Review: Mudhugger Front Fender
18 October 2013 | By AngusMcIntoshCheck out MoreDirt's review of the awesome Front Fender from mud guard guru's "Mudhugger". It's stealthy, light, doesn't clog and keeps you clean! Ideal!
The options for mudguards that you can run up front are ever growing and as we are about to conveniently arrive in the rainy season maybe its about time to sort yourself a new solution to keep your face clear of kack? The front fender from Mudhugger could just be the perfect new companion throughout the winter.
A while ago we featured the rear Mudhugger… A large rear fender that pretty much kept 100% of mud off your back designed by Bruce Gardiner and his brother… A while ago he got back in contact with news that their front fender was ready for sale! I jumped at the chance to strap it upfront and see how it fared.
Now the rear fender market may not be huge with current fashions in these circles dictating it’s a bit of a No no for some riders Front fenders are more popular than ever with everyone from the worlds fastest racers down to the local trail centre weapon wanting to keep their eyes clear of muck!
Mudhugger have come up with a neat and tidy little front guard that is secured to the underside of the fork lowers very similar to ever popular mucky nutz design. However the Mudhugger guard has a bit more substance to it with a far stiffer plastic chosen as the medium over the thin flexible variety.
Clearance wouldn't even be an issue with the biggest spike tyres!
The guard is compatible with pretty much any fork with an arch on the front that you could secure the guard to and has enough clearance to run pretty much any popular tyre combination even a downhill spike tyre in collaboration with a dual crown fork like the Rockshox Boxxer or Fox 40. Elite female world cup downhill racer of the Unior Tools trade team, Jess Stone has even been running one of these bad boys out on the world cup circuit to great use and clear vision!
Styling wise the guard looks pretty good to our eyes with smooth sleek lines throughout from the way that the guard is molded during production. The flexibility of the guard is pretty good aswell with that obviously being an important factor with the likelihood of the guard taking a hit during crashing…
The suggested method of attachment is with the supplied Velcro tape but if you’re looking for added security and a little less rattle I opted for zip tie’s pulling them nice and tight for a pretty rigid solution.
Smooth lines give for a stealthy feel!
The shape of the guard when attached not only keeps mud from your face it actually keeps mud water and little bits of grit landing on your fork stanchions and getting pushed into the seals during wet weather riding. In the long run through the winter this will almost certainly reduce seal damage and could save you a packet when compared to the cost of the guard that is a pretty reasonable…
I never had any problems with clogging on the guard and I don’t think I could actually see that ever being a problem in the long run anyway. The clearance is tight enough to catch the mud but large enough to let rocks and clumps get through without any real trouble and catching.
I could see a space for this on any bike that you are going to be riding in the rain! It’s going to work with everything from downhill to XC with very little weight or styling penalties for want of a better phrase!
The front fender from Mudhugger does everything we look for from a mudguard, It's light yet substantial enough to stay in tact, looks good and doesn't clog. Winner.
Mudhugger front guards are available on their website here or together in a pack with the rear fender.
You can keep up to date with Mudhugger on their Facebook and Twitter feeds!
Many thanks to Bruce for sending us down the guard for review… It will certainly be on my downhill bike though out the winter!
