Topeak TetraFender G1 & 2 Set

The Topeak Tetrafender G1 & G2 Set is a decent way to add splatter protection to your gravel bike, over tyres up to 50mm (2in) wide. With adjustable length, fittings and generous coverage, along with tidy looks, they're a good option between ultralight-removable and fully-fitted fenders. There are a few concerns regarding impact-resistance and longevity, mind.

For more options, check out our guide to the best mudguards.

> Buy now: Topeak Tetrafender G1 & G2 Set for £50.36 from Alpinetrek

Two truisms permeate cycling: bikes almost always look better without mudguards, and getting wet, filthy or both is hardly ever fun. Thus the age-old argument runs on – when and how to use mudguards ('fenders' to some), and what is easy or even possible to fit to your bike if it's lacking dedicated mounting options like dropout or seatstay and fork bosses.

Which sets the context for the Tetrafender G1 & 2 set. A temporary guard is all about the mounting, and Topeak has recycled the design of its rock-solid quick-mount strap system as used to hold serious loads on its Tetrarack. 

As with anything going on your frame, you're advised to tape under the mounting points with at least electrical tape to prevent fine grit wearing away at the finish over time. Topeak doesn't include any clear tape in the set, so you might want to procure some from 3M or the like if you want your finish to remain pristine.

Clearance

The G2 set requires forks from 70-100mm wide as measured centre-to-centre of the fork legs looking end on – ie through the fork. At the rear they require the same 70-100mm centre-to-centre stay width at the point 200mm-ish down the stay from the bridge, and a clean seatstay for that same 200mm distance. Where your rear brake hose or shifter cable bosses are located will dictate this, so there's a bit of wiggle room – but I make the required clearance distance more like 230mm.

Which does then beg the follow-on question of 'is a seatstay bridge required?'. I think not – as the front of the rear guard is secured with generously-long Velcro straps that would work just as well going around the stay as over a bridge.

Fitting

The rear mounts are two-piece affairs that can be slid apart, allowing the guard to function with two lengths – a short one might be good for protecting a dropper post, your shorts and saddle, or a full-length second option.

The two halves of the rear guard are secured with a Nyloc nut and bolt. The front half holds the main body of the guard, and has a two-stage securing mechanism where the Velcro strap is pulled tight, then the 'strap tensioner' block pulls it all really tight using the provided 2.5mm hex key.

With practice you can get things plenty secure just pulling the Velcro strap tight, and for removal it's obviously very fast. The lower half of the mount that holds the rear of the guard out from the tyre is purely a Velcro cinch.

The Velcro straps that wrap around the mount have a rectangular captive metal hoop at one end, which attaches over a hook on the inner side of the mount. The other end of the strap wraps around the fork leg or seatstay, loops through the other side of the tensioning block, and then Velcros against itself.

I had one of these straps fail, when the folded-over Velcro strap holding the captive hoop separated. Unlike the solid design on the Tetrarack, the Tetrafender's straps are only welded in some way and not stitched. This seems to me a design flaw and Topeak really shouldn't be skimping on this sort of fixing for want of a few seconds' stitching. For nearly £70 you'd expect a higher quality of construction, particularly for a system where there's a mechanism specifically designed to pull the strap beyond finger-tight.

Adjustability

You get a minimal amount of adjustability, to get the profile of the guard matching the tyre as close as possible, and here I feel Topeak could also have done better. The company does state that the Tetrafender is 'not suitable to mount on frames with unique geometries', such as significantly dropped seatstays that attach a ways down the seat tube.

The main arms between the mount and guard don't pivot up and down at the mount, but do angle in-out, to accommodate different width stays or fork.

There's a weak point in this interface, where the arm narrows as it enters the mount. I managed to snap both arms through a bit of misguided navigation through a doorway and down some steps while the bike was balanced on the rear wheel, when the rear of the mudguard was impacted forwards. Topeak provided a replacement set quick enough, and said it hadn't seen any issues reported elsewhere, but again for £66.99 this is a disappointment, and I doubt the arms would survive a significant off-road impact.

The front of the rear guard is secured with two thin and narrow double-sided Velcro straps, which aren't there to support weight, rather to stop rattle. There's a series of holes you can choose from to get the position just right.

The front guard mounts the same, but has only the hex-keyed cinch strap and Velcro to wrap around the shoulders of your fork. I couldn't get the front of the guard through my Sonder Camino V3 carbon fork along with a 50mm 700C tyre, but a 55mm 650B wheelset afforded plenty of clearance.

If you're running fork cages or have bosses in place, you might need to play with the location. As with the rear, there's a minimum amount of wiggle room up and down, on account of the arm not having any up-down angle adjustment at the mount end.

Once all fitted and fettled, the Tetrafender set stays solid and silent over the roughest terrain. I'd argue as quick-fit mudguards go they are the best-looking option around, and the 50mm tyre coverage should suit most all gravel bike uses. Over a 650B wheelset there's a ton of clearance for mud, leaves, sticks and so on.

Topeak includes four thin reflective stripes to stick to the sides of the guards, improving side-on visibility at night.

Value

In terms of coverage, they're excellent – possibly the widest quick-fit guards on the market. At £66.99 they are at the top end of the price spectrum, though – which would be OK if the quality was higher. 

For many years the go-to temporary mudguard has been the excellent SKS Raceblade Pro XL which I tested back in 2020 and have happily used for tens of thousands of miles – but that was always limited to about 30mm of tyre. They're £55 a set now.

Testing the mountain bike-aimed SKS VeloFlexx mudguard set in 2021, I found it to be an excellent option for a gravel bike when hacked a bit – but it is predicated on a significant amount of fork and seatstay clearance to work. It's £41.99.

Probably the main contender for a go-to quick-fit gravel bike mudguard would be the SKS Speedrocker, as tested by John in 2019 – but oh my eyes, and the comments in the article from owners aren't that flattering. It's also limited to 40mm max, which is nowadays on the stingy side of wider-is-better – but then, it's £51.99.

Conclusion

All in all, I liked the Tetrafender G1 & G2 set. They fit securely, stay put solidly and look good, covering pretty wide tyres. The only letdowns are the questionable durability of the arms and straps, which are issues you may never strike or should be sorted quickly by customer service. Quick-fit mudguards are inherent compromises in looks and durability over fixed mudguards, and having lived with the Tetrafenders for a few mucky months, I would keep them at the front of my go-to wet-weather pile of kit.

Verdict

Good looking, generous mudguards, let down by a few reliability issues