sendhit handguards

Sendhit Nock Handguards | Should you go full enduro?

ProtectionReview

by 20

Made in France and designed to protect your hands and your brake levers in the event of a crash, but are Nock Handguards worth it?

What is it?

Before I fitted the Sendhit Nock Handguards to my bike I believed that only Sam Hill or riders with Sam Hill levels of skill should use handguards, but now I quite like them.

sendhit handguards

Sendhit is a French company that makes the Nock handguards and a useful stanchion repair kit (check it out it’s pretty useful). The Nock Handguard is made in France using quality materials and the price reflects that! At £59.95 they’re hardly cheap, but they are cheaper than a broken brake lever, a broken pinky or even a broken hand. That’s not to say I’ve purposely ridden into trees to test their strength and the patience of the NHS, but the Polyamide-Nylon material used for the guard is extremely strong.

The cover that actually protects your hand seems very well made. It might look like simple plastic but it’s stiff where it needs to be, strong, yet flexible in places all the while never feeling brittle or flimsy.

Sendhit has obviously considered impact protection, but they’ve also included a foam-like material on the rear of the handguards to absorb shocks. This Micro Shock material also adds a little padding to the inside of the guard to further protect your hand in case you ever do strike something.

Each Polyamide-Nylon guard is bolted to alloy clamps via two bolts and nuts. There is reach adjustment at the guard/clamp interface to increase or decrease the distance from the lever, and riders can angle the guard how they like from the alloy clamp on the bar.

The length of each Nock handguard ensures you can fit them behind your grips, brake lever and shifter/dropper lever, but the single clamp design also means all of this has to come off to fit them.

What is it for?

The Nock Handguard is designed to do what you would expect it to: the main purpose is to protect your hands in the event of a crash or impact, but the design is also suitable for brake lever protection. This is especially useful for big mountain holidays, where the added protection could mean the difference between riding down a mountain with no brakes instead of both, not to mention the time saved hunting down spares in an Alpine resort.

sendhit handguards

Riding in the Peak District, I don’t have many trails where tree trunks get too close to the bars for comfort, but I expect riders who do ride on narrower, tree infested trails will enjoy the added protection on offer. What I have found though, which is rather nice, is that the Nock Handguard does a great job of deflecting nettles and thorny bushes.

What are the benefits?

Well as above, I’ve not hit any trees or rocks since fitting them… perhaps that’s a benefit? I have found riding along overgrown trails has been more comfortable thanks to the added hand coverage.

But handguards are a form of protection and by their nature, you’ll only see the benefit when you come away from a crash unscathed and without a broken brake lever. Oh, speaking of which, Sendhit offers a 2-year crash replacement policy, so if you did mangle a handguard in a crash you could replace them at a special price.

sendhit handguards

Any problems?

No problems whatsoever.

What we would like to see.

  • The bolts which attached the handguards to the alloy arms are a little long and thread is exposed on the inside. I’ve not had an accident or caught myself on them, but I would prefer it not be there. Shorter bolts would do it.
  • It would be great to see an open clamp design so you don’t need to remove half of your cockpit to fit them. This would also allow you to swap from bike to bike easier.
  • The price, I am totally confident they will work but they are a little pricey.

What we love.

  • So much adjustment, you can be sure to keep your hands protected.
  • Features. It’s easy to dismiss these handguards as simple plastic, but have a look at the website and you’ll see a lot of thought has and effort has gone into them, even down to the custom graphics (not fitted as I wanted a stealth look).

Will you keep using it?

Yes, most likely, however, I will take them off my trail bike and fit them to my enduro bike. I feel there’s more chance of me actually needing them on the enduro bike, plus they’ll look way cooler.

Review Info

Brand: Sendhit
Product: Nock Handguards
From: Windwave
Price: £59.95
Tested: by Andi Sykes for 2 months

Andi is a gadget guru and mountain biker who has lived and ridden bikes in China and Spain before settling down in the Peak District to become Singletrack's social media expert. He is definitely more big travel fun than XC sufferer but his bike collection does include some rare hardtails - He's a collector and curator as well as a rider. Theory and practice in perfect balance with his inner chi, or something. As well as living life based on what he last read in a fortune cookie Andi likes nothing better than riding big travel bikes.

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Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 20 total)
  • Sendhit Nock Handguards | Should you go full enduro?
  • impatientbull
    Full Member

    I wonder how much they’d reduce wind chill in the winter?

    Posted 2 years ago
    ayjaydoubleyou
    Full Member

    I wonder how much they’d reduce wind chill in the winter?

    comparing the speed of airflow required to make a noticable windchill, and the actual wind speeds on a grim winters day; to the speed you’re riding your bike at most of the time…

    Only into a near dead on head wind or on a fast downhill, so you’ll still need the big gloves for the other 90% of the ride.

    Posted 2 years ago
    bikesandboots
    Full Member

    The VC Guards ones I have do help with wind chill (main reason I bought them) and I expect these would too. I have slightly poor circulation in my hands, and while 100% Briskers are fine most of the time, if my hands get cold on a fast/exposed/road bit they won’t warm up again. The guards allow me to keep using these gloves instead of something more bulky.

    The VC ones also have a hinged clamp, and the guard plate can be adjusted side to side on the bracket although not for reach, no foam on them either.

    Posted 2 years ago
    devash
    Free Member

    Back in the very early 90’s, I used to have a Huffy “White Heat” that came with handguards like these. I don’t know about wind chill but I did feel like the coolest kid on the estate.

    Posted 2 years ago
    ajantom
    Full Member

    But £60 as opposed to £15-30 for MX ones (Acerbis ones are about £25 and look pretty similar to the Nock ones)

    Another example of MTBers being fleeced?

    Posted 2 years ago
    DrP
    Full Member

    I was about to post this ^^^

    I nearly bought some lime green MX ones for fiftenn quid, but figured most of the undergrowth I ride through when it’s in full swng would rip the guards off!!

    DrP

    Posted 2 years ago
    mulv1976
    Free Member

    I’ve got some of these and they are sturdy and saved my hands a couple of times already. Great for stopping the bracken and brambles ripping at your hands/bars too. The quality of the bolts is poor though, and unfortunately not a hinged clamp so those are areas that could be improved. Otherwise they look ok (for hand guards) and function well.

    Posted 2 years ago
    Northwind
    Full Member

    ajantom
    Full Member

    But £60 as opposed to £15-30 for MX ones (Acerbis ones are about £25 and look pretty similar to the Nock ones)

    Another example of MTBers being fleeced?

    Mmm, don’t think so. Acerbis have been making their guards for years- decades probably, and sell loads of them, the economies of scale will be massive compared to these. They’re a big company with a ton of different products.

    And the design is pretty different in practice, so it’s not a simple case of adapting motorbike guard designs. So no I don’t think we’re being fleeced, it does mean they’re too expensive for me to try at this point but I reckon if it catches on we’ll see them getting cheaper.

    Posted 2 years ago
    grum
    Free Member

    If you have a bad crash will they not just break and crush your fingers against the bar?

    Posted 2 years ago
    mulv1976
    Free Member

    @grum when I crash I’ll let you know 😂

    Posted 2 years ago
    bikesandboots
    Full Member

    @grum I’d guess that they’d deflect (rotate) your bars a bit, which should help make it not a square-on hit on your hand. And if they end up crushing your hand, it should be better to have that pad between them and the force spread over a wider area, than direct collision with a tree going through a few fingers.

    Posted 2 years ago
    tjagain
    Full Member

    get narrower bars and stop being a fashion victim ? NO need for had guards then
    I have a route I use when riding with people with stupidly wide bars. 700mm between trees in two places.

    Posted 2 years ago
    jamesoz
    Full Member

    I have a route I use when riding with people with stupidly wide bars. 700mm between trees in two places

    Which is why it’s best not to ride with the kind of spanner who judges people by their kit.🙂

    Posted 2 years ago
    singlespeedstu
    Full Member

    I have a route I use when riding with people with stupidly wide bars. 700mm between trees in two places

    My bike has this thing called a headset.
    It allows the bars to be turned in either direction.
    With a little bit of practice this allows me to fit my bike through gaps that are narrower than the bars.
    Does your bike not have a headset?
    😏

    Posted 2 years ago
    tykebike
    Free Member

    After hitting a tree and de-gloving my finger with my wedding ring I decided to buy the Nukeproof ones as insurance against this happening again. As well as taking my ring off before riding I also got some more protective gloves.

    Posted 2 years ago
    nixie
    Full Member

    That sounds nasty. Never considered degloving a finger with wedding ring as a risk!

    Posted 2 years ago
    howsyourdad1
    Free Member

    total fashion driven rubbish. The only guy near me who uses these is Robin Wallner. Fair enough

    Posted 2 years ago
    DickBarton
    Full Member

    I’ve no issues admitting it, but I definitely don’t ride fast enough to warrant these ridiculous things…I’m saying that as someone who regularly returns from rides with cuts up my forearms where the brambles have caught me as the trails I’m riding are so overgrown. I wear gloves so my hands aren’t too bothered.

    The overgrown shrubbery can be stopped grabbing brake levers by simply having your finger behind the lever (does make it slower to then pull your lever as you need to move your finger over the the lever, but as trails that overgrown aren’t being ridden at lightspeeds, that isn’t really an issue).

    I’m genuinely unable to see any proper use for these on a MTB other than pure fashion, which thankfully I very clearly don’t follow, so don’t feel the need to consider these (but equally feel the need to post up my dislike and disdain for them so that others can judge me!).

    Posted 2 years ago
    nedrapier
    Full Member

    It’s fashion that’s stopping me have them on. And the price. Plenty of trails near me are grown in with gorse, and it bloody hurts getting stabbed in the knuckles. And the ends break off, leaving you with deep splinters that spend the next 7, 10 days working their way out.

    Posted 2 years ago
    DickBarton
    Full Member

    Hot bath or hot shower helps get the spikes out, but does take a few minutes of effort and slight wincing…

    Posted 2 years ago
Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 20 total)

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