[Tested] Sendhit Nock Handguards

With their recent emergence, Sendhit, fairly new French company who had passed on the Scratch Cover for testing, also sent me a set of Nock handguards to review. I’ll admit I’m not a fan of handguards, despite my knuckles, often banged up by tree bark, begging me to use them. The Nocks, however, are not comparable to traditional handguards since they have an attention to detail that has reduced and optimized their shape and size, making them much more graceful and less bulky.

Sendhit Nock details

The Nock Handguards are in fact handguards specifically designed for MTB and not borrowed from the motorcycle sector. Unlike the latter, they have compact and essential dimensions. The shape is optimized for the MTB area where the impacts, in almost all cases, are represented by trees, fixed rocks and walls … not by the stones flung from the front wheel. At the bottom, the shell extends downward at the index finger and brake lever, specifically protecting them.

For those who prefer a less austere style than full black, Sendhit offers in the package a kit of stickers, both black and with colored details, which allow you to customize the appearance of your Nock handguards while those who want greater customization can request custom stickers. They are made of sturdy 400 micron thick vinyl (like the decals used on dirt bike fairings) so they don’t get damaged easily and protect the underlying plastic. An alcohol pre-impregnated cloth is supplied with the decals to properly clean the surface of the handguards before application.

Assembly is very simple. The collar is of the closed type, therefore it is necessary to remove the grip to insert it on the handlebar, but it is not necessary to change the position of the brake lever, shifter or dropper lever. The size of the collar is minimal, only 10 millimeters thick, so it finds space easily next to the lock clamp of the grip. Tighten a 2.5mm Allen screw and that’s it. Of course, with an open type collar you would have the appreciable advantage of not having to remove the grip, making assembly even easier, but then a greater width of the collar would be required, creating possible interference with the controls.

The collar and the bracket that supports the handguard are made of a single, sturdy piece of aluminum. The nylon shell is fixed on it and acts as the protection for your hands. These two parts that make up the handguard are joined by means of 3mm Allen head screws on self-locking nuts and fixed inside a long slot in the bracket. This system allows you to adjust the distance of the handguard from the grip in a range of 12mm, indicated by the notches on the bracket, to find the optimal adjustment according to your preferences and the position of the brake levers. The seat for the nuts is not quite of precise size so it could happen that by tightening with the force that is necessary to overcome the self-locking friction, the nut can “slip” and rotates inside the seat.

The nylon used for the shell is quite thick and very sturdy, but at the same time it is designed to be flexible and bend in case of impact. The balance between stiffness and flexibility in the necessary points is obtained through 3 solid ribs that make the area close to the bracket rigid. The remainder is progressively more flexible so as to absorb the energy of the impact, avoiding damage to the handguards or losing control of the bike. To avoid that the shell, by flexing, still transfers the impact on the knuckles, especially of the little finger and ring finger, Sendhit has positioned a protective pad in MicroSHOCK, a foam capable of absorbing violent impacts like D3O and Sas-Tec.

Sendhit Nock in action

As I anticipated, handguards have never aroused my interest and indeed it could even be said that they have always made me turn up my nose, however as regards the Nock Handguards I must admit that it is an interesting product, certainly a reference for those who want to use handguards for MTB. The approach is definitely the correct one: the dimensions, the ability to properly adjust the position and the functioning based on flexibility, are details clearly sprung from the mind of a mountain biker. On the handlebars they do not create the slightest interference with levers and controls and adequately perform their task, that of protecting the knuckles.

If you hit a tree they don’t transfer the jolt to the handlebar but flex just enough to “slip” away from the impact. I’ve never hit hard against a tree during the test but the MicroSHOCK foam, combined with the flexibility of the Nok, is in effect a touch of genius that guarantees impact absorption. Finally, I appreciated how they integrate with the aesthetics of the MTB without intrusiveness, unlike most of the handguards, whose image resembles that of two plastic shields with a bike hanging behind.