Bicycle Splash Guard Holder for Lightweight Mud Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sport bicycles often lack fenders, leading to issues with dirt, mud, and water being thrown up onto the user during rides, especially in adverse weather conditions, as they prioritize weight savings and aerodynamics over protection.
Innovation Solution
A splash guard arrangement comprising a holder with a U-shaped design, a transitable splash guard, and fasteners that attach to the bicycle frame, allowing for easy installation and adjustment without tools, with the splash guard transitioning between flat and tensioned shapes for storage and use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If fenders are fixedly mounted around the tyre, then protection against dirt and water is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The holder is divided into three portions (first, second, and third portions) that can be separately attached to different frame components, allowing modular installation and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining protection functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The splash guard is made transitable between different shapes (flat storage shape and tensioned operational shape), transforming from a static fixed structure to a dynamic adjustable one, reducing complexity when not in use while maintaining protection when needed
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fenders are fixedly mounted around the tyre, then protection against dirt and water is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The splash guard transitions between a compact flat shape for storage/transport and a tensioned operational shape for protection, eliminating the need for heavy permanent fixed fenders while maintaining protection when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The splash guard is made from a flexible resilient material that can be tensioned into shape during use, replacing rigid heavy fixed fenders with a lightweight flexible alternative that provides equivalent protection
3Volume of moving object
If the splash guard is transitable between shapes, then space requirements for storage are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment functionality is merged into the holder structure itself, which is integrated with the bicycle frame components, eliminating the need for separate complex attachment mechanisms while enabling shape transformation
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient material of the splash guard allows it to self-transform between shapes through natural elastic recovery when attached to the holder, eliminating the need for external actuators or complex mechanical transformation devices
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides effective protection against dirt and water while maintaining ease of installation, reducing complexity, and minimizing space requirements during transport and storage, with resilient attachment to handle debris without damage.
Implementation Method 1
The splash guard (5) is transitable from a first shape to a second shape
Implementation Method 2
resilient attachment to handle debris without damage
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a splash guard arrangement (1) for a bicycle (3). The splash guard arrangement comprises a splash guard (5), a holder (7), a first fastener (9), and a second fastener (11). The holder comprises a first (21), a second (23) and a third (25) portion. The second portion is arc-shaped and is located between the first portion and the third portion. The first portion comprises a first holder end portion (27) and the third portion comprises a second holder end portion (29). The first fastener is adapted for attachment of the holder to a first frame component of the bicycle. The first fastener is adapted to be attached to the first holder end portion. The second fastener is adapted for attachment of the holder to a second frame component of the bicycle. The second fastener is adapted to be attached to the second holder end portion. The splash guard is transitable from a first shape to a second shape. The splash guard is configured to be held in the second shape by attachment to the second portion of the holder. The present invention also relates to a method of attaching the splash guard arrangement to a bicycle.