SENDHIT NOCK V2 HANDGUARD REVIEW

MTB HANDGUARDS…WHEN YOU NEED ‘EM, YOU NEED ‘EM

Words by Drew Rohde  |  Photos by Max Rhulen

Touted by Sendhit as “The most protective MTB handguards on the market,” we were excited to test and review the Nock V2 Handguards. As enduro moto riders and life-long desert rats who’ve grown up riding in overgrown chaparral and shrubs, there’s no shortage of scars and permanent bumps on our knuckles that testify to the battle our hands have seen. Before we get to the, “I’ve been riding for 25 years and have never needed handguards, let alone hit my hand on a tree, rock or anything else pointy!” I’d simply ask, if you’ve never landed on your face and don’t ever wear a full-face helmet, would you spend time reading a full-face helmet review? Probably not. Though I don’t think you’d tell a World Cup downhill racer or Red Bull Rampage athlete that a full-face helmet isn’t needed as you’ve never needed one. What’s my point? Well, just like a full-face helmet, handguards are not mandatory bicycle attire for all riders, and we’re not saying you must buy them. However, for riders who live and ride in it, we’ve got some goods and bads to share about these Nock V2 handguards that we think will be helpful in your quest to protect those delicate digits.

THE LAB

Made in France and weighing in at 168grams per pair, the Sendhit Nock guards claim to be unbreakable as they’re designed with an optimized ratio of rigidity and flex. While we’ve not yet been able to confirm that and think anything is breakable if you try hard enough, we have been quite impressed with the strength and the way in which they flex and conform after impact. Speaking of impacts, the Nock handguards have high absorption impact foam on the inside of the shield to help cushion the impact should you smack something hard enough to cause the guard to flex all the way to your knuckles.

Optimized to work with Shimano brake levers, we have tried these on SRAM and TRP bikes and found that they will work but may not always be in the ideal spot. The aluminum bracket and clamps only take up 10mm of space on the handlebars, which means you should be able to keep your dropper, brake and shifters exactly where you want them. The guards also have a flip chip, which gives you two lateral and two frontal positions to adjust the location of the guards for your personal setup.

THE DIRT

Installing the Sendhit Nock handguards is pretty simple in and of itself. Attach the guard to the arm and snug up the Nyloc screws once you’ve found your spot and picked the position of the Flip Chip. What can be difficult however is finding the right place to put the bracket and the guards. Depending on your shifter and brake combo and where you run your controls, finding the right place to get the desired 21-degree angle for the mount and still having the guard reach the end of the bar but not overhang was an issue on one of the three bikes. Not enough to be a deal breaker, but it just took a bit of time.

Our biggest criticism of the handguards however is how short the bracket is. While we applaud Sendhit for wanting to be conscious of silhouette and size, we found that riders who have longer fingers or run their brake levers out will likely be resting against the back of the handguard plate. If we raised the guard up a bit to get it out of the way of our index fingertip, we felt it was a bit too high to offer the wind, cold and brush protection we wanted.

So, aside from some potential issues pertaining to the angle of dangle, how did the guards do, and do we like them? They did very well and yes. We have tested other guards and the AVS Sam Hill guards were our favorites until now. That doesn’t mean these are great, or perfect, I do hit my fingers on them, and I find that rather annoying, but I like that they have more coverage than the AVS guards. If I’m going to have a protruding handguard on the front of my bike, I want to make sure it’s protecting my fingers, which some of the smaller guards haven’t always done.

Most of our encounters come from dead, hard, pokey juniper branches that will tear skin, clothing, and gloves like a dull razor blade. It’s a blunt force trauma and a slice simultaneously, I hate those evil things even though they look really cool. We also spend a lot of time bushwhacking overgrown trails where shrubs, sharp brush and pokey plants await in blind corners. And for the colder, wet months in the woods, overgrown and heavy hanging ferns are no match for the deflection of these Nock V2 guards. Our hands stay noticeably warmer and drier behind them.

The Wolf’s Last Word

While I am a huge fan and believer in handguards for certain mountain bike and eMTB applications, I think we still have some work to do before we get ergonomics and sizing dialed. As much as I like the coverage, size and shape of the Sendhit Nock V2 handguards, the fact is they’re a bit too close to the bars and my index finger regularly touches the back of the guard plate. It’s a minor, but noteworthy issue and something I think can be remedied in V3 very easily. Maybe an XL version for riders with longer fingers or extended brake levers?

Aside from that gripe, I really like these guards and they will be migrating across my test bikes until something better comes along. I like the padding on the back should I really smack something hard, the coverage area is just right, not too big and not too small, and they’re durable. I’d love to see the price and availability improve for North America, but until there’s more competition, we should expect to pay a bit of a price for brands willing and able to deliver new products quickly. So, thumbs up to Sendhit and we look forward to seeing V3 adding a bit more length and rise to the bracket for more versatility.

Price: €79.99 | $84
Weight: 168g
Website: Sendhit.net