Fenders - front mudflap important ?

A mudflap is only needed if the fenders are too short; which for some
reason, they almost always are.

Why don't the guys who make fenders just make them long enough in the
first place? Beats the **** out of me!

I seem to recall that in dim and distant times when I was a lad the
aspirational bike was a 10 speed "racer" with mudguards about a foot
long that served absolutely no useful purpose whatsoever.

At the time I had to settle for 5 speeds, though I did have the
redundant vestigial mudguards and skinny wheels/tyres totally
unsuitable for the type of cycling undertaken by the average 11 year
old.

This, of course, was before BMX and Mountain Biking shifted the
aspirations of young cyclists away from drop handlebars and downtube
shifters, and why, 35 years later, I still find it hard to get used to
anything else.

I think the answer to your question is that people know what proper
mudguards "should" look like, and that image doesn't match what is
practical. I have eliminated road spray by extending mudguards on one
of my bikes forwards like on vintage motor cycles. It works
brilliantly, but gets sly looks because every one knows that bike
mudguards just shouln't be like that.