About CombOver

Ever since I got my 1st bike, and probably even before, I've wondered if things wouldn't be better if only I did this, or that, making some frankly terrible modifications to components, clothing, tools, whatever. Somewhere in the early 2010s, on my new bike, I looked at the down-tube mudguard and realised most of it wasn't doing anything: down tubes had grown hugely, and the guard wasn't that much wider than the tube. The middle was wasted.

If only I could drop that dead weight? The first attempt was a length of electrical conduit from Wickes, carved with a pen-knife and stuck on with tape. It looked awful - but it was half the weight of the mudguard it replaced, and because it was wider, it actually worked better. There was this odd feeling when I rode with it: when you're used to a bit of spray through every puddle, you stop noticing it - and that first ride where the mud didn't arrive, something just felt wrong.

The next step came when I got my hands on a 3D printer for a couple of days and made a version with slats. My theory said it would work, but in the flesh, as it were, it seemed hard to believe. I went for a ride and it worked. You can kind of see through them, and yet they stop the mud. In lockdown I got a printer of my own and refined the design down to under 10g for the pair - now about a quarter the weight of the mudguard it replaced, with better coverage. That pair stayed on my bike, my own little secret, for over five years while life (mostly raising kids) took priority.

Then in 2025, after 22 years as a software engineer, I was made redundant - I finally had the time to turn the thing on my bike into a real product. Eventually, I plucked-up the courage and set about a patent application, seventy-odd prototypes, understanding injection-moulding and loads more, and here we are - launching a mudguard in the driest summer I can remember!-)

Who's behind it

I'm Adrian - fettler, lifelong mountain biker, and a member of Glossop Mountain Rescue Team in the Peak District. I love being outside, especially in terrible weather (as long as I can dry out back at home), and I design, develop and test everything here in the Dark Peak, where a mudguard is a year-round necessity. It's a small operation, so when you email, it'll be me emailing you back.

Where we're up to

CombOver is launching in time for autumn 2026. Products are available to pre-order now, with the first units shipping from mid-August 2026 - every product page shows its expected delivery date so you always know where you stand. The range is already growing beyond the original down-tube guards to the complementary Toupee and the Full Facial set, with a couple more ideas yet to come.

CombOver - Covers yer face