GB2570468A

GB2570468A - Mudguard for a bicycle

Info

Publication number: GB2570468A
Application number: GB1801254.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mcarthur Craig
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-01-25
Filing date: 2018-01-25
Publication date: 2019-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 2038-01-25
Also published as: GB201801254D0; GB2570468B

Abstract

A mudguard is formed of a single sheet of plastic material. The mudguard comprises a sheet of plastic material having a longitudinal fold line (14) extending along a central axis thereof, the sheet being foldable along the fold line (14) to form two substantially planar guard surfaces (16A, 16B), each guard surface (16A, 16B) having a mounting arm (20) extending therefrom, the mounting arm (20) being formed of the same sheet of plastic material as the guard surface (16A, 16B) and having a tab portion (24) at the end thereof, each guard surface (16A, 16B) having a fixing slot (26) adapted to receive and hold the tab portion (24) of the mounting arm (20). In use, the mudguard is attached to a saddle and extends substantially parallel to a seatpost, thereby shielding the seat post from mud thrown forwards by the rear wheel. The guard is particularly applicable to a telescopi2 dropper post,

Description

MUDGUARD FOR A BICYCLE

Field of the invention

This invention relates to mudguards for bicycles, and in particular to protectors for dropper posts on mountain bikes. This invention also relates to blanks from which such mudguards and protectors can be made.

Background to the invention

A bicycle seatpost is a tube that extends upwards from the bicycle frame to the saddle, and is used to connect the saddle to the frame. Dropper posts are seatposts which can be used on mountain bikes and which can be remotely shortened using a control on the handlebar to move the saddle out of the way on technical sections of a mountain bike trail. A user can change the saddle height while riding. Many dropper posts use a hydraulic system, and the dropper post is prone to damage by mud, grit or stones or the like getting into the seals of the dropper post.

There is therefore a requirement for dropper post protectors or mudguards, which can protect the dropper post from mud or other material thrown up by the wheels of the bicycle. However known dropper post protectors are complicated, since they need to be supported at the top of the dropper post, adjacent to the saddle, and at the bottom of the dropper post, on or adjacent to the bicycle frame, while at the same time allowing the dropper post to vary in height, depending on whether it is raised or lowered.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mudguard which can be used to protect a dropper post and which overcomes the above disadvantages of known dropper post protectors.

Description of the invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a mudguard for a vehicle comprising a sheet of plastic material having a longitudinal fold line extending along a central axis thereof, the sheet being foldable along the fold line to form two substantially planar guard surfaces, each guard surface having a mounting arm extending therefrom, the mounting arm being formed of the same sheet of plastic material as the guard surface and having a tab portion at the end thereof, each guard surface having a fixing slot adapted to receive and hold the tab portion of the mounting arm.

Preferably the planar guard surfaces are arranged at an angle to each other. Preferably the planar guard surfaces are folded along the longitudinal fold line to form a V shape in cross-section. Preferably the planar guard surfaces are folded along the longitudinal fold line to form an enclosed angle of between 60° and 160°.

Preferably the vehicle is a bicycle, but the invention can be used with any vehicle, for example a motorcycle, where it is required to provide protection against mud.

Since the mudguard is formed of a single sheet of plastic material it can be made economically, for example by press cutting or by laser cutting, and can be transported in a flat state and assembled in situ. The use of a foldable plastic material gives the folded sheet the required stability. The mudguard does not require separate fasteners since the mounting arms and fixing slots can be used to mount the mudguard to a bicycle.

The longitudinal fold line may comprise a plurality of spaced apart channels or through slots in the sheet of plastic material. The channels may extend only partially through the sheet of material, which provides increased toughness for multiple folding and reuse.

The guard surfaces are preferably elongate, and each mounting arm extends from an upper end of the corresponding guard surface. The guard surfaces may therefore extend down from the mounting arms, by which the mudguard may be attached to the saddle frame, to below the seatpost mount on the bicycle frame when the dropper post is in its position of maximum saddle height.

Each mounting arm may have serrated edges adapted to engage with the fixing slot in the corresponding guard surface. The serrated edges engage with the edges of the fixing slot so that the mounting arm does not come loose during riding. Alternatively the mounting arms may be provided with surface roughening, for example transverse grooves, to achieve the same effect.

Each guard surface may have a resilient lug arranged at its upper end adapted to engage against a surface of the vehicle. When used with a mountain bike the lugs can engage with the underside of the saddle or the saddle bar mount, to prevent the upper end of the mudguard moving relative to the saddle. Each lug may have a plurality of cut lines marked thereon, for cutting the lug to a desired length, in order to fit the particular saddle or dropper post arrangement with which the mudguard is being used. A user can be provided with guidance on which cut line should be used with a particular type of saddle.

The sheet of plastic material may also have a plurality of cut lines marked thereon, distal from the mounting arms, for cutting the mudguard to a desired length. The mudguard can thus be cut to the required length so that it fully covers and protects the dropper post in the highest position of the dropper post, but does not interfere with the rear wheel of the mountain bike or other moving parts in the lowest position of the dropper post.

The mounting arms may extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal fold line in the unfolded state. This enables the sheet of plastic material to be formed with a minimum gap between the mounting arms and the guard surfaces, so that the mounting arms are not damaged in transport of the unfolded mudguard. The mounting arms can be connected to the guard surfaces by one or more bridging portions of the plastic sheet provided at or near the free ends of the arms, so that the free ends of the mounting arms are separated by pressing or tearing, to fracture the bridging portions, when the mudguard is assembled.

Preferably the plastic material is between 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm thick, more preferably between 0.4 mm and 0.7 mm thick. A thickness of about 0.5 mm has been found to be effective. Preferably the plastic material is polypropylene, or other suitable, relatively rigid and resilient plastic material which maintains its shape when folded.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a dropper post protector for use with a mountain bike having a saddle mounted on a dropper post attached to a seatpost mount of the mountain bike, the dropper post protector comprising a mudguard according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the arms are adapted to fit around the opposed saddle bars of a saddle mounted on a dropper post, the guard surfaces extending from the saddle bars of a saddle at their upper ends to beyond the seatpost mount at their lower ends.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a dropper post protector according to the second aspect of the present invention mounted on a mountain bike having a saddle mounted on a dropper post attached to a seatpost mount of the mountain bike, wherein the two substantially planar guard surfaces are folded along the longitudinal fold line to form an enclosed angle of between 60° and 160°, wherein the arms extend around opposed saddle bars of the saddle and engage with the fixing slots to hold the dropper post protector to the saddle bars, and wherein the guard surfaces extend from the saddle bars at their upper ends to beyond the seatpost mount at their lower ends.

Folding the planar guard surfaces to form an enclosed angle of between 60° and 160° provides a dropper post protector of sufficient rigidity to protect the dropper post in use.

Each guard surface may have a resilient lug arranged at its upper end which engages against a surface of the saddle, or a surface of a saddle bar mount associated with the saddle.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a blank for a mudguard for a vehicle comprising a sheet of plastic material having a longitudinal fold line extending along a central axis thereof, the longitudinal fold line dividing the sheet into two guard surface portions, each guard surface portion having a mounting arm portion extending therefrom, the mounting arm portion being formed of the same sheet of plastic material as the guard surface portion and having a tab portion at the end thereof, each guard surface portion having a fixing slot extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal fold line and adapted to receive and hold the tab portion of the mounting arm portion.

The blank permits the assembly of a mudguard by folding and assembling a single sheet of plastic material, and fastening the folded sheet to the bicycle or other vehicle. The blank is formed of a single sheet of plastic material, so it can be made economically, for example by press cutting or by laser cutting, and can be transported in a flat state and assembled in situ. The use of a foldable plastic material gives the folded sheet the required stability.

The longitudinal fold line comprises a plurality of spaced apart channels or through slots in the sheet of plastic material.

The guard surface portions may be elongate. Each mounting arm portion may extend from an upper end of the corresponding guard surface portion in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal fold line, and may be connected to the guard surface portion at or near the tab portion by a frangible bridge portion. This enables the mounting arm to be separated from the guard surface portion when the mudguard is being assembled and fastened to a bicycle or other vehicle.

Each mounting arm portion may have has serrated edges adapted to engage with the fixing slot in the corresponding guard surface portion.

Each guard surface portion may have a resilient lug portion arranged at its upper end extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal fold line or at a small angle, typically less than 40°, thereto.

Each lug portion may have a plurality of cut lines marked thereon, for cutting the lug portion to a desired length.

The sheet of plastic material may have a plurality of cut lines marked thereon, distal from the mounting arm portions, for cutting the guard surface portions to a desired length.

Preferably the plastic material of the blank is between 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm thick, more preferably between 0.4 mm and 0.7 mm thick. A thickness of about 0.5 mm has been found to be effective. Preferably the plastic material of the blank is polypropylene, or other suitable, relatively rigid and resilient plastic material which maintains its shape when folded.

Description of specific embodiments of the invention

The invention is described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a blank used to form a mudguard according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of a mudguard according to the invention formed from the blank of Fig. 1 secured to a dropper post of a mountain bike;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional on line Ill-Ill through the mudguard and dropper post of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the mudguard and dropper post of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a schematic sectional view through the mudguard of Fig. 2, with the dropper post not shown in section.

Fig. 1 shows a blank 10 for a mudguard 100 for a vehicle, such as a bicycle, comprising a sheet 12 of plastic material. Typically the plastic material is polypropylene with a thickness of about 0.5 mm. The blank 10 has a longitudinal fold line 14 extending along a central axis, the longitudinal fold line dividing the sheet into two guard surface portions 16A, 16B. The longitudinal fold line 14 comprises a plurality of spaced apart channels 18 in the sheet of plastic material. The channels 18 may be formed by laser cutting to a depth which does not extend all the way through the sheet 12. Alternatively, instead of channels 18, the longitudinal fold line 14 may comprise a series of spaced apart slots which extend all the way through the sheet 12.

Each guard surface portion 16A, 16B has a mounting arm portion 20 extending from an upper end 22 of the blank 10. Each mounting arm portion 20 has a tab portion 24 at the end furthest from the guard surface portion 16A, 16B. Each guard surface portion 16A, 16B has a fixing slot 26 formed as a through slot, of a length equal to or slightly greater than the width of the mounting arm portions 20. The fixing slots 26 extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal fold line 14, or, as illustrated, at an angle to the longitudinal fold line 14, and are adapted to receive the tab portion 24 of the corresponding mounting arm portion 20, and to hold the mounting arm portion 20 securely in the fixing slot 26.

The two guard surface portions 16A, and 16B are elongate, and in the illustrated example taper so that they are narrower at the lower end 28 of the blank 10. Each mounting arm portion 20 extends from the upper end 22A, 22B of the corresponding guard surface portion 16A, 16B in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal fold line 14, and is connected to the guard surface portion 16A, 16B at or near the tab portion 24 by a frangible bridge portion 30. Each mounting arm portion 20 has serrated edges 32 adapted to engage with the fixing slot 26 in the corresponding guard surface portion 16A, 16B.

Each guard surface portion 16A, 16B has a resilient lug portion 34 arranged at its upper end 22A, 22B extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal fold line 14 or at a small angle, typically less than 40°, thereto. Each lug portion 34 has a plurality of cut lines 36 marked thereon, for cutting the lug portion 34 to a desired length, so that it can fit against the surface of a saddle structure, for example, in use.

At the lower end 28 of the blank 10 the sheet 12 of plastic material has a plurality of cut lines 38 marked thereon, distal from the mounting arm portions 20, for cutting the guard surface portions 16A, 16B to a desired length. The cut lines 36, 38 can be simple surface markings, or they can comprise spaced or continuous channels extending partially through the thickness of the sheet 12, or they can comprise a series of spaced apart slots extending all the way through the thickness of the sheet 12.

The blank 12 can be provided to an end user, such as a cyclist, in the form shown in Fig. 1. The user can then assemble the blank into a mudguard 100 by separating the lower ends of the mounting arm portions 20 from the guard surface portions 16A, 16B, then folding, assembling and fastening the mudguard 100 to the bicycle or other vehicle. The method of forming a mudguard 100 for use as a dropper seat protector is described below with reference to Figs. 2 to 5.

The blank 12 may be formed of a single sheet of plastic material, so it can be made economically, for example by press cutting or by laser cutting, and can be transported in a flat state and assembled in situ. The use of a foldable plastic material gives the folded sheet the required stability.

Figs. 2 to 5 show the blank 12 of Fig. 1 assembled to form a mudguard 100 and attached to the saddle 50 of a bicycle. The guard surfaces 16, mounting arms 20, tabs 24, and lugs 34 of the mudguard 100 are formed from the guard surface portions 16A, 16B, mounting arm portions 20, tab portions 24, and lug portions 34 of the blank 10 described above, and so described with the same reference numerals.

A saddle 50 is secured to the top of a dropper post 52, which includes a movable post 54 mounted in a fixed post 56. The movable post 54 can be adjusted by a rider to move up and down in the direction of arrow A, in a known manner. The dropper post 52 is secured to a seatpost mount 58 on a bicycle frame 60, of which only the tube adjacent to the seatpost mount 58 is shown. The saddle 50 includes two saddle bars 62 fixed to a saddle support structure 64 and a saddle bar mount 66 which extends laterally between the two saddle bars 62. The right side saddle bar 62 can be seen in Fig. 4, while the left side saddle bar 62 can be seen in Fig. 5, partly hidden by the mudguard 100.

The mudguard 100 is folded from the blank 10 shown in Fig. 1, and the components of the blank 10 are not further described. The longitudinal fold line 14 is at the rear of the mudguard, and the two planar guard surfaces 16 extend forward from the longitudinal fold line 14. A mounting arm 20 extends from each guard surface 16 and has a tab 24 at the end thereof. Each mounting arm 20 extends around a saddle bar 62 and through the slot 26 in the corresponding guard surface 16. The serrated edges 32 of the mounting arm 20 serve to hold the mounting arm 20 in the slot once the tab 24 has been pulled tight. Alternatively the mounting arms 20 may be provided with surface roughening, for example transverse grooves, to achieve the same effect of holding the mounting arms 20 securely in the slots 26.

The foldable plastic material of the mudguard 100 gives the folded sheet the required stability. The mudguard 100 does not require separate fasteners since the mounting arms 20 and fixing slots 26 are used to mount the mudguard to a bicycle. The lugs 34 are folded backwards to rest beneath the underside of the saddle 50 or saddle bar mount 66, to assist in secure positioning of the mudguard 100. If necessary, the lugs 34 may be cut to a desired length using the plurality of cut lines 36 marked thereon, so as to fit the particular saddle 50 or dropper post 52 arrangement with which the mudguard 100 is being used. A user can be provided with guidance on which cut line 36 should be used with which type of saddle 50.

The guard surfaces 16 taper towards the lower end 28. The guard surfaces16 should extend below the seatpost mount 58 on the bicycle frame 60 when the dropper post 52 is in its position of maximum saddle height. The mudguard 100 can be trimmed to a desired length using the cut lines 38, so that the mudguard 100 fully covers and protects the dropper post 52 in the highest position of the dropper post, but does not interfere with the rear wheel of the mountain bike or other moving parts in the lowest position of the dropper post.

Assembly of the mudguard 100 of the present invention from the blank 10 is simple for the user, so the mudguard 100 can be delivered to the user as a blank 10. The assembly method is as follows:

1. First fold the mudguard blank 10 along the longitudinal fold line 14, then fold the lugs 34 outwards in the opposite direction to fit to the saddle bars.

2. From the rear of the saddle 50, place the mudguard 100 between the saddle bars 62, then push the mudguard 100 upwards and push the mounting arms 20 outwards over the saddle bars 62.

3. Tuck the lugs 34 under the saddle 50 or saddle bar mount 66, trimming if necessary. The mudguard 100 can be left full length or can be trimmed to shorten to suit.

4. Once lugs and guard are to required length, fold each mounting arm 20 under the saddle bar 62 and poke the tab 24 through the fixing slot 26 from the back to the front and pull tight. Make sure both mounting arms 20 fold the same way. The mudguard 100 is thus fully secured.

Typically, when used as a dropper post protector, the mudguard 100 has an overall length of 410 mm to 450 mm in the unfolded state. Each guard surface 16 is typically between 360 mm and 400 mm in length and typically has a width of about 40 mm to 50 mm in width at the lugs 34. The width of each guard surface 16 typically tapers from about 30 mm to 40 mm, for example 35 mm, at the upper end adjacent to the mounting arms 20 to about 20 mm to 30 mm, for example 25 mm, at the lower end. The cut lines 38 at the lower end 28 of the mudguard 100 are typically spaced about 10 mm apart, so that the mudguard length can be trimmed in 10 mm steps. The mounting arms are typically 60 mm to 100 mm, for example 80 mm, in length, and 8 to 12 mm, for example 10 mm, in width. The lugs 34 are typically about 45 mm in length and 25 mm in width at the widest portion. The cut lines 36 on the lugs 34 are typically spaced about 6 to 10 mm apart.

The invention provides a simple one piece mudguard with guide cut lines to help with folding and trimming to fit various seats and bike sizes. The plastic material, such as polypropylene, allows for easy folding. Trimming to fit can be easily carried out using household scissors. Polypropylene mounting arms are flexible enough to bend around the seat bars and tuck into the fixing slot to fix the dropper post protector securely to the underside of the saddle. No separate fixings are required. The dropper post protector is rigid but lightweight, and moves freely up and down with the saddle, keeping the seals and shaft of the dropper post free from mud. Use of the mudguard of the present invention saves on expensive servicing of very expensive dropper posts, which would otherwise be damaged by mud.

The mudguard of the invention has been described with reference to a dropper post of a mountain bike, but the mudguard of the invention can be used with any seatpost of any bicycle to protect the seatpost. It can be adapted for use with any vehicle, such as a motorbike for example, by selecting appropriate dimensions. The angle of taper of the guard surfaces can be varied according to application. In some circumstances the taper may be zero. Modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A mudguard for a vehicle comprising a sheet of plastic material having a longitudinal fold line extending along a central axis thereof, the sheet being foldable along the fold line to form two substantially planar guard surfaces, each guard surface having a mounting arm extending therefrom, the mounting arm being formed of the same sheet of plastic material as the guard surface and having a tab portion at the end thereof, each guard surface having a fixing slot adapted to receive and hold the tab portion of the mounting arm.

2. The mudguard of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal fold line comprises a plurality of spaced apart channels or through slots in the sheet of plastic material.

3. The mudguard of claim 1 or 2, wherein the guard surfaces are elongate and each mounting arm extends from an upper end of the corresponding guard surface.

4. The mudguard of any preceding claim, wherein each mounting arm has serrated edges adapted to engage with the fixing slot in the corresponding guard surface.

5. The mudguard of any preceding claim, wherein each guard surface has a resilient lug arranged at its upper end adapted to engage against a surface of the vehicle.

6. The mudguard of claim 5, wherein each lug has a plurality of cut lines marked thereon, for cutting the lug to a desired length.

7. The mudguard of any preceding claim, wherein the sheet of plastic material has a plurality of cut lines marked thereon, distal from the mounting arms, for cutting the mudguard to a desired length.

8. The mudguard of any preceding claim, wherein the mounting arms extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal fold line in the unfolded state.

9. The mudguard of any preceding claim, wherein the plastic material is between 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm thick, preferably between 0.4 mm and 0.7 mm thick, and preferably of polypropylene.

10. A dropper post protector for use with a mountain bike having a saddle mounted on a dropper post attached to a seatpost mount of the mountain bike, the dropper post protector comprising a mudguard according to any preceding claim, wherein the arms are adapted to fit around the opposed saddle bars of a saddle mounted on a dropper post, the guard surfaces extending from the saddle bars of a saddle at their upper ends to beyond the seatpost mount at their lower ends.

11. A dropper post protector according to claim 10 mounted on a mountain bike having a saddle mounted on a dropper post attached to a seatpost mount of the mountain bike, wherein the two substantially planar guard surfaces are folded along the longitudinal fold line to form an enclosed angle of between 60° and 160°, wherein the arms extend around opposed saddle bars of the saddle and engage with the fixing slots to hold the dropper post protector to the saddle bars, and wherein the guard surfaces extend from the saddle bars at their upper ends to beyond the seatpost mount at their lower ends.

12. The dropper post protector of claim 11, wherein each guard surface has a resilient lug arranged at its upper end which engages against a surface of the saddle, or a surface of a saddle bar mount associated with the saddle.

13. A blank for a mudguard for a vehicle comprising a sheet of plastic material having a longitudinal fold line extending along a central axis thereof, the longitudinal fold line dividing the sheet into two guard surface portions, each guard surface portion having a mounting arm portion extending therefrom, the mounting arm portion being formed of the same sheet of plastic material as the guard surface portion and having a tab portion at the end thereof, each guard surface portion having a fixing slot adapted to receive and hold the tab portion of the mounting arm portion.

14. The blank of claim 13, wherein the longitudinal fold line comprises a plurality of spaced apart channels or through slots in the sheet of plastic material.

15. The blank of claim 13 or 14, wherein the guard surface portions are elongate, and wherein each mounting arm portion extends from an upper end of the corresponding guard surface portion in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal fold line, and is connected to the guard surface portion at or near the tab portion by a frangible bridge portion.

16. The blank of claim 15, wherein each mounting arm portion has serrated edges adapted to engage with the fixing slot in the corresponding guard surface portion.

17. The blank of any of claims 13 to 16, wherein each guard surface portion has a resilient lug portion arranged at its upper end extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal fold line or at a small angle, typically less than 40°, thereto.

18. The blank of claim 17, wherein each lug portion has a plurality of cut lines marked thereon, for cutting the lug portion to a desired length.

19. The blank of any of claims 13 to 18, wherein the sheet of plastic material has a plurality of cut lines marked thereon, distal from the mounting arm portions, for cutting the guard surface portions to a desired length.

20. The blank of any of claims 13 to 19, wherein the plastic material is between 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm thick, preferably between 0.4 mm and 0.7 mm thick, and preferably of polypropylene.