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forum
Mudguards
I have bought a bike specifically for winter riding and I want to put mud guards on it. Any experiences or recommendations please? 
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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18 comments
Cat1commuter, feeling other people's mudguards eh? Tut tut :D. Had a look at a piccie of them, they are nice!
Not managed to put the SKS's on yet (weekend job) but went out on the bike today. She rides really well although I did have an incident the first time I slowed and realised I couldn't get my left foot out the pedal because my knee was pressing against the top tube. Different bike, different geometry, a bit of an Oh Feck moment
Adjusted fit and will try again tomorrow.
I forgot to mention that I've also been running Tortec's black chromoplastics on the commuting MTB, they're onto their third winter now (certainly over 4,000 miles to date). Suppose I should check the bolts etc, but the whole shebang has been fine. They've seen a lot of muddy lanes and a good dose of salted roads in that time.
Make sure you get the right SKS mudguards. You want the "ChromoPlastic" ones, not the inferior "Blumels". Even the ChromoPlastic one's aren't perfect - I have found that the aluminium rivets holding the steel brackets to the guards corrode away after a winter or two of salt. Last weekend in London I found a bike parked on the street with Honjo Koken mudguards. I fingered them - really beautiful. Supposedly lighter than ChromoPlastics too.
Agree with copper grease on threads but GT85 for pivots? As fas as I know, GT85 is an active degreaser. Will it not just strip the pivots of grease and thus, when it dries out, make them prone to sticking? A small blob of grease would be better.
Simon, what was your experience with the Rubino Pro's? I've found them to be a little sketchy in the wet. I have to keep them on my winter bike as they are 23mm and I cant fit my (25mm) alternative tyres with my mudguards (crud racer IIs). If it didn't say Vittoria on the side, I'd have thought they we produced by Imperial Leather.
Sorry, didn't really notice your Qs yesterday.
After about 3,000 miles of commuting and time trialling on the Rubino Pro IIs (700x25) they still had some life left in them. Quite light, roll well enough and reasonable puncture resistance. I think rolling speed and puncture proofness pull designers in opposite directions, the Pro II seems to offer a good balance and value.
I never found them particularly bad in the wet but I take it easy on wet corners as they are often on narrow lanes with gravel, leaves, mud etc.
GT85 contains PTFE so it leaves a lubricant behind after it evaporates. At least, that's my understanding. I spray my derailleur and brake pivots after washing and leaving to dry so that no moisture remains. I don't think I could squeeze any grease in there if I tried. I may be doing the wrong thing but they still work fine, and I've been doing this for a few years now. It works great for squeaky door hinges too. I used to put it on the chain but of course it never lasted long, especially in the wet (and I wasn't doing the mileage I do now). I prefer Green Oil these days.
The OE triple chainset on my SCR 2 wasn't great (I could get it to rub on the front mech and I'm no power monster) so I splurged on a Tiagra 50/39/30 and external BB, which feels better. Weight difference is negligible, I wouldn't worry too much about that aspect at this level.
The Alex wheels are basic but do the job fine, but even Shimano's inexpensive RS10 wheels are an upgrade. Decent tyres make a difference too. Vittoria Rubino Pro are good value but Schwalbe Ultremo are faster rolling and more supple, though I save them for summer riding on the RS10s. I don't think the spec changed much, IIRC the SCR1 was 105-based, SCR2 9-speed Tiagra, SCR3 8-speed Sora, but the frame was identical througout. The other thing I changed was Kool-Stop salmon+black dual compound pads, which are kinder to the rims.
Unfortunately the Defy doesn't have anything like the tyre clearance of its predecessor. Giant supply Defy-specific mudguards, but I don't know any more than that.
shollin, for winter riding I recommend copper grease on threads and GT85 on pivots. And watch for salt corrosion on brakes and derailleurs, it creeps up on you, particularly when the roads are wet too, so a salt water spray comes off the front tyre and spits saline solution all over the front of the bike
Thanks for tips Simon
The idea was to buy a sound frame and upgrade parts as I go along. It'll have to stay as it is for this winter though as I invested in some nice Specialized shoes today too. Hopefully this will solve my pins and needles. They are a lot wider and a size bigger than my Shimano ones. Bike's looking good, should do, been at since 2pm and not long finished! Set it up on turbo, adjusted for fit but will see tomorrow when I go out what needs tweeking. Happy Days 
Taken from here http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=16852
Might be an older model of the SCR3 than yours, but you might be in luck and have the space and lugs
Taken from here http://forums.cyclingweekly.co.uk/showthread.php?9267-Giant-SCR%5CDefy-M...
The SCR I got was second hand so it's a 2008 model. Picked it up earlier. It seems sound, checked headset, derailleurs etc. All seem good. I'll put it on the turbo later to set up positioning and check gear changing (make any necessary adjustments). I've put the seat post off my specilalized on there (bit more comfort) saddle and pedals. I need to replace bar tape and put mudguards on. Clearence looks adequate though. I've cleaned it to within an inch of it's life with a toothbrush and apart from a couple of scratches it's in good condition! Don't mind it being a bit heavier as it's purely for winter riding. When I get back on my Specialized in the Spring it'll feel light as a feather and I'll go faster (well in theory!)
Everything I read about the Giant SCR suggested it was a great bike for the money Simon
Cheers all. So it seems tomorrow I will have to pay a visit to the bike shop to get some SKS mudguards then. Might check out shoes whilst I'm there...What a chore!
So far I've enjoyed 4 years of commuting, time trialling and just getting around on mine. Have fun choosing your footwear, and I hope that the SCR lives up to your expectations
Pretty sure the SCR3 takes 'proper' mudguards.
+1 on the superiority of full guards over clip-ons. I tried clip-ons one winter. Never again.
Apart from not rubbing or disintegrating, SKS chromoplastics are long enough to avoid you shot-blasting your down tube and bottom bracket. Oh, and they come in silver as well as the other options mentioned.
I shouldn't worry about your desire to remove them. You'll get used to them, given long enough. Allow up to 20 years
Giant SCR, cracking bike
+1 to Fringe's comments.
I fitted Tortec full length mudguards to mine, they are very similar to SKS chromoplastics. The only snag I found was toe overlap on the front so ran with rear only for a while. Having said that, I'm more comfortable riding at slow speed (with SPDs) now so this probably wouldn't bother me any more.
I have a set of Crud Roadracer IIs waiting to be fitted. They're less robust than 'proper' mudguards but do work well (road.cc review here).
Recent discussion on this subject at http://road.cc/45954
Ta muchly. I've read a few blogs which suggest it does have just enough clearence. Picking it up tomorrow so will see for sure then. Nice bike Fringe, not sure about the feet tho
. The Hatter, I need all the help I can get to look like a real cyclist!
if its got the holes in the right places and enuff clearance for full mudguards use 'em, far better than any clip one ones..SKS are the ones you want. black, white or fake carbon is yer choice.
(one good reason before the 'clip on mudguards are okay' comments come in are that a full 'guard will stop water and the rest getting into your rear light/brake. plus they look better!)
casseroll-detail-4.gif
+1
You wouldn't wear half a raincoat would you?
Will make you look like a real cyclist too!
Ah yes, sorry, it's a Giant SCR3. I was thinking of going down the route of clips ons so I had the option of putting on or not depending on road conditions
What make and model of bike might help, does it have anywhere you can mount guards or will you have to buy clip on's?