The Idea, and V1.0

Having worked extensively with TPU for the BOQS mudguards and knowing the material’s excellent shock absorbing and flex properties, the idea for a super thin, easy to don and doff shin guard came to mind sometime in early 2023. Aside from the low profile, another main feature was the slip-in design, where the lower 1/3 to 1/2 of the guard would be secured not by additional straps or closures, but by the rider’s socks (since crew socks are overwhelmingly popular in MTB).

The V1.0 prototype was about as thin as the material allowed, with a complicated pattern of concentric lines propagating outward from a central CavaNero Horsie logo. It looked cool, and worked enough to validate a couple key things:

Even at just a millimeter of thickness, TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) prevented pedal pins from breaking skin.
The old V1 BOQS mounting tabs, repurposed to attach the strap to the guard worked well to secure the two parts together.
A crew sock could indeed hold the guard in place.

The accompanying reel posted to Instagram was very successful, not only in engagement, but in feedback as well...

…of course, some people love to provide free input while having no real grasp of the intended use or target market:

V2: Thicker + Calf Protection

The V2 prototype was substantially thickened (up to 4mm), and a calf guard that can attach onto the upper strap was incorporated. Ultimately, V2 helped to validate the calf protection, because it was also kept in place successfully by the single strap and sock.

V3: A Simplified Groove Pattern + Wider shape

V3 was focused on a wider overall guard and simplified vertical grooves that “encouraged” the guard to conform better to a shin. Riding tests showed that it stayed in place, and despite being worn directly against the skin, was comfortable enough not to be a distraction.

V4: Material Selection, Form Refinement, And A Gamble

It’s always the case that the closer a project approaches completion, the more details emerge that need resolution and refinement.

During the V4 phase, a lot of details came together to improve the product:

A decision was made to use only translucent TPU. Why? Because it sets the guard apart from all other MTB guards that are black, and being translucent means it’s less conspicuous to the eye.
Many small but important tweaks to the shape of the guard helped it sit better against the shin.
The strap shape, especially at the ends was refined to balance ease of use with print-time and material usage.
Slots beside the snap tabs on the guard allowed the ends of the strap to tuck back under the guard instead of sitting above them, creating not only a flusher fit, but virtually eliminating the chance of the strap coming undone from riding or snagging on something.
At one stage, inner layers of PETG (like in BOQS) were added to test whether this lessened impact pain to the shin. However, it proved not substantial enough to justify the greatly increased complexity of printing with two materials.

V5: HEXAGONS.

The V4 guards had a tendency to slightly bend away from the shin. This was due to the guard having only vertical relief grooves which allowed it to conform around the shin, but its thickness made it less ‘eager’ to bend along the length of the shin, which does in fact have a curve, especially with a bigger tibialis anterior muscle (the one at the front of your shin that bulges out when you pull your toes upwards).

So it was time for a big change: give the guard the flexibility to bend in all direction as needed by replacing the vertical grooves with a honeycomb pattern.

V6: Three Dimensions and the Finish Line

Why not take advantage of the manufacturing process at hand, while adding value to the product?

With V6, the honeycomb was evolved into a three-dimensional raised pattern that allowed the one last piece of the puzzle to fall into place: since V1, there had no longer been any ventilation through the guard to the shin. While this was largely ok, V6 finally solved this dilemma. Because the raised texture increased the depth of the guard at its peaks, small perforations at each hexagon’s center could be added to allow some airflow and moisture evaporation. Additionally, slots between each hexagon’s top and bottom edges added even more venting. The result was a noticeably less sweaty shin, lower print time, improved pedal impact dampnening, and the overall aesthetic of the guard became more sculpted and striking.

Branding was added to the outer straps and across the bottom “wings” of the shin guards. Additionally, “R” and “L” cutaways in the shin and calf guards help identify which goes on which leg.