Mudhugger mudguard

I fitted the rear Mudhugger in preparation for a ride starting and ending at RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk organised by The Pedal Revolution.

I went for the largest size mudguard because I have 29" tyres. I wanted it to cover the radius of the tyre, which it does, however, it was also exclusively long.

I cut off 75mm (3") and it still easily stops all the mud, I could probably lose at least another two inches and it would still be effective.

I like the idea that the Mudhugger travels with the rear suspension. Other mudguards have to be fitted high up to avoid the tyre hitting them when the suspension compresses. That gap does give plenty of space to avoid mud getting stuck between the tyre and the guard but then I end up knocking it out of the way when mounting the bike or almost sitting on it when going down steep sections.

To protect the frame from the movement of the cable ties, the Mudhugger comes with some sheets of heli (helicopter) tape. This is thick strong clear tape, sticky on one side. At 0.3mm it's a lot thicker than other types of sticky tape.

It does not bend in multiple directions very well. I ended up with bubbles in the tape where it wrapped round the curved seat stays. I used a hot air gun to soften it and was able to shrink or move most of the bubbles to the inside surface, where they cannot easily be seen.

Fitting the cable ties is easy. I pulled the guard in line with the rear tyre before cinching the cable ties tight.

The mudguard was put to the test on the RSPB ride because there were plenty of path spanning puddles and even a flooded section. The water was deep enough, in a couple of places, to get my feet wet while pedalling but none of it went up my back.

We had an enjoyable 30 mile ride with nice weather for the time of year.

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