Skip to main content

Mudhugger SL front mudguard


This nifty bit of flatpack plastic is designed to plug a gap in Mudhugger’s range and deliver a more wallet-friendly version of their moulded fender without sacrificing too much performance. It feels relatively flimsy in the hand, but once you overlap the two tabs on each side and anchor them to your fork’s lower legs with the cable ties provided, it gains a decent dollop of structural integrity, and curves around the wheel nicely. This added complexity means fitting is a little trickier than with a regular fender, and we found we had to crank the cable ties up properly tight to prevent it moving around when covered in mud. On a 29er XC bike with a 2.25in front tyre and Boost-width Fox 32 fork, the wheel flex and limited tyre clearance meant our sample rubbed quite frequently. When used with a Fox 36 and 2.5in tyre there were no such problems and the SL did a sterling job of keeping grime and spray off our goggles.

Price $20

Popular posts from this blog

Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS

The fat aluminium tubes are a constrast to the skinny items seen elsewhere in the test, but this rigid Cannondale uses them to create one of the most old-school - and lightest - rides here.

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

SKS Airbuster CO2 inflator

The alloy Airbuster has a large knob so you can regulate the flow of gas, a mechanical stop to prevent the cartridge being pierced in transit and a dust cap to keep the valve free of debris. While it works with Presta and Schrader valves, switching between them requires a fiddly change of the valve head. The thin rubber sleeve doesn’t provide much protection from cold spent canisters. You can’t insert much of the valve into the inflator head, so you have to be careful to avoid leaks. Price $33 w/16g cartridge

Anthony Messere’s Morpheus Vimana Slope

A flying chariot built with one thing in mind – slopestyle domination

Syncros XR1.5 saddle

Saddles are a vastly personal item, as shown by the wide array of shapes and sizes on offer. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. Syncros have tackled this by offering two widths - a narrow 132mm version we've tested and a wider 143mm version.