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Thinking of getting some 'guards for bikes with no clearance for guards' for the single speed. Read a review (in CTC mag I think) that claimed the Crud Road Racer Mk2 is better than SKS Raceblade. Certainly longer and cheaper, but that brush system... hmmm.
Anyone got or used either of these products? Any good? Or shall I just wear poly bags on my feet and make shorts out of shopping bags? (Not serious about that last bit, in case you were wondering).
I have raceblades on my single speed. The clearance is minimal and the raceblades only just fit. It's so tight that if the tyre picks up a little stone or a salt from the road, I'll hear it scuffing on the inside of the mudguard before it falls off.
I like them. The tails on the mudguards are really long which means there's hardly any spray off the wheels. There's a nice deep bit on the rear guard at the drive side that stops water spraying off the mudguard onto the chain.
Initially I thought the fitting seemed a bit fragile but they'll been surprisingly robust in the months I've been using them. I can't say they're better than the Crud version but I'd recommend them. Happy to meet up if you want to see them fitted.
Actually, just went to look at the ones I don't have and realised that those are the ones I do have. So, I've got Crud Road Racer Mk2 and agree with CTC mag.
Aha! There is a SKS Raceblade Long product with what looks like flaps at the rear, but at nearly 40 quid is almost twice what the Crud Mk2 costs. I think they may have reviewed the long SKS rather than the short (useless) ones.
How do you find this brush system on the tyres? Draggy? Falling off if too wet? Or just fine?
I haven't noticed it at all. I'm not really sure what they're for. It would be nice if they swept crap off the rim but they don't. I think they stop the guard bumping off the wheel because the guards are so light and the stays so floppy that without the brushes they'd easily end up doing more rubbing than they do.
Sounds good. Thanks for sharing your experience. Just need to check I've got 4mm clearance. Should have, but must check with an allen key or something before ordering guards...
I have Raceblades. I bought them in preference to the Crud´s because they are quick to pop on and off, which is good for my intended use. They work okay but of course not as good as full SKS guards.
+1 for what instography said - however 4mm clearance is nothing (esp if bouncing up and down the lunar landscape roads of edinburgh) and they might still sound like they are rubbing / scratching.
After various mudguard experiments, I have concluded that only full SKS with a good flap are really fit for purpose - and also, £40 seems very expensive for a semi-bodge, could 'almost' get a used steel frame for that and put SKS guards from Bike Station (cheap as chips)on !
I've tried both. The Crud Road Racer Mk2 are easier to fit and much longer. But they are more easily broken. With both kinds the clearance is minimal but it is possible to set them up without rubbing. The Crud Road Racer Mk2 are better in this respect as they have little brushes which prevent rattles. If mud builds up to the extent that it's fouling the tyre you can stop and press the guard against the tyre to clear it off. I don't take them off so I put black tape around the fixings which stopped them from being shaken out of position by our wonderful road surfaces.
I say leave it alone - you already have a good stable of functional bikes for all weathers, so you might as well indulge yourself and leave that lovely frame as a fair weather prettiness device.
The SKS raceblades can be very annoying if you have the short ones as they tend to rattle off the brake caliper, making an 'orrid rattling sound. Not having used them, I can't vouch for their performance.
The Road Racer II offer advantage of being pretty long, and are bolted together from a number of different segments, to allow you to change the layout to suit your bike. They are pretty close to a full guard, but of course don't wrap around the sides of the tyre so spray still gets out. Fairly easy to mount on most layouts of bike, basically its just bits of rubber band and the guard stays are curved so you can fiddle about to get the perfect angles. Will mount on most bikes with all but the tightest clearance between wheel and stay/fork and tyre and brake caliper. Removable quite quickly so long as you're happy constantly snipping the cable ties and replacing them. There's a clever feature on the rear guard, which is an extended section on the right side that keeps the spray out of the derailleur. Once they're set up, you really don't notice the little brushes, which are really just there to keep the guard floating off the rim (rather than to clear any obstructions off it)
The Raceblades are made form far more substantial plastic, akin to what chromoplastics are made from. The Road Race are made from something much flimsier and more flexible. It is certainly weaker and less tough, but actually helps in moulding the guard to the correct profile and it doesn't make much noise as it rattles about as it must flex rather than jar.
Neither are remotely as effective as a "proper" guard, but they're fine for road spray, they're main purpose is to keep the spray down to an acceptable level for group riding I would say, you still get wet legs and bum eventually when using them for longer rides and bike still gets filthy.
I've got both and would recommend the Crud Road Racers over the SKS Raceblades.
I used the Raceblades for a couple of winters and they did a job. A bit fiddly to set up, especially if your rear stays are a slightly different shape to normal (often the case with carbon bikes), they'll keep you ar$e dry, but don't do much for your feet. They're a bit rickety as well, so wobble around a bit and don't have perfect coverage - they're a bit on the short side when you compare them to the Cruds. Mrs S has Raceblades as well and, having cleaned her bike this afternoon, have recent experience that they do not stop lots of road crap getting on your cranks or bottom bracket.
I got the Crud's last winter and they were a big improvement. They are fiddlier to fit than some of the reviews suggest, but if you've done it once it becomes easier to replicate. They are very close fitting with 23c tyres, so you do get grit scraping along their underside and if you go through a pine forest you can get a lot of needles building up under there and occasionally have to stop to scape them out - but that's a price worth paying in my book. Their coverage is good - there's more at the front and back, and there's a neat wrap around behind the seat tube that protects the drivetrain and your feet.
You can take them on and off (the cable ties are the reusable ones) but it is a bit fiddly so I've left them on right through to Spring.
This winter I'm using 25c tyres and there is even less clearance, to the extent that there's a fair bit of noise from the rear guard in particular. But I've got a dry bum and it's a bit of extra resistance training over the winter, so I can live with that.
The Crud Roadracers - definitely.
I've heard lots of tales of poor fitting, but every one I've seen has been down to NOT FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS. The main thing is not to tighten up the zip-tie too much. Let the guard hang freely rather than distorting it against he fork/frame.
Thanks folks for the opinions and advice. Sounds like Mr Crud would get my hard earned dosh. Then again Uberuce has put the cat among the pigeons, he has a point I have to admit.
On the other hand, below three examples from the work bike shed of what happens when you ride without guards. Today it is not raining, the sun is out, but the road is wet from melted frost, ice, etc. Mix that with salt, grit and sump oil and you get a lovely poo brown splatter stripe...
Complete agreement with all those who recommend the Cruds, and some extra points.
If you do go beyond 23/24c you might have a problem with clearances. To be fair to Crud they point this out on the packaging.
It is worth washing behind the ties when you can. I left mine on all last winter, and when I came to take them off found that the grime had marked the forks. You get the same problem with SKS, but it is not a nice discovery to make. I'm using tape on the forks this year to see if that helps.
Finally, if you do snap part of the guard, as I did last year on the ice, then Crud will supply a replacement part in return for a few postage stamps. Great bonus.
I snapped mine (my fault - no reflection on the guards)and repaired it with a bit of left-over tail (there's two spares in the pack) and a couple of pop rivets. Warm it up with a paint stripping gun and it'll bend into shape nicely.
Well, looks like I may not be able to fit either of these wonderful products to my single speed after all. I double checked the clearances today. I knew they were tight, but I couldn't even fit a 4mm allen key between the 23mm tyres and the brakes. Must be somewhere just under 4mm clearance, as a 2.5mm allen key rattled around in there.
That probably rules out the Crud Road Racers.....:-(
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