Alex: Mudguards or fenders, if you're in America, are great if you're riding in
wet and wintery conditions and I think they're great. How about you, Ollie?
Ollie: Yes, I'm not convinced, mate. Alex: Well, in this video, we're going to
show you why they're great at keeping you, your bike, and your friends clean and dry.
Ollie: How are we going to do that? Alex: I've got a little surprise lined up.
Mudguards help keep us clean and dry by stopping our tires spraying the water from
the roads all over us. The rear one can even help a rider who's sat behind to stay cleaner.
Ollie: Before we begin, though, I'm intrigued. I want to know what proportion of you
actually use mudguards when they're riding in winter or in dirty conditions. Hey,
click on screen and vote now. Alex: I love mudguards and back when I was
training as a pro, I would always have mudguards on my winter training bikes to help fight
the bad wintery conditions and keep me warm, dry, and clean. These are my secret weapon. [chuckles]
Ollie: I, on the other hand, I'm a tough northerner who laughs [laughs]
in the face of rain and cold weather. I don't think mudguards help much and we should just get
on with it and embrace the conditions we ride in. Alex: Well, Ollie, as promised, I've got a plan
to prove just how effective mudguards are. Are you ready?
You look ridiculous. [laughs] Ollie: Well, yes, you're not the
only person who can do magic around here. Alex: Bloody hell. What on earth's going
on? How the hell did you do that? Ollie: Not my first rodeo my friend.
Alex: Well, now that we've got that out of the way, I've got a nice little test loop lined up,
so I guess we'll crack on and see how these mudguards are, shall we? Let's go.
Ollie: Do you even see? Alex: Yes, I can see.
Have you got anything on underneath yours? Ollie: Yes.
[music] Alex: Ollie, we've done a little
bit of riding and how are you finding it? Ollie: Tell you what mate,
I feel proper aero in it. Alex: Yes, good. Well, and
the reason we've got obviously our morph suits on today it's just to highlight the effectiveness of,
well, my mudguards verses you with no mudguards. It's just a real clear visual representation.
[music] Alex:
We've completed our short little ride and I've taken us on some of the dirtiest
lanes I could find. I suppose we should check out the results of our experiment.
Ollie: What is it? [music]
Alex: Mudguards have improved loads over the last few years and there are tons of different
variations out there. I'm using these clip-on ones from Topeka that fit virtually any bike,
even those without proper mudguard mounts. Ollie: That's all well and good but
it would be a crime against Italian style to put mudguards on a bike. I don't even think they fit
to be honest. Plus mudguards they add weight to your bike and, crucially, they're not aero which
is great today because it means you have to work harder than me and I can ride faster than you.
Alex: It's winter so speed isn't everything because what we're all about, we're trying to keep
warm and dry. Not only are my mudguards keeping me, well, so far, considerably cleaner than you,
they're also going to keep my bike and components cleaner and drier meaning
they're just going to last a little bit longer. Ollie: Got to be honest though, mate, I'm not
totally convinced. Yes, I've got a few more spots of mud on me, but
we look pretty much the same. Alex: Well, you're only thinking
from the knee down we're the same, you have not seen the outrageous skid mark on your
bum. It is ridiculous. Ollie: What do you
mean I've got mud on my backside? Alex: Outside of [unintelligible 00:04:04], mate.
Rear mudguards are most effective, but front mudguards will help keep your feet and lower
legs cleaner too. While they're great for solo rides, if you ride in a group when other riders
do not have mudguards, then you're still going to get a bit wet and dirty from the spray from their
ties as well. That's not so great. [music]
Alex: I suppose to answer our question, do mudguards keep you clean? Well, yes, I guess
they do. Whilst we probably don't recommend them if you're trying to race, if you're out riding
by yourself or training by yourself most of the time, then, of course, they do keep yourself and
bike super clean. If you're out riding in groups and your friends haven't invested in mudguards,
then their benefits are actually quite slim. Ollie: I'll tell you what? I didn't want to
admit this but seeing how much cleaner you are, I want to get some mudguards on there
[unintelligible 00:04:58] anyway. Well, do let us know what you think of this video on this really,
really high-tech scientific experiment in the comments below and we'll see you in the next one.
Alex: Well, I can't believe how clean I've [inaudible 00:05:11]
[laughter] Ollie:
Surely that's worth a thumbs up. [00:05:24] [END OF AUDIO]