Curana C-Lite mudguards

Heard of Curana? Maybe not, but the Belgian accessory makers have big plans. We read on their website that their "innovation strategy is 100% offensive", we're not sure if that's a good thing or not but hey, it's a bold claim. These C-Lite mudguards are stylish, robust, easy to fit... and a little bit short.

Out of the box there's no doubting that the C-Lites are a quality item. The mudguards are made from an Aluminium/composite mix and they're subtly curved with a nice matt black finish. Fitting them is simple enough; we had to take a hacksaw to the beefy stays to get the blades nice and close to the tyre but once on everything feels good and sturdy.

Venture out on the bike and there's a bit of noise from the fittings on rough surfaces, we narrowed this down to the brake bridge where the blade just pushes through the fitting rather than being fixed. A bit of tape fixed that, and other than that the C-Lites were very well behaved and the minimal look suited my Genesis very well.

One thing they're not, though – in common with other 'fashionable' mudguards, if mudguards can ever be fashionable – is very long. They could do with an extra few inches wrapping round the wheel, especially at the rear where they didn't fully stop the tyre throwing up spray. They're better than having no mudguards of course, but they could do better on that front. Maybe Curana could offer a longer version as well; the blades are stiff enough to cope.

Available in 45-50mm (tested) or 30-35mm widths for £39.99, there's also a mountain bike version. All available in black or silver.

Verdict

At a copper under £50 these 'guards aren't cheap, but they're well made and well behaved on the bike. It's a pity they're not a bit longer though.