There are three certainties in life:
1) Taxes
2) Death
3) Mudguards for club rides during the winter months
Several years ago we decided to make mudguards mandatory for club rides outside of British Summer Time so from when the clocks change. The rational behind this was to make club rides less of a splatter fest due to the muddy roads we have to enjoy but with exceptions for when the weather is forecast to be good and the roads are already dry.
Now there are “mudguards” and then there are mudguards. The former group will keep your own backside dry but do little or nothing to prevent the rider behind from getting a faceful of whatever your rear tyre has thrown up so an “ass saver” clip-on type of guard just doesn’t count and you’ll need to invest in something more substantial.
Longer guards are available and can be fitted to all bikes, there really is no excuse to hide away until Spring and it’s not necessary to have hard fixing points either as you’ll see from the types available in the Cycling Weekly article linked below. Please make sure that whatever type you fit has its back end of the rear guard at a level below a horizontal line drawn across from the wheel’s skewer The guards from Crud fail this test as they’re not long enough and still spray the person behind so you’ll need to add an extension flap. The club has a stock of flaps in our colours, they take just a few minutes to fit, cost a mere £8 and work brilliantly at keeping the person behind dry.
If you’d like one of these please email president@banburystar.co.uk