RRP Max Protection ProGuard
Two-Minute Review

RRP ProGuard - The Max Protection Edition

Photos AJ Barlas

Riding through the winter months in the Pacific North West, the UK and some parts of Europe is an incredibly messy affair. Conditions that are rarely seen over a 12-month period in some parts are common day after day in these areas. It’s no wonder, then, that many of the latest wave of mudguards featuring extra coverage stem from areas with these repetitive, groundhog day-esque conditions. 

Rapid Racer Product’s (RRP) latest guard is one such mudguard. The ProGuard is available in two sizes, the longer of which we’re looking at here. RRP sought to create a mudguard that offered loads of protection, was rigid and strong, and provided plenty of mud clearance. The ProGuard features 24 holes to offer a good fit with a wider range of forks, a flick to the rear portion of the guard which adds protection without making it longer, and a recess for the fork arch which provides more clearance between the guard and the tire. All of this is built into a package that tips the scales at 133 grams.

Mounting the ProGuard is a straight-forward affair, though it does require a little extra planning compared to smaller fenders like the Marsh Guard. With 24 mounting options for the fork arch, the fender requires a dry fit to establish the best setup, one that results in adequate tire clearance at each end. Once the mounting position is confirmed the locations need to have some plastic tabs removed before securing the fender with zip ties. 

 

RRP ProGuard arch mounting holes

My Fox 36 required the use of the first setback holes to mount the ProGuard to the arch. 

RRP fork leg fixtures

The fixing points for the fork lowers are longer than mudguards like the Marsh Guard. 

RRP ProGuard fork mount

Protective tape between the surface of the fork and the ProGuard is advised if you want to limit scuffing and wear. 


Try & Get Dirty

RRP’s ProGuard couldn’t have arrived at a better time, with the monsoon of biblical proportions setting in for a solid stint in the Coastal B.C. region. Moving from a Marsh Guard, which has been great and pretty much lived on the bike for years now, the difference was immediately noticeable. With no eyewear due to the amount of liquid sunshine during recent rides, it was almost humorous when realizing I was able to ride without taking advantage of the squint googles. Even steering directly into small streams on a rough dirt road resulted in no debris collecting on my face, but my behind was another story. 

On the trail, the ProGuard remains in place and makes zero noise regardless of the complexity of the terrain. If the front or rear of the guard is knocked it did result in the fender being pushed askew to the tire, but in normal riding circumstances this never happened. The ProGuard was run in a 110mm axle Fox 36 and I do wonder if it were mounted to a 100mm axle fork if the issue would still exist.

   

RRP ProGuard offers heaps of coverage

The Max Protection ProGuard offers heaps of coverage and the flick at the rear essentially extends it without adding more length.


After spending time on RRP’s largest ProGuard in some horrendous conditions, one can’t help but wonder how much of a difference there is between this monster and the smaller version (thankfully Cam will be testing that very shortly)? This is a serious fender and as a result, I don’t see it remaining on many bikes for those average damp days; rather, being pulled out for when conditions get really nasty.  


Room For Improvement

While RRP’s ProGuard does a sensational job of shielding the rider from moisture and debris off the front wheel, the side of the fender by the fork seals seems a little overbuilt. What RRP call their Seal Shield results in a large amount of material leading from behind the fork to the fork arch. Regular Marsh Guard style fenders contain far less material in the same location and do a great job of keeping seals clean, and while a little extra material here is beneficial, the Seal Shield seems to be over the top.  

RRP ProGuard Seal Shield

The Seal Shield is a great idea, but it does seem unneccesarily big. 

RRP Max Protection ProGuard offers loads of coverage

A look at the Seal Shield in relation to the rest of the mudguard. 


That shouldn’t stop anyone from investing in a ProGuard, though, because at the end of the day it does a fantastic job of keeping water and debris away from the face. After hours of riding the mudguard in the worst conditions we’ve seen this winter, my face would regularly have little to no dirt on it, which is telling on its own. The ProGuard will remain on the bike for the rest of the winter months and into the spring but some minor customizations to the Seal Shield, to streamline it a little, will definitely be taking place. 

Head to the RRP website for more on the ProGuard. mudguards. 

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Comments

RapidRacerProducts
+1 AJ Barlas

The ProGuard STANDARD and MAX PROTECTION will go on sale in the next few days.

Reply

tungsten
0

Where?

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jcook90
0

As a recent transplant to the PNW, I'm curious to see a review of various rear fenders that you guys have used.  I bought a marsh guard version that clips under the seat, which definitely gives an extra mile or two of riding before that cold sinking feeling on your back starts up, but I'm intrigued by other options

Reply

shoreboy
+4 Vik Banerjee Kona2chris mike grcgrc
Vikb
0

Agreed.

Reply

montivagant
0

How do you people buy a Mudhugger? They don't have Canada on their website as a choice for Shipping address.

And where do you buy RRP, for that matter?

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grimwood
0

See the bottom for RRP...

Mughugger. You need to order through the EU site, apparently. If you’re in North Vancouver, Lynn Valley Bikes carries them.

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fartymarty
0

I have recently bought the Max Protection RRP and have been running a Mudhugger for about a year.  The RRP is massive cf the Mudhugger.  Whether the extra size results in extra protection only time will tell.  I do like the idea of the seal guards on the RRP.

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Bunzl
0

Have you just zip tied that bottle holder in place?

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xy9ine
+3 Vik Banerjee AJ Barlas mike

was about to mention that. where there's a will there's a way. i salute my pack eschewing comrade.

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nouseforaname
0

"Custom super cool bike with all the new Geometries". Bottle cage held on with leccy tape and zip ties.

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AJ_Barlas
0

Yeah. It's surprisingly common with the GeoMetron bikes and a surprise that more aren't being built with mounts. Apparently custom frames can have it added but I learnt that too late. It's a shame, really.

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hongeorge
0

What cage are you using?

My longest geometron might get the same treatment

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AJ_Barlas
0

It's the Specialized side load job. Still have to dial in how it's mounted, but it works how it is.

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hongeorge
0

Cool... thanks.

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hongeorge
0

What cage are you using?

My longest geometron might get the same treatment

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jitenshakun
0

A 4L milk carton and zip ties can do wonders in the rain.

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deleted_user_8375
0

This comment has been removed.

Vikb
0

I've a similar rack setup and when I need to carry bikes with fenders I put the arm into the frame and it clamps down onto the top of the downtube.  Holds the bike fine.

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tashi
0

What.  

This is an excellent move, I can't believe I've never thought of it before. 

👍

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savdog
0

You need a Defender dude

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flowrider
0

Funny how fork fenders are back in style again. That's it!!! I'm breaking out my old school T.H.E. fender!

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AJ_Barlas
0

For sure, if you wish to move the fender from close to the tire up to the crown! Not sure why, but that style always messed with my visuals on the trail, yet these fork arch variations don't have the same issue. 

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Vikb
0

Looks great. I love a nice fender. :)

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Vikb
0

Looks great. I love a nice fender. :)

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grimwood
0

Great review, AJ. Do you know where one could buy these? Doesn’t seem like you can order them directly...

Reply

AJ_Barlas
+1 RapidRacerProducts

Hey Grimwood, thanks! You should be able to get ahold of them in North America through CCN.

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tungsten
0

> some minor customizations to the Seal Shield, to streamline it a little, will definitely be taking place.

That extra little bit of plastic (Seal Shield) adds structure and strength to the mounting area.

If you're feeling a need to modify it I think there's a pill or 12 step program you need to take.

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RapidRacerProducts
0

It's true that the Seal Guard does have 2 functions, protecting the seals prolonging their life, but also it gives vital strength to the rear to ensure the guard doesn't flex downwards and buzz the tyre on drop-offs (we made ours thicker material than the rest to also help).
It's probably right that it's a little larger than necessary but this is due to the ever widening forks that are also getting really high for better tyre clearance on plus tyres, the wider and higher they go the bigger the Seal Guard needs to be.
The fork in the review is fitted on the most common setting in the middle of the indent which is correct for that fork, but if you needed to rotate it forward and use the rear holes then the Seal Guard disappears a bit more.
One of our major design goals was to ensure there was only one design for ALL wheel sizes and ALL tyres up to a 3" plus tyre (no fat size yet sorry), so this is the result of this and to future proof our design against any new standards.

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grimwood
0

I had a chance to try both RRP fenders and the Mudhugger. Both awesome fenders. I did a little write up on the NSMB forum. Check it out for more details.

https://nsmb.com/forum/forum/gear-4/topic/fenders-marsh-guard-vs-rrp-guards-vs-mudhugger-130209/?post=2419535#2419535

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AJ_Barlas
0

Nice stuff grimwood! Great to see a comparison of the proper sized fenders. Still blown away by the RRP Max. I ended up streamlining the Seal guard and it’s been great. Just as sturdy and offers the same protection as before.

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