M AY 2 019 mbr 105
Mr Crud is back! Anyone with an age
beginning with a four or higher will
remember the old Crud Catcher.
This simple rectangle of plastic was
seemingly attached to the down tube
of every mountain bike in existence
during the Nineties, but now its
inventor Pete Tomkins has returned
with a more sophisticated design.
As you can see from the photo,
it attaches to the fork lowers and
covers a large area of the front
wheel. It’s made from injection-
moulded plastic, with rubber
areas around the fork brace, and
foam where the fender sits against
the inside of the legs. Six rubber
bands — just like the ones that used
to come with the Crud Catcher
— stretch around the fork legs to
secure it in place, and you can slide
the mudguard up and down to
adjust clearance depending on the
wheel size and trail conditions. This
means the Crud XL can be fi tted and
removed in seconds without wasting
zip ties — great news if you transport
your bike in the back of a car.
We’ve been riding with the Crud
XL for a couple of months now
through all sorts of grim conditions,
so how has it performed? In terms
of keeping mud, water and spray
out of your vision it’s proven highly
eff ective. On one ride we covered
40km through a mix of snow, mudand frozen hardpack, smashing
through every puddle we could
fi nd, and didn’t get a single spec
of mud on the lens of our glasses.
And the only time we’ve had it clog
was in fresh powder snow, which
doesn’t really count. For pure mud
protection its only equal is the Mojo
Dfender, but that’s more expensive
and you can’t swap it between forks
without buying new clamps.
So what’s the rub? Well, exactly
that. On RockShox Pikes and Lyriks,
at full travel the underside of the
crown will hit the rubber fl ap on the
Crud XL and push it into the tyre.
It also fl exes somewhat on harsh
landings. Both these things mean
if can be pretty noisy depending
on the fork, wheel and tyre combo
you’re running. The only other small
criticisms we have are that the Crud
XL doesn’t keep mud off of the fork
seals, and dirt tends to get trapped
in the foam bumpers where it can
scratch the paint on your lowers.
Still, if you want a fender that will
keep your vision clear even in the
worst trail conditions, and can be
taken on and off
at a moment’s
notice, the Crud
XL is the best
solution on
the market.
Danny MilnerFIX IT STICKS
MOUNTAIN TOOL
£49.99
SPECIFICATION Weight: 25
Fix It Sticks are a cle
tough and practical
modular multi-tool
solution. Two long,
forged pieces hold
variety of bits from A
heads, Torx keys and
screwdrivers, then
lock into each
other to provide
leverage when
tightening or
loosening bolts and
screws. The bits areheldfirmlyina plasticcradlethatalso
stores the handles.
There’s also a tough, cold-forged chain tool and strong
tyre levers that can even muscle off DH casing tyres, with
everything stowed in a tidy mesh stash bag (that can hold a
few extras like tyre plugs or patches if needed).
The extended design makes it easy to reach awkward bolts
and the whole thing is super-tough with good leverage to open
stiff threads. Fix It holds the bits in a barrel magnetically, and
can’t waggle loose at the pivot points.
My only complaint is that the whole package
is a little heavy and expensive compared to
a folding tool, but this nifty trail solution
packs most functions you’ll need to keep
you moving and the T-bar system is close
to bike shop quality. Clever and durable.
Mick Kirkman
mashing the X-Tracks against rocks,
cleats and stiff soles has left them
looking a little tatty to say the least.
Reliable, light and
supportive, the X-Track
Race has proved to
be a dependable
pedal for racing
and trail riding.
James BraceyCRUD XL FENDER
£35
SPECIFICATION Weight: 195g • Contact: crudproducts.com