The Mucky Nutz MugGuard is a removable, adjustable rear mudguard suited to any bike. Its innovative design is let down by weak Velcro straps and it's a bit hard to re-adjust once set in the perfect position. Under significant force, a weak spot could see the whole guard snapping off.
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Mucky Nutz MugGuard rear - Technical details
The MugGuard from UK brand Mucky Nutz is a different beast trying to muscle in on Mudhugger’s game. There are two key differences: the angle is adjustable and can be quickly converted from a full guard to a short one only protecting your shock and pivot bearings.
At £38, the MugGuard is £3 more than the Mudhugger, and you don’t get clear helitape included to protect your frame – that’s for you to source. It’s about 50g lighter, which, given the adjustability, is quite an achievement. So price- and weight-wise there’s not that much in it.
The MugGuard has two key features: its adjustable angle and length. Angle is adjustable up or down to achieve the best coverage, closeness to your tyre, looks or a combination of the three. Adjustment is via a star-splined interface between each of the two side legs and the body. Once you set the angle (made easy to match left and right using the reference dots to get both sides equal) you push a circular disc with four hooked splines through the hole, locking the two pieces together. These discs are rather hard to remove with fingers – thumbs are the go here, so ideally get the angle right before clicking them in place.
The MugGuard then attaches to your seatstays with thin double-sided velcro strips that you cut to length from a roll. The legs have rubber inserts that are cleverly held in place as you pass the velcro strips through. Rubber feet or not, you’ll want thick tape on your frame to avoid fine grit eating through your paintwork after it’s worked its way under the rubber feet. This tape isn’t forever – do check regularly that it hasn’t been eaten through either.
You can use zip ties, which was what I ended up using after a few of the velcro strips failed during a particularly fast and rowdy descent a few months into review. I’d suggest, if you plan to leave the MugGuard on, zip ties are the way to go – as is clear strong tape to protect your frame.
Once you’ve attached the feet, you're ready to ride. The MugGuard does flex as you ride, so if you’ve opted for a close profile to your tyre, expect a buzz each time you hit hard. A bit of trial and error will find you the right balance of distance to minimise noise, whilst maximising coverage and looks.
Mucky Nutz MugGuard Rear - Performance
The back half of the guard slots into the fixed front half using a close-fitting interlocking section, with a big round flexible press button that snaps home into a hole in the back of the guard. Once it’s in, there’s no way it’s coming out accidentally. On the contrary - once full of grit it took someone holding the guard's body and two hands from the other end to get them apart. I think a Mk2 could have a slightly less aggressive fit, same with the locking roundels, to make removal or adjustment easier.
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Fitted to my mullet bike, over the 27.5-inch rear wheel the MugGuard came up a few inches short of the rear of the tyre, with a fist’s worth of clearance at the end. My previous setup with the Large Mudhugger came right to the end of the tyre, providing full coverage and not letting a jot of crud escape to sully my posterior. The MugGuard’s more limited and svelte-looking coverage meant that, through particularly cruddy trail sections, I did get some splats on the back.
I’d hoped for 100% protection like the Mudhugge offers but, no, the fundamentals of a shorter, curved guard mean that under extremes some mud or water will make it past. Now to be clear it’s not much, and not often – but some moisture gets through.
During my testing, I did suffer one catastrophic failure though. One of my regular trails has a burn ('stream') crossing at the end, that requires you to pop the bike on its back wheel to wheel across a narrow concrete beam and then up a short bank. As I was pushing the bike up the bank, the rear wheel got a bit further forward than usual, and the MugGuard caught on a rock. The guard snapped at the thinnest points on either side near angle adjustment, leaving me to pedal home with a 100% recyclable bit of plastic in one hand.
I've caught my Mudhugger guard like this many times in the past, often on steps where the bike needed to be walked down a non-rideable or pedestrianised section. Because the Mudhugger is a single piece that gets thicker as it goes forward, what happens is the rear section flexes and then bounces back. I guess in extremes, the zip ties or Velcro straps on the new version might snap but not the guard itself.
Mucky Nutz MugGuard Rear - Verdict
A few months in and post-review, I’m conflicted. I like the MugGuard and the ability to shorten it on a whim but with Autumn here and the trails getting wetter, I like the idea of a totally splat-free back, pack and bum, and one that's not going to break if I do something silly.
The Mucky Nutz MugGuard goes up against the £30 SKS Mudrocker which is worth consideration. While it doesn't keep your seals as protected as others, takes more effort to fit and weighs a little extra, it is a cheaper option and provides enough coverage to keep all manners of trail filth out of your face. At £22, the Ass Savers Win Wing Gravel rear mudguard is another worthy alternative boasting lightweight properties and an attachment interface that straps to the seat stays of your bike. It has been designed to prevent your rear end from getting wet while minimising the faff and rattle that comes with a full mudguard, the latter of which has made it one of the most popular choices in the best MTB mudguards space.
Mucky Nutz has managed to discombobulate my thinking after nearly a decade of Mudhugger loyalty is quite an achievement. It’s a UK-made 100%-recycled solution that’s well worth your consideration. Just mind the clearance if you're wheeling your bike through rough bits.
1 comments
Such a long, detailed review (good), but not one picture just showing the whole bike. The lack of decent, useful pictures in reviews never ceases to amaze me.