RapidRacerProducts going electric soon!

[RapidRacerProducts Ltd]

Hi all it’s Craig from RRP, I’m hoping to get an electric e-bike to help keep mountain biking as my knees slowly disintegrate!
The e-mtb will also be a great way to test our new mudguards as they create such a lot of spray, we’re looking at the Crafty RR SL 2020 but unfortunately it’s not likely to arrive until April, may have to look at another to get us going.

 

[MinusPrevious]

Alright Craig

Welcome to the boards

Cheers, Joe

 

[kafkastan]

Hi all it’s Craig from RRP, I’m hoping to get an electric e-bike to help keep mountain biking as my knees slowly disintegrate!
The e-mtb will also be a great way to test our new mudguards as they create such a lot of spray, we’re looking at the Crafty RR SL 2020 but unfortunately it’s not likely to arrive until April, may have to look at another to get us going.

Aha, just the man!

So, my dream rear mudguard … At the mo, on my Vitus E-Escarpe, I have a bodged and chopped RRP Proguard Front Max as my rear, set on the seatstays. Now I don’t think I’m alone in doing this to protect the pivots, but it’s particularly useful on Vitus eMTBs given the split seatpost which exposes the rear shock and top of the motor housing to driving mud. So, frankly I reckon that RRP should develop an adapted version of this!

First, lose the lip at the front and maintain a consistent curve. I’ve chopped mine down as it was pinching just behind my motor, causing a clag-point for mud.

Second, make it a touch wider/ more flexible at the mounting points. You’ll see in the photo that I’ve added some holes for additional cable ties to help pull the guard away from the tyre.

Third, and perhaps more importantly, make it a few inches longer to give a bit more protection for my arse. I didn’t have time to change the other day before I had to walk the dog and I overheard two separate groups of people discussing the fact that it looked like I had shit myself. There’s a reason the rear Mudhuggers are popular, but they’re a little OTT for my liking – and provide no protection for the pivots.

Right, I think that’s all of my not remotely unreasonably list! I’ll seek no commission when it becomes your bestseller. Freebies will however be accepted!

 

[RapidRacerProducts Ltd]

Aha, just the man!

So, my dream rear mudguard … At the mo, on my Vitus E-Escarpe, I have a bodged and chopped RRP Proguard Front Max as my rear, set on the seatstays. Now I don’t think I’m alone in doing this to protect the pivots, but it’s particularly useful on Vitus eMTBs given the split seatpost which exposes the rear shock and top of the motor housing to driving mud. So, frankly I reckon that RRP should develop an adapted version of this!

First, lose the lip at the front and maintain a consistent curve. I’ve chopped mine down as it was pinching just behind my motor, causing a clag-point for mud.

Second, make it a touch wider/ more flexible at the mounting points. You’ll see in the photo that I’ve added some holes for additional cable ties to help pull the guard away from the tyre.

Third, and perhaps more importantly, make it a few inches longer to give a bit more protection for my arse. I didn’t have time to change the other day before I had to walk the dog and I overheard two separate groups of people discussing the fact that it looked like I had shit myself. There’s a reason the rear Mudhuggers are popular, but they’re a little OTT for my liking – and provide no protection for the pivots.

Right, I think that’s all of my not remotely unreasonably list! I’ll seek no commission when it becomes your bestseller. Freebies will however be accepted!

View attachment 24620

 

[Billybopsbasher]

And I thought my focus jam2 was bad for mud clogging ?

 

[RapidRacerProducts Ltd]

We know what needs to be done and have for a while, oh and unless you add another foot to the length you won't protect much of your rear. We have so many projects we want to do but ultimately the molds are very expensive so we have to take our time and do it right. The bolt on we just released is significantly over £100K to get to market, we're only a small UK company.
Thanks for the info though it all helps.

 

[kafkastan]

@RapidRacerProducts Ltd
Ah well, one can but dream! I wibbled on partly in the very vague hope that you, or someone else, would appear on the thread and say "Actually, I know just the mudguard!"

It might yet happen. Anyone ...?

 

[Zimmerframe]

Actually, I know just the mudguard ...

or sadly .. not ..

@Simoto123 did a proguard double up and created, what to me, is the most attractive solution I've seen so far. Not sure how well it works in real life with bounce/flex/arse protection/longevity.

What did you buy your ebike this week? - EMTB Forums

Despite hours of staring at it, I couldn't actually work out which guards were used and how they were attached to keep any strength.. I contemplated doing the same and maybe adding an old coat hanger for extra support if I'd been able to work it out. But gave up ..

I've just received the one mudguard I said I'd never buy as I think it's the ugliest thing ever .. but mudhugger extra long rear it is as I'm sick of being soaked and covered in crap (though I was informed the other day that if you slow down through the mud it's not as bad .. stupid idea).

 

[Simoto123]

or sadly .. not ..

@Simoto123 did a proguard double up and created, what to me, is the most attractive solution I've seen so far. Not sure how well it works in real life with bounce/flex/arse protection/longevity.

What did you buy your ebike this week? - EMTB Forums

Despite hours of staring at it, I couldn't actually work out which guards were used and how they were attached to keep any strength.. I contemplated doing the same and maybe adding an old coat hanger for extra support if I'd been able to work it out. But gave up ..

I've just received the one mudguard I said I'd never buy as I think it's the ugliest thing ever .. but mudhugger extra long rear it is as I'm sick of being soaked and covered in crap (though I was informed the other day that if you slow down through the mud it's not as bad .. stupid idea).[/QUOTE]

hi Zimm, difficult to explain without pics. Bike is filthy atm so I’ll have to clean and post with pics. I wish you pmd me mate, sounds as if it may be too late now. I’ll be on it tomorrow and post pics to hopefully clarify.

 

[R120]

@RapidRacerProducts Ltd welcome to the forum, love your works, and the new bolt on guards are awesome, been running your products on my EMTB's and top bits of kit

 

[Zimmerframe]

hi Zimm, difficult to explain without pics. Bike is filthy atm so I’ll have to clean and post with pics. I wish you pmd me mate, sounds as if it may be too late now. I’ll be on it tomorrow and post pics to hopefully clarify.

Yup, Got the rear mudhugger now .. looks ugly but should do the job, it's got bent in the post so straightening it out and will hopefully install and test tomorrow. I should have PM'd .. I'm shy

I'm sure plenty of others will profit from your idea though and once I've destroyed my mudhugger in some gnarly crash I might copy yours

 

[Gary]

Hi all it’s Craig from RRP,

welcome crashmaster.

Long time no see

 

[Gary]

First, lose the lip at the front and maintain a consistent curve. I’ve chopped mine down as it was pinching just behind my motor, causing a clag-point for mud.

non non non
leave the front portion as it is, but protect the inside of the chainstay yoke from rub with mastic/helitape or velcro. leaving the front lip in there actually helps secure the guard/keep it straight in use.
protection (especially velcro) deadens and sound it makes on the chainstay yoke.

Second, make it a touch wider/ more flexible at the mounting points.

Again
non non non non
you really don't want it more flexible. if you want it to conform better use a hairdryer/heatgun (gently)
And you really shouldn't be using massive tyres in mud anyway.

You’ll see in the photo that I’ve added some holes for additional cable ties to help pull the guard away from the tyre.

Fair enough... but... they're not really needed if you'd have fitted it as described above.

 

[z1ppy]

I've just received the one mudguard I said I'd never buy as I think it's the ugliest thing ever .. but mudhugger extra long rear it is as I'm sick of being soaked and covered in crap (though I was informed the other day that if you slow down through the mud it's not as bad .. stupid idea).

Yep I've just added the extender to my Medium (was the biggest when I bought it) mudhugger and it's gone from alright, to a completely dry back, a couple of extra inches was all it needed (..fnarr fnarr).

 

[Zimmerframe]

It's on .. took a "before" mud picture to see how it limits muck spreading ... It's 0 degrees, so couldn't get the helitape to bend ... it's not raining for the first time I can remember, so stuff it, I want to go for a ride. Be interesting to see what happens round the rear linkages without the "front long mug hugger" stuffed in there - which wasn't working as well as I would have liked.

Used three zip ties either side and used bigger than supplied, mainly because the supplied ones had "sticker" stuck to them and I couldn't be bothered scraping it off.

Sorry rrp for the thread hijack There's no such thing as bad publicity ..

 

[kafkastan]

Cheers @Zimmerframe for the tip - and @Simoto123 for clarifying. I'd started staring at that photo, trying to figure out what was going on, so you've saved me some effort there.

It is interesting that @RapidRacerProducts Ltd are specifically looking at eMTBs. The mud and spray never bothered me as much until this winter - my first on an eMTB. Between more rides, more speed and more miles per ride, the amount of mud I'm frequently wearing is preposterous. I usually ride with a claw brush in my pack, mainly to declag my tyres. The other day I actually retired to a quiet corner of a field with my claw brush to declag my arse.

So, like you Zimm & Sim, I've reluctantly come back round to the Mudhugger. I had one knocking around, so last night I mounted it over my Proguard. I'm not sure if I'm keeping this configuration, so didn't bodge or batter the Proguard further. It obviously looks appalling, but less appalling than I feared. (The silicone was still wet and looks awful in the flash photo. It looks fine now under normal light.)

Test ride imminent!

 

[Simoto123]

I dont mind it zim. Ordered one for the wifes levo hardtail. As you say it's ridiculous how much mud ends up on jacket , arse etc.even with mine it's still pretty bad. Just takes an extra day or so that's all.
It is really good at keeping the bike clean however.
If it works well on her bike I'm pretty sure I'll end up with one on mine too.

 

[Zimmerframe]

It's growing on me I think I'm learning to accept it based on it's effectiveness and the fact that it doesn't slap about at all. Normally my helmet and jacket look like they've passed through a cows digestive system, yesterday, just a few splashes - I almost hit 60kph on one muddy dh run so I felt that was quite expected, there was crap flying everywhere !

Back of jacket from yesterday - it's a cheapo muddyfox and the material shrinks or expands when wet Looks like an advert for acne cream..

 

[Simoto123]

It's growing on me I think I'm learning to accept it based on it's effectiveness and the fact that it doesn't slap about at all. Normally my helmet and jacket look like they've passed through a cows digestive system, yesterday, just a few splashes - I almost hit 60kph on one muddy dh run so I felt that was quite expected, there was crap flying everywhere !

Back of jacket from yesterday - it's a cheapo muddyfox and the material shrinks or expands when wet Looks like an advert for acne cream..

Good lord, 60! Wow. My new hero, I am definitely getting one of the guards now!
here goes with the explanation. First a gratuitous shot of sworksie. Sorry about the yard. It’s winter and I can’t be arsed.

Next, a closer shot of the guard.. You can see two cable ties which thread through the original holes in the progaurd and the hugger below. Really tight fit of one inside the other, no glue required(stroke of luck there). The mounting section off the progaurd was neatly cut at a profile to match the line present on the hugger inside. Many inches of land at either side of the ties.

Next one shows where the mudhugger lands as standard. The overlap is hidden in the shot, obscured by the seatstay brace. About 1” of the progaurd comes through the seatstay brace. Out of shot.

A pic of where a tie goes though both elements and around the seatstay brace.

Finally(phew) A couple of pics to demonstrate the integrity of the assembly. Showing I hope, an almost total lack of deflection with alf a brew sat on it.
i believe my slight reluctance to argue with gary about the rigidity, (I had couple of sherries on board that night) when, I knew it was very sound after at least a hundred mixed miles already on it. Many more now. Sorry about that Gary old chap. Little weight left in the progaurd after stiffening and mounting section removed, and as I said a Really tight fit of the hugger inside the progaurd. No noise, little flex or deflection. Really good solution, if a little expensive. I had both elements, so not too bad.
in the last shots a line can be seen where the progaurd overlaps the hugger, and the profile where one meets the other horizontally.

there we go clear as mud, sorry for the unintentional pun.

 

[z1ppy]

First a gratuitous shot of sworksie. Sorry about the yard. It’s winter and I can’t be arsed.

Dude this isn't STW, no ones judging your yard. Great bit of ingenuity... but let be honest my medium mudhugger was pretty rubbish as a rear guard (for the rider) until I added the extended to make it as long as their new "large" model. You need a lots extension on a 29er wheel to stop the 'flick', as per RRP post

We know what needs to be done and have for a while, oh and unless you add another foot to the length you won't protect much of your rear.

I will take a second to thank @RapidRacerProducts Ltd , as their"hello" thread has diverted badly onto competitors products...their Enduro front mudguard has been providing very subtle mud protection for years.. A great product

 

[Simoto123]

I’m sorry for the hijack too, I forgot about that. At least it bumps your thread RRP.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Good lord, 60! Wow. My new hero, I am definitely getting one of the guards now!
here goes with the explanation. First a gratuitous shot of sworksie. Sorry about the yard. It’s winter and I can’t be arsed. View attachment 24719
Next, a closer shot of the guard.. You can see two cable ties which thread through the original holes in the progaurd and the hugger below. Really tight fit of one inside the other, no glue required(stroke of luck there). The mounting section off the progaurd was neatly cut at a profile to match the line present on the hugger inside. Many inches of land at either side of the ties.
View attachment 24726
Next one shows where the mudhugger lands as standard. The overlap is hidden in the shot, obscured by the seatstay brace. About 1” of the progaurd comes through the seatstay brace. Out of shot. View attachment 24731

A pic of where a tie goes though both elements and around the seatstay brace.
View attachment 24733
Finally(phew) A couple of pics to demonstrate the integrity of the assembly. Showing I hope, an almost total lack of deflection with alf a brew sat on it.
i believe my slight reluctance to argue with gary about the rigidity, (I had couple of sherries on board that night) when, I knew it was very sound after at least a hundred mixed miles already on it. Many more now. Sorry about that Gary old chap. Little weight left in the progaurd after stiffening and mounting section removed, and as I said a Really tight fit of the hugger inside the progaurd. No noise, little flex or deflection. Really good solution, if a little expensive. I had both elements, so not too bad.
in the last shots a line can be seen where the progaurd overlaps the hugger, and the profile where one meets the other horizontally.
View attachment 24740 View attachment 24741
there we go clear as mud, sorry for the unintentional pun.

View attachment 24738

View attachment 24739

Thanks for all the pictures and the explanation ! It all makes sense now !!! Cunning, looks like it works well and certainly maintains rigidity ! You're lucky to have a seat stay brace, there isn't one on Kenevo, so I'd struggle to maintain the same level of strength and support you have. For some reason I thought it was two RRP guards. I was really struggling to work out how they went together before I committed to buying them

 

[kafkastan]

You're lucky to have a seat stay brace, there isn't one on Kenevo, so I'd struggle to maintain the same level of strength and support you have.

I reckon drilling some extra holes, creating another cable tie mounting point further up the seat stays, would substitute there. My bike doesn't have a seat-stay brace and you can see in my first photo above - of the Proguard alone, rather than my current hydridmutant - that I've done just that. I mainly added them to pull the guard away from the tyres, but it also stiffened up the guard overall.

Just a thought.

 

[kntr]

Im waiting on my RRP fenders right now.

 

[nickd164]

We know what needs to be done and have for a while, oh and unless you add another foot to the length you won't protect much of your rear. We have so many projects we want to do but ultimately the molds are very expensive so we have to take our time and do it right. The bolt on we just released is significantly over £100K to get to market, we're only a small UK company.
Thanks for the info though it all helps.

100K wow! I've just put one on my new Levo and will test on Tuesday. Easy to fit though.

 

[OldBean]

Another take on the extended mudguard theme.
Added a length of old inner tube to the front of my Mudhugger , bit like a mudflap but at the front .It keeps most of the crud out of the lower mechanism very well.
Its about 9 inches of big tube ."persuaded " by heat gun not to curl. Glued and taped to the mudguard and free end tucked down into the gap of the bottom bracket .