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review

Full Windsor Quickfix rear mudguard

8
£14.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Good design, easy to mount, provide a better level of rear cover than most quickly attached mudguards
Weight: 
85g

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There's still a bit of life in our wet and windy spring yet, so these Full Windsor Quickfix rear mudguards might be a life-saver.

Full Windsor is a London-based bicycle accessories design company, named after its founder, Mark Windsor. From the name, you might think they actually make ties, but in fact these are mudguards with a clear resemblance to a necktie. Made from durable plastic and available in a range of colours, they're easy to fix and work very well.

There are two models, which only differ in how you attach them to the bike: the Fold'n'Fix is fixed with cable ties, while the QuickFix is attached with poppers. Each is a tapered piece of plastic, that's wide over the wheel, narrower at the 'neck' of the seat stays and then wider again where the mudguard meets the seat tube. To put it on, you fold the plastic by pinching and feed it through the gap above the brake bridge. It then attaches to the seat stays and the seat tube, either with cable ties or poppers, depending on which model you have. Simples. Took me about 10 seconds to understand and 20 seconds to do - and you can watch a little video here, if you like.

They're also easy to adjust, so there's no scraping on the wheel, and they come with little clear vinyl stickers, to protect your paint from rubbing. The Full Windsors are only designed for bikes with twin seat stays - so no wishbone stays - and centre-pull calliper brakes won't work either. Normal side-pull callipers and cantilevers are fine, so they're good for probably 95% of road and commuter bikes out there.

It seems to me these have one huge advantage over most other easily attached rear mudguards - they give some protection from rear-wheel spray towards the seat tube. This means your feet, calves and the backs of your thighs stay much dryer. It works well and the design is truly easy to use.

I mainly used the poppered one - the QuickFix. The Fold'n'Fix, while slightly more streamlined and discreet, seemed to lose the crucial on-again-off-again-stash-em-in-yer-bag advantage of the poppers. I just couldn't be bothered farting around with cable ties.

The poppered version is a little more expensive, but I reckon it's worth it. I've not seen any of the more 'disposable' rear mudguards (I'd say quick fix, but that'd quickly get confusing) that are as elegant or as efficient as a proper set of full-wheel, close-fitting mudguards, but these work very well, and are less dorky looking than most. Overall, the Full Windsors come highly recommended, for a quick, convenient solution to keeping the rain off your behind.

Verdict

Good design, easy to mount, provide a better level of rear cover than most quickly attached mudguards.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Full Windsor Quickfix rear mudguard

Size tested: Silver

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Urban cyclists who want a no-nuts-and-bolts solution to mudguards - a rear mudguard that you can put on when it's wet, and take off and stash away when it's not.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Definitely kept more of me dry than most other quick-fix mudguards, and especially seatpost-mounted ones, which provide no mudguard cover between the rear wheel and the seat tube.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

Durable plastic, and recyclable. The company says it's UV stable, so can be left outside.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The design, the ease of use.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I don't like the look of most quick-fix plastic mudguards, but these weren't the worst offenders for sure.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 1.78m  Weight: 65kg

I usually ride: Cinelli Strato road or fixed commuter hack.  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

 

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