Mudguards, kickstands and bells
Mudguards are the single change that makes winter commuting tolerable, and the reason people go without is usually that their frame has no mounting eyelets. This list covers both cases, and finishes with the part that is a legal requirement in much of Europe and costs a couple of euros.
Coverage, and whether your frame can take a full-length guard at all.
Full-length guards run from just behind the bottom bracket to well down the back of the rear wheel, and they keep the spray off you, off the bike and off whoever is riding behind. Clip-on guards cover perhaps half of that. The difference shows up as a wet stripe up your back.
1. SKS SPEEDROCKER, 28 inch. A front and rear set for gravel and road, made in Germany, from the manufacturer this category is built around. It is first because it is a proper set rather than a pair of flaps, and because SKS parts are still available years later — which matters on a component whose usual failure is a broken stay rather than a broken guard. SKS states a wheel size and not a tire clearance figure, which is the specification you actually need, so ask the seller for it.
2. BALOU MTB mudguard set, 24–29 inch. Front and rear, clip-on, explicitly needing no eyelets, across a 24 to 29 inch range. This is the answer for a frame that cannot take a bolted guard, and the wide size range means one set covers most of a household. Less coverage than a full-length guard, and nothing else fits.
3. Büchel mini bell, 35 mm. Up to 100 dB, fitting 21.8 and 28 mm bars with the supplied rubber inserts, rotating 360°. It is the cheapest item on this entire site and in several countries it is not optional. Two bar diameters covered rather than one is the detail worth having, because flat bars are commonly 22.2 mm at the grips.
Measure the gap between your tire and the underside of the fork crown, and between the tire and the seatstay bridge. Those two gaps, not the wheel size, decide whether a full-length guard goes on.
The main case. Guards keep the spray off you, your bag and the bike's bearings, and that last one is underrated.
Where the rear guard and its flap are a courtesy rather than a comfort, and where clubs often require them.
Where clip-on guards make sense because they come off for the summer.
A different product entirely: short guards that stop face-height spray without clogging with mud.
| Your bike | The guards | The check |
|---|---|---|
| Has mudguard eyelets | Full-length guards | Tire clearance |
| No eyelets | Clip-on guards | How securely they mount |
| Group riding | Long rear flap | Club requirements |
| Off-road | Short spray guards | Mud clearance |
Mudguards loosen, and a loose guard rattles and then cracks at a stay. Winter grit also builds up between guard and tire, which is where the rubbing starts.
A guard that jams a wheel is a serious hazard.
28 inch set · front and rear · gravel and road · made in Germany
A 28-inch mudguard set from a specialist German manufacturer, aimed at gravel and road bikes and sold as a complete front and rear set.
Best for: Gravel and road bikes ridden through winter, where guard quality shows up over a season.
≈ $86
Front and rear · 24–29 inch · clip-on, no eyelets needed
A front and rear mudguard set for 24 to 29 inch mountain bike wheels, mounting without frame eyelets.
Best for: Mountain bikes and gravel bikes with no mudguard eyelets, where some coverage beats none.
35 mm (1.38 in) dome · to 100 dB · 21.8 and 28 mm (1.10 in) bars · 360° rotating
A 35 mm (1.38 in) mini bell stated at up to 100 dB, fitting 21.8 and 28 mm (1.10 in) bars with supplied rubber inserts, in rustproof steel.
Best for: A bell for a city bike, where the requirement is to have one and be heard.
≈ $42
Tire clearance, not wheel size. A guard has to clear the tire by a few millimeters across its full width, and the figure that matters is the gap between your tire and the frame or fork. Wheel size tells you the guard's radius; clearance tells you whether it goes in.
Clip-on guards mount to the seatpost and fork legs with straps or clamps rather than to threaded eyelets. They cover less than a full-length guard and they go on any frame, which is the trade.
In several European countries, yes, and the requirement is national. Germany and the Netherlands are among those requiring one. Check the rules for where you ride — they are set by road traffic law rather than by anything a manufacturer states.
For winter commuting they are far more effective than clip-ons, and they protect the bike's bearings as well as you. They need mounting eyelets and clearance.
Clip-on guards, which mount to the seatpost, fork and frame tubes. They cover less but they are a real improvement over nothing.
Long enough that the spray goes onto the road rather than onto the rider behind. Many clubs specify this, and it is the courtesy that matters in a group.
Usually clearance, a loose stay, or grit packed between guard and tire. All three are worth fixing rather than living with.
A fitting that lets the guard break away if something jams between it and the tire. It prevents the front wheel locking, which is a genuine hazard.
Marginally, and far less than riding in soaked clothing does. For commuting the trade is not close.
For the rider who: Gravel and road bikes ridden through winter, where guard quality shows up over a season.
Biggest plus: From SKS, a manufacturer that makes mudguards as its main business
Biggest minus: The most expensive item in this family
For the rider who: Mountain bikes and gravel bikes with no mudguard eyelets, where some coverage beats none.
Biggest plus: Covers 24 to 29 inch, which is every mountain bike wheel size in current use
Biggest minus: Clip-on guards cover less of the wheel than full-length ones with stays
For the rider who: A bell for a city bike, where the requirement is to have one and be heard.
Biggest plus: Two bar diameters covered by supplied inserts, so it fits most bikes without a second order
Biggest minus: Does not cover 31.8 mm (1.25 in) bars, which is where many modern stems clamp
Spares and fitting kit from the same aisle, at the price we read. Confirm they match the bike and the part you chose before ordering: it turns on the standard and the part number, which the listing gives.
Direct match-ups already published between two picks from this guide or this aisle.
Everything listed is drawn from the catalog of this site. Specifications are the published ones, from the maker and from Amazon; prices are what Keepa recorded on the date shown, and both move. The order rests on declared specifications, on stated strengths against stated limits, and on price. None of this kit has been ridden by us, and the page makes no such claim.
Last checked on
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
Bike racks, trainers and computers swing by thirty dollars or more across the year, and the biggest "discounts" often land at prices the same model sold for six weeks earlier. UniverTrack tracks the real price history across retailers, spots fake reductions, and alerts you when it is genuinely the moment to buy.
