Muddy Brown's Blog: Fresh Goods Sunday - SKS Bluemels Matt Black 700c 45mm Mudguard Set

SKS have been making cycle mudguards for a very long time and I have also been using them for a very long time. The design does not change over the years apart from a few tweaks here and there. There are two jobs that I hate doing on bikes - wrapping bar tape and fitting mudguards from new. Well after all the years of practice you think it would be easier but I still find it a right old faff on. I have fitted these to my Cannondale Synapse Neo with the 700c x 32c wheelset fitted. I started with the front one. The bolts that came with the kit were too small for bolting the bridge to the back of the forks crown, problem one. I have loads of spare bolts so sifted through them and found one. Due to the mudguard eyelets being mounted half way up the inside of the fork legs the 3mm stainless stays had to bent into shape so they slid into the mounting brackets on the mudguards at the right angle. Normally you slide the stays through the hole in the eyelet and tightening the bolt. Once all set up for clearance and central to the tyre I cut the excess of and put the cap on the end but SKS now have a new cap design that is kept in place with the nut and bolt so you have to be pretty precise in how much you cut off the end of stay for the cap new cap system to work.
Onto the rear one I bolted on the removable seat stay bridge, again the bolts that were in the eyelets were too short to bolt on the bridge so found some longer ones. The hole at the bottom of the guard near the bb end was in the wrong place so had to drill a new one. I also had to put some spacers between the guard and frame to bring the guard closer to the wheel. The rear stays did not need bending this time as the eyelets were on top of the drop outs and aligned with the stay bridges on the guard. Again once I set the clearance and centred the guard on the tyre I cut the excess off the stays and nipped up the bolts. When I went to bolt the bridge on the guard to the removable bridge again the bolts were too small so found a m6 bolt to fit.
Nearly two hours later I was finished, cleaned up and the bike is ready for some more wet action over the coming weeks / months. The only disadvantage is that I cannot fit my Hunt 650b x 2" wheel set on the bike with the guards fitted. I have had a quick spin around the estate on wet roads and there was no rubbing or spray but I have not been out a longer ride with loads of pot holes and higher speed yet. It looks like the front guard could have been a little longer on the front. Time will tell if the spray comes up into my face.

RRP £40 and I paid £34.99.
Manufacturers blurb -
Dirt and water do not have a chance against the BLUEMELS MATT mudguards. The classic SKS mudguard with a matt design visually enhances the bike. Not only the clean design, but also simple mounting and front and rear spoilers characterize the BLUEMELS MATT.
The mudguards are robust and rigid. Fenders feature a sandwich design with superfine aluminium strips embedded in plastic sheathing. The ASR safety release system releases stays should branches become trapped between the mudguard and the front wheel. Includes a struts kit, a stainless steel fixed bridge and mounting materials. Made in Germany.