Bike Perfect Verdict
The Win Wing's ‘tangential coverage’ really does work, providing surprisingly good protection to your upper body, in an extremely lightweight package that has proven to be durable and rattle free.
Pros
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Good coverage considering size
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Very easy to install
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Can be swapped between bikes with ease
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Durable
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Rattle free
Cons
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Won’t protect lower legs
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Limited protection for people following behind
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The Win Wing is Ass Savers’ take on a quick to install, hassle-free rear bike mudguard and is a big step up from the extremely minimalist rear mudguard that Ass Savers is best known for. The original Ass Saver is little more than a piece of plastic that attaches to the underside of your saddle and is targeted at the pure roadie, who can’t entertain the idea of attaching a traditional mudguard to their boutique carbon road bike. When the tarmac runs out and things gets a bit more spicy, the original Ass Saver isn’t going to cut it, and this is where the Win Wing comes in.
Design and Aesthetics
There are other clip-on rear mudguards on the market, but the Win Wing has taken a fresh approach to the problem. Made up of only four components, which are easy to assemble, the Win Wing attaches in seconds and can be swapped between bikes with ease. At the heart of the design is the wishbone holder made from glass fiber reinforced PA (polyamide), that attaches to the seat stays with two neatly fitting rubber straps. The rubber straps have been cleverly designed to sit between the wishbone and seat stays to offer your paint some protection. Ass Savers recommends fitting the wishbone close enough to the tire to achieve between 5-10mm clearance to the blade once fitted. The polypropylene blade easily snaps into position onto the studs molded into the wishbone and there are three positions available to allow for varying seat stay angles. A horizontal, or slightly upward tilting blade is optimum. There’s a helpful guide printed onto the underside of the blade to help achieve the best setup.
The logic behind the Win Wing is that water and mud will be thrown from the rear wheel in a straight line from the tangential point of release, and, if like me, your physics is bit rusty, Ass Savers has helpfully printed its design logic onto the underside of the blade. Ass Savers calls this 'tangential coverage' and in theory the Win Wing should stop water and mud being flicked up and offer protection from the back of your knees upwards.
There are two versions of the Win Wing available, the gravel model suitable for tire widths up to 60mm, which I’ve been testing, and a road version for tires up to 38mm. The gravel version weighs 72g and the road version only 64g. Each one is available with five different designs printed onto the blade.
On a sustainability front, the blade is made from 80 percent recycled material and each of the four components can be bought individually from Ass Savers if anything untoward should happen.
Performance
The Win Wing really is a doddle to fit – the attachment straps are nicely elastic to allow a secure fit to your seatstays, and they didn’t budge through the whole time of testing, even on trails where my 35mm tires weren’t really up to the job. The contact points on the seatstays are rubber, so in theory they shouldn’t mark your frame, but if you are worried about your paint, then a bit of tape on your stays would provide additional protection.
I was impressed by how much protection is offered by the Win Wing. It’s not going to compete with a full coverage set of mudguards, but who wants those on their gravel bike? I was surprised by how effective it was at keeping me clean and dry from my thighs upwards, with a lot less mud splatter, even when riding in sloppy winter conditions. The biggest plus of all is how quiet and unobtrusive the Win Wing is when riding. There is absolutely no rattle, and it has stood up well to the rough and smooth of gravel riding. If you’re used to riding in groups then the Win Wing isn’t going to offer much protection to the rider following your wheel, but that isn’t really what the Win Wing is all about and it shouldn’t be marked down as a result.
Verdict
If you’re after a quick and simple solution to help keep you drier and cleaner during your gravel adventures, then the minimalist Win Wing from Ass Savers is a great option to consider. It provides good coverage in a lightweight, easy to install design, that is far more durable than it first appears.
Tech specs: Ass Savers Win Wing
- Price: $28.99 / £22.50 / €25.00
- Weight: 72g (gravel version)
- Sizes: Gravel (up to 60mm tires), road (up to 38mm tires)
- Colors: Five designs available
- Available from: ass-savers.com
