Mudhugger MK2 Rear Mudguard review

Had a mudhugger for years. Looks crap but brilliant in winter slip. I've found that I've split the last part a little bit when wheeling the bike upright but it must be about 10 years old now and still going strong!

I've been looking at these as an alternative to my OG mudhugger. which is currently not fitted as a prefer the pivot protection of a shorty than the ass protection of the long one.

Calling @stirlingcrispin, calling Crispin...

It'll go nicely with his new front guard:

I was more than a little jealous of those with one of these fugly monsters on their bikes at the Somme Puffer a couple of weeks ago. One would be on the way already if I could have found more intel on the sizes - though by the sounds of it the large might be a bit overkill.

Do these "clamp to the seatstay" designs have problems if you've got a frame with flex stays?

I know you shouldn't add a big plastic thing to a lightweight frame design...

Thanks for the nudge, ordered one this afternoon for my Jeht

@matt_outandabout , @a11y
Where are you both when it rains ?
Litewaits.

Have standard Mudhuggers on my bikes.
Front has an extender and I hacked away at the rear one so it doesn't catch the downtube.
Gorrila tape and multiple zip ties for the win.

It's early but I can't see fathom how the front extender flap moves on the MK2?

All those worrying about the aesthetics better not look at my arrangement then . My Orbea Rise has got the shock protecting shortie permanently mounted . On my winter rides once a week I slap on my seatpost mounted rear crudguard to protect the ass of my expensive TLD waterproof trousers 👍 . To quote my dear old dad “ Doesn’t matter what you look like son “ 😬

It doesn't move. It clips into the mudguard then you have to 'adjust' it to fit. On my BFE I can't use it as the stub of a frame tube extends beyond the seat stays. If I fit it to my FS tho, I'll cut it down a bit to fit as it'll replace something I've already cable tied there to protect the many pivots on that bike!

I have an XL (mate bought two at the same time and went for biggest size)- it's a bit long for hardtail but it's astoundingly effective. Even compared to a V1 that was probably a bit short on a big 29er. After some truly grim rides this year, pack, riding kit (from the back anyway!) and seatpost/saddle all mud free.

https://flic.kr/p/2obE1xH

Like I say a bit long but I'm not cutting it down till I've tried in other bikes. I don't hang bikes up with mudguard on so it's not really a problem.

I can certainly see the attraction at this time of year in the UK, but I just don't think I could do that to a bike I love no matter the suffering I must stoically bear 😂

I can certainly see the attraction at this time of year in the UK, but I just don’t think I could do that to a bike I love no matter the suffering I must stoically bear 😂

Aye because that thick line of shite all the way up your back is far more appealing visually 😀

Well, yeah
Don't mind what I look like, but my bike otoh... 😉😅

Tongue firmly in cheek of course, and they're wonderfully effective. They do make any bike look like a Walmart special though.

Have one of the original ones that zip tie to the frame.

Brilliant things for mud protection but a bit shite for rubbing the paint on your frame.
Rubbed down to the bare steel on my p7. Wasn't happy

Still haven't found one as good though.

Brilliant things, these. First thing I did to mine when I got it was to enlarge the zip tie holes so I could attach it with velcro cable ties instead - taking it on and off is a breeze, although it did have a habit of sliding down the chainstays until I applied a bit of tape to anchor it on each side.

The extender looks very handy.. haven't come up with a home rolled solution to that yet, must try harder!

I've got an old one but it's developed a bit of a lean to one side and no amount of fiddling will get it to stay straight like it used to.

I'm confused by this bit:

I’m not totally convinced it’s any better than cable ties would be. If you have to cut the Velcro off short, it’s limiting its reusability/swapability between frames with different sized seat stays. Is Velcro any more or less wasteful that cable ties?

I've removed and fitted my guard to my bike perhaps 20 times. Each time using 4 or 6 zip ties. In what possible way would velcro not be less wasteful?

 

The extender looks very handy.. haven’t come up with a home rolled solution to that yet, must try harder!

I've added a piece of inner tube, attached to the end of the mud hugger, zip tied down near the BB to reduce the mud and junk being deposited into my suspension pivot, and onto the shock. Not perfect, but cheap and easy.

Do these “clamp to the seatstay” designs have problems if you’ve got a frame with flex stays?

nah - generally flex is engineered into the area near the rear axle, not towards the top.

@thegeneralist I suspect that once you trim the Velcro down so it doesn't flap in your spokes, you'll end up with pieces that are so short that it makes removing and refitting to another bike a bit like trying to sew a stitch with a long needle on a short thread - super fiddly and hard to get hold of. So you'll just end up with new Velcro - at which point, is that any better than a cable tie?

The only true way to a dry arse and back.
Plus on my Trek X-Cal, the seatstay angle produces a perfectly horizontal mobile table. Some civilization in the filth.

Hmm... Do these work on bikes that have cables running along the top of the seatstays? Both my MTBs have this arrangement, so suspect I'll have to stick to the old fashioned crud guard...

erm..... I must focus on the practical benefits, not the aesthetic.

Has anyone used these on Orange full sussers? The rear seat stays are at a lot shallower angle than a typical frame.

My bikes are festooned with Mudhugger products. Front, downtube and rear. I just hate mud all over my clothes. Mud on my specs annoy me.
Sure, my friends laugh. But I laugh at them with their mud stained trousers that really does look like they shat themselves. 😀

Really good products.

Been using a mark 1 for several years. A bit of trimming at the front to stop it rubbing on the frame when the suspension is depressed.Helicopter tape on my chain stays keeps the paintwork perfect. Riding all year it’s essential if you don’t want to upset your friendly landlord when stopping for a post ride pint. It may not look cool but it keeps your arse and back clean.

I prefer the curve of the SKS mudrocker

Has anyone used these on Orange full sussers? The rear seat stays are at a lot shallower angle than a typical frame.

Assuming that you are not referring the older swingarm of the Five (which is what I have), then I would suggest looking at the SKS Mudrocker as you can tweak the angle of the mudguard with the rubber wedges.

Assuming that you are not referring the older swingarm of the Five (which is what I have), then I would suggest looking at the SKS Mudrocker as you can tweak the angle of the mudguard with the rubber wedges.

Ah ok. I have an Orange Four. I’ll take a look at the Mudrocker.

Cheers

I chose this over other versions to protect my bike and me from the worst of the winter mud. It's very effective at protecting me, compared with fellow riders who've taken the same tracks but without similar guards. However, I have a few fitting comments. My bike has curly seat stays, and even heating the protective tape didn't give a smooth fit. And the extender didn't reach far enough for my frame, and initially threw dirt onto the bottom pivot, I ended up making a shield which zip-tied behind the bottom bracket and bending the extender so it slides behind my protector (angle critical - first attempt caught the tyre at times). Overall very effective but given the fettling I needed to do, I could have bought cheaper and created my own extension.