Mudhugger MK2 Rear

Fresh Goods Friday 628: Rear Guard Action Edition

by 17

This is the yintro… it’s a bit like the yangtro except the complete opposite to it. Which brings us in no relevant way whatsoever to this week’s Eff Gee Eff!

November is nearly over. Is it the Worst Month Of The Year? Or does that title still lie with January?

What were the skies like when you were young?
Saracen Ariel 50E Elite First look
Latest Singletrack Videos

Mudhugger MK2 Rear Mudguard

Medium
Large

In our recent Buyers Guide to the Best Mountain Bike Mudguards we didn’t include any rear mudguards. This is because we are stupid and evil. Partly. And partly because we’ve not really used any rear mudguards for approximately yonks. So, in a stunning piece of synchronicity, mudguardmeisters Mudhugger have come out with a new version of their Rear Mudguard.

What’s new? Three things. First, reusable quick release velcro straps. Second, rubber inserts where the ‘guard meets the stays to aid grip and improve ‘damping’. Third, all new push fit ‘BB extender’, to protect bearings and the BB area (designed to be as thin as possible so that it can be easily trimmed).

First ride verdict: does the job it’s meant to, is quiet, stays put, also has the added BDSM bikey bonus of lightly tapping you on the arse during more extreme moments on descents.

Canyon Neuron:ON 9

Smell the sage!

This Canyon Neuron:ON 9 is a well-equipped, e-bike example of Canyon’s all-round Neuron platform. Boasting 130mm travel at each end, a Shimano EP-8 motor, Pikes, SRAM GX-AXS wireless shifting and some decent wheels and tyres, this bike is aimed at the go-anywhere, do-anything rider. There’s a chunky 630W/hr battery that should see you to the horizon and beyond.

Chipps has this particular bike in for doing one of the many things that e-bikes are good at: namely doing a lot of ‘What’s down that track?’ kind of exploration, combined with a bit of hedge-trimmer hauling for clearing up the bits that need a bit of love. Expect a follow-up review once it has a few more bramble scratches on its lovely sage and mint paint…

Acros Headset Cover – Integrated Cable Routing

  • Price: €12.56
  • From: Acros

For bikes that come with thru-stem routing (like the Focus Jam2 SL in last week’s FGF, for example) this replacement headset cap means you can run a different, normal stem on the bike. It may also help de-stiffen the action of things like changing gear and operating the dropper post, that can be significantly less easy-moving compared to normal routing.

So yep, you still have the run the cabling through the headtube (and do some re-cabling/bleeding etc) but for thru-stem set-up bikes that come with stems that are a bit too long for our tastes, this little thing is going to be very helpful.

Headset Grease AKA Steuersatzfett

  • Price: €8.36
  • From: Acros

Headset grease. You know, for the assembly and maintenance of your headset. Doesn’t have to be an Acros headset. And we dare say you can use it for greasing something that isn’t a headset. We’re featuring this item separately (it came with the aforementioned Headset Cover) because it is a product in its own right and it’s called ‘steuersatzfett’, which is very pleasing.

Hunt Proven Wheels

A wheelset of two halves, Brian. “What sets Race Enduro apart is the tailored front and rear rim carbon layups, each aimed to offer specific ride properties. The front is tuned for comfort, while the rear can withstand impacts and compressions.”

The rims are built to offer the same levels of impact resistance as Hunt’s All Mountain Carbon H_IMPACT wheelset but with added traction and compliance. Hubs: 5 degree RapidEngage rear hub, Boost (110/148) or Super-Boost (110/157) spacing. Large double sealed cartridge bearings. Rock Shox Torque Caps for are available. Tubeless tape, valve and spare spokes included. Claimed weight: 1,929g.

Schwalbe Bike Soap and Brush

It’s bike cleaning season! We’ve got a set of the new Schwalbe eco-friendly bike cleaning set. Instead of spraying your bike with coloured liquid and scrubbing, you lather up the soap and apply with the the wooden handled brush. The soap is made in Germany, from natural substances and dermatologically tested, vegan and microplastic-free. This ensures neither coatings nor tyres are affected during cleaning. It’s also biodegradable. The wooden-handled brush is equally eco, though not vegan as it boasts genuine horse-hair bristles. The soap, and its eco-kit should last you a good while and refills are available.

Cyclus Hanger alignment tool

  • Price: £33
  • From: iRide

There are some cycle-specific tools that you really can’t bodge, or finesse your way around. While you can fit a headset with a hammer and a block of wood, you just can’t accurately realign a bent mech hanger without the correct tool. The pro-workshop versions are expensive, but this affordable one from Cyclus is fine for home workshops and will pay itself back in one or two uses.

It features a heavy steel bar with a threaded bolt at the hanger end and an easy-adjust feeler at the other end (it needs to slide up and down the bar because your hanger isn’t at the centre of the wheel – took Chipps years to work that out…) A few gentle tugs and re-checking of the angles and you should be shifting pretty in no time. 

Nidecker Supernatic Snowboard bindings

Anyone familiar with the old Flow Binding system will look at these and go, ‘Ah yes.. those bindings that didn’t really work that well.” But wait! These are a much improved system that doesn’t involve strange wires. This is a much more impressively engineered system that uses levers and rollers and footplates that get slippy when wet.

To those not familiar with snowboard bindings and terminology, these are the bits on a snowboard that lock your feet in place. Bindings are the SPD of the snow world. Traditionally bindings involve straps over the toes and upper part of your foot. To get in and out of them, something that you need to do often when snowboarding to get on and off lifts, you need to bend over and undo each strap. These step in bindings at least eliminate the getting in part of that process (you still have to bend down to release your foot from the bindings by pressing a lever). Press the magic lever and the backplate folds backwards allowing your boot to slip out of the binding without the need to undo the two straps.

For this middle aged snowboarder (Mark) reducing the amount of bending over and touching my toes by 50% is something I very much welcome. These are going to be put to the test in Whistler in a few weeks so watch out for a first look and then a full review on the snow channel.

Giant Proshield MTB Jacket

Giant make some great accessories and clothing. Don’t believe us? Pop into a Giant bikes dealer and see for yourself. The jacket is made from something called ProTextura Plus. Zip armpits and ventilation holes. Detachable hood (with helmet covering function – yes!) Two zip pockets. Full-length locking zip with internal draft flap and magnetic closure. High collar. Relaxed fit.

Glengoyne 12 Year Old

The Glengoyne distillery boasts that its “stills are the slowest in Scotland”. Which is appropriate seeing as this particular bottle was kindly sent to us by Pete Scullion, an award-winning photographer who takes not-slow stills in Scotland. See what we did there? Yes, it was pretty tenuous and not a little bit forced but hey. Thanks Pete!

What does it taste like? “Lemon zest, toffee apples – and a scent of coconut. Hand-selected sherry casks help create this paradise of flavours and rich, golden colour. It’s the taste of Scotland’s slowest distillation, and our insistence on barley dried by air – never peat.”

KMF Buff & Socks

Super exclusive superstar apparel. You can only get these stunning garments by being presenting something onstage at last weekend’s Kendal Mountain Festival. Our Hannah did exactly that – presented to Singletrack Reader Awards to Nils Amelinckx and Pete Scullion – and here she is showing off her spoils. She’s no doubt gone and cynically put them straight onto eBay to make a quick buck. That’s just not right.

Wolf Tooth 110 BCD Asymmetric 4-Bolt for Shimano 44T

Patented Drop-Stop wide-narrow tooth profile for minimised dropped chains. Perfect for 1x setups. Machined in-house at Wolf Tooth’s HQ in Minnesota, USA. Black anodised finish.

Rimpact PRO V2 Insert Set

“Rimpact PRO V2 is a performance upgrade on the grouptest winning PRO insert. It utilises an Energy Sensitive layer in conjunction with Rimpact ORIGINAL Foam to harden on impact and dissipate extreme forces across itself and the foam below rather than into the rim. The material remains supple and malleable meaning its easy to install yet when it counts, Rimpact steps it up to maximum protection mode and allows you to ride it out when there’s no easy line choice!”

The Mega Sack

Holidays are coming… holidays are coming… Oh do shut UP! The one – and possibly only – good thing to happen in the wretched month of December is our world famous Advent Countdown Mega Sack Giveaway Thingy! Stay tuned. Won’t be long.

Thread Of The Week

Congratulations eckinspain for this example of maximum STW. Get involved people. It’s about pies.

Every week the winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. And it’s now the fabulous majestic Singletrack x Granite Designs RockBand Strap that is to be awarded. So HOLA! to eckinspain. Please email editorial@singletrackworld.com. Please include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery times.

Classifieds Ad of the Week

Seller: “As title, almost new Frontier bike in medium.  SX groupset, Level brakes, Sonder Nova 29″ wheels. It’s my wife’s bike, but she loves her gravel bike too much and this has been ridden about twice. I have the same frame in large and it’s currently my most ridden bike – used for local xc rides, bikepacking and a recent week’s tour in France.”

Slan!

Is this good or evil?

Join our mailing list to receive Singletrack editorial wisdom directly in your inbox.

Each newsletter is headed up by an exclusive editorial from our team and includes stories and news you don’t want to miss.

Sign up to receive awesome editorial content from Hannah every week.

Check your inbox for our confirmation email and click the link to activate your newsletter.
We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

While you’re here…

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

More posts from Ben

Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)
  • Fresh Goods Friday 628: Rear Guard Action Edition
  • 5lab
    Full Member

    that chainring looks way to much of a hack to cost £100

    aide
    Full Member

    Only time I’ve been happy enough to say the obligatory…..

    HOW MUCH!?!?!? 

    Can’t wait for the mega sack comp to start again (might even win something this year 🤞)

    tthew
    Full Member

    Anyone else think that the thru-stem/headset cables routing will go the same way as press fit bottom brackets and Smallpox?

    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    will go the same way as press fit bottom brackets

    They’re still here you know, and actually a better idea on a carbon frame, at least when done right, than threaded.

    and Smallpox?

    Oh you mean they’ll randomly kill someone in Birmingham years after we’ve all forgotten they exist?

    Shred
    Free Member

    I still think my mudhugger design of having a piece of inner tube zip tied to the end of the guard, down to the BB area for extra BB/suspension protection is better than that extra piece of plastic.

    sargey2003
    Full Member

    I use and like Rimpact, but “Energy Sensitive Layer” sounds like marketing speak BS to me.

    HoratioHufnagel
    Free Member

    I use and like Rimpact, but “Energy Sensitive Layer” sounds like marketing speak BS to me.

    Maybe people often think it’s constructed of Neutrinos or something else that isn’t very energy sensitive (??)

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    thru-stem/headset cables routing

    I’ve not owned one yet and wouldn’t want one of those stems that looks like Zoidberg but I may actually embrace headset routing. It mildly annoys me that so many frames don’t consider left hand rear brakes and just maybe the headset route will be more flexible in that regard

    julians
    Free Member

    get burton step ons if you want hassle free step in style snowboard bindings, they’re awesome

    roger_mellie
    Full Member

    I was going to comment on the expense of a bar of soap and a brush, but then £85 for some foam somewhat eclipsed that.

    A few gentle tugs

    You’ll go blind you know 😉

     

    Mark
    Full Member

    Decided against the Burton Step-Ons as it would be twice the price with the need for new boots. Plus I really like my current boots and want to keep them.

    LAT
    Full Member

    It mildly annoys me that so many frames don’t consider left hand rear brakes and just maybe the headset route will be more flexible in that regard

    an understandable annoyance, but reading, “ It may also help de-stiffen the action of things like changing gear and operating the dropper post, that can be significantly less easy-moving compared to normal routing,” it seems that this type of routing doesn’t consider the gear or dropper routing.

    A few gentle tugs

    You’ll go blind you know 😉

    don’t worry, blinding yourself requires a fat more vigorous technique.

    lightfighter762
    Free Member

    Glengoyne 12. One is enough, two is too many and three is not enough.

    ped
    Full Member

    Wow. The full length intro to that dog powered scooter is really quite special!

    andyspaceman
    Full Member

    Didn’t used to think I liked Whisky until I tried Glengoyne 12 on a trip to ride Mabie and Dalbeattie many, many moons ago. Super stuff.

    Liking the look of the new mudhugger. Just the ticket for Hertfordshire clag.

    robido
    Full Member

    Headset grease. bike soap. Must be April the 1st

    bearGrease
    Full Member

    Are any of those Cyclus gear hanger tools in stock anywhere?

Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.