Recommend me some 26" mudguards

[3spd]

Converting an old 90's MTB into a tourer and looking for a pair of full length mudguards, preferably with a good sized front mudflap.
What would people recommend?

Using 2" Big Apples.

[Heltor Chasca]

I've got SKS ones for my 26x2.35 Big Apples and for 26x1.75s on another bike. The flap works well. You can make an even bigger one for winter.

On the front: I found that they were long enough to mount the bridge onto the FORE of the fork. This has reduced spray into my face and front light. Because the stays needed to be cut down when I made this change, the whole thing stiffened up. It looks better too.

I have SKS on a few of our bikes and because I rate them I ended up buying some 18" bolt cutters for the stays. My favoured tool for cutting the stays to size.

[ribblerouser]

Ditto the SKS guards. No flaps on the ones I fitted to our MTB's but easy to make some with a bit of Blue Peter technology. It took me a while to realise that my flouro jacket was always dirty because of road grime thrown up from my wife's rear tyre, I stay a nice bright yellow now !

[Phil_Chadwick]

+1 to the SKS guards

I also fitted the front guard to the front of the fork crown because fitted at the back, the spray from the tyre blowing back into my face was too much

I made a long mudflap form the time-honoured washing-up liquid bottle. The original flimsy one didn't last long, and it was too short.

[Brucey]

a fair selection here;

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/mudguards-full/?diameter=26

FWIW they do vary a lot; I wouldn't expect to get a perfect set, I'd expect to have to fit my own mudflaps etc. Most come with breakaway stay mounts at the front; of these SKS/Bluemels do two different types, one I think is great (the secu clip that the loop in the wire stays push into) and the other is rubbish because it just breaks too easily.

One important point is that you may need a cutout in the rear mudguard, so that the chain won't snag on it when you are using the smallest chainring. Many 26" sets come with a cutout that is too large; this weakens the mudguard and lets dirt and water out all over your lovely transmission.

I think that stainless steel (or aluminium) mudguards can look pretty classy, but they are not for everyone or every bike.

Needless to say you need to decide what width tyres you want to use right now if you want your mudguards to fit in a svelte fashion.

cheers

[3spd]

Sorry, meant to say 2.00 Big Apple tyres.
Have now added info to original question.

[Suffolker]

I'm a fan of metal mudguards, and have Berthoud and VeloOrange models. I make my own leather mudflaps from bridle leather, attached with stainless bolts, and these cost me perhaps £3 apiece. If treated with neatsfoot oil, they last well, even in salty seaside conditions.

As @Brucey says, metal mudguards don't suit all bikes, but I have had them spray-painted when a raw metal finish would look out of place.

[francovendee]

+SKS I've fitted them to both our bikes and can't think why I didn't do it sooner. We stay drier and the bikes remain cleaner. An added bonus is chains now last longer.

[reohn2]

Sorry, meant to say 2.00 Big Apple tyres.
Have now added info to original question.

I've 2inch(50mm) BA's (that measure 44mm actual size ), on a 26inch wheeled hack I've recently built.
I used 700c x 50mm SKS's,they fit very well and cover enough widthwise for some really mucky off road sections I've used the bike on,I made a front mudflat from an old truck inner tube scrounged from my local tyre fitting company.

Note:- I'm finding the thicker car/truck inner tube material better than the builders DPC I've previously used or harder plastics cut from milk cartons,etc,as it's far softer and hangs better and doesn't cause problems on drop off's such as kerbs and steps,etc.

[fastpedaller]

I bought some Tortec guards and now prefer them to SKS, and have fitted them to both bikes.

[3spd]

Anyone using Flinger Deluxe mudguards?

[AndyK]

Another vote for Tortec guards. I've found them a bit more robust than SKS and they come with better fixing bolts.

[hujev]

Ah, the chance to post about bicycles instead of politics...

As some others have said, I like my Berthoud stainless 'fenders' - sturdy, not really all that heavy, after a while the little stone dents are a sort of mark of adventures had, etc. I had them on my 85 stumpjumper (which stupidly I sold back to previous owner) and they looked 'just right' in my opinion. Planning to put them on my 82 stumpjumper, but $#@! SS and CS bridges aren't drilled so some assembly required. Also on my touring bike.

Also have a set of VO alu ones sold as '650b' that were on sale cheap a few years back on my 84 trek 830 (as in this picture: http://rjl.us/velo/trek830-1.htm#lb8).