Editor’s Choice 2020

Coping with winter has become a lot easier with the latest breed of motocross-inspired mudguards. And one of the best mudguard options on the market is the RRP Proguard Max. Max? Well, it’s longer than the standard Proguard, and when it comes to winter riding, you may as well go as long as possible. Made from polypropylene plastic, it’s designed to sheath all three wheel sizes (remember 26in?) as well as extending around the seal area to keep your fork running sweet for longer.

As a standalone, the standard is pretty big and offers plenty of protection from trail splatter but the Max is 21mm longer at the front and 68mm longer at the rear so really ups the ante – you could ride through a swamp with this thing and you’d stay clean.

Like most of the formed guards, the Pro Guard has a three-point fixing via the brace and fork lowers. There are 24 crown holes for zip-ties allowing to accommodate a wide range of brace sizes and shapes (although not reverse arch) and it also gets a fork brace indent to increase tyre clearance. It’s compatible with 26, 27.5 and 29inch forks and RRP claims, tyres up to three inch in diameter. The Pro Guard also features seal protection, which simply means the side of the guard is a little bit wider and lower to stop dirt and crud contaminating the seal area, and ultimately ending up inside the lowers.

To fit the Pro Guard, you do have to punch out some tiny holes, which is okay but there is a bit of trial and error getting it set to the correct angle. The Max size can also move a bit when riding hard and when sending it off a drop there was often a hard crunch as some part of the guard bottomed out on the fork/tyre. That said if you want to ride 60mph through a peat big and stay dry this is the guard we’d recommend – dirt doesn’t get in your eyes, on your clothes, no matter how wet it is or how fast you’re going.