Mudguards are an essential purchase if you want to ride through winter in relative comfort.

While they do little for the clean lines of a road bike, mudguards protect your backside, face and feet from water, mud, grime and anything else that kicks up off your tyres on a country lane.

It needn’t be raining to feel the benefit of mudguards. Cold tarmac will remain wet long after rain has fallen and guards will continue to keep you dry and, as wet clothes invariably result in a cold rider, warm, too, when the temperature is otherwise.

Your riding buddies will thank you for it as a rear mudguard, providing it’s of adequate length, will catch most road spray before it reaches their face. Riding without mudguards on a winter club run or group ride is frowned upon.

If your have genuine ambition to log serious winter miles – and you will feel the benefit when next spring arrives – then mudguards will help keep you on the road, when rain would provide a ready-made excuse to stay in front of the fire.

So, are you sold on mudguards? Here are some key points to consider when buying guards for your road bike.