Rockguardz, makers of carbon fiber fenders for mountain bikes, wanted to improve on their short length guard, and give it the performance of a longer guard. The shorter ones were popular for racing since they stayed out of the way, but didn’t provide as much coverage. By looking into the reasons why, they have brought out the Evo2, having the protection performance of a large coverage fender with the size of a small fender.
Rockguardz isn’t new, they have been making great carbon fiber covers for your down tube, and other fenders from carbon fiber, and getting their start by advertising on eBay.
Matt Walker, downhill rider for the Saracen development team helped with the research on getting this performance. They mapped out the tangents that mud flies off the front wheel, and insured this small fender would keep it out of the eyes of the rider. Jump after the break to find out the story…
Only marginally longer than their current Small guard, the higher profile is part of what makes it better at blocking mud from the rider. The lip on the backside helps catch mud shooting straight up the tire, while the tip is turned down in the front, forcing the mud down instead of out.
Also new is the rubber pad designed to keep the fender quieter. These pads interface with both contact areas of the fork, and also allow some compression to keep the overall fender tight, since the attachment method is to run zip ties through the holes, and tight around the fork. The attachment is simple, and the simple carbon fiber construction keeps the weight right at 100 grams.
The Evo2 is available now for £39.95, direct from Rockguardz.
