The Recyclable Soda Bottle Mudguard

by matt byrne

13K2117

Intro: The Recyclable Soda Bottle Mudguard

There are few things in life more ridiculous to see than a fully grown man cycling in the rain without mudguards. For many years I have been that guy.

As we all know, mudguards although unquestionably practical are, almost without exception,   unacceptably ugly.

So, every time it rains many of us are faced with a dilemma.

This solution minimises the visual impact on your bike, uses materials destined for the recycling bin, and can be completed in about five minutes.

STEP 1: Materials and Tools

As I have come to discover not every bottle cap uses the same threading, so the crucial design decision is to choose a brand of soda that is always readily available.

The materials list is simply:

One soda bottle
One cable tie

You'll also need a pair of scissors, or a sharp knife.



STEP 2: Thread the Cap

Cut a couple of small holes on either side of the cap and thread the cable tie. 

STEP 3: Attach to Your Seat Post

Now just attach the cap to you seat post, tighten the cable tie, and snip off the excess.

STEP 4: Looks Like Rain

With rain on the way screw on your mudguard and enjoy a relatively dry ride.

When you reach your destination recycle your mudguard and return your bike to it's usual aesthetic loveliness.

17 Comments

dwosullivan 10 years ago

bonus points if you put the tail of the zip tie inside the bottle...

k2iran 11 years ago

i dont wanna act pessimistic, but,isnt that much weird?having a bottle behind your butt? that is....... you know :D

zwheel 11 years ago

Lots of people want to cut the bottle. I get that, it probably would look more 'mudguard like' that way. It might even work better. But... I think it misses the point. When it's not raining unscrew the bottle and throw it in the recycling. Just leave the cap. Since in most homes there is usually always some empties available, just grab another, screw it on and go when it is raining. If you have to prep the bottle, cutting it then you are either doing that every time (impractical), leaving it on always (ugly) or storing the thing somewhere (clutter).

breunor 11 years ago

This is a great idea! I agree with cutting the bottle, and I bet the cap could be attached just above the brakes so that the half-bottle would better hug the tire. Don't forget to make one for the front wheel too!

rustytoy 11 years ago

http://www.witindustries.nl/collections/all/products/foldable-bike-fender

matt byrne 11 years ago

Neat idea, but I do have a tendency to forget things like this when I'm in a hurry ;)

rustytoy 11 years ago

I like it because it comes off really easy. so you are not riding around with the bottle on all the time. It would be cool to use a mt dew bottle and put a light in it.

matt byrne 11 years ago

Yeah, it would be really great to build a tiny flashing LED circuit that could fit into the cap. And 'yes' agreed with the Mountain Dew bottle, that would look pretty sweet.

Hazzard2theworld911 11 years ago

Idid this, but cut the bottle lengthwise, then stapled them together where the bottoms used to be, and made a muflap from an 8oz bottle. worked like a charm

matt byrne 11 years ago

Staples, yup, great idea too ;)

jim_lewis1 11 years ago

I expected the final step to involve cutting the bottle almost in half along its length.

that way the spray would meet a concave shape and not the convex side of the unaltered bottle.

I think this would reduce the spray dispersal and make the guard more effective.

Otherwise, a nice simple 'ible. Thanks for posting.

matt byrne 11 years ago

Interesting idea, I'll definitely give it a try.

ejarrell 11 years ago

Haha, this is great