Earlier this year, Rapid Racer Products unveiled its updated ProGuard Bolt On V2, bringing a host of new features and an increased compatibility range. With it, the brand has only improved on what was already an excellent mudguard, securing its place as one of the best MTB mudguards on the market.
- Winter mountain biking 2024 – your guide to riding in the cold
- Rapid Racer Products ProGuard Front Bolt-On Max Protection mudguard review
- MTB trail etiquette – can winter riding damage trails?
Rapid Racer Products ProGuard Bolt On V2 – Technical details
With the original ProGuard already earning itself a five-star review, I couldn’t think of how the humble mudguard could be improved, but RRP has gone and done it anyway.
Now in its second generation, the ProGuard fits a wider range of forks and simply provides more of everything. That includes more sizes, so there’s the Mini (pictured here), Standard, and Max, so there’s now a bolt-on type mudguard to provide as much or as little protection as anyone would like.
This guard comes with more bottom-out clearance thanks to an indent at the topmost area, and there’s more vertical adjustment on offer. RRP then promises increased stability and the brand has redesigned its seal guards, the portions that hug the fork below the seals, to boost protection around the sensitive bits of your fork.
The ProGuard Bolt On V2 can now fit RockShox’s ’22 ZEB and Domain, ‘23 Lyrik and Pike as well as Fox’s 34 and 34 Step-Cast forks. It’ll also fit the 2021 Ohlins RXF38, the 2020 EXT Era, and the 2020 XFusion Trace. That’s with or without extra adapters. There’s a handy compatibility chart that’s well worth glancing at before spending.
An awful lot is going on for what looks like a simple mudguard as the sides of the ProGuard V2 are flared to catch as much mud as possible, and the bolts that are included in the packet are purposely designed for this use. RRP has increased the Allen size, too, up to 3mm, so there’s less chance of rounding a bolt head, which, admittedly, I have done.
In the box, you’ll get the guard itself, and a pair of tilt brackets that lower or raise the front for a custom fit. RRP also throws in any Allens you’ll need along with rubber pads that stick onto the guard and sit between it and your fork’s stanchions.
RRP states a weight of 94g without bolts whereas I weighed it at 98g with bolts. Even then, the weight’s not too bad at all.
Rapid Racer Products ProGuard Bolt On V2 – Performance
I was quite the fan of the original ProGuard Bolt On but, impressively, RRP has managed to take what was already very good and improve on it. When installed, it looks even better than before.
During my time with the ProGuard V2, I fitted it to a 2021 Fox 36 and the 2025 RockShox Lyrik Ultimate. With the Fox fork, I fitted the tilt-up bracket just to refine the fit a little better. Regardless, performance was consistent over both forks, which is the important bit. However, when the Lyrik bracket, it does lose its adjustment but, even then, it provided plenty of clearance with all of the tyres I’ve run.
Fitting the mudguard is super easy but there might be a little bit of trial and error, depending on the fork. With my Lyrik, it was fit and forget, whereas with the Fox there was a bit of adjustment to find the sweet spot.
Just like the mudguard it replaces, the ProGuard V2 is an incredibly capable bit of kit. This is the smallest guard the brand offers but provides mud protection well beyond its size. Even during the wettest of rides, my face and eyewear have kept clear – and I’m yet to clog the guard with mud.
It’s super quiet on the bike, too – it just doesn’t rattle. Owing to this fact, I’ve run the guard all year with absolutely no negatives.
Rapid Racer Products ProGuard Bolt On V2 – Verdict
The ProGuard Bolt On V2 Mini’s price has gone up from the previous guard. Now rated at £40, some consideration is needed.
Mudhugger, a big competitor for RRP still offers its very good Mudhugger EVO Bolt-On in both long and Short configurations for £31. It’s a little heavier at 100g without bolts but what’s a couple of grams between friends? Its design is rather similar, too.
Then there’s SKS’s Mudrocker Front that’ll set you back £19. This guard is super adaptable, with a bolt-on option but it still relies on cable ties and/or Velcro straps for full stability, so it doesn’t quite match RRP’s offering. It’s also heavier at 155g.
If you want to buy a mudguard fresh for winter and want to be sure that it’ll work, the Rapid Racer Products ProGuard Bolt On Mini V2 is a seriously good mudguard that won’t disappoint. It’s stable, it provides plenty of protection and it looks rather good, too. It’s just the price that may edge people towards competing products.
You might also like:
- 9 tips to keep your suspension running sweeter for longer
- Big Read: Racing after lockdown – Liam’s Ex Enduro diary
- Winter bikepacking: 8 essential tips for a successful adventure
Product purpose:
Build extra:
More fork compatibility than any other mudguard
More bottom out clearance
More vertical adjustment
More stability
More seal protection
Product construction
Product construction extra:
Product performance
Product performance extra:
Product weight
product value
All the deals displayed on our review pages are pulled from a constantly updating database feed of the best affiliate deals available. The criteria for deciding on what are the best deals is who is offering the lowest, delivered price. In most cases we will be showing the very best deal available online, but sometimes you may be able to find an item cheaper. If you can please feel free to post a link in the comments box below. To find out more about affiliate links on road.cc click here.
