Mucky Nutz Face Fender XL: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Love them or hate them, there's no denying that a fender does exactly what it needs to. It protects you and your bike from rocks, mud, and any other trail debris. Fellow rider, Thomas Bressie, has the Mucky Nutz Face XL fender installed on several of his rigs and gives us his review. Check it out!

Introduction

It’s nice to keep the mud, dirt, and rocks off of you and your bike when you ride… and those who agree, rock a front (and sometimes a rear, while I don’t see them as much) fender. It’s kinda fun to hear the rocks hit the inside of it and fling off directed away from you – both because that’s one less rock that didn’t hit you / your bike and just because it makes a cool sound.

Performance 

I like this fender and have one on all of my bikes for a few simple reasons...They keep stuff off of me and I believe this full-length type does more than the half fenders. They are attached with super-secure velcro rather than zip ties, which makes it less of a PITA to remove and reinstall when needed (like servicing your fork lowers or doing a thorough wash), and a little easier on the paint of your fork than the zip ties. They’re all black, even the fasteners, and that’s awesome They’re sturdy – they are the right thickness to mold well to various bikes and still protect them for multiple seasons without looking all beat up.

Installation

It's very easy to install them. They give you more velcro than you need to get it done. When putting a new one on a new bike, I will start with the two top connections to the fork lower bridge, then do the side attachment to the fork lower legs. The length of the velcro to attach to the lower legs is pretty predictable, but the length to attach to the bridge and get the thing in the right shape for your bike is the part that can vary from bike to bike. Not much but still that’s why I usually start there.

First Impressions

These things just work, are relatively inexpensive, and last forever. Easy choice for me. I've included two pics for your reference also - one on a RockShox Lyrik and one on a RockShox Pike. I hope this helps provide an idea of how they look in situ.

Fenders do a great job of protecting your frame but there are also other things you should be doing to keep your bike running for many seasons to come. Make sure to check out our five tips and tricks for maintaining your mountain bike for more information!

Final Impressions 

Yeah, you can cut up a 2-liter bottle or a coffee grounds container and zip tie it to your bike. You might even be able to make it look cool. But this is the stealth hotness your bike needs… and uses super mega sturdy velcro that keeps it in place instead of the zip ties, making it easy to take off when you need to service your fork lowers. I’ve also experienced the longer shape to keep more mud, water, and rocks off of me.