Zefal Shield R30 road mudguard set

Zefal Shield R30 mudguards are a new option for those who want a dry bum in the winter despite riding a close-clearance road bike. They do keep the spray off, once you've puzzled your way through getting them installed.

If you ride a road bike with no mudguard eyes and and you want to stay dry when it rains, you have three widely-available choices: Crud Roadracer Mk 2s (£29.99), SKS Race Blade Long (£44.99) and these new Shield R30 guards from French accessory maker Zefal.

Once they're fitted, the Shield R30s do indeed keep your bum dry. They also have a fairly long rear section so they'll reduce the spray you fling over anyone behind you, an important consideration unless you're a real Billy No-mates. The front mudguard comes a long way round the wheel too, which makes it very effective at keeping your feet dry.

Shields are made from what Zefal describe as 'technopolymer resin' and looks like thick, tough moulded nylon. There's more material here than you'll find on a RoadRacer, and they're noticeably more robust, though not as tough as SKS' plastic/aluminium laminate.

The stays are steel, which also helps keep the guards stiff as well as being hard to break. If you get something stuck in your wheel, they should pull out of the frame clamps rather than break.

They mount using a combination of O-rings, rubber ladder straps and plastic clips, with metal stays that are held in clamps on the frame, tightened by T10 Torx screws. If all that sounds complicated, it is. Of the alternatives, SKS Long Raceblades are the easiest to install, while the Zefals make Crud's slightly fiddly Roadracers look straightforward.

The problem is that there are lots of bolts, straps and widgets here. Parts need tightening that the Ikea-style instructions fail to mention, and the directions give you no help in deciding which of certain optional parts you should use.

For example, the U-shaped metal stays are held in place by plastic blocks that are attached to the mudguards with self-tapping screws. You have to tighten these or the mudguard will slip sideways in the block and rub.

The mudguard is held in place at the brake by a rubber strap that grabs a plastic piece under the brake bolt. That part clips into the top of the mudguard. That squanders the precious space between the tyre and seatstay bridge that's always the limiting factor in cramming mudguards into a road race frame.

You get several spacers that go between the mudguard and the brake. The instructions imply that they allow you to adjust the angle of the mudguard, but on my bike the guard ended up so close to the tyre here that was a superfluous option. To be honest I can't see how you'd ever need it.

The rear mudguard ends at the seat tube, and when I say ends I mean just that. It simply stops with no way to pull it away from the tyre. I took a hot skewer to it and put a zip-tie round the seat tube to stop it rubbing.

As you might be gathering, these are fiddly guards to fit. Once they're fitted, they work well enough, though they lack the front mech protection of the Roadracers or the easy removal of the Race Blade Longs. They're less fragile than the Roadracers, which tend to break under very light loads so there's no chance of them getting snagged in your wheels, and they provide a little bit more coverage on the front wheel than the Race Blade Longs.

If you want mudguards that are fairly tough, and provide good coverage, the Zefal Shield R30s are worth a look, but give yourself plenty of time to nut out the assembly.

For lots more on mudguards, see our buyers' guide. /content/buyers-guide/96939-buyer%E2%80%99s-guide-mudguards-keeping-you-dry-winter

Verdict

Fiddly to fit, but tough and effective once you're over that hurdle.