Flinger Race Pro clip-on fenders / mudguards review - one of the studier clip-on options

Fenders – or mudguards – are seemingly going out of fashion. When I started riding a bike, it was a rule enforced on the club ride that mudguards must be used. Then, the ass saver started making appearances on weekly rides – and now even they are rare. It seems we’ve stopped caring about getting ourselves, our bikes and our riding buddies wet and muddy. 

Partly this is due to the dedicated ‘winter bike’ becoming a bit of a dying breed. Fewer road frames are being built with mudguard eyelets, while the move to bridgeless seatstays – facilitated by disc brake specific frame designs – means that this key other mounting point is being lost too.

However, mudguard manufacturers have fought back with clip ons and Flinger’s Race Pro is mountable without said eyelets. On top of this, they come with a 5 year warranty.

Flinger Race Pro: construction

In the box comes a rear guard with stays attached, a rear guard extension, adjustable stays with an attachment foot, a short bracket and four rubber attachment strips. Only two metal brackets and no heavy bolts mean the mudguards are pretty light, weighing in at 440g. They don’t make the bike feel cumbersome as a result of this, which some more heavily built bolt on fenders can do. 

Flinger Race Pro: installation

I am a mechanical dunce. My ability to install components to my bicycle is embarrassingly bad for someone who has a job that involves writing about said components. However, I managed to get these on the bike in under 40 minutes, which means it will probably take someone who is competent around five minutes.

The process of installation is simple; the only sticking point could be loosening the brakes in order to slide in the mounting bracket. But if you can’t figure it out, your local bike shop will be able to help.

Flinger Race Pro: the ride

The three main components to a good mudguard are that it stays on, it doesn’t rattle and that it keeps you dry. The added bonus in this set of mudguards is that they were easy to install too. The downside, and partly my frame is to blame, was that the extensions didn’t fit meaning that I left some bits of my wheel unguarded. 

That said, I actually found them quite functional even with only three quarters installed, if you’re in this situation you could also cut the guards down in order to fit them. Some mud from the missing front guard made its way on to me, but the rear guard was functional, keeping me and my riding buddies much dryer.

Flinger Race Pro: value and conclusion

The Flinger Race Pro Mudguards come in at $75.89 / £54.99, which means they’re an expensively priced set clip-ons, but thanks to the easy installation I’d argue that it’s money well spent! For comparison, Crud's Roadracer Mk3 guards cost $43.99 / £39.99 and weigh less that the Flinger's. However coverage from the rear guards isn't quite as extensive as some of the best bike mudguards, including the Flinger model.

In short, the Flinger Race Pro mudguards will help keep your components, legs and mates dry - but if you have a frame with tighter clearance, it might be worth checking if they’ll fit first at your local bike shop if half installing or cutting them down is a dealbreaker for you.