Newbie question - mudguards for full suspension bike

My son is getting a new bike from Santa with both front and rear
suspension. Inevitably it comes sans mudguards - My question is, are
there any available that will truly keep him clean and dry? There is
an added conplication that initially at least he will have the saddle
at its lowest most position so if the rear guard attaches to the seat
post it must be adjustable allowing fixing below the bit of the frame
where the seat post goes in. (This obviously has a name but I don't
know what it is!)
Thanks - Alan

"Alan" wrote in message
m...
My son is getting a new bike from Santa with both front and rear
suspension. Inevitably it comes sans mudguards - My question is, are
there any available that will truly keep him clean and dry? There is
an added conplication that initially at least he will have the saddle
at its lowest most position so if the rear guard attaches to the seat
post it must be adjustable allowing fixing below the bit of the frame
where the seat post goes in. (This obviously has a name but I don't
know what it is!)

Staying clean and dry on an mtb is not a design criteria, if you want to
stay clean and dry you don't want an mtb :-)
Having said that there are guards that at least keep flung dung off the face
and bum, see: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/
and select mudguards from the menu, pictures will appear!

If there isn't enough seat post showing to clip the rear guard on quite
frankly the bike is way too big.

Pete

(Alan) writes:

My son is getting a new bike from Santa with both front and rear
suspension. Inevitably it comes sans mudguards - My question is, are
there any available that will truly keep him clean and dry? There is
an added conplication that initially at least he will have the saddle
at its lowest most position so if the rear guard attaches to the seat
post it must be adjustable allowing fixing below the bit of the frame
where the seat post goes in. (This obviously has a name but I don't
know what it is!)

What's he going to ride it on? If roads and hard-surface tracks then
possibly; if seriously off road then no, he's going to get muddy
whatever you do, although some judicious mudgarding will leave him
less muddy. I don't believe you'll find a rear mudguard that will actually
work on a full suspension bike which does not attach to the seatpost -
remember, if the mudguard fouls the wheel at full suspension travel
that's going to be at best a serious nuisance and at worst actively
dangerous.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; MS Windows: A thirty-two bit extension ... to a sixteen bit
;; patch to an eight bit operating system originally coded for a
;; four bit microprocessor and sold by a two-bit company that
;; can't stand one bit of competition -- anonymous

Simon Brooke wrote in message .uk...
(Alan) writes:

My son is getting a new bike from Santa with both front and rear
suspension. Inevitably it comes sans mudguards - My question is, are
there any available that will truly keep him clean and dry? There is
an added conplication that initially at least he will have the saddle
at its lowest most position so if the rear guard attaches to the seat
post it must be adjustable allowing fixing below the bit of the frame
where the seat post goes in. (This obviously has a name but I don't
know what it is!)

What's he going to ride it on? If roads and hard-surface tracks then
possibly; if seriously off road then no, he's going to get muddy
whatever you do, although some judicious mudgarding will leave him
less muddy. I don't believe you'll find a rear mudguard that will actually
work on a full suspension bike which does not attach to the seatpost -
remember, if the mudguard fouls the wheel at full suspension travel
that's going to be at best a serious nuisance and at worst actively
dangerous.


Thanks Simon,
Mainly hard surfaces - the occaisional gentle off road sojourn so what
did you have in mind when you said possibly? I've seen one from SKS at
various webstores that appears to be very adjustable having 2 pivots
but none of my local stores have it so it would mean ordering on
faith.
Alan

"Alan" wrote in message
...

Re mtb mudguards:

I've seen one from SKS at
various webstores that appears to be very adjustable having 2 pivots
but none of my local stores have it so it would mean ordering on
faith.

The webstores I've dealt with have so far been only too happy to accept back
goods that I found unsuitable for the intended purpose.

Pete

(Alan) writes:

Simon Brooke wrote in message .uk...
(Alan) writes:

My son is getting a new bike from Santa with both front and rear
suspension. Inevitably it comes sans mudguards - My question is, are
there any available that will truly keep him clean and dry? There is
an added conplication that initially at least he will have the saddle
at its lowest most position so if the rear guard attaches to the seat
post it must be adjustable allowing fixing below the bit of the frame
where the seat post goes in. (This obviously has a name but I don't
know what it is!)

What's he going to ride it on? If roads and hard-surface tracks then
possibly; if seriously off road then no, he's going to get muddy
whatever you do, although some judicious mudgarding will leave him
less muddy. I don't believe you'll find a rear mudguard that will actually
work on a full suspension bike which does not attach to the seatpost -
remember, if the mudguard fouls the wheel at full suspension travel
that's going to be at best a serious nuisance and at worst actively
dangerous.

Mainly hard surfaces - the occaisional gentle off road sojourn so what
did you have in mind when you said possibly? I've seen one from SKS at
various webstores that appears to be very adjustable having 2 pivots
but none of my local stores have it so it would mean ordering on
faith.

What I didn't ask and obviously should have is how old is your son? If
he's sort of five or six and you're living in a suburban area with
fairly manicured parkland then it should be possible to keep him
clean, but if he's ten or twelve and bombing in and out of the local
woods then it's not, and that's pretty much irrespective of the
mudguard issue. There's also the issue of whether mudguards are 'cool'
in his social circle. I'd honestly be inclined to try him without and
see how he does, and fit mudguards later if it really seems to be a
problem. I'm not aware of a mudguard for full suspension bikes which
doesn't attach to the seatpost, although that doesn't prove there
isn't one.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

to err is human, to lisp divine
;; attributed to Kim Philby, oddly enough.

Alan wrote in message
m...
My son is getting a new bike from Santa with both front and rear
suspension. Inevitably it comes sans mudguards - My question is, are
there any available that will truly keep him clean and dry? There is
an added conplication that initially at least he will have the saddle
at its lowest most position so if the rear guard attaches to the seat
post it must be adjustable allowing fixing below the bit of the frame
where the seat post goes in. (This obviously has a name but I don't
know what it is!)
Thanks - Alan

Depends on what sort of full-suspension bike it is.
If the bike is one with a URT/floating drivetrain (where the pedals and back
wheel are all in one, with no suspension pivots between) there seems no
reason why a normal full-length road-type mudguard shouldn't be fitted at
the back wheel, possibly with a 3rd set of stays.
Of course, if he then goes somewhere with lots of sticky mud, it would clog
up and need poking out with a stick, but you can't have everything.

Andrew