Cleaning Bicycle Fender/Mudguard Wells (Wheels on)

Crews have been busy re-paving our local roads, taking some these roads down to the dirt bed. Other roads are newly re-paved and are in excellent condition. The result is that I've been spending quite a bit of time on my Raleigh Export Model DL-1. The DL-1's robust construction and large, 28 inch wheels handle many road surfaces without too much difficulty.

But part of riding on dirt bed is that you inevitably get mud deep into the fender/mudguard wells. And it's a pain to remove the wheels on this bike... Below you can see plenty of  dust on the outside of the fender, and there's caked mud on the tire.

Caked mud on the tire is a fairly good indicator you probably have mud on the inside of the fender well. The English called these "mudguards" because that's exactly what they do - stop mud and water from being kicked up on the rider and the rest of the bike. I love fenders, but they do need a little cleaning now and then.


Did you know that you can give your fender wells a good cleaning without removing the wheels, at least most of the time?

I "quick clean" my fender wells using a rag or paper towel and an old bicycle spoke. First, the rag can be loaded up with soapy water, WD-40, Kroil or other cleaning solutions. In this case, I'm using WD-40 because it both cleans and displaces any moisture.

Second, I work the rag into the fender well and position the spoke head in the rag so that it's only touching the rag - not punching through the rag or in any way contacting the fender well paint.

Finally, I work the rag around the fender well using the spoke head as a hook to pull/push the rag. The wheel/tire can also be helpful to push the rag in which ever direction you want to go. If the rag is properly "stuffed" into the well - it will contour its shape to the well and clean out the various crevices.

I do this treatment perhaps once per season on each bike, and maybe a little more often if the fender wells have gotten particularly muddy like this DL-1's have become. Also nice is the fact that you can choose what you want to use by way of cleaner - soapy water, WD-40, Kroil, and similar can be employed. Just avoid paint thinner, acetone, and similar solvents that will damage the paint.

What if you don't want to go all the way to a "hook and rag" method - because you've got some loose debris, but not mud "caked" or "stuck" to the well? Often this will be grass clippings, pieces of plants, or other "loose items" you've picked up in the fender well.

In that case, you can use either canned "electronics cleaning" air, or an air compressor to simply blow out the debris. This is fast, effective, and involves no chemicals. This is the way to go if you just have a few loose pieces in the fender, and not the "caked mud" I picked up from riding on the road bed.

After the riding season is over, I assess each bike to see what cleaning need to be done. If need be, I pull the wheels and completely clean the bike's fenders and hard-to-reach areas.

But during the season, these "quick clean" methods work well.