Our 6 best MTB mudguards

It’s that time of year again when keeping the crap out of your eyes becomes a necessity.

As long as you have the right clothing and kit on your bike, winter conditions can make mountain biking more fun – fighting to stay upright, and spending most turns counter steering is all part of it.

Below are the best MTB mudguards on the market right now. Have a ganders and get involved this winter!

ENDURO GUARD

Product Full Name: Enduro Guard size large
Retail Price: £8.99
Available from: Rapid Racer Products

This is about as simple as a spray protector gets. The Enduro Guard is a simple flap of polypropylene with a good shape, and holes in the right places for quick and easy fitting.

There are two sizes available for different fork travels, seven different colour options and it’s great value at £8.99. It can also be fitted to the rear of your bike on certain models, to keep mud away from your shock and other suspension moving parts.

Likes

• Dirt cheap
• Good protection for fork seals
• New longer front catches a lot of spray
• Light, minimal and discreet
• Easy to unclog – pretty much whack the guard and the flex removes the build up

Gripes

• Not quite as much protection as longer guards with extended forward flaps

WE SAY

An excellent little guard that does a brilliant job considering the overall size. Once on your bike you’ll barely notice it and at under £9 your wallet won’t either. One of the the best MTB mudguards out there when it comes to value.

Mudhugger

Product Full Name: MudHugger Front Race
Retail Price: £25.00
Available from: The Mudhugger

The MudHugger Front Race has a formed shape, follows the curve of the wheel and has an improved shape at the front to increase on spray protection from the previous design.

The material is sturdy, but pliable – resisting permanent damage in crashes or when you stuff your bike in the boot of your car.

Likes

• Lightweight, formed shape
• Good protection for fork seals
• Front profile aids spray protection
• Blends in to the shape of the wheel – nearly invisible at a glance

Gripes

• Thick mud can clog the guard
• Clearance on a Rockshox Pike is limited

WE SAY

As far as stopping spray goes, the Mudhugger works really well and looks good to boot. The new contoured shape on the front really adds to spray protection, though a shaped rear might be the cream on the cake for this guard.

ROCKGUARDZ

Product Full Name: Rockguardz Mudguardz CG440 Evo2 Medium
Retail Price: £46.50
Available from: Rockguardz

Three sizes are available in this hand made, carbon fibre mud guard. It has a lovely finish and a really good shape for catching the maximum amount of spray.

The bike tarts out there will no doubt want this guard to match their other expensive carbon parts – though it definitely works best on a Fox fork where clearance is less of an issue.Likes

• Rear section has a curved end, which catches lots of additional spray
• Amazing looks
• Good protection for fork seals
• Good spray protection
• Very light considering size – just 100grams.
• Good low speed protection

Gripes

• Can clog on a Pike, but the open shape clears OK.
• Deforms if not careful, but heat it up and you can straighten it.
• Expensive.

WE SAY

Even though it sits close to the tyre, manages to clear mud quite well. We did clog ours, but it only took a couple of hard front wheel strikes on the ground to get things rolling again.  The carbon fibre construction looks stunning – and can really add to the finish of your bike.

Crudcatcher

Product Full Name: Crudcatcher classic
Retail Price: £8.99
Available from: Crud Products 

The original down tube mounted mud guard still catches the most amount of muck coming off the wheel and up towards your face. It doesn’t catch the spray fires out the front of the bike and back in to your face, but if combined with something like a Neoguard you get the best of both worlds.

This is the only guard on test that does not clog, and can be used with both upside down forks and the Cannondale Lefty fork – it’s one of the best MTB mudguards for unusual bikes.

Fitting is by simple supplied o-rings, and there are frame mounts for the brands that have them as standard – like Whyte.Likes

• The original MTB mudguard
• High quality
• Some frame manufacturers offer down tube mounts
• Only guard out the lot that doesn’t clog
• Best at low speed protection
• Deformable nose ensures close fitting to fork.

Gripes

• Lacking on forward spray protection

We Say

The original MTB mudguard can still hack it for winter mud plugging, and if combined with a spray catching guard can give the maximum protection and be one of the best MTB mudguards.

Marshguard

Product Full Name: Marshguard 50/01 complete
Retail Price: €20 (regular model €15.50)
Available from: Marshguard

Using a similar design to the popular Enduroguard, the Marsh Guard is also made from pliable polypropylene and offers good spray and seal protection.

Instead of using the extended forward section of the Enduroguard, Marsh Guard have an additional ‘Stash’ flap, with a section that folds down towards the tyre for increased protection.Likes

• Simple no frills shape
• Stash flap – works really well on Fox forks, but less so on Pikes due to the guard sitting close to the tyre.
• Catches high speed spray. Simple.
• If clogs, easy to tap mud off
• Josh Bryceland signature mudguard!

Gripes

• Pricer than the standard model
• Stash flap could be integral

We Say

Another great, no frills way of keeping the spray away from your face. On a Fox fork the flap design works great, but on a Pike due to the whole guard being nearer the tyre, the fold down Stash flap isn’t quite as effective.

Dfender

Product Full Name: Powa Products Dfender
Retail Price: £49.00
Available from: Powa Products 

With marmite looks, all that try the Dfender will defend it due to the incredible protection it offers. No cable ties are needed to mount the Dfender – it has a dedicated mount for various forks, and a simple thumb wheel to install it.

Despite having no seal protection, the totally unique front shape catches virtually all spray coming off the front wheel – you can ride with no glasses in the worst of mud without affecting your vision.

Likes

• Various fitting kits
• No cable ties – dedicated mount
• High quality feel
• Absolutely the ultimate in spray protection – nothing else offers as much protection

Gripes

• No seal protection
• Pricy compared to the basic guards

We Say

The Dfender really is one of the best MTB mudguards out there when it comes to keeping spray out of your vision – but it lacks seal protection and has looks only an owner will stand up for. 

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