Being able to bolt the mudguard directly to the fork brace eliminates the most annoying thing about even the best MTB mudguards – the zip-ties. These rub on the lowers, and crown and if you’ve spent a £1k on a Fox 36 fork, you’re not going to be too happy about that. To keep your fork pristine you have two options – ride without a guard or get Rapid Racer Product’s new Pro Guard Bolt-On. This guard bolts directly to the back of the fork brace using some small bolts, which are included in the packet for Fox 32, 34, 36, Marzocchi and Ohlins forks. Rapid Racer Products also does a hop up kit for Fox 40 and 49 and SR Suntour forks, but this will cost you extra dosh.

We tested the Pro Guard Bolt-On on a Fox 36, and while fitting looked straight-forward, it turned out to be a fiddly job because we couldn’t really see what we were doing and the threads also had some dirt in them. Our advice is to actually thread the bolts in first to clean them out and also check them after the first ride because they do work loose.

The Pro Guard Bolt-On is available in two length and fits various wheels sizes. You can also tune the height of the guard by 6mm and the angle via two tilt brackets. Once installed correctly the Pro Guard Bolt-On is reasonably stable, but it’s not quite as solid as the Max and does wobble a little more. The most noticeable thing is the noise caused by the rubber pads on the lower extensions rubbing on the fork legs.