The Kurvyflats Mudguard is a New Twist on the Basic Flat Fender
Kurvyflats on a Rocky Mountain Altitude
Press Release: Kurvyflats
Love them, hate them…. mudguards have been used on bicycles for many decades. Before 2012, they come as a permanently preformed fender, long and always following the shape of its tire arc… after all, you are trying to shield a tire. The majority of mountain bikers today would not want to use these said preformed mudguards because they simply don’t match the handsome stance of a modern mountain bike. Effective but an eye sore to look when installed. It’s like a side window deflector on a Ferrari.
A good number of ardent mountain bikers would ride on wet days without mudguards and are very much aware they’ll be sullied, which they would rather have than using one of these preformed bike fenders that most of us learn to hate for aesthetic reasons. One would rather choose to be dirty than look funny. Then in 2012, the attitude of a lot of mountain bikers changed when the market introduced a simple pre-cut, flexible and flat plastic sheet type of guard. They sure do give a nice and simplistic appearance and lots of riders started using them, including myself. It is now so ubiquitous, that it is not uncommon to see up to half of riders you’ll encounter on the trails having this mudguard.
Kurvyflats on a Santa Cruz Bronson
The mountain biking world sort of embraced this product mainly for its minimalist and aesthetically pleasing looks. But does its non-intrusive looks really doing a good of a job it was meant for? I hate to be negative especially on a great product design, plus I was generally happy with the one I got. In an open and unbiased assessment, it is only able to shield your stanchion, fork seal, maybe headset and probably nothing more. As for one’s face protection from mud.... individual mileage may vary but chances are, you’ll still regularly get them. The inherent attributes of flat sheet class of mudguard, is that they are short. The first bend during installation that creates the half-pipe shape will always gonna end up with a straight fender. Stretching it longer will just hit the down tube and is not nearly close enough to match a good fraction of the effective shielding of a conventional preformed Mudguard.
Living and riding in the lower mainland (Greater Vancouver Canada) since the early 90’s, surely did include countless rides on muddy days. Often will finish a soggy ride with mud starting from significant few dots on my face and gets really worse quick as you go down towards the foot. And this unfortunately persisted even after I had the cool looking flat sheet mudguard. It was one of the truly awful soggy night riding, back in the Fall of 2014 that for some reason, I had my attention on my mudguard longer than usual and began to ponder…. sort of tripping without the high. If it is made longer to be more effective, it must bend a 2nd time but how? That must have planted the seed subconsciously to find ways, which did finally come over 3 years later!
The idea is a simple pair of slits and some shape adjustments plus an extra inexpensive 4” zap strap and voila, you got yourself a curved flat sheet mudguard that can be made significantly longer, hence more effective.
The would-be patented idea
After a patchy wet ride at whistler bike park
On a wet trail with little drizzle or no rain and a few patchy 1 to 2-foot wide paddles, you will find your upper half jacket, up to your face be mud free. Even on a heavier rainy rides with trails having longer stretches of thinly water layered earth, it will be very rare to have mud on your face. If you got a few on your face, it’s probably from the rider in front of you.
Kurvyflats Mudguard:
• 1.3 mm thick engineered plastic balancing weight, flexibility & strength
• They are stiffened to resist flapping on drops and very rough trails
• Each side mounting arm has 2 pairs of strapping holes, that offer 3 angle positions for more leverage in adjusting fender tip proximity to tire
• A tiny pair of holes are added to aid in folding and relieving stress
• 6 colors available – red, white, blue, green, orange & gray
• MSRP: CDN$ 30, includes six 8” & two 4” zip ties
• Canadian Shipping cost the same for qty 1 to 8; USA Shipping cost same for qty 1 to 5
• Contact: http://www.kurvyflats.ca
This is the new revolutionary mudguard known as kurvyflats. Simple, brilliant, works! Inspired by riding in the trails of North Shore, Delta Water Shed and a little bit of SFU. All happened in Vancouver! So, Keep Riding... Feel the air not the mud!
Kurvyflats on a Commencal Meta HT AM
Must Read This Week
161 Comments
I currently have a stubby one on the back of my bike and think this would do better in its place
Think you summed it up yourselves Kurvy
@jackdbiker any plans to implement a secure checkout process? You're putting your customers at a pretty significant risk here.
this is a great feature by pb allowing press releases. this is NOT a product test nor a review but a product introduction by manufacturer.
there were some words & phrases been slightly revised but minimal. so yes, it has been edited by pb. i have to go thru this channel to get a free exposure but also ready to get hammered. comfy inside my flame jacket now.
P.S: That Meta ht looks tasty
thanks for your input.
Brave new world, that!
Looks like crap, too. What more can a rider want?
keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/07/2020-scott-sports-gambler-900-tuned-fender.jpg