Widget Components Part Reflective Mudguards

Widget Component's Part Reflective Mudguards are just that and well worth closer inspection if your winter/training bike is blessed with 'race blade' clip-on clearances. They don't offer the same protection as the new school über-long audax types, and fitting proved a time- and patience-gobbling chore, but the overall results were still favourable.

The mudguards themselves are made from a sturdy though lightweight UV-repellent composite, which feels much sturdier than traditional chrome-plastics. Stainless steel fasteners and stays are of a similar grade, though a quick drop of oil on the threaded sections ensures a more secure fit and stops them seizing.

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One of my favourite road frames hails from 1991, a time when small scale builders would add eyeleted ends to race models and market them as winter/trainer bikes. Adequate clearance at fork crown and seatstay bridge confirmed, everything slotted in perfectly, but only just.

Threaded composite fasteners offer much sleeker aesthetic than the traditional eyelet and bolt combination, but they are unforgiving of anything less than precision pruning of the stainless stays – measure, check, measure and prune very carefully.

I went the bolt cutter route, although in retrospect a sharp hacksaw blade would have achieved a more accurate cut. P-clips make this juggling act trickier still, hence the clever little anodised 'axle runners' that slip aboard the quick release skewer.

Two hours, several diesel strength coffees and some tense moments later, they were in situ, snugged tight and glitch free!

Ultimately, performance was worth the preparation time, although I still needed to be wary of that old enemy – toe overlap.

In terms of safety, the reflective piping proved surprisingly effective under street lighting or vehicle lights – and up to 200m along unlit roads.

Protection is good, rather than great, so the 'longboard' type are a much better bet if frame clearances allow. That said, the degree of protection to bike, rider and approaching riders was pretty good with 23mm tyres. Haring along rainy rural backwaters littered with twigs and similar debris, the majority of wet stuff was confined to the guards, although forgoing overshoes resulted in pretty soggy feet after 90 minutes or so.

>> Check out our guide to the best mudguards here

Run with 25mm tyres in identical conditions for two weeks reinforced the need for more substantial mud flaps, and overspray was apparent along the guard's outer section, the bottom bracket shell and chainrings.

By the same token, I remained completely dry, no one complained of getting a face-full and coverage was superior to the old Salmon profile types. Speaking of lumpy lanes and washboard tarmac, the mounting system keeps rattles and chatter to an absolute minimum and they have only required a quick roadside tweak in 28 days and 350 miles.

So would I recommend them? Yes, for older/racier frames with slimline clearances, our 700x25-28 versions proved superior alternatives to the clip-on types. While competent and relatively lightweight, less highly strung road-biased builds are spoilt for choice. In these contexts, I'm not sure I'd choose these over similarly priced Axiom, SKS or Topeak models.

Verdict

Sturdy godsends for bikes with more limited clearances and on calorie controlled diets