With Rain now at my doorstep, it's long over due to add a Mad Flap to my bike. What is a good height (above the ground) for a Mud Flap? Who make the best one and why?

I bought long fenders and a on the front I attatched a strip of rubbery yoga mat (with black duct tape) I trimmed it about a quarter inch above the ground. It will rub over stones or ridges of dirt, but it doesn't hurt it, and it keeps my toes and bike spray free. I have no rear flap, but if I needed one, like if I rode regularly in a group in the rain, I'd do the same.

I really Like the Bibia mudflaps, I run them about 1" from the ground. All you need to mount them is a pair of pliers.


Tour
Bibia Touring Clip-On Mudflap | Evans Cycles
Bibia Touring Black rubber Mudflap - £7.99

Classic
Home / Bicycle Parts City Bike / Bicycle Mudflap / Bibia Mudflap Classic



I got 3 for $22 with shipping from here,
Bibia Bicycle Mud Flaps | eBay

A rule of thumb that I read is to make sure it's lower than a line between the tire contact point and the pedal at the bottom of its rotation.

Electra wins out for aesthetics.

My planet bike fenders came with mud flaps.

Homemade mud flaps. alex wetmore's bicycle pages


When mounting your homemade mudflap. Just drill two holes side by side and secure it with a cable tie. They'll last years. I've never had one wear out on me. And even if it did, big deal, just replace it. cheap, effective and quick.

Keep in mind that the front mudflap can pick up small sticks, possibly resulting in an endo. I still use them, but am very careful what I ride over.

Yep, full-coverage Planet Bike fenders on my commuter. Cascadia is the model, I think. I run them with 30mm smooth tires and v-brakes.

I would say, yes to drawing a line between bottom of pedal rotation, and bottom of tire, and if you block that, it should keep everything dry for the most part. I'd caution against going too low with something fixed too firmly, because if you get a flat, it will scrape and possibly push the whole fender up, potentially damaging it. Even if fender is OK, you could damage your mud flap and ruin its mounting points.

- Andy

I just make my own out of heavy-duty rubber toolbox/drawer liner. I run about 4" up inside the fender and attach it with heavy-duty double sided tape. Cheap,effective,and the rubber is flexible enough that I don't worry about it catching anything.

I made a mudflap for my front fender out of a 1/2-gallon milk jug and affixed it with a repurposed curtain hook:

I do the milk jug thing too. I think the flap needs some weight OR some rigidity, because if wind lifts it too much, it isn't blocking spray so well. And weight is to be avoided.

I use a pair that I bought on the RUSA website. They are made out of a reflective material.

I use PlanetBike Cascadia fenders with full length coverage, great mudflaps and break-away fittings on the front fender. After reading all the lockup from ice and sticks stories here, I wouldn't ride a fendered bike without breakaway fittings on the front fender.

my planetbike fenders have them attached as well. I have to get in the mindset to keep my pedals flat or parallel to the ground versus one foot lower than the other.

I like the Velo Orange leather ones. Though I do pair them with metal fenders. They're quite thick and rigid.

I'm not sure how much credence I'd give some of those "stories", countless bikes have had rigidly mounted metal fenders fenders for the past 100+ years for use all over the world under every conceivable condition.
Of course anything is possible, you could be struck by a meteor too, but if you don't do a hamfisted install of junk fenders the odds are highly in your favor nothing will happen.

Struts have gotten lighter and more crunch-vulnerable.

Breakaway fenders..... what is this, demolition derby?

- Andy

I did have a fender strut break on me and jam my wheel up. It could have been bad. It was in the front. I don't think it's a big danger, but it could happen.

Yeah, I looked at some at a LBS that looked like they were made from packaging material and coat hangers.

What's the rationale for having them angled back and (as a consequence) so wide? Worry about scraping it coming off a curb?

Oh my, that sounds disconcerting. I've had the screw come off my rear fender on my old bike. Steel U stays & steel fender. Boy did that make a racket ALL THE WAY HOME.

You don't want slush & muck building up in there, so having the bottom flared out a bit is a natural way to avoid it. I've ridden my old bike in 2 inches of snow, and it gets packed in there fast.... if there was a mud flap on there not flared out a bit, it would create a big clump of gunk just waiting to splatter out & be run over by rear tire or keep the treads on the tire from loosing the muck by centrifugal force, & worst case scenario you pick something up & it just keeps rubbing on the tread, possibly causing a flat.

Lots of people don't use helmets or seatbelts, both have saved my bacon as did the breakaway fenders. I popped a strut when a flock of ducks swarmed me on the MUP. I was sure I was going down and the duck was getting beheaded. Strut popped, duck lived and I didn't go down. Lots of folks sounded like you (meteor odds?) when seat belts and air bags came out, it's your mobility, risk it as you see fit.