Crud Fast Fender review
Mr Crud sent Matt a box of goodies a few months back now and we’ve been a bit slow in bringing you any info on them. This is mainly because part of one of the sets, a Fast Fender and a rear guard, have been sitting on my garage floor waiting for me to finish faffing around with bike builds.
But yesterday I fitted the Scandal with the Fast Fender, the rear guard and a standard Crud Catcher I’ve had floating around for ages. Now first up I have to say that for last winters rides I was a big fan of the SKS Blade front mud guard. I think this is by far the most effective setup IF you can bolt it into the bottom of the crown as you can on Pikes.
On normal forks you need to use the expanding plastic plug affair and I have had this “pop” out on a couple of the more lumpy descents we do. I won’t comment on the RRP Neogaurd type of thing as I’ve not used it and other Moles can comment.
The Fast Fender has come up for a lot of “comments” over it’s look, here and across the web. You are either going to hate it or love it and given it was designed for a downhill rig by Mr Steve Peat who am I to pass comment on that!! On my ScandAL it looks a bit weird as I have a high stem which takes it some way from the tyre. Having said that I notice that it’s not much further away from the tyre than the frame-mounted Crud Catcher so maybe it’s not such an issue. So maybe the look is a bit marmite.
Functionally it works though. My face and torso were free of mud and splatter and while I initially thought it would only last a ride or two on the bike I’m thinking it might make it through the Winter now. Time will tell. The fixing is a bit of an issue for me. The On-one Mary bars I use don’t have much “straight” bar and hence the area around the stem mount is a bit of a premium. The Fast Fender takes it all. As long as the lights have sufficient left/right movement this is OK otherwise it’s a bit of an issue. Maybe the new Titec Jones H Bars are the answer…
At the back the rear guard has a number of interesting changes from the older models I have. For a start it comes with 3 different sized shims which are clearly marked for the size of seat pin you are using. The adjustment system has also changed (this may have been like it for a while as my own Crud gear is quite old) but a single, easily accessible hex bolt allows you to adjust the angle of the guard and the tightness on the seat pin. Easy and effective.
All in all an effective set up. I like a bit of bling like everyone else but I’m not bike tart and function has been the main criteria I’ve always gone with. From that point of view the set up works well. I think the Fast Fender will almost certainly evolve as the original Crud Catcher has and this may win over more of the “fugly” brigade but for now I’ll stick with it.
I’ve added some pictures of the Fast Fender fitted to my ScandAL on Flickr. Remember I use curved Mary bars and on this bike and a high stem.
About the author
Dave's been riding seriously since about 1997 and is one of the founding Molefathers — along with Matt and Mark — that came up with the idea of a MTB website for Mole Valley riders.
He's had several different bikes but it's now mainly 29ers in Dave's stable, apart from an Orange 5.
Current Bikes: Orange 5, Salsa Spearfish and Kona Big Unit
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Matt says:
When this product first appeared I was a bit dismissive of it but Pete at Crud was kind enough to phone me up and offer us some samples.
Since then, it’s hardly rained!!
That aside, I have to admit it doesn’t look anywhere near as weird on the bike as off it. In fact, it’s quite a neat set up and will prove a real asset when the weather inevitably turns proper nasty.
I’ll be running one all winter so look out for Dave and me on the trails with it on our bikes. It’ll be a talking point…
But seriously, worth a look
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Posted on October 16, 2009 at 9:56 am
tony says:
It certainly didn’t stand out much on Sunday when you had it out on the Scandal. I hardly noticed it. It certainly looks like a reasonable solution for those of us with reverse arch (Manitou) or double arch (Magura) forks. It does look better than the Neoguard / inner tube mud stoppers and anything that doesn’t acumulate mud around the stantions is probably a good thing.
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Posted on October 16, 2009 at 10:32 am
PIJ says:
Initially makes the bike look a bit of a lash up mudguard wise, and it is a bit odd not to see the front wheel when you first use it on a ride [it is harder to zing your mates rear wheel when riding as well!]. However, you soon learn to live with it – the looks kind of grow in an “I’m actually riding a powered Moto-X bike” kind of way. And anything that keeps the crud out of your face is a bonus; I’ve Magura foks and a silly frame design [Klein Mantra] so I cannot mount any other type of ‘guard. The mounting bracket needs work though – those exposed bolt ends are ugly as hell.
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Posted on October 17, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Matt says:
Now the weather has turned nasty I’ve had a chance to put the Fast Fender through it’s paces on lots of rides.
Quite simply, I’m very impressed. It’s an ‘invisible’ component once fitted despite what many people initially think.
I’ve always hated the look of the motocross style mudguards that Dave refers to but the Fast Fender is actually something many people fail to notice until it’s pointed out to them. Strange but true!
It will definitely stay on my bike all winter, so far I’ve not had any mud in my face despite a good few fast descents, a LOT of clag and the odd occassion riding without protective glasses.
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Posted on November 12, 2009 at 12:07 am
Muddymoles says:
Mucky Nutz Bender Fender review
A review of the Mucky Nutz Bender Fender, a lightweight, effective and very stealth looking mudguard for mountain bikes
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Posted on November 23, 2009 at 10:55 am
Muddymoles says:
Ride report: Sunday 28 February – The Apocalypse
The last ride of February which has been relentlessly wet. And what do you know? It rained, cats and dogs!
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Posted on February 28, 2010 at 9:00 pm
StevenD says:
Adding my approval for the Fast Fender.
After riding a very sticky trail I then continued downhill on a tarmac road. The mud flew off everywhere, well everywhere except on me. I had a crud catcher on my downtube as well, I think you need both, and it was great not to have mud flying into my face.
Shame that today everywhere was dry (did I really say that ?) LOL.
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Posted on September 12, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Related: Crud Road Racer Mk2 mudguards – initial review | Muddymoles
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Related: Mucky Nutz Bender Fender review | Reviews, Accessories | Muddymoles: Mountain biking (MTB) in the Surrey Hills and Mole Valley