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TECH NEWS
Stebles Bikes 2.jpgStebles Bikes developing a carbon fibre bike with integrated carbon mudguards
Mudguards make a lot of sense when riding in the winter, whether it's for daily commuting or weekend club rides. Most mudguards can be a fiddly job to fit, with tiny bolts and limited clearance providing compatibility issues. Some road bikes don't even accept mudguards.
What about if you could buy a road bike with the mudguards moulded seamlessly into the frame and fork? No assembly required and the annoying rattle that can plague mudguards completely eliminated. Sounds good to us.
Previously nothing like that really existed (correct us if we’re wrong), until now. This is the Stebles Bike and it’s going on display for the first time at the London Bike Show next week.
- Buyer’s guide: The best mudguards to keep you dry
Creator Mark Stebles tells us he’ll be showing a 3D printed full-size prototype at the show, where he hopes to generate some interest before launching a crowdfunding campaign to hopefully get it funded and put into production.
The bike has been a while in development. “I’ve been working on this for years now bit by bit designing it and getting the patent which is granted now in the UK,” says Mark.
It’ll be made from carbon fibre - well, it would be difficult to create those curves in metal - so it’s unlikely to be cheap. But if you really want a carbon fibre bike with mudguards, your choices are pretty limited. The design has been finalised and it’s just a case of raising the necessary funding to produce the moulds to get the bike into production.
- Carbon mudguard-equipped road bikes
“The unique design of frame and forks covers the wheels to protect the rider from tyre spray, while shielding the most vulnerable part of the chain where it picks up the most debris from tyre spray,” says Mark Stebles. “The cover shapes form a structural frame to support the wheels eliminating the need for a traditional tubular frame.”
We’ll be taking a keen look at the creation at the London Bike Show next week, and you can too of course. The show runs 11-14th February.
What do you think?
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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17 comments
You won't be able to mount it on a fork-mount car rack since the fender sits so low. It also won't fit on a fork-mount workstands like Tacx Spider.
I wouldn't use a fork mount holder on carbon forks anyway. The forks are not designed for lateral/shear loads. When a bike is in use the only force in the forks will be perpendicular to the wheel axle. This is what they are designed for.
Jesus. The day I get that worried about a bit of rain, I'll take up badminton.
interesting. Hideous but interesting.
Not a racing bike but still
https://biomega.com/product/oko-2-speed-automatic/
It's a prototype. The shapes look awesome. Nothing else like that out there
It looks like a good design. I would wager the negative comments are based on the practicality of spending a couple of grand on a season specific bike (I.e.
I've never used mud guards myself.
I hope they have considered the safety issues of a fixed front mudguard design like that.
It should be able to detach if any debis hooks underneath; you're going over the bars if not.
From the images here it looks like a single moulded piece, which is a worry. Even more so if it's ridged carbon. It's certainly not going to conform to the relevent Euro saftey standard: EN14764.
I wonder if there are aero benefits.
The shroud over the leading edge of the rear wheel could give some benefits. Similar shrouding for the leading edge of the front could help a lot more.
I'd agree the rear needs to be longer, but I guess it might have to be a seperate part as a wheel cannot pass through a gap that's less than half it's diameter
What are the options if you get your mudguard broken? Replace the frame? Stupid idea...
Gopping. I'll take a wet arse.
Not the first time you've said that?
The designer happens to be my best mate and I know he's done a lot of work on this. However, I am sure that there will be updates and improvements if and when necessary.
Mark's got a top F1 designer onboard too!
Although very niche-market, there is a market for this - especially outside the UK!
Looks a bit stupid really. You'd be terrified that you'd bust those mudguard stays and have no way of easily replacing them.
I built myself a Ribble Sportive 365 (full mudguard eyelets) as a carbon framed winter bike a couple of years ago and I don't get any rattle from the mudguards and if I fancied it I could completely take off the mudguards in about half an hour and it would be a fine summer bike. You won't be able to do that with this thing.
You could have a nice Ribble Sportive 365 with 105 and SKS mudguards for about £1000, I bet the frame only on this thing will be a lot more than that.
Good idea and if it means no rattling 'guards all winter then it would be great idea, but that rear guard is not long enough. OK for the rider but it needs to be longer and enable a flap to be added to look after the people behind you as well. The designer has clearly never been on a winter club ride