allebong
    Member

    once it has been folded and unfloded a few times it loses a bit of rigidity

    Have you tried whacking it off the top tube? That seems to work well for making things permanently stiff.

    Can't believe I commuted for a good couple of years without any mudguards....

    Tell me about it. Amongst the worst cycling related decisions I've made occurred in the Glasgow Dales cycles branch. I had just moved through there in September to start a year at university, in which I knew I'd be commuting several times per day between campus and my flat, about 2 miles each way. That distance is fine to do on a crappy battered hybrid especially given it'd be getting left chained up a lot, but it lacked mudguards, or street tyres, or a back brake (and had a mediocre front one)....yes, those were naive days compared to now. Anyway having already gotten quite a soaking when running it through a wet summer I found myself looking at some lovely full SKS guards. I had the money but thought it best to spend it on something else. How bad can it be without mudguards anyway?

    One Glasgow winter later and perspective was somewhat gained. Headset knackered, transmission ground to pieces, brakes and cables rusted to oblivion, waterproofs and clothes ruined and stained.

    I got my first set of full guards for free and basically by accident. Someone had dumped a Raleigh Pioneer womans hybrid in a pile of rubbish down the back of the WoL path near me. It was missing a back wheel but did have full SKS silver guards on it, covered in mold and filth, like the rest of the bike. They cleaned up really nicely and went on the commuting bike. I still remember the first time going through a puddle on a dry day and being shocked at not getting soaked and filthy from it.

    The Pioneer was going to be a little side project of mine - pictured here with a spare 26" wheel on the back just to get it going. With a bit of work it would have made a really nice bike that I'm sure would have found a recipient among my friends/the bikestation/this forum (were I registered back then). Alas, it mysteriously vanished from the shed one day during some cleaning by my parents while I was absent. I believe it went to landfill, which is a shame.

    ...I've drifted off and started rambling again haven't I?

    Posted 10 years ago #

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