Dangerous mudguards

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
Slowroad
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Dangerous mudguards

Post by Slowroad »

Had a scary thing happen at the weekend - very slowly overtaking a pedestrian on a canal towpath when there was a bang, the bike stopped suddenly, and I fell on top of the pedestrian, who very nimbly caught me! Turned out the front mudguard had concertina'd up between the wheel and the down tube. Took the mudguard off and binned it. Don't know whether it was a stick which got caught up or what, but certainly don't want this to happen again, horrible to think what might have happened at speed. They are bog standard silver plastic mudguards with screws holding them on very firmly - too firmly? I remember vaguely something on here about safety attachments to stop this happening, but can't find it. Any suggestions?
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Si
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by Si »

This was something that CJ felt strongly about....that front mudguards ought to have snap off / quick release fittings. Thus when something gets trapped there is less chance of the front wheel instantly stopping, although it can still happen. You can get them from most good LBSs for very little money.

Since fitting mine ive had the guard pop out a couple of times due to debris getting stuck in it....whether it would have been a dive over the bars without the qr...who knows.
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foxyrider
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by foxyrider »

For safety there should be snap out mounts on the front stays. If you buy new guards check that they are included - Tortec and SKS always have them in the pack.

It can be a bit surprising when it happens, I had it about 30 years ago setting off from traffic lights - never did work out what the cause was. At that time I don't think any brand had qr stays as standard.
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
thirdcrank
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by thirdcrank »

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The utility cyclist
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by The utility cyclist »

Never had issues with non 'snap-off' mudguards but on one bike have them and they are nothing but hassle, pop out when you have a hard jolt or catch the guard when not cycling. I keep saying I'll replace them but put up with it, by comparison the non snap offs are simply better/less hassle.

given the number of journeys where this is not an issue, to replace them on the back of not actually knowing what caused the problem would seem somewhat premature.
Marcus Aurelius
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

This is the exact reason I dislike mudguards and won’t use them. I have a stand clear clamp on crud catcher on the rear of one of my hybrids and an buttock saver on one of my road bikes, but I won’t fit snug fitting full length guards because of exactly what happened in the O.P.
Username
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by Username »

foxyrider wrote:For safety there should be snap out mounts on the front stays. If you buy new guards check that they are included - Tortec and SKS always have them in the pack.

It can be a bit surprising when it happens, I had it about 30 years ago setting off from traffic lights - never did work out what the cause was. At that time I don't think any brand had qr stays as standard.



They are rubbish if they are the type I am thinkin of. Just little plastic plug type things. Tiny ones. I bumped one of the front mudguard stays with my foot once, and that was enough to pop the little plug things out. This left my mudgard just hanging there, and the safety plug lost. I scrounged a couple of cable ties at work and rode back home no problems. The mudguard has been nice and secure ever since.
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gaz
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by gaz »

I like secu-clips.
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Nigel
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by Nigel »

There are four bikes in my household with mudguards, all have the safety front fixings. One broke after more than 15 years from plastic becoming brittle. The bikes are packed into the rear of a car fairly regularly - wheels out, tangled together frames, etc., so mudguards do get out of alignment. But apart from the one 15 year old breakage, the fixings never pop out or do anything other than hold the mudguard. Which suggests those giving grief might be incorrectly fitted.

There is an alternative to the "safety stay" fixing, which is to move the fixing point on the fork such that a trapped object will cause the mudguard-to-tyre distance to increase rather than decrease. To do this tidily needs forks with appropriate mounting point.
random37
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by random37 »

I knew someone who was killed by a mudguard stay. Riding to work, something got caught in his front wheel, and he faceplanted in front of a lorry.

Lovely man. Owned a bike shop in Reading.
eileithyia
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by eileithyia »

Having face-planted about 15 or so years ago I would use nothing but quick release style mudguards. At that stage I was still using old stock mudguards that I had pre- quick releases.... I quickly changed bikes over....
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foxyrider
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by foxyrider »

Username wrote:
foxyrider wrote:For safety there should be snap out mounts on the front stays. If you buy new guards check that they are included - Tortec and SKS always have them in the pack.

It can be a bit surprising when it happens, I had it about 30 years ago setting off from traffic lights - never did work out what the cause was. At that time I don't think any brand had qr stays as standard.



They are rubbish if they are the type I am thinkin of. Just little plastic plug type things. Tiny ones. I bumped one of the front mudguard stays with my foot once, and that was enough to pop the little plug things out. This left my mudgard just hanging there, and the safety plug lost. I scrounged a couple of cable ties at work and rode back home no problems. The mudguard has been nice and secure ever since.

Clearly not fitted correctly - the whole idea is that the plug comes out. However it should be fixed to the stay at one side and fork the other so not sure how you lost a bit.
Some are better/tighter than others, I prefer SKS secu clips as they fit very neatly - some of the other types are more 'industrial' and space hungry!
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
Slowroad
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by Slowroad »

Thanks all! As ever lots of advice.
“My two favourite things in life are libraries and bicycles. They both move people forward without wasting anything. The perfect day: riding a bike to the library.”
― Peter Golkin
PT1029
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by PT1029 »

Just in support of snap out stay mountings,
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=122537

Discussion drifted to the cause of the accident, photo evidence suggested no release stays and the mud guard folded up under the fork crown, jamming the front wheel.
No inquest in the local press yet, which I guess will give the true answer.
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531colin
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Re: Dangerous mudguards

Post by 531colin »

https://spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s190p0/Parts-and-Accessories/Mudguards-spares-and-accessories
I second the SKS secu-clips...they work.
The "stronglight" offering (at twice the price) is much worse, it has a little plastic wedge which is ejected when the stay releases.....the little wedge is then of course lost, and the mudguard stay can't then be locked in the clip. Stupid idea. If you have something like these, just buy a set of SKS clips, and you will also need the wire stays, because the Stronglight ones are the wrong shape at the end.
Even more makes/types are available.
Of course, they are only necessary on the front, because descending at speed, it doesn't matter at all if the back wheel locks, only the front
…...hang on a moment, I'll try that again…..
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