Cycra M2 Recoil Vented Handshields

I use flag-style hand guards like these because roost hurts and I really like my fingers. I generally bust off a couple pairs during the year and have grown accustomed to running at least one sad, lonely and bent guard for a while before I replace the set. With Cycra's M2 Recoil Vented Handshields, I found some that last longer.

The term "Recoil" comes from the spring-loaded action of the guard itself. Upon impact, the guard is allowed to pivot away from your grips. Once you're done wadding yourself up, the guard's integrated spring snaps the shield back in place. The result is less breakage and a longer lifespan. It's usually the simple tip-over that snaps levers and breaks shields; these are immune to that, and I've personally drilled them into the ground at high velocity and they've always bounced back. The composite brackets are strong enough to bend (not break), too, and seem to remember their original shape well.

The $44.95 M2 Recoils bolt on quickly with aluminum mounts and wrap around your brake and clutch cables and lines nicely with their composite brackets. Their fit isn't perfect, and the Phillips-head fasteners for the clamps are easily the set's weakest link. You can mount them onto your clutch perch and front brake system, but the narrow aluminum bracket sacrifices some surface area and looks a bit mismatched, so I mount these independently. But the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Other pluses include adequate ventilation and a great selection of colors available. Cycra plastic products are some of the brightest and strongest we use, and their colors are great-the M2s are perfect examples of that.
-Jesse Ziegler