Bikeshop
IS £23.99
Bontrager Approved Fenders
£24.99
Outwardly these fenders looksimi'ar to the SKS,
starig a sim.lar material for the gisaid (ABS plastic)
wh'ch is just as tough in our twist test. They do have
an advantage over the SKS In being highly
adjustable, the stays having independent slidir.g
mounts allowing plenty of fore and aft rotation of
the guard. This does make fining them tiick'erihan a
fixed guard but with patience it allows you to get the
litjust so The stays don't have a release system but
we found that if an object was trapped between
guard and tyre, (he independent stay mounts
allowed the guard more twist than a fixed mount,
making for a lot of dragrather than sudden stopping
-notioeai but better than nothing.
SKS Raceblades £39.99
Raceblades have been a'ound fot a couple of years
and areiheideal solution if you only ha« one bike
which you use through the winter. These will fit
pietty much any bike that doesn't have the
appropriate mudguard eyelet braze-on; -as with
so many o! ihe latest carbon frame;. SKS makes
claims about their lightweight (J55g a pair) and
aerodynamic qualities, but if you're more concerned
will) saving weight tiian keeping your bum dry then
you really need to rethink your priorities.
Firtingis5imple,notoolsre<pred,altriougha
pair ofscissors are handy for cutting excess rubhei
from the mounts. The stainless stays allow the guard
section to slide fore and aft to get the position just
right, ihe rubber mounts have holes for cable ties
(included) to make the fit more peimanent, and you
For lideisin die know, SIC is THE name in 01 nib at all. Ml hardware is stainless steel. They also feature
mudguards. It uses a design that has been around SKSs Secu-clip system which keeps the slays in place at the
fordonkeys'years-and there's onesimple reason hub end, but will automatically'pop'out in the event of an
forth3i: they workandwoik well. IheP35's gjani or object catching between tyre and guard; this is an excellent
fer.derismade !rom'chrornop!astic',a thin piece of safety measure. In all, the P35is the standard by winch all
alummiumfciri encased in p'astic, which gives the gujids should be measured
di^tlntt metallic look lor ihe silver versions. "Ilii? i^ j!c 35,45,50,55mm
hsdwEsririg arid Wiy res istantto cracking-we res Secu-clip stay mounts (front), integrated rear
twisted ours around and back on itself and a ditfn't reflector, front mudllap
crack or stress. SKS www.chickencycles.co.uk
Our test models - the slefk-looking black
veision - were easy to fit BOW Kinesis Racelighil
testbike. P355l!avea35mrn width and takeatyre Simple, safe, strong and
well-designed: SKS guards
up to ZSmm. We got a nice close fit with 23rnrn and
come highly recommended
once everything was tightened off they didn't catch
Although the quoted width is 37mm (ior tyies up to
28mm) the profile -more rounded than the s(pre-ish SKS -
makes them appear bigger to this, and they're alsoawlable
in45 and 60mm widths. In a!! they're a great guard especially
with the adjustability, marked down [bribe small hard plastic
Haps which have little effect, and the lack of a safety stay
feature on iheftoniguard.
.ik-37,45,60mm
n ■- Integrated rear reflector, front and rear mudllaps
ontrager Trek« 01908 282626 www.ttekbikes.com
A little mare fussy to lit
than the SKS guards, but
far mo re adjustable
£14.99
What Raleigh has provided here is perhaps one of also availableifi Z6inwheel sizes (silverand black) -well
thegreat bargains, madefor Raleigh by SKS, and suited for mountain bike-baseci city bikes such as the
shanngtheASR (auto-stay release) Hxtutesand Ridgebart range and (arreia's various Subway mod els -and in
stainless metal wcrk with the SKS BSuemels silver only to fit bikes with 700c wheels.
(cheaperthan the P senes with a similar rounded Size; available 26in, 70Qc - both 60mm only
proEletotheguard). They dofeel a little mere flimsy ret SKS ASR front stay mount integrated rear
butthat'sat least in part down tothe size tested - reflector, fro ntmudflap
6Cmm. Accoiding to Raleigh thernaterial is'impact
resistantABS; and theyitood up to the Mistiest as
well as the SKS.
At this size they'll fit a tyre up to Jimmsoare
deal for hybrids or more roughstuff tourers or
expedition bikes, and fitting is simple, as you'd These unbadgedSKS guards
aieareal bargain if they
ejpectrromanSKSdesign.TheRaleighguaidsare
suit your tyre choice
can see why: without them the guards can be easily knocked,
leading to tyre rub. They pnwfije ample protection from the
elements with only the minimum of oveisprayfonhe shorter
shape-nothingiomakethingsur.comfortarjleorgetyou
really iilthy. If you want to keep tiding you; race bike come rain
or shine these Racebladet are the best choice: they do the job
well, they're just ai easy to remove as lit and, unlike P-chps, the
soft mounts won't maik your frame.
I Raceblade up to 23mm tyres,
Raceblade XL 25-32mm tyres
ir:;5ilver, black, carbon effect
SKS www.chickencycles.co.uk
If your bike does n't have
eyelets then these WlH
keep your bum dry
MARCH 2008CYCLING PLUS 119