This, combined with the minimally fussy fitting, makes the SKS Raceblade Pro XL Stealth Series better than any of its clip-on competitors - which generally either don’t fit as well or don’t offer as good protection. Value-wise they are a bit more expensive than the competition, but they are also readily available for less online. Even full-length mudguard coverage doesn't necessarily prevent that arc of spray that comes from a fast-spinning wheel, fitting a flap (an Ass Saver performs well) to the end of your mudguards is a great way to offer absolute coverage, and it'll probably help you make friends on the winter club run. How close should it sit against the tyre? The three main components to a good mudguard are that it stays on, it doesn’t rattle and that it keeps you dry. The added bonus in this set of mudguards is that they were easy to install too. The downside, and partly my frame is to blame, was that the extensions didn’t fit meaning that I left some bits of my wheel unguarded. If your bike has rim brakes, you’ll usually need long-reach brake callipers, especially if you want to use mudguards with tyres that are 25mm or larger. The Bontrager NCS fenders / mudguards come in a range of sizes: from 18-25mm for old school road bikes and all the way up to 35-45mm for trendy new gravel bikes. The set we had on test was right in the middle, designed for 28-35mm 700c tires - which is typical for winter bikes these days.

The SKS Raceblade Pro XL Stealth Series guards tip the scales at 380 grams, when weighed with the rubber attachment straps. They are compatible with 700c wheels and tire widths of up to 32mm. The front fender provides a coverage of 565mm and the rear 730mm. There are fenders / mudguards which do provide more coverage at a similar price - even within SKS’s own range, such as the SKS Longboards. If wet weather protection is most important to you, the choice between the two is pretty obvious. But there will be those who prefer the tidier looks of the Bluemels Basics. There are, broadly speaking, two types of fender / mudguard: those for frames with mudguard eyes –‘fixed mudguards’– and those for frames without, known as clip-on mudguards. Of course even if your bike has mudguard eyes there’s no reason why you can’t use clip-ons if you’re looking for a lightweight, easily removable solution. Why fit fenders / mudguards? Mountain bike-style mudguards will fit almost any bike, and offer loads of clearance regardless of frame design. On the flip side, they offer less protection than other types of mudguard. Your feet will still get wet, your bike gets no protection, and they don't shield the rider behind you.Utilising a similar construction to SKS ‘guards, each mudguard has two stainless steel bridges fixed to it for the 4mm diameter, V-shaped stays to attach to. Mudguards are key to keeping dry – or drier than you’d otherwise be – in typical British conditions. That’s especially true in winter when water tends to stay on the roads for longer. If you’re riding year-round, make sure you have some of the best bike lights to keep you safe too. Mudguards protect you from the water (and accompanying gunk) that gets flung off your wheels as they spin. They come in a range of different shapes and sizes from simple flaps to keep your bum dry, to full-length coverage designed to protect you, your bike, and the rider behind you. The correct length mudguard will depend on your circumstances, but if ever you plan on riding with others, you should aim for full coverage. The rear mudguard also mimics the fitting for SKS mudguards, with a hole to bolt onto the chainstay bridge, and a sliding bridge fixing onto the seatstay bridge. Mountain bikes, because of the huge variety of design thanks to factors like suspension and huge tyres, need a mudguard fitted very high above the wheel. The solution is a rear mudguard that clips onto the seatpost so the height above the wheel can be adjusted, and a front mudguard that's attached to the down tube.

Beyond that, the tyres are a weak point on many bikes. They’re an easy way for brands to cut costs and make a price point. Downgraded groupset components and wheels are really noticeable, but cheap tyres can slip under the radar. Changing to some of the best road bike tyres can improve handling, comfort, and speed. The industry’s growing affinity for disc brakes and wider tyres is leading to frames being built with more clearance than ever before. In turn, this leaves extra space for full-length mudguards alongside a wide pair of winter road bike tyres. However, many of the best road bikes still don’t have quite enough clearance, and even fewer have the correct mounts for traditional mudguards. Thankfully, there are plenty of low profile clip-on fenders that will work on just about any bike.

BBB BFD-22 SlimGuard Fenders

SKS’s Bluemels Basic fenders / mudguards do a reasonably good job of keeping you dry. Their coverage isn’t as long as some - and our tester did find that you get spray over your feet from the front wheel and anyone following behind will still get a coating. If the items we have sent you are faulty, damaged or not as we described, we will cover the cost of collection and the delivery of the correct item. Clip-on mudguards usually don’t wrap as much of the wheel as full-length mudguards, nor have the sides or front rubber flap. This means they don’t keep as much rain and spray off your body or bike. However, they do keep most of the water off and can make a huge difference on wet roads. They can easily be removed and stored in the garage during the summer. Fenders – or mudguards – are seemingly going out of fashion. When I started riding a bike, it was a rule enforced on the club ride that mudguards must be used. Then, the ass saver started making appearances on weekly rides – and now even they are rare. It seems we’ve stopped caring about getting ourselves, our bikes and our riding buddies wet and muddy.