Do you bother with mudguards?
 

Most of the fatbike pictures I’ve seen show the bikes without mudguards (fenders) fitted. Have you decided to fit mudguards on to your fatbike? If so, which ones and did they work for you?

I’ve got a set of Crud Urban Racepac mudguards that I’m going to try out for the Winter months.

I put the Portland Design Mudshovels on mine. Originally I didn't think I need them since we here are not supposed to go on wet trails. But I ended up to go over construction sites nearby and got muddy inc. drivetrain.

That one looks good. Hard to find in the UK, but there's one retailer that sells it. I'll how my Crud Urbans fare as they're not really fat bike mudguards but should be wide enough.

My mudguards are optional, depending on the ride and conditions. I prefer the open wheels, but those tires will throw A LOT of crap if it's wet.

I have the PDW Dave's Mud Shovel rear and the SKS GrandDAD front.

Attachment 592040

Mine is parked right now due to a lack of fenders/mudguards.

Those big tires kick up a lot of slush, and salty slush tastes awful.

Incidentally, the Planet Bike "Big Buck" front fender is not compatible with the Surly Pugsley steel fork. The mount won't hold.

Make your own Mudguards
 

Armed with a roll up toboggan (slippery plastic) and a pair of strong scissors I made a useful fenders/ mudguards for my Felt. Total cost was $3.77 (on sale!) and an old MTB fender I had kicking around. Drilled holes and color coordinated zip ties hold most of it together.

The Cruds I have are totally hopeless on a fat bike! The rear is way too narrow and only covers about 70% of the tyre width. So, my search continues for fat bike mudguards.

There's a couple of outlets in the UK that produce fat bike mudguards. There's the Fathugger front mudguard, but it is incredibly expensive for what it is:

https://www.themudhugger.co.uk/colle...ucts/fathugger

Then there's RRPs Fatguard front mudguard:

RapidRacerProducts | FatGuard

Went for the SKS Fatboards in the end. You get a front mudguard that's mounted under the downtube and a rear mudguard that is attached to the seatpost. I'll post pics and a mini-review once I've got them.

Does your GrandDAD fender shake/rattle a lot? Mine does. Just mounted one recently. The mount inside the steerer is secure, it's the independent fender "blades" that rattle around.

Yes, my GrandDAD is rattly in the mount. I've done 100s of miles without it becoming an issue (just annoying at times).

I might just need to invest in some Big O fenders. Those big tires really do kick up muck, and when riding around town on roads that are a mix of salt/slush/snow/ice, it's just disgusting. Like spraying me in the face disgusting, which to me makes it unridable without fenders.

SKS Germany Fatboard Set
 

After a long search I think I've finally found 'the one' in terms of fatbike mudguards that I'm happy with. I received the SKS Fatboard Set this morning so here's a few pictures and a mini-review of the product.

Firstly, the front mudguard is a downtube mounted one that ties around the downtube using supplied Velcro strips. These strips are very long so you do need to cut them down to size. The amount of strip that provides the grip is only around an inch so the security of the mount remains to be seen.

The rear mudguard is a copy of the front one with an added seatpost mount bracket. I've had to remove my light in order to get the position I wanted (horizontal) and there are two hinge points that help you to choose your desired position. If you have your seatpost quite high then you should not have any issues with any seatpost mounted lights interfering. Being short, my seatpost is quite low so I'll be getting a light that attaches to the back of my saddle.

Installation is very simple. The front mudguard is fitted using two Velcro straps, although I did have to remove and refit my bottle cage so that the lower strap could be secured to the downtube. The rear mudguard requires a 4mm hex wrench to adjust the two pivot points. The rubberised fabric strap that secures the mudguard to the seatpost can be adjusted easily by hand. This ease of fitting also makes the mudguard very easy to steal, but that's not an issue for me as I never leave my bike unattended out on a ride.

The grip on the seatpost is very good and the mudguard stays in place if knocked by your knee when mounting the bike.

Here's the finished look on my bike.

https://i.imgur.com/fIWrqlq.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/07aJTUY.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/o4J0Lv3.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/rhlcBmu.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/nqYqSDb.jpg


Pros: German engineering, quality, looks, ease of fitting
Cons: Easy to steal

No.

Those downtube "fenders" don't do much. Plus, one of the most important things to block, in my experience, is the face spray from the font tire. That's where something like the GrandD.A.D. comes in handy.

Or maybe some Big Os...

I suppose if you're using your fatbike for its intended purpose of riding in snow, sand or mud, you'd need more protection. However, I only ride for leisure on roads and cycle paths and the worst weather my bike would ever see is some rain. In fact, I rode in rain this morning and the mudguards I have worked very well for me.