Review Mudhugger FRX and rear 29er mudguard

DrStupid

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
Jul 10, 2019
1,464
2,128
Pleasureville Ky
I have a set of the Mudhugger ones on the way though a bit wary of the rear one eating holes in the seat stays...Some horror stories around, even with the correctly applied frame tape etc..

I noticed the rear ate through the tape in just a few days on the trance, so when I afixed it to the voltiac I used all the zip tie holes. I know it sucks but I dont leave it on. I check the forecast and take the the rear fender off once dry ground is on the way.

My plan is the modify the rear fender mount a bit by drilling some holes above the small flange and mount the bottom flange of the fender to the lower side of the upper chainstay, using the zip ties to pull the fender againts entire height of the chainstay.This will eliminate the pressure points by creating at least 10 times the mounting surface area. I'll send pics once I'm done. Its gonna be simple...eek. I never learn.

This combo works in spades though. My ride today had both tires totally 100% plugged up with thick tacky Kentucky clay. To clear the mud I rode a mile in wet grass. Here are the after pics.
20191017_103100.jpg
20191017_103115.jpg
20191017_103337.jpg
 

iainc

Active member
Jul 21, 2019
171
134
Glasgow
Thankfully you aren’t on STW Gary or you’d have commented on the occasional Audi thread I may have posted on ?
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
Author
Subscriber
Mar 29, 2018
10,496
10,702
the internet
I think a few of *those* folk are thankful

Patricualrly the two twatty self righteous moderators who don't even ride bikes ;)

meeeow
 

iainc

Active member
Jul 21, 2019
171
134
Glasgow
Hmmm, front one arrived, very tight squeeze on my Fox 36 forks with 2.6 Minion tyre. Think I’ll use a MuckyNutz XL instead for now...
 

iainc

Active member
Jul 21, 2019
171
134
Glasgow
Well these are going back. The front is just too tight, though their website does say this can be an issue with Fox 36 and big tyres. The rear one is just too bulky in looks for me, though I’m sure very effective. Combined with the many experiences of them munching up seatstays it’s a no for me.
 

Cyclopath1000

Active member
Apr 26, 2019
313
125
Davis Ca
I've been riding mudhuggers in the back on e Mt and non e and if you seriously want to stay dry these rule. Yes they are bulky, yes they don't fit perfectly etc etc...I can ride for hours in NorCal rain and stay dry. They are the solution that also keeps mud off your seatpost which is going to be cost effective. The only other way to keep mud off a seatpost is a thin "thing" of a tube mounted vertically off the bottom of the seat. I actually love single track rain rides so I'm a glutton for punishment.
 

iainc

Active member
Jul 21, 2019
171
134
Glasgow
^^^^^^ yeah, I know what you mean and living in the west of Scotland, and riding all year round on natural trails I am no stranger to muddy mess. I always wear a backpack, and on wet rides, waterproof shorts (over bibs or bib longs depending on time of year). I haven’t wrecked a dropper yet, though have worn out a few pairs of shorts.....

I do like a decent front guard, especially being a spec wearer, and have gone back to the one i use on my non e hardtail (Bird TR), which is a muckynutz face fender.
 

Nickolp1974

Active member
Jul 30, 2019
236
174
Louth lincs
Bought some of these after reading this thread and thanks, they are brilliant, perfect for today as it just hasn't stopped raining, put em on and got geared up and had a great slippy ride! Not sure how they will be in clay, we have alot if that in Lincolnshire but it's been too wet for it to stick, only time will tell but so far so good.
 

Fivetones

E*POWAH Master
Patreon
Feb 11, 2019
898
905
Cheshire
Just test fitted mine to the Orange - fits so well. Comes down much further than on many fits I’ve seen above and protects back of shock well. At 200g it ain’t that light so won’t stay on all the time but it looks well and complements the front Syncros stubby guard that perfectly fits the Fox 36.

I love the fact 1. They are manufactured from recycled plastic and 2. not made in China in a sweatshop but made in UK.
 

DrStupid

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
Jul 10, 2019
1,464
2,128
Pleasureville Ky
I noticed the rear ate through the tape in just a few days on the trance, so when I afixed it to the voltiac I used all the zip tie holes. I know it sucks but I dont leave it on. I check the forecast and take the the rear fender off once dry ground is on the way.

My plan is the modify the rear fender mount a bit by drilling some holes above the small flange and mount the bottom flange of the fender to the lower side of the upper chainstay, using the zip ties to pull the fender againts entire height of the chainstay.This will eliminate the pressure points by creating at least 10 times the mounting surface area. I'll send pics once I'm done. Its gonna be simple...eek. I never learn.

This combo works in spades though. My ride today had both tires totally 100% plugged up with thick tacky Kentucky clay. To clear the mud I rode a mile in wet grass. Here are the after pics. View attachment 20221 View attachment 20222 View attachment 20223


Here is my new fender mounting. Forgive the odd yellow and magenta zipties; the nearest hardware store is 28 miles round trip, so I used what was left in the bag.

I dont like the way the OEM instructions mount the fender on top if the chainstay so I tried something a little different.

I drilled 3 holes in the fender and align the flange at the bottom. Its definitely a better fit and the fender self aligned on Trance.

Zoomed in you can see the holes I drilled.
20191124_103615.jpg



Flange is now under the chainstay and the contact point is much wider.
20191124_103611.jpg


After pulling the zipties snug, I noticed the fender actually self aligned.

20191124_103629.jpg


I ride it later to see if stays put any better.
 

Rail5

Member
Dec 12, 2019
46
14
Yorkshire
I must admit, I am not a fan of a wet mucky bottom (out in public anyways) I’ve tried various rear mud guards and fitted the mud hugger 29er this week been out for one ride and I must say I am quite impressed with its overall performance. There’s no such such thing as a cool looking rear guard unfortunately ??‍♂️
 

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,565
5,055
Weymouth
there seems to be an emphasis for mudguards ( ps MUDGUARDS!...…...fenders are to protect potential impact/crash zones!) on rider protection. Personally I use mudguards mainly to protect the bike and specifically areas like fork stancions, pivot bearing, rear shock shaft......and on the Levo the open motor casing area below the chainstay brace. I use an Enduro front guard and a Mudhugger FRX ( front) on the rear slightly cut down. In wet/muddy conditions I wear Altura waterproof mtb pants and Nukeproof waterproof shell top....both of which get plastered by can be easily sprayed down with cold water to have them clean for the next ride with no drying time. The Enduro guard is sufficient to prevent most face spray as well as protecting the stancions. If I am following other riders I wear goggles.
 

Varaxis

Member
Founding Member
Feb 5, 2018
145
89
California, USA
Also running the RRP Max front and Mudhugger 29er rear. My only complaints:

* they're short of full coverage
* the rear can contact the ground when wheeling the bike around vertically on its back wheel
* I've broke the rear's zip-ties twice from accidentally kicking it, while swinging my leg over to mount onto the bike

I leave them on permanently. The included zip-ties broke from the first kick within the first couple weeks; 50 lb rated replacements lasted about 6-8 months. Haven't felt like trimming the length yet, but it probably would be a minimal amount (15mm maybe). Thought many times about making a DIY extension that covered the area between the seat stays and BB pivot area, and also a flap that went further down behind the front tire, but haven't been motivated to bother.

IMG_20200318_170408417_HDR (1).jpg
 

DrStupid

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
Jul 10, 2019
1,464
2,128
Pleasureville Ky
Also running the RRP Max front and Mudhugger 29er rear. My only complaints:

* they're short of full coverage
* the rear can contact the ground when wheeling the bike around vertically on its back wheel
* I've broke the rear's zip-ties twice from accidentally kicking it, while swinging my leg over to mount onto the bike

I leave them on permanently. The included zip-ties broke from the first kick within the first couple weeks; 50 lb rated replacements lasted about 6-8 months. Haven't felt like trimming the length yet, but it probably would be a minimal amount (15mm maybe). Thought many times about making a DIY extension that covered the area between the seat stays and BB pivot area, and also a flap that went further down behind the front tire, but haven't been motivated to bother.

View attachment 35423

About 1/2 way through above post we start stuffing front fenders inside the mud-huggers to get that coverage.
 

Cyclopath1000

Active member
Apr 26, 2019
313
125
Davis Ca
Can you post a picture of your front fender stuck underneath the mud hooker in the rear to keep the emotor clean I'd like to see that cuz I keep the mud hugger on my common calm meta 650B I keep it on all the time because why bother taking it on off I finally got the zip ties so they're inside and they don't touch nothing matters I don't do wheelies but I can understand people complaining about you can't do wheelie with a mud hugger but can you please someone post a picture of the front fender stuck down there I'd like to see it I want to do it
 

DrStupid

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
Jul 10, 2019
1,464
2,128
Pleasureville Ky
Can you post a picture of your front fender stuck underneath the mud hooker in the rear to keep the emotor clean I'd like to see that cuz I keep the mud hugger on my common calm meta 650B I keep it on all the time because why bother taking it on off I finally got the zip ties so they're inside and they don't touch nothing matters I don't do wheelies but I can understand people complaining about you can't do wheelie with a mud hugger but can you please someone post a picture of the front fender stuck down there I'd like to see it I want to do it
The pics are already posted in the thread above. Just follow the link from.my post above.
 

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