Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

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simonhill
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Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by simonhill »

I've done a search on here for mudflaps and all I found was people saying how to make them (OK, I gave up after 4 pages on the search).

The one on my mudguard is about to fall off, mainly because it regularly gets bent inwards when I box the bike. I was wondering if it is worth replacing.

I realise that speed of riding and weather conditions are factors, BUT, do they really work, are they worthwhile?

Doubters welcome.
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gaz
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by gaz »

simonhill wrote:I was wondering if it is worth replacing.

You have the ideal opportunity for a practical experiment in your own real world riding conditions.

Don't replace it. Continue the new arrangment as long as you deem fit to encompass different weather conditions. See what happens.

Then fit a new one :mrgreen: .
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
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fausto99
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by fausto99 »

Yes, yes, yes. The front one stops your chainwheels and chain from getting gritted. The rear one stops your riding companions from getting mud in their eyes and spray on their jackets.

I hate riding behind someone without a long mudflap. :evil: :evil: :evil:
simonhill
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by simonhill »

Thanks, this kinda solves my quandary.

Most of my cycling is solo touring and even when out on day rides I am a bit of a Billy no mates (actually mates are in pub, they just don't cycle).

It seems that the rear mudflap is mainly for the benefit of others. Not having others, no need to replace.

I'll keep the front one fully operational as I always do.

.
mercalia
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by mercalia »

fausto99 wrote:Yes, yes, yes. The front one stops your chainwheels and chain from getting gritted. The rear one stops your riding companions from getting mud in their eyes and spray on their jackets.

I hate riding behind someone without a long mudflap.
:evil: :evil: :evil:


if any one gets that close to me just tough luck is a the bike version of the a car sign in the back window that says if you can read this you are too close :lol:

my mudguards come with both front and rear - they are small and the front is surprisingly effective - no need for a barn door flapper
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Gattonero
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by Gattonero »

fausto99 wrote:Yes, yes, yes. The front one stops your chainwheels and chain from getting gritted. The rear one stops your riding companions from getting mud in their eyes and spray on their jackets.

I hate riding behind someone without a long mudflap. :evil: :evil: :evil:


Can't agree more!

I've made my own flaps out of an old Brompton mudflap. A piece of tweed fabric has been glued on, then stitched.
A final coat with 50/50 of mineral spirit and chaulking silicone has made them weatherproof.
For my taste, are the perfect finish for my new (is now over one year old) everyday/light touring bike :D

Image
(btw, this was "high geared" for commuting, I've since fitted a 13-29 cassette and 28mm GP4season to make my life easy :wink: )
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
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andrew_s
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by andrew_s »

That rear flap is pointless - it's not required to keep you clean, and needs to be at least twice as long if it's to keep spray off a following rider.
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geomannie
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by geomannie »

Last spring 4 of us set off on a bit of canal path touring by Brompton. At the end of the day, one of us had mud right up her back, the rest of us were clean. We then twigged that her Brompton was an older one and didn't have the small rigid mudflap as on the newer models
Brommy.jpg
Brommy.jpg (6.84 KiB) Viewed 1230 times

Deffo on a Brommie, the mudflap is a really useful bit of kit.
geomannie
JohnW
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by JohnW »

fausto99 wrote:Yes, yes, yes. The front one stops your chainwheels and chain from getting gritted. The rear one stops your riding companions from getting mud in their eyes and spray on their jackets.

I hate riding behind someone without a long mudflap. :evil: :evil: :evil:


+1 to both of those.
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robgul
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by robgul »

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PH
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by PH »


That's pretty, but what does it do? It won't interrupt much of the water from the tyre to the rider behind, it'd need to be a lot longer for that.
Mine are about twice as long and still too short, the works bike stands destroy anything longer. Ideally they should be almost touching the ground.
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andrew_s
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by andrew_s »

geomannie wrote:Deffo on a Brommie, the mudflap is a really useful bit of kit.

They are good on a Brommie because the mudguard itself is so short.
To keep your back clean, the mudguard, or a mudflap attached to it, has to be the rearmost part of the bike - i.e. first to touch if you wheel the bike backwards into a wall. If the tyre touches first, you are liable to get sprayed.

This is the length that you need to keep everybody clean
Image
Last edited by andrew_s on 6 Nov 2017, 7:40pm, edited 1 time in total.
whoof
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by whoof »

andrew_s wrote:
geomannie wrote:Deffo on a Brommie, the mudflap is a really useful bit of kit.

They are good on a Brommie because the mudguard itself is so short.
To keep your back clean, the mudguard, or a mudflap attached to it, has to be the rearmost part of the bike - i.e. first to touch if you wheel the bike backwards into a wall. If the tyre touches first, you are liable to get sprayed.

This is the length that you need to keep everybody clean
Image


Look's short and almost dainty. This is a low mudflap.

long flap.jpg
Bmblbzzz
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by Bmblbzzz »

I used to have a front mudflap that low. It was great for keeping the bottom bracket area clean but I found it got caught on kerbs and steps and as for anything offroad, even a towpath was difficult. At the back I've nothing that low, which is due to the mudguards themselves being shorter. Why do manufacturers not make the rear guard longer?
Giles Pargiter
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Re: Rear Mudflap - Any Use?

Post by Giles Pargiter »

I think it is very much a "courses your bicycle is going over" question.

The bike I most often use across the hills round here is configured very similarly to Andrew_s's. However if I had a rear mudflap, let alone one that long, it would very quickly be disasterous. I need to be able to easily wheel the bike on its rear wheel so that I can traverse places like narrow bridges etc. the width of my shoulders and hips. Doing that the flap will either get ripped off when I tread on it, very likely wrecking the mudguard and causing me to overbalance or else trapped under the wheel - pretty much same result. The front one got ripped off by a sheepdog a number of months ago, this saved it getting ripped off on a step - like a kerb.

So highly desirable for following riders and to keep your chainset and feet dry, but I find, not really practicable.
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