Kinesis Fend Off mudguards

'When you live in the UK, you gain an appreciation for a good set of mudguards,' says Kinesis of its Fend Off guards. And true to form, they are a good set of mudguards. Very good, in fact.

• Pros: Look good, work well, quiet, come with flaps
• Cons: Fairly pricey, no breakaway mounts on the front

Most of your mudguard options out there are plastic, or plastic with a metal core. These Fend Off mudguards are anodised aluminium, and as such they're considerably stiffer than most. Kinesis has only used a single stay on the front, and that's plenty to keep the guard firmly in place. At the back there are two stays and a bridge mount, but again the guard is stiff enough that you could dispense with the bridge mount if, for example, you have a frame with no seatstay bridge. With it in place, the guard is very rigid and quiet.

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The Fend Offs are easy enough to fit, with a similar pinch bolt mechanism to SKS mudguards. The stays come with a rubber end cap to stop the cut end scratching you by accident; a Dremel tool with a cutting disc is the best way to trim them down. The stays were just long enough for my XL-sized Kinesis Tripster, which has long chainstays, so you're unlikely to run into trouble.

The seatstay mount is adjustable and crimps into place; if you have a bike with a downward-facing mount on the seatstay bridge you can bend the adjustable mount round but you'll probably want to drill the mudguard and fit it directly for a neater finish. Once they're fitted, they look great. Really classy with a matt finish and laser-etched logos.

The coverage from the mudguards is good, with both front and rear wrapping round the wheel a good way. The rear is shorter and if you're riding in a group you'll probably want to fit a mud flap. You're in luck there: the front and rear both have a mounting hole, a bolt for each is included, and the polypropylene packing card can be cut into flaps for front and rear. Nice job.

The profile of the mudguard does a good job of wrapping around the tyre and cutting out spray. I was running 30mm tyres and there was plenty of room for something a bit bigger in my frame, but it will depend on how much clearance your frame has.

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The front stay doesn't have a breakaway mount; SKS ones will work if you feel you need one, although they're designed for a double stay so they don't hold the guard quite as securely as they might. I was able to set the mudguard far enough away from the tyre that I wasn't so worried about getting anything stuck in between guard and tyre, but again the amount of clearance will vary depending on what you're fitting them to.

Overall, I like the Fend Off mudguards a lot. They look good, they're easy to fit, they're quiet and effective and they come with flaps if you want them.

Verdict

Good looking, effective mudguards that are quiet and easy to fit