- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
review
Tortec Reflector guards rear£34.99
VERDICT:
Well priced and well made, including reflective trim for side and rear visibility
Weight:
510g
Contact:
www.zyro.co.uk
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
- Exceptional
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Quite good
- Average
- Not so good
- Poor
- Bad
- Appalling
The Tortec Reflector Guards are at first glance just what you'd expect from a mid-price set of mudguards. Well made, solid and do what they say on the tin. Over the winter you begin to notice how many people use them and I can see why.
A number of younger riders I talk to have resisted mudguards on the basis that they are for older riders. Well I used to hold that view but now wonder - why didn't I do this sooner?
Fitting is a little bit of a faff, with the front guard requiring more of an effort than the rear. There is an eyelet fixing that allows the guard to be fitted directly to the frame. Then you can slot the struts through and attach to the frame. The front is a little more complicated as the supporting struts generally have to be cut to fit. Once you've managed that then fitting the guard is a simple process.
The rear guard has a large reflector attached to the bottom, an individual choice as it is reasonably heavy but for the safety conscious this is an added bonus. It is screw fitted so can be removed if you wish. Talking of safety the Tortec Reflector Guards are aptly named. Other guards I have seen have a reflective strip down the back of the guard but on these they have an added strip down each side which improves your visibility from the side. This is ideal at junctions etc making you a little more obvious to drivers.
Thankfully the conditions have allowed me to put the Tortecs through their paces. If there isn't plenty of surface water around there is plenty of grit. They have coped with this, the mudflap at the bottom of the front guard being a pleasant addition. There is no rattle or shake and they have kept the worst of the rubbish off my back.
If you haven't taken the plunge, then for the sake of a little time and effort these mudguards will be a great addition to your bike.
Verdict
Well priced and well made, including reflective trim for side and rear visibility.
road.cc test report
Make and model: Tortec Reflector Guards
Size tested: n/a
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Keeping the extra debris that inhabits the roads over the autumn/winter months off you and your bike.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Simple design with an additional mudflap on the front guard.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
They are sturdy and have proved fit for purpose without getting bent out of shape.
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
As they say on the tin, designed to keep you drier and debris free.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
The Tortec Reflactors have proved long lasting, with-standing plenty of bumps to stay in shape.
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
7/10
With the added rear reflector it makes for a fairly weighty proposition but this can be removed if you so wish.
Rate the product for value:
8/10
I would say for the money these guards are relatively straight forward to fit and have proven reliable.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
As you would hope from a mudguard, the Tortecs once fitted have proven their worth in keep me and my kit drier than I would usually expect.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The additional reflectivity on the side of the guards is a nice touch and given the need for this in the winter very reassuring.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Not the easiest to cut the fittings to size.
Did you enjoy using the product? I have indeed.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes - not having used them before I was impressed.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?
Good value.
About the tester
Age: 0 Height: Weight:
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: I ride: I would class myself as:
I regularly do the following types of riding:
Latest Comments
- Rendel Harris 11 min 23 sec ago
The Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) was one of the most important battles of the ancient world, where 7,000 Greeks, led by the Spartans under...
- ktache 8 hours 11 min ago
They also do it in orange. I'm after a deep winter jacket after the past week.
- ktache 8 hours 10 min ago
The people at Hexlox have asked me to tell others about their black Friday deals, but I don't quite know what the offer is yet. But saving anything...
- VIPcyclist 8 hours 54 min ago
Whilst I was reading this I was thinking : sounds familiar, yep, that's right . Then I read the bit about being referred for a fitness to drive and...
- Dnnnnnn 9 hours 7 min ago
I'm unclear how simply considering the views of people who travel through an area is voting for rat-runs. No need to explain though.
- David9694 10 hours 6 min ago
When you don't know for sure what the whinge would be if this work was postponed to January, but you know there would be one:...
- biking59boomer 10 hours 47 min ago
Sadly the cyclist hate in this country seems to have worsened of late. Dangerous motoring combined with anti-cycling officialdom in some places is...
- Cyclo1964 13 hours 18 min ago
Brilliant 🤣
Add new comment
16 comments
Have these, love them.
They have a mm or three more clearance under the front brake bridge than SKS's I had previously which caused rubbing with conti 23mm (contis have a higher 'height' apparently). These guards meant the rubbing went. This is is because they are arc shaped rather than side, flat top, side, so the tyre has a bit more up room.
Reflective pinstripe is really effective and also, to me, looks good.
Blimey, when Rapha start to make mudguards that's gonna start a right old ding dong in the comments section eh.
Feck off my rear wheel the both of you, enjoying that nice clean ride in at my expense...
getting sprayed by other riders suggests that you are sitting on the rear wheel, take a pull at the front you freetard
oh and mudguards are the 2nd best thing on my bike, 1st being me!!!
I'm not sure why mudguards seem to be seen as an age/'smartness' thing. They're just, as with most other things, a matter of personal preference.
I can understand why some people might be upset by getting a bit wet, and why others might not. Mudguards are an *option* for the former, as is badminton. I go for the mudguard option, personally, but I ride with people who don't mind getting wet, we do after all live in one of the rainiest countries going.
Anyway...reflectives. Why not just get decent lights and be seen from all directions, not just 'if the car's headlight happens to be falling on your bike at just the right angle'... They're useful as a *backup* to lights but far too many people seem to see reflectives as THE primary way to be seen.
Problem with riders on busy cycling routes in urban areas not using mudguards is the spray, mixed with road crap like oil that is thrown up all over me and which is sometimes impossible to wash out.
Agreed, lights should always be the primary way to be seen. The beauty of reflective s on mudguards is that they are discrete yet they present an obvious shape of the bike when lit from the type of angle most cars are looking to emerge from. Never an alternative to lights just like wearing Fluorescent yellow should never be an alternative to lights and/or proper roadcraft.
Stop wheelsucking then!
Having both lights + reflectives is the best, as each works in different circumstances and angles.
For instance, it's much harder for drivers in side roads to ignore you when your tyres or spokes glare at them, while scotchlite on clothing and overshoes works extremely well.
"A number of younger riders I talk to have resisted mudguards on the basis that they are for older riders"
or simply for those clever people who don't want to look like their bowel has exploded and violently sprayed shit all up and down their back.
FTFY. A lot of young people are blindly swayed by what's popular, what's kewl. They often know bugger all, but at least they have the future before them in which to begin learning from their elders and betters.
OTOH although one's wisdom is supposed to grow with age but I seem to have encountered too many ignorant mature people who must have quit learning a long time ago and have got too comfortable with the blinkers they donned way back when.
I am currently in between these stages of life so naturally I'm immune to the foibles and weaknesses of either group.
I have these on my disc braked commuter and they are excellent. I have been approached several times by other cyclists asking about them noting the reflector strips are pretty visible at junctions. I "feel" more visible to traffic looking to pull into the road from the left too.
Very quiet and solid.
Whatever happened to the 6inch shorty mudguards that were fitted to my 'racer' as a teenager. Are they still made?
These mudguards look identical to my SKS Bluemels Reflective set ... I suspect these are just rebadged SKS mudguards. Buy the original SKS instead as you will get warranty spares much easier ... they are also cheaper @ £32.99 RRP and you can find them for much less online.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sks-bluemels-reflective-mudguard-set/
I have the slightly cheaper version without the reflective strip and they do a grand job. Available for either 700c and 26".
Having owned the Longboards, I personally detest them for a number of reasons and was very glad to get rid of them. I find the Chromoplastics are much, much better, and are just as effective.
"The rear guard has a large reflector ... for the safety conscious this is an added bonus."
Also an added bonus for anyone who wants to ride legally in the dark. (Assuming you don't already have a reflector on the bike.)
At this price you can't beat a set of SKS Longboards with an extra adhesive reflector.