Pedal, wheel and dropper specialist Crankbrothers has branched into hand protection with the Guardian Handguards.
The handguards come in two different mounting options – a neatly integrated system compatible with most lock-on mountain bike grips, or a universal system that should work on any flat handlebar.
Prices start at £49.99 / $49.99 for the universal fitting option, with the integrated design priced at £59.99 / $59.99.
With more enduro racers opting for handguards in recent years, could this big brand's backing signal growing adoption by amateur riders?
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Bushwhacking
Handguards originated in motorsport and are designed to protect hands from trailside foliage when shredding tight trails.
Since the COVID-19-born illegal trails have lost their builders to the perils of real life, handguards are a good option for those fed up with shredded hands from errant brambles.
The Guardian Handguards have two fitting options that Crankbrothers says enable them to be compatible with most brakes.
If your hands are on the larger side, the included extensions enable you to run the guard further from the bar.
33mm of side-to-side adjustment enables you to shift the guards to suit your grips without having them protrude over the end of your bars.
The integrated option requires you to replace the lock-on ring of your grips. This setup also adds vertical adjustment to the guards.
Crankbrothers says they are compatible with DMR, One Up, Deity, PNW, Wolf Tooth, Race Face, WTB, Peaty's, All Mountain Style and Trail One grips, out of the box. Shims are provided to cater other brands such as Ergon and ODI.
On the universal design, a 22.2mm quick-release mount is used. Having set both the systems, this proved to be the easier design, although it adds more clutter to the bars.
Are these overkill for mountain biking? I'm not sure just yet – I have many friends on the handguard hype train, who all swear they give new confidence, especially when riding gloveless. I'm eager to try them out, but there's no doubt these Guardian Handguards will add a little moto-inspired cool to your rig.
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