specialized creo 2

[Amazer98]

A good option for a gravel bike indeed.

A more solid option are SKS Speedrocker Gravel Fenders/Mudguards. These are easily removable and many buddies of mine use them.

I read some reviews that complained that the Velcro straps on the Speedrockers didn’t hold the fenders reliably. One guy said he almost crashed as the fender dislodged into his wheel… that would make me nervous !

An easily removable mudguard that provides decent coverage would be ideal, but I’m not sure that exists.

 

[mschwett]

Did you get supplied a seat stay bridge to use? Other than that, attaching the DryTech fenders looks pretty standard to me.

i believe it was supposed to be included with the bike. don’t recall if i even got that far. check the reviews on specialized’s own site …

“Rear fender good luck. Who ever put the install instruction sheet together, needs a rethink”

“They barely fit and were incredibly difficult to install. The design makes it very challenging to install…”

“I found choosing the right size on the website difficult; the product was very poorly packaged; the fixing instructions are not easy to follow; the fixing process is fiddly; but they finally look OK.”

“Fenders were a huge pain to install, ultimately requiring me to use zip ties to keep them in place without rattling. ..”

one of the rare specialized products i simply cannot recommend, and while i’m sure they can be installed in some way, the geometry seemed so far off on my XL creo that the amount of bending and tweaking to get small fasteners to hold the thing together correctly was nowhere near worth the trouble. not sure what the variables are because obviously they work for some people, but not for MANY others.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I read some reviews that complained that the Velcro straps on the Speedrockers didn’t hold the fenders reliably. One guy said he almost crashed as the fender dislodged into his wheel… that would make me nervous !

Strange. Not only SKS is a renowned brand and many riding mates use the Speedrockers but also my brother has used SKS Blade for his e-MTB and he never had issues with them.
People often cannot install the gear properly then complain.

Another SKS item I use is the seat-post mount for the water-bottle. It is also Velcro mounted. Believe or not but properly installed, it has stayed in the position for a couple thousand of kilometres on my e-bike even if I often ride in a pretty rough terrain.

 

[themongooseman]

i believe it was supposed to be included with the bike. don’t recall if i even got that far. check the reviews on specialized’s own site …

“Rear fender good luck. Who ever put the install instruction sheet together, needs a rethink”

“They barely fit and were incredibly difficult to install. The design makes it very challenging to install…”

“I found choosing the right size on the website difficult; the product was very poorly packaged; the fixing instructions are not easy to follow; the fixing process is fiddly; but they finally look OK.”

“Fenders were a huge pain to install, ultimately requiring me to use zip ties to keep them in place without rattling. ..”

one of the rare specialized products i simply cannot recommend, and while i’m sure they can be installed in some way, the geometry seemed so far off on my XL creo that the amount of bending and tweaking to get small fasteners to hold the thing together correctly was nowhere near worth the trouble. not sure what the variables are because obviously they work for some people, but not for MANY others.

Are these reviews for fenders on the original Creo or the Creo 2? I got a sort of zipped semi-rigid case with my bike containing all the manuals, the charger, and a boatload of bits and pieces including the seat stay bridge and so on.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

I read some reviews that complained that the Velcro straps on the Speedrockers didn’t hold the fenders reliably. One guy said he almost crashed as the fender dislodged into his wheel… that would make me nervous !

An easily removable mudguard that provides decent coverage would be ideal, but I’m not sure that exists.

The SKS speedrockers are excellent. I’ve had them on my Vado SL for three years now in all conditions, on road & off, winter mud, ice floods and summer gravel and sand. Whoever had the Velcro open mid ride must have really screwed up. The Velcro and rubber bands are very clever as any clump of mud or small sticks that might get stuck under the mudguards causing the bike to stop dangerously, instead there is some ‘give’ so they don’t obstruct the wheel & you don’t stop abruptly. Highly recommended. Here’s the bike from a ride last week:

 

[Amazer98]

Strange. Not only SKS is a renowned brand and many riding mates use the Speedrockers but also my brother has used SKS Blade for his e-MTB and he never had issues with them.
People often cannot install the gear properly then complain.

I agree it’s strange— there were a couple of negative reviews on the REI site. One went as follows:

“Snapped on first ride & Nearly killed me​

Flow chart of how this happend: 1. Rains; Velcro gets wet and weakens; 2. Velcro loosens, fender drop onto wheels at 40mph; 3. Fenders snaps into pieces and flys everywhere; 4. Lucky I am still alive... This proves once again that you really should NEVER buy anything fastened with Velcro if you are remotely concerned about not losing your life.”

I used SKS plastic mudguards on a Salsa Vaya I had about ten years ago, and they went on fine… no Velcro though. It does strike me that Velcro might not be a great material to use in this sort of application.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Amazer98: I have just asked the gravel bike fender question to a gravel cycling group I'm riding with.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

I agree it’s strange— there were a couple of negative reviews on the REI site. One went as follows:

“Snapped on first ride & Nearly killed me​

Flow chart of how this happend: 1. Rains; Velcro gets wet and weakens; 2. Velcro loosens, fender drop onto wheels at 40mph; 3. Fenders snaps into pieces and flys everywhere; 4. Lucky I am still alive... This proves once again that you really should NEVER buy anything fastened with Velcro if you are remotely concerned about not losing your life.”

I used SKS plastic mudguards on a Salsa Vaya I had about ten years ago, and they went on fine… no Velcro though. It does strike me that Velcro might not be a great material to use in this sort of application.

I live on Dartmoor England where it rains most days of the year. Cycling should be classed as a water sport here. The Velcro gets wet all the time and it’s just fine. It holds. I do check it every few months to check it’s all tight. But it has never in 3 years opened. Only takes a few minutes to remove or put back on.

 

[themongooseman]

I live on Dartmoor England where it rains most days of the year. Cycling should be classed as a water sport here. The Velcro gets wet all the time and it’s just fine. It holds. I do check it every few months to check it’s all tight. But it has never in 3 years opened. Only takes a few minutes to remove or put back on.

Ah, Dartmoor…fond(ish) memories…

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Ah, Dartmoor…fond(ish) memories…

Beautiful right now in this dry and cold spell. Rare blue skies. The winter light is just stunning. We’d had such a wet autumn & Christmas period. Very hard to do any decent rides. Trying to make up for it this week!

Curious about the ‘ish’ of your memories…

 

[themongooseman]

Beautiful right now in this dry and cold spell. Rare blue skies. The winter light is just stunning. We’d had such a wet autumn & Christmas period. Very hard to do any decent rides. Trying to make up for it this week!

Curious about the ‘ish’ of your memories…

It’s all about how much you have to carry on your back while crossing it, and how quickly you have to do it haha

 

[Rás Cnoic]

It’s all about how much you have to carry on your back while crossing it, and how quickly you have to do it haha

Ah yes occasionally I see columns of young lads out training with giant packs looking miserable. Especially on the remote northern moors. Always feel sorry for them! My son is doing his Ten Tors training right now. Have to drop him up to the moors with his huge rucksack at first light on the weekends. Brrrr!

 

[mschwett]

Are these reviews for fenders on the original Creo or the Creo 2? I got a sort of zipped semi-rigid case with my bike containing all the manuals, the charger, and a boatload of bits and pieces including the seat stay bridge and so on.

yes, creo 1 comes with the same clamshell thing and parts. for whatever reason many dealers aren’t great about including all the parts, but it’s definitely supposed to be included in the bike.

the same fenders are for the sirrus, creo, vado etc but there seem to be very similar experiences to mine on different bikes. may have to do with tire size, frame size, the specific bike, user error, poor instructions … who knows. it would be nice if the instructions were specific to each bike instead of the generic if a) then b) …

 

[themongooseman]

yes, creo 1 comes with the same clamshell thing and parts. for whatever reason many dealers aren’t great about including all the parts, but it’s definitely supposed to be included in the bike.

the same fenders are for the sirrus, creo, vado etc but there seem to be very similar experiences to mine on different bikes. may have to do with tire size, frame size, the specific bike, user error, poor instructions … who knows. it would be nice if the instructions were specific to each bike instead of the generic if a) then b) …

The Creo 2 manual is extremely specific to that frame. Although the back wheel def needs to come off, it looks pretty straightforward. We shall see!

 

[Dazmanturbo]

Ah, Dartmoor…fond(ish) memories…

I was raised in Plymouth and spent my childhood on Dartmoor, such an awesome place. Some epic riding up there these days. Later this year, I am doing the Devon Coast to Coast from Ilfracombe to Plymouth, going right over Dartmoor, 102 miles in on go......Creo 2 for the win !!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Amazer98: I have got some responses from the group.
The guys who use Speedrockers are generally happy. They say the Velcro straps hold perfectly. Some negative comments are:

• The front fender is too short, and that might results in the rainwater spraying onto your shoes
• Another rider commented that although the straps are rock-solid, the protection against the rainwater is problematic.

The guy who said "the protection is problematic" said that if his gravel bike allowed that, he would install full fenders. He mentioned SKS Bluemels, which are available in many sizes. I hope your Creo 2 has proper mounting bosses and you could try the Bluemels?

 

[Amazer98]

I have got some responses from the group.

The guy who said "the protection is problematic" said that if his gravel bike allowed that, he would install full fenders. He mentioned SKS Bluemels, which are available in many sizes. I hope your Creo 2 has proper mounting bosses and you could try the Bluemels?

Thanks for your research, Stefan! I actually haven’t taken delivery of the Creo 2 yet (scheduled for late Feb), but wanted to have a mudguard plan beforehand. I’ll assume the negative reviews were based on poor installations and also check out the Bluemels you mentioned.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The guy who recommends Bluemels specifically names the model named Matt. However, I am not sure whether the Matt is not to narrow for your tyres!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

More and more people responsing with their positive experiences regarding Speedrockers What they like is you can remove and then reinstall the fenders in few seconds. Just saying.

 

[Amazer98]

More and more people responsing with their positive experiences regarding Speedrockers What they like is you can remove and then reinstall the fenders in few seconds. Just saying.

That’s definitely a key benefit, so I’m tending towards that model!