Ass Savers Fendor Bendor Big rear gravel mudguard review - lightweight; light coverage

Back in 2011 Ass Saver launched its first ever product. The eponymous and self-descriptive guard is discrete, lightweight and provides just enough protection to keep the worst of the road spray from the back of your bum.

Over 10 years later Ass Saver’s product range still contains tiny guards, including the Mudder Mini front guard, but also much bigger ones too for those who prefer a whole lot more coverage. 

Here we review the gravel-orientated Fendor Bendor Big rear guard. For more options, check out our best mudguards for gravel bikes buying guide.

Fendor Bendor Big: Construction

The Fendor Bendor Big is one of Ass Saver’s largest guards, aimed at giving rear wheel cover for gravel and MTBs. Made from thin polypropylene and weighing just 60g it certainly keeps with Ass Saver's minimal theme. 

Fendor Bendor Big: Fitting

The Fendor Bendor Big arrives as a folded flat sheet which you pre-fold to give it its structure and strength. This design is really quite remarkable, turning a 50+cm piece of thin plastic into something that’s held up well whilst being bounced around on a range of trails. I found it a little tricky to fold around the curved folds and it wouldn’t quite go where it was supposed to – but ultimately it still fitted on fine.

A Velcro strap holds the guard in place around the seat tube, with the guard threaded between the seat stays above the bridge between – all nice and easy to do. Ass Saver even suggests that you carry it folded in your pocket until it rains given it’s so quick to fit.

I found the positioning of the Fendor Bendor problematic on the two bikes I tried to fit it to. Firstly, it’s not compatible with monostay frames or centre pull brakes so that ruled my Rondo Ruut out.  

The second bike was a large Kenesis ATR on which has a more traditional frame design which the Fendor Bendor Big is designed to fit. However, even on the large frame the space between the stays was smaller than the width of the guard which meant it was a bit squeezed through. This caused the guard to be a bit narrower than the tyre at this point as well as giving it a bit of a twist. 

The other issue with mounting in this position is that modern do-it-all road / adventure / gravel bikes like the ATR are designed to take large tyres, the seat stay bridge sits relatively high. In turn this leaves a much larger gap between the guard and the wheel and lots of chance for the spray to escape.

Fendor Bendor Big: The ride

Once I did get it fitted, the guard has done a reasonable job of keeping the spray off my seat post and back, although it's no-way as effective as other best mudguards for gravel bikes we’ve tested.

Given the guard has been covered in filth, it obviously provides quite a bit of protection. But there is also quite a lot that misses and ends up on your back. This is most likely to be because of the substantial gap between tyre and guard (Ass Saver recommend fitting as close to the tyre as possible for the best effect). 

Even on my monostay Rondo, where the guard practically sat on the back tyre, there was a reasonable amount of break-through splatter suggesting it’s not just about the positioning.

Due to its shape there's virtually no coverage of any rearward propelling spray, so it's not one to use if you like your riding mates sitting on your wheel.

Given its lightweight design, it's incredibly stable and I didn't note any flapping around or instability with the guard.  

Fendor Bendor Big: Value and conclusion

At $16 / £14 the Fendor Bendor is around half the price of other rear guards you can buy separately from the front, like the Mudhugger Gravelhugger. On price at least, it’s the best we’ve seen.

If it fits your bike and you’re happy to eschew a little coverage for weight saving and being able to carry it in your pocket until you want it, then Fendor Bendor Big rear guard is for you. But if you’re looking for fuller and reliable protection from the spray, then you’d be best going elsewhere.

Fendor Bendor Big: Specifications

• Materials: polypropylene
• Weight: 60g (rear)
• Tyre size: 32-55 mm