Once a vanishingly rare sight, many premium endurance road bikes now have mudguard mounts, but brands haven’t gone far enough. All road bikes – yes, even aero bikes – should have eyelets to fit fenders.
Clip-on mudguards are not a good enough solution, and there is no credible reason not to have mudguard eyelets on every road bike. Contemporary bikes such as the ENVE Melee, Trek Domane and, more recently, the new Canyon Endurace CF and CF SLX show it’s possible to integrate them without any drawbacks. The minuscule extra weight of including eyelets will have absolutely no impact on performance and, done properly, they have virtually no effect on aesthetics either.
I concede the number of people who want to fit mudguards to their aero bike may be relatively limited. However, it’s hardly outrageous to suggest that riders who only have the money, or space, for a single bike may choose to ride it through the winter months. Then, for many riders around the world, mudguards are both a practical and social necessity.
Equally, for those who opt to keep their bikes for a long time, previous race or summer bikes often get demoted to winter or training duties. Why not future-proof your bike with around six inconsequential eyelets?
There’s an even clearer case for including mudguard mounts on climbing, or all-rounder, bikes such as the Cervélo R5, Specialized Aethos or Orbea Orca to name a few.
If going fast is your overriding concern, then an aero road bike is almost always the logical choice. But all-rounder and climbing bikes are bought by everyday riders who – to borrow Specialized’s marketing phrase for the Aethos – ride for “the love of riding”.
Does your love of riding not extend to the winter months?
Extremist views
If you’re reading this from warmer climes than mine and feel baffled by my fringe fight for fender freedom, fear not. Just because a bike has mudguard eyelets does not mean you have to use them.
SKS is not going to storm your house in the night and force you to fit a pair of Bluemels to your hypothetically eyelet-equipped Madone at knifepoint.
Like tubeless tyres, 1x drivetrains, carbon wheels, or any other kind of divisive tech, you are under no obligation to adopt anything you don’t want on your bike.
But surely having the choice to fit an essential accessory for those who wish to do so – or if the need arises for you – is only a good thing?
"It should be legal to punch your face"
Of course, this is the internet, so my trivial wish has split our wonderful audience along deeply divided lines.
One commenter on last week’s podcast, where I made this same argument, says they “wholeheartedly agree,” and “wouldn't consider a new bike without mudguard mounts.”
Another agrees, saying “I have limited space – I need an all year bike… hidden mounts on all [bikes] for me.”
Others were less enthusiastic.
One commenter accused me of creating “intentional rage bait”, while one argued “it should be legal to punch your face just for this.”
Amid the outrage, there were some reasonable points in there. “I live in California – don’t ruin all bikes just because you have shit weather,” argued another commenter.
But naysayers be damned – I remain unmoved. The modern crop of road bikes shows it is possible to integrate mudguard mounts so neatly that it becomes a case of… well, why not?
Outside of road bikes, the enormous popularity of gravel bikes has demonstrated riders love the versatility of a bike capable of doing more than one thing well.
From that perspective, it is my steadfast belief that mudguards are an essential component of a versatile road bike, and I will not cease this fight for fender justice until you can all enjoy a life free of a big wet bum.
