If you’re reading this, you probably live in the UK. And if you do, chances are it’s either currently raining or it’s just rained. So, if you’re the kind of cyclist who doesn’t enjoy having their backside sprayed with cold sludge while riding, a mudguard is pretty much non-negotiable.
As well as keeping the rider clean and dry, mudguards are also important for protecting your bike. Keeping your bike cleaner means components like your chain and chainrings will last longer and require less frequent maintenance.
But it’s not all about you: full-length mudguards prevent backward spray from your bike, shielding other riders and ensuring harmony is maintained with your fellow cyclists. Many cycling events and clubs make mudguards mandatory on wet rides for this reason.
Broadly speaking, mudguards come in two main flavours: bolt-on mudguards, designed to attach to eyelets on your bike frame using bolts; and clip-on mudguards, which rely on a variety of different methods to clip to your bike.
Bolt-on Mudguards
As a rule of thumb, traditional bolt-on mudguards tend to be “full length” and offer the greatest level of protection, though they’ll usually require a bit more effort to attach. Many have mud flaps on the ends, which make a surprisingly big difference to the amount of muck that gets flung backwards.
Often, you’ll need either a hacksaw or pair of bolt-cutters to cut the stays to length (the stays are the long metal sticks that connect the mudguard to the bolt holes near your bike’s axles) – this generally isn’t too hard, although you can always ask your local bike shop to help out if you don’t fancy it.
Most road bikes tend not to have eyelets. If this is the case with your bike, you might want to keep things simple with clip-on mudguards – although it is possible to attach full length bolt-on guards to bikes that don’t have eyelets by using P clips to mount them directly to your seat stays or chain stays. This may sound like a lot of effort, but it’s actually surprisingly easy. If you do go this way, keep an eye out for P clips with rubber linings to prevent them from scratching your frame.
Clip-on Mudguards
Conversely, clip-ons are generally shorter, which usually means less protection for you and none for whoever is unlucky enough to be riding behind you. However, they can generally be used on a wider range of bike frames, with less need to worry about your bike geometry and brake type.
Clip-ons are the winning choice if you want to be able to whip your ‘guards on and off depending on the weather – although this also tends to make them less secure than bolt-ons.
The first important consideration you’ll need to make when choosing the best mudguard for your needs is whether or not your bike has eyelets to accommodate bolt-on mudguards. You’ll also need to make a note of your wheel size; as well as whether you use V-brakes, calliper brakes or disc brakes, as this can affect the clearance around your wheel. Beyond this, there are a range of different characteristics to consider such as level of protection, weight, and – of course – appearance.
With so many different mudguards to choose from, it’s easy to get confused about which pair is right for you and your bike – so we’ve taken the trouble of rounding up our ten favourite mudguard sets. Whether you’re looking for a stylish set of traditional fenders or a clip-on rear guard that you can keep stowed in your pannier for wet weather, there’s a mudguard set here to keep you and your bike happy all year round.
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Ass Savers Speed Mullet
Best for: a clip-on front mudguard
Swedish brand Ass Savers have recently risen to prominence with its super-minimalist approach to mudguards. Super easy to clip on and whip off at a moment’s notice, Ass Savers are designed with the philosophy that bikes should be mudguard-free whenever possible. Paradoxically, this philosophy has resulted in a range of unique mudguards that are as much design pieces as they are functional equipment – so you’d be forgiven for keeping them clipped on year-round.
The charmingly-named Speed Mullet is a front wheel mudguard that straps easily onto your bike’s down tube just behind the front wheel. Though the Speed Mullet is made from a single piece of polypropylene less than a millimetre thick, strategic folds imbue it with extra sturdiness and ensure that it provides impressive protection for your feet and chainrings.
Despite having just a single velcro strap, the Speed Mullet exerts a powerful grip on the bike frame: the result is much less waggly than your average clip-on guard. What’s more, thanks to the thoughtful inclusion of cable routing channels and an extra-long strap, the speed mullet is compatible with virtually any frame and wheels. If you’re after a lightweight and low-effort option for your front wheel, you’d be hard pressed to beat the Speed Mullet.
Buy now £7.99, Merlin Cycles
Ass Savers Win Wing
Best for: a clip-on rear guard
The Win Wing is the latest addition to the Ass Savers line up: a rear mudguard that uses clever geometry to provide maximum splatter-protection with minimum mass. As you’ll remember from physics class, objects (like droplets of mud) will be thrown off a spinning object (like your bike wheel) tangentially rather than radially outward. Positioned very close to the wheel, the Win Wing extends backward from the wheel’s highest point to block tangential spray directed at the rider’s back and head: the result is surprisingly comprehensive protection and very little weight. The Win Wing is available as either a road bike version which clocks in at a miniscule 68g; or, for tyres over 38mm or there’s a “gravel” version which weighs a still-pretty-miniscule 72g.
Of all the mudguards we tested, the Win Wing is by far the easiest rear mudguard to attach – see for yourself in this jazzy instructional video. The polypropylene “wing” snaps on to a wishbone-shaped plastic mount after some simple pre-folding. Two rubber straps then secure the mount tightly to your bike’s seat stays – ensuring fuss-free compatibility with virtually all bike frames – while foam pads on the stays do an impressive job of preventing slippage. Once attached, this miniature fender felt much more sturdy than other clip-on guards we’ve tested.
The only drawback of this minimal design is that it offers no protection to the person cycling behind you – so you may have to whip out the full-length mudguards for race day. Nonetheless, this is a seriously impressive little mudguard, so if low weight and easy attachment are a priority for you, the Win Wing gets our vote.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
Specialized Plug + Play Fender Set V2
Best for: slimline full-length mudguards
Okay, let’s get this out of the way: if you want to fit these mudguards to your bike, you’ll have to drill a hole in them, and they’re made of metal.
Still with us? Good. Despite having a slightly confusing name – more on that later – these fenders are about as svelte as they get. Full-length. Crafted from matt-black anodized aluminium. Tastefully chamfered. Mud management has never looked so good.
They don’t just look good, either: robust aluminium construction means these are made to go the distance, and all without adding too much weight to your bike.
As ever, being stylish isn’t always easy. “Plug + Play” actually refers to a proprietary connection mechanism used on Specialized bike frames, rather than being, as you may have reasonably assumed, an indication that these mudguards are easy to attach. Quite the contrary, in fact!
While these are compatible with most bike frames – the non-Specialized-owners among us just need to use some handy included adaptors – you’ll need a 2mm Allen key, a 4mm Allen key, a 7mm wrench and a drill at a minimum to get these onto your bike. Thankfully at least, the stays/struts are cleverly adjustable and don’t need to be trimmed.
Overall, these aren’t really too hard to fit compared to other full-length “traditional”-style fenders. So, if you (or perhaps a mechanically-minded friend) are prepared to put in a bit of effort to attach these to your bike, you’ll be rewarded with extremely handsome and high-quality mudguards.
Buy now £55.00, Specialized
Mucky Nutz Full Face Fender, Gut Fender and Rear Fender
Best for: MTB clip-ons
From the brand’s base in Cornwall, Mucky Nutz develop and manufacture a range of clever clip-on mudguards suitable for any bike frame – though they’re geared towards mountain bikes. We tested three different models: the Full Face Fender, the Gut Fender, and the Rear Fender.
All three mudguards are made from a lightweight yet robust plastic, and are strapped to the frame using extremely strong velcro-style straps. The all-important Rear Fender straps to the seat post at one of three different angles to provide good protection regardless of frame geometry (and at 75g, it’s pretty lightweight!). The Gut Fender slings under the down tube and features reflective trim for extra side-on visibility. The set is completed by the Full Face Fender, a front mudguard which slots neatly under the front fork.
A few thoughtful touches elevate them above the level of other clip-ons, including foam pads on the bits that contact your bike to protect your frame and prevent slippage.
Easy to attach, lightweight and surprisingly sturdy; these mudguards cooperate nicely to provide full protection for both rider and bike. Better still, they’re extremely cheap – all three guards we tested can be purchased for a combined price of £34. When it comes to clip-on mudguards, it would be hard to beat Mucky Nutz in terms of bang-for-buck.
Buy now £8.99, Amazon
Topeak DeFender iGLOW TX
Best for: mudguard with integrated lights
The DeFender (get it?) iGLOW mudguards have a few clever features that separate them from the pack.
First and foremost, they have integrated lights. Cool, huh? White at the front, red at the back; these in theory provide 50 hours of continuous illumination (or 100 hours flashing), providing an extra bit of visibility on night rides. However, while they’re certainly better than nothing, they’re no substitute for a set of proper bike lights – still, handy nonetheless for when your main lights run out of battery (or you leave them at home). Thankfully, the batteries are nice and easy to replace, too.
The second stand-out feature is the unique attachment method. The rear fender features a combination of Velcro (around the seat tube) with a pair of handy adjustable stay-arms that, together, provide excellent alignment without the need for a hacksaw or hours of faffing. In our books, that alone is worth the price of admission! The front guard attaches with the same adjustable arms and can mount onto the fork using either front or side eyelets to accommodate most frame types.
Made from high-impact plastic, these feature a polished underside to prevent dirt build-up. Suitable for 700c tyres up to 44mm wide, these are a little shorter than full-length fenders but provide pretty comprehensive protection for bike and rider. All in all, a sturdy and super easy-to-fit pair of plastic guards with a few bonus features thrown in.
Buy now £31.99, Tredz
Crud Roadracer Mk3
Best for: a “race-blade” style clip-on mudguard
Family-run business Crud Products has been manufacturing bike accessories in the UK for over 30 years. The Roadracer Mk3, as you may have surmised, is the third iteration of their popular “race-blade”-style plastic-clip on mudguard set for road and racing bikes which don’t have the clearances or fixing mounts for traditional fixed guards.
The Roadracer Mk3 features a unique “super-fast” fixing system for an extremely close fit to the wheel without the need for tools. The Mk3 has a little more wiggle room than its forebearers, suitable for tyres up to 38mm wide, and for all brake systems.
Fitting is accomplished with the use of Duotech “Interloc” system –super-strong velcro-style strips which attach to your frame. Just stick the strips on (two at the front fork, two on the seat stays), and tenderly offer up the mudguards which already have the corresponding strips attached. It’s worth taking your time with this to ensure correct alignment with your wheel – but all in all, a painless fitting process suitable for even the most mudguard-incompatible frames.
The Roadracers are pretty long for clip-on style guards – once fitted, they provide excellent coverage at the front to ensure your feet remain dry and your chainset remains nice and clean. At the back, coverage is more than enough to protect the rider, though at high speeds anyone in your slipstream might catch a bit of spray. Still, for the money, performance and ease of fitting, you won’t be disappointed.
Buy now £39.99, Wiggle
Velobrands Widget Mudguards
Best for: a reflective mudguard
Perhaps surprisingly, there aren’t a huge number of reflective mudguards on the market. But for those who want to stay seen, you’d struggle to do better than a pair of Widget mudguards.
Sporting a similar kind of ultra-high-visibility coating to what you might find on a high-end reflective cycling jacket, these bad boys are seriously reflective. Almost resembling fluorescent strip lights when illuminated by a car headlight beam, they should keep you clearly visible to motorists up to a good couple of hundred meters away, even on unlit roads.
Once fitted, these guards look and feel much higher calibre than the next pair of plastic mudguards, with stainless steel fastenings and a black mudflap on each fender. They also feature a quick-release safety feature on all clips, and are available in a range of sizes to fit tyres with diameters from 20mm right up to 45mm.
When it comes to fitting, these mudguards are fairly “traditional”: you’ll require cutters or a saw – along with a modicum of patience – to cut the stainless-steel stays to length, and an Allen key or two to secure everything in place. Fortunately, a generous selection of fixtures is provided to accommodate either calliper, disk or V-brakes as well as a variety of frame types. The stays are designed to affix to mudguard eyelets – so if you don’t fancy faffing around with P clips, you’ll want to opt for the quick-fit “blade” version of these guards, which are suitable for bikes without eyelets.
Buy now £39.99, Velobrands
Velo Orange Hammered Fenders
Best for: full-length mudguards
For many of us, a bike is just a vehicle. We ride it from A to B, lock it up, go about our business. But maybe your bike is much more than that. Maybe your bike is a companion, a comrade! Perhaps, even, you’d say your bike is a treasured friend. And maybe, just possibly, it’s time you bought your bike a really nice present to show it just how much you care.
Allow us to introduce you to the Velo Orange Hammered Fenders. Sporting an eye-catching hammered pattern, these full-length aluminium alloy fenders (somehow, it feels wrong to just call them “mudguards”) are available in either a smooth black or shimmering high-polished silver finish.
Everything about these fenders is high quality – they even have leather washers to prevent the wrap-around polished aluminium stays from rubbing against them and scuffing that lovely hammered finish.
Fitting is something of a labour of love, as with any full-length style mudguard – though the front fender is pre-drilled to mount to your fork, and a wide range of fittings are provided to ensure compatibility with the vast majority of bike frames. Once secured, the extra-thick stays provide probably the sturdiest fit of any guards we tested.
At 45mm wide, these are fairly chunky – though, as long as they fit your frame, this is no bad thing from either a style or performance standpoint. At the moment, these are available for 700c and 27” wheels, and are suitable for tyres up to 35mm wide. If you’re looking to treat your bike to something nice, look no further.
Buy now £70.00, Freshtripe
Musguard Omni Set
Best for: Portability and versatility
The result of a successful Kickstarter campaign, Musguards are mudguards with a twist – once the wet weather has passed, they can be easily unstrapped from your bike frame and rolled up for easy stowage in a bag, pannier or pocket. When rolled, a clever integrated clip keeps them tightly stowed until you’re ready to use them again.
Like some of the other clip-on guard we reviewed, Musguards are each made from a single piece of polypropylene sheet (in this case, just 0.8mm thick!) which is given extra origami-like rigidity through a few strategic folds. Musguards score extra points here for being made from recycled material, and they’re available in a range of colours to get that perfect match with your bike frame and/or helmet.
In testing, these could be easily removed and rolled up in under 10 seconds. They took a little longer to put on, just under a minute per mudguard at first try. For the forgetful, instructions are clearly printed on the guards themselves – though the process is so easy you probably won’t need to refer to these very often.
While the rear guard is perhaps a little flappy, we were still impressed with the amount of grip exerted by the fixings, which consist of silicone-coated hook-and-loop straps to prevent slippage. Mounting the rear guard close to the wheel provided excellent protection, and different pitch options mean it can be easily fitted to virtually any bike frame. The front fender was sturdy as anything and provided great protection.
One area where these really excel is weight: the “standard” size (for tyres in the 28-47mm width range) rear guard weighs 54g while the front guard weighs just 37g. These also come in a “wide” size to suit tyres up to 72mm wide. If you need something lightweight which you can take on and off as required, the Musguards are a great shout.
Buy now £49.00, Musguard
Hebie Viper 742
Best for: hassle-free bolt-ons
These smart plastic bolt-on guards blur the boundary between traditional “permanent” fenders and lightweight clip-on. These mudguards don’t use stays – rather they each feature a long steel clip that slots into the top of each guard. The clip can then be bolted easily to the bolt-holes at the top of your bike’s front fork and rear seat stays.
The result is extremely easy attachment – you’ll just need an Allen key and a few minutes – but sturdy and reliable connection to your bike. They’re made from rigid plastic that feels particularly sturdy, and the lack of stays or extraneous clips provides a pretty sleek and inconspicuous look. They also provide much better protection than standard clip-on guards, with integrated splash guards/flaps on both the front and rear.
This set are suitable for 28” or 700c wheels, and are 35mm wide – making them suitable for most racing or commuter/hybrid bikes.
We were seriously impressed with these, especially for just £27 – sturdy construction means they’re certainly not your average cheapo plastic mudguards, and attaching them was so easy it made us wonder why more mudguards don’t use the same method.
Buy now £27.00, Amba Distribution
