Mudhugger release the Gravelhugger - new front and rear gravel bike specific mudguards
Mudhugger today, launch news of two new gravel bike specific mudguards. Based on the tried and tested design of their mountain bike Mudhuggers, the sleek Gravelhugger is designed to fit most fork and seat stay combinations with wheel and tyres measuring up to 50mm in diameter.
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Mudhugger is a well established mountain bike mudguard brand, making secure one-piece front and rear mudguards for both hardtail and full suspension bikes. We've tested both front and rear mountain bike mudguards and have been super impressed with the coverage, the build quality and the price. It looks like the newly launched GravelHugger follows suit in all three of these areas.
The new Gravelhugger is suitable for both 650B and 700c wheels and will fit with plenty of clearance for 50mm diameter tyres. The mudguard is pictured here on Rach's long term test bike, a Ribble CGR Ti which is fitted with 700c, 24mm wide rims and 40c tyres. The guard is fitted to the fork by way of nitrile 'O' rings of various sizes to suit your fork. The 'O' rings loop around the fork legs fixing onto the hooked part of small plastic inserts on the inner surface of the mudguard. You can also fit with zip ties if you plan on leaving it on permanently. It looks like this mudguard will be ideal for bikes without any fender amounts for a traditional guard.
The front guard measures 520mm in length and is 60mm wide, weighing just 75g. It is has been designs, manufactured and packed in the UK and, just like their other mudguards, is made from 100% recycled polypropylene. The front Gravelhugger is priced at £25 and will be available from June 2020.
Also in the pipeline is a rear mudguard, mimicking the design of the rear mountain bike guard. The guys at Mudhugge told us they had sent out lots of prototypes to people riding all sorts of different shaped gravel bikes to ensure they designed correctly to accommodate the different angles of seat stays.
The rear mudguard is a fin-shaped affair, fitted to the top of the seat stays by zip ties and reaching out over the length of the wheel. Long braces on the seat stays ensure the mudguard won't bounce or flap on bumpy terrain. More details on the rear guard will be available soon, there have been some Corona-related delays.
We've had prototype guards in to put through their paces ahead of the launch. The photos here are of these prototypes so it's worth mentioning the finished product will have a slightly different finish (the rear will be smooth without the bump you see here) but will, in terms of size and shape be the same.
- For more details and to buy go to - www.themudhugger.co.uk
9 comments
Mudhuggers are all about keeping the rider less muddy, they do next to nothing for components and frame. That's not a criticism in my book as I prefer not to be eating mud or riding in soaking wet shorts. The rear MTB mudhuggers keep me absolutely bone dry on puddly and muddy trails - to the point I could probably forego my waterproof shorts when the trails are wet and the weather's dry.
That rear guard is gopping.
Is there really a target market for this? The front guard is pretty neat but the rear is a bit of a pigs ear and looks like the crappy seat post mounted ones.
Most gravel and adventure bikes have mounting holes for full rear mudguards that allow a nice wheel hugging curve, a design that used them would be better even if it only covered some of the back wheels.
Me no likey the rear, in case you havent guessed.
So, does the front guard do anything useful? It looks like it might keep some mud off the fork crown, perhaps. Not sure why that would be an area of concern sufficient to make me want to bother. If there was still a brake mounted there... but of course there isn't
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I've got a mudhugger on the rear of my hardtail MTB, and it keeps shorts and back dry in wet conditions.
No impact on drivetrain as it is nowhere near it.
It would be good to see pictures of the rider and drivetrain after riding through mud, puddles and crud, with and without the protection of these guards.