San Marco Ass Saver mudguard

The San Marco Ass Saver is a simple and reasonably effective solution to keeping spray from soaking your bum when riding rain soaked roads. If you can't, or don't want to fit traditional full-length mudguards to your bike, and most racing bikes won't take them, this is better than nothing.

The San Marco branding pumps the price up though. We tested the original Ass Saver Smart Ass mudguard last year and that costs just €7.99 + €3.50 shipping (about £10). San Marco want £12 for their branded version, which smarts a little. Fine if you're a San Marco fan and it matches your saddle perhaps. They're both the same, they're made by a Swedish company who came up with the clever idea a couple of years ago. San Marco have recognised this and arranged to produce a liveried version wearing their logos.

What is is exactly? It's a shaped piece of polypropylene that that goes underneath the saddle and clips to the rails. It's a bit of a fiddle to fit it in place, some saddle/post combinations may require the length to be trimmed, but there are handy dotted guides for cutting. Two plastic hooks provide a very secure fixing to the rails. Since I've been testing it, not once has it shaken loose or needed any attention. It's light at just 15g.

I tried it on several saddles; San Marco's Regale, a Prologo Scratch and a Fizik Arione and each time it went on without any complication. If you have a Brooks saddle, you'll be interested to know they offer a specific version.

Naturally, it's not going to halt 100% of the spray and muck that gets chucked up by the rear wheel, but what it does do is stop a large majority of it. The weather recently has been horrid and has given me plenty of opportunity to test it. And every ride I've finished with a drier bum than riding without it. It's a good first defence against road spray and does go a long way to keeping you a bit drier.

Its simplicity of fitting, sleek design and low weight makes it a practical solution for everyone from racing cyclists who won't want to fit complicated and more costly mudguards to commuters who just want to arrive at the office with a dry bum. What's more, it can be quickly removed and folded in half when you don't need it.

Some of the Lotto-Belisol team, who are sponsored by San Marco, have been spotted using the Ass Saver in many of the rainy early season races, including Milan-San Remo. While it won't be the difference between winning or losing a race for those guys, it will bring a little slice of comfort to them. Marginal gain? Not quite, but what price a dry bum?

The original Ass Saver is available in a wide range of colours, and San Marco offer a section of hues as well.

Verdict

Keep your bum drier with this cheap plastic mudguard that attaches to the saddle rails.