After lots of very dirty and wet commutes last winter I had decided nice and early that when the winter of 2022 rolled around I would purchase some mudguards for my gravel bike.
A decision that some of my friends were very much against on the grounds of ‘coolness’ and ‘aesthetics’. However, it’s my bike and my backside that I would be protecting so I stuck to my guns and bought some!
After a decent amount of online research and review reading I had settled on the SKS Speedrocker Set.
If you prefer to consume video content then click below to watch the full unboxing, fitting, on the road review, and final review! If you’re a reader then carry on scrolling for what I thought of them.
This mudguard / fender set is for both the front and rear wheels and is made specifically for gravel bikes with tyres up to 42mm in width. It is worth noting here that they are made for 700c wheels. As I’m currently running 35mm tyres these sounded perfect and I liked what I had read in the reviews.
I shopped around for while looking for the best price and the best I could get was on Wiggle as it contained a member rewards discount of 12%. Click here to check your Wiggle price.
When they arrived they were nicely packaged and only weighed in at just over 400g for the pair. The plastic was strong and didn’t have much flex to it which I liked. If they were going to survive the rides around the Scottish Borders they would need to be made of strong stuff.
How they arrived.
The mounting points had rubber protectors which also ensured a close fit to the frame and after looking at all the separate components (rubber straps, velcro straps, and rubber mount protectors) even I could see how all of it was going to attach to the bike.
Not every bike has the same geometry so getting the guards in exactly the right place so that they didn’t move and didn’t rub was definitely the trickiest part. However, once it was done I was happy with how they looked and happy that they stood a good chance of staying in place.
Time to test them out I guess!
Sleek looking design in my opinion.
An evening spin with some friends in mixed weather on mixed terrain. Perfect.
My bike and I went over all sorts of bumps, through all sorts of water and mud and so when we stopped at the half way point of our ride I was intrigued, and nervous, to see if my back was still clean.
IT WAS!!
Not a spot of mud in sight!
Not a drop of mud or water had got up onto the rear of my bib tights or rain cape. The rear of my bike was equally as clean and my worries about spending £50 on mudguards had been squashed.
It was the same result by the time I got home and by this point I had a huge smile due to the fact the guards had worked and that I had fitted them well.
In short – if you are looking for some mudguards / fenders for your gravel or road bike then I would definitely recommend the SKS Speedrocker Set. The really do work!
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