CyclistBest gravel bike mudguards 2026: Keep your backside clean over winterFor many riders, mudguards (aka, fenders) are an essential extra for off-season riding. For road riders, theyll keep wheel spray from damp roads off your back, but if youre riding on unmade gravel or, in the UK, muddy bridleways, fending off dirt and debris is even more essential.As with mountain bikes, you can fit short Ass Saver-style mudguards to keep off the worst of the muck. But many gravel bikes have mounting points for full length mudguards if you want more protection. With gravel bikes often doing double-duty as commuter or winter bikes, this is a definite advantage.Many of the best road bike mudguards are available in greater widths to accommodate gravel bike tyres, while mudguard brands also make short clip-on and full length mudguards tailored to gravel riding.Below youll find our pick of the best gravel bike mudguards, while lower down we have a guide to how to choose the best gravel fenders for you.Our pick of the best gravel bike mudguards Ass Savers Big: RRP 10Ass Savers Win Wing 2: RRP 23MuckyNutz Gut Fender: RRP 12Mudhugger GravelHugger Rear: RRP 27Topeak Tetrafender set: RRP 70Zefal Shield G50 mudguard set: RRP 42SKS S-Board and S-Blade set: RRP 33Portland Design Works Full Metal Fenders: RRP 140SKS Speedrocker XL: RRP 60Kinesis Fend Off Wide: RRP 60Why trust Cyclists advice?Testing gravel bikes through the winter for our Cyclist magazine coverage, getting damp and dirty is all part of the fun until it isnt. Thats when a quality set of gravel bike mudguards comes into its own.Weve used and abused a good selection of mudguards for gravel bikes, so we know what works and what doesnt. You can trust Cyclists reviewers for unbiased advice, as were not paid for product placement or for our recommendations. The best gravel bike mudguardsAss Saver Big10 | Buy hereVery quick to fit to the saddle railsMinimalist design handles tyres up to 55mm wideAss Savers was the original minimalist rear mudguard, which attaches to the saddle rails to keep your bottom drier, if little else. Ass Savers range had expanded to include this wider option, which it says is suitable for tyres up to 55mm wide. The design now includes a Flip Tip, which bends down to sit below the front of the saddle rails and Ass Savers says helps keep the fender in place better. Thats a handy addition, as it was previously all too easy to lose your mudguard when you went over bumpy tracks if youd not secured it quite right. At least the Ass Saver mudguards are cheap and easy to clean up after a muddy ride and theres a wide variety of custom designs available if you dont want to stick to the standard black or white. Pair the rear Ass Saver with the Mudder Mini front mudguard to provide a little extra front-end protection, stopping some mud from reaching your face, but more importantly keeping it out of your bikes headset bearings, while the standard Mudder is designed for suspension forks.Ass Savers Win Wing 223 | Buy hereGreater protection than the originalHandles tyres up to 60mm wideClipping onto your gravel bikes seatstays, the Win Wing 2 provides more protection than the saddle-mounted design, while still only weighing a claimed 72g. Ass Savers says the Mark 2 Win Wing is stronger than the original, with a glass fibre-reinforced bridging piece to which the 30% recycled polypropylene blade attaches. Its also harder to nick, thanks to the option to add zip ties.Ass Savers says that to be maximally effective, the Win Wing needs to be just 5mm to 10mm from your tyre, although this may lead to clogging it you pick up much mud when riding. The Win Wing is designed to flex a little to reduce the chances of your rear wheel grinding to a halt though.MuckyNutz Gut Fender12 | Buy hereStrap-on down tube protectionPart of gravel range that also includes front and rear mudguardsMuckyNutz has a range of protectors including this down tube mounted strap-on protection. It markets it to keep mud off you, but equally important, it provides some added protection for your down tube from stray rocks. As well as black, theres a reflective option to increase your low light visibility.The Gut Fender can be paired with MuckyNutzs strap-on or Ass Saver-style rear fender and its front Gravel Guard or Face Fender for full protection from trail grot thats relatively affordable.Mudhugger GravelHugger Rear27 | Buy hereWide coverage with a unique one-piece design and 50mm tyre capacityMatching front mudguard fits 42mm tyresAnother brand with both front and rear mudguards sized for gravel bikes, Mudhuggers rear fender has broad coverage for tyres up to 50mm wide. Rather than two separate stays, the mudguard itself wraps around the tyre and provides two stay attachment points which use zip ties, so there are fewer parts to fiddle with. Mudhugger supplies special tape to ensure that the ties dont damage your frames paintwork.It sells a matching front GravelHugger which follows a similar design and attachment mechanism, although maximum tyre size at the front is 42mm. Topeak Tetrafender set70 | Buy hereFront and rear set for tyres up to 50mm wideRear mudguard is length-adjustableTopeaks strap-attached mudguards use a hook and loop strap for quick mounting, while the stays are adjustable to fine-tune the fit and the rear mudguard length can be adjusted to suit your bike.Topeak says that its set will fit tyres up to 50mm wide and it includes reflective decals for night-time visibility. The pair has a relatively low 534g claimed weight. Zefal Shield G50 mudguard set42 | Buy hereFront and rear frame mount mudguard setUp to 48mm tyre width and supplied with three different mud flap sizesZefals front and rear mudguard set offers a similar strap fastening to the Ass Saver Win Wing and will fit tyres up to 48mm wide. Zefal supplies frame protection strips, as well as three different mud flap lengths to suit different bikes.Both front and rear mudguards have a double plastic stay design, which should ensure rigidity and they can be angled on the mounts to suit your frame, then tightened in place to keep them positioned. Zefal quotes a set weight of 407g.SKS S-Board and S-Blade set33 | Buy hereFront guard clips on, rear bolts to the seatpostFits tyres up to 38mm wideSKSs clip-on mudguard set provides plenty of tyre clearance, particularly at the rear, although its only recommended for tyres up to 38mm wide. The front and rear are available to buy separately too.While the front fits to the fork legs with rubber straps, the rear S-Blades webbing strap needs to be tightened around the seatpost sufficiently that it wont twist as you ride and expose you to rear wheel spray. Theres a permanent mount alternative that may prove more secure, although its not sold as part of the set.Portland Design Works Full Metal Fenders139.99 | Buy hereRange of widths for different wheel sizes and tyre widthsRubber tails increase protection for feet and followersWe rate the Portland Design Works mudguards for road bikes, but with the width to fit around tyres up to 2.2 inches / 55mm theyll work with all but the widest gravel tyres. Their all-metal fabrication from anodised aluminium and replaceable parts mean that they should prove durable. Theyre able to take a few knocks too, and incorporate safety release tabs if you do get trail debris lodged between them and your tyres. Rubber mudflaps add extra coverage for your feet and any following riders. Expensive and heavy at a claimed 750g, but durable. Read our Portland Design Works Full Metal Fenders reviewSKS Speedrocker XL60 | Buy hereDesigned for gravel bikes with up to 52mm tyresAlmost full-length coverageSKSs full mudguards include this extra wide Speedrocker XL set, designed to fit around tyres up to 52mm wide. Flexible mudflaps are an option to increase the coverage on offer and the front mudguard comes in two parts, so its less likely to interfere with the fork crown. Rather than using the bikes mounting points, the Speedrockers fit to the stays and fork legs with rubber straps, so theyre less likely to get in the way of gravel brake hardware. Made of plastic, they have a 454g claimed weight.Read our SKS Speedrocker mudguards reviewKinesis Fend Off WideKinesis UK60 | Buy hereDurable anodised aluminium 50mm width for gravel bikes with front and rear cut-out flapsKinesis is another brand that has added an increased width to its well-regarded full-length mudguards and this 50mm wide set will fit gravel bike tyres up to 45mm wide. Made of powder coated aluminium, they should be durable once fitted, although Kinesis says that you may need some workshop tools to achieve this.Kinesis quotes a 707g a set weight. As a bonus, the plastic card that forms part of the packaging has a template printed on it and can be cut to shape and converted to function as mud flaps. Kinesis even includes the bolts needed to attach these to the mudguards.How do I choose the right gravel bike mudguards?Short or full length?This depends a lot on where you ride. Youll get better protection with full length mudguards, but even with wider designs set further from your tyres, if you ride on muddy tracks you risk clogging and trail debris can cause the same problem. Here, short mudguards that sit well away from the tyre are a better choice.If, on the other hand, your gravel bike is used mainly on roads or less technical gravel, you may prefer full length guards for their added protection. Anyone you ride with will probably prefer these too, to keep muck and damp off them as they follow you.ClearanceAllied to this is adequate clearance around the tyre. Fortunately, with road bikes offering ever-greater tyre clearance and the popularity of gravel bikes, many full length mudguards are available in widths designed to fit around wider tyres.FixingFull length mudguards are usually designed to allow you to fix them to mudguard bosses on the gravel bikes frame, although there are plenty of options that strap to your fork legs and seat stays available too. With disc brakes largely taking over, theyll in general avoid interference with front and rear brake callipers, but its worth checking before purchase that theyll work with your frame.Short mudguards tend to have less secure fitments to the bike frame. Its easy to lose an under-saddle fender if its not fitted correctly, while designs that fit to the seatpost are prone to swivel so they dont protect you from wheelspray and can interfere with pedalling. Short mudguards can also be awkward to fit at the front, potentially rubbing at the fork crown or getting in the way when steering. You may find theres quite a bit of fiddling required to get them to fit without rubbing on your tyre while still providing adequate coverage.The post Best gravel bike mudguards 2026: Keep your backside clean over winter appeared first on Cyclist.