Ass Savers Win Wing Gravel review

The Ass Savers Win Wing Gravel is an impressively lightweight clip-on mudguard that provides full backside protection from the knees up.

The Win Wing attaches in seconds to be easily transferable between bikes and can be set for an amount of tyre clearance that works for you and your bike. This makes it especially useful for gravel riding.

Don't expect the same coverage as a set of full mudguards but, as an affordable, easy-to-fit option in a well-thought-out design, the Ass Savers Win Wing is very good indeed.

Fitting the Ass Savers Win Wing

Ass Savers offers the Win Wing in two versions: a Road version, suitable for tyres up to 38mm wide, and this Gravel version, rated for use with tyres up to 60mm wide, according to the brand.

True to the company’s word, the Win Wing is a cinch to fit, with no tools required.

Watch-strap style bands fit around the seatstays of your bike, with the 'wishbone' arms then wrapping around the tyre. Ass Savers recommends fitting the mudguard between 5mm and 10mm from the tyre.

The mudguard section clips onto the wishbone mount, via three attachment points: one on either side of the 'guard and by choosing one of three holes in the middle.

These three middle holes give you the option to adjust the angle of the mudguard according to the angle of your seatstays.

Ass Savers recommends running the 'guard horizontally, or tail up (avoid a tail-down position). I opted to run with it parallel to the ground.

Further ‘thought of everything’ details include the slots on each side of the fastening that enable a zip tie to be closed over, to deter an opportunist theft.

You could tape your frame if you're worried about the straps rubbing, but my experience suggests this fixing won't mark a surface that’s clean and free from grit.

Finally, before we move onto performance, Ass Savers offers the Win Wing Gravel and Road in five colours each. Spare wishbones (€9) and straps (€5) are also available.

Dry derrière

As unlikely as it looks with its partial tyre coverage, this mudguard really does keep you clean from the knees up.

It looks minimalist (it weighs only 72g, or 64g for the Road version), but by harnessing the principal of 'tangential coverage', the level of rear-end protection is impressive.

"The key to understanding how the Win Wing works lies in physics: water and mud leave the wheel in a straight line from the tangential point of release," says Ass Savers.

"By shielding only the upper rear quarter of the wheel, the Win Wing eliminates spray from reaching the critical areas of the rider with a minimum of material."

My bike light, the underside of the saddle and my saddle bag all stayed clean and dry. But most importantly, my backside remained dry and comfortable.

Perhaps surprisingly, there’s no bounce, no flap and no noise when riding. Everything is held securely in place.

Despite all of this, there is a limit, of course, as to how effective a mudguard of this nature will be in keeping you completely dry.

Your feet are still fully exposed, compared to a set of full-coverage mudguards, and there's nothing in the way of coverage for riders following you.

Ass Savers Win Wing Gravel bottom line

In short, the performance of the Win Wing Gravel exceeded my expectations.

It’s a winter-conditions no-brainer for multi-terrain riding, if you want a minimalist gravel bike mudguard for rear-end protection.