SKS S-Blade

Essentially, the SKS S blade is the road version of the German marque's Xtra dry, which although pitched at mountain bikers, quickly caught on among messengers and new-wave fixer audiences too. This sturdy polypropylene beaver tail is pretty much the same thing, albeit more flattering to road lines.

Designed to entertain seatpost diameters between 25.4 and 35mm, riders using Carradice SQR and similar beam system luggage will be pleased to note the clever pressure fit bracket is equally accommodating of seat tubes, without leaving an unsightly calling card on pretty finishes.

There's no need to shave material from the guard either, since this tapers inboard slightly to prevent it fouling narrower seat stays. Speaking of clearance, it's optimal with 18-26mm rubber, 28mm upwards shows signs of compromise with tell tale spatter congregating along the peripheries.

Getting everything aboard is effortlessly simple but you'll still need a 4mm Allen key for tweaking the angle. I like ours low, hovering horizontally with 5cm clearance, thus allowing twigs, squashed drinks bottles and other detritus to slip by without incident.

In common with its siblings, material density is intelligently applied, so neck and bracket are stiff to prevent unwanted flex, yet the guard goes with the flow, springing back into shape despite pronounced twisting forces. That said, experimentation with lighter models suggests there's sufficient rigidity for mounting blinkies, assuming you didn't want the permanence of stickers.

This type of guard is designed for protecting the rider, rather than bike per se, so I wasn't surprised by the silty mess covering chainstays, bottom bracket and seatstay after a few early season's outings. That said; frame mounting prevents water and ingress being tossed into rear facing seat collars or saturating wedge packs. Low level buzz associated with coarser asphalt saw induce some very minor shimmy (especially on plain gauge 7005 chassis) but nothing I'd lose any sleep over and despite my preference for belt n' braces chrome plastics, I've warmed to the low maintenance design and the aesthetic too.

Verdict

Well designed, sturdy clip on for those whose priority is avoiding a wet rear.