Most people don’t realise what’s missing on this bike… But if you want the ultimate winter-setup, you need this 3D printed part
Every decision in the design of the Forge, our performance endurance road bike, comes back to one idea: Fast and Far. We’ve built this bike for riders who chase performance but also value all-day rideability. For those who want a frame that’s efficient on climbs, composed over rough roads, and ready for the long haul. Endurance without the compromise. It’s built for year-round performance, but integrating true winter capability presented a unique challenge.
How do we take the flawless Forge we designed, and enable it to become a perfect winter ride, but not compromise everything we had done ? Here lies the problem: on most carbon frames, adding mounts or a seatstay bridge means extra material, extra weight, and a potential compromise in comfort. We wanted to offer practicality without sacrificing the clean lines or the engineered compliance that define this bike’s ride quality.
Realistically, only about 5% of riders ever fit mudguards to a high-performance road bike but for those who ride the roads throughout the winter, come rain or shine, training year-round, they can make all the difference, so we couldn’t ignore this feature.
So, we incorporated hidden mounts to the rear dropouts inside the fork legs, and beneath the crown - out of sight until you need them, no compromise. It keeps the frame's silhouette pure and aerodynamic, whilst still quietly offering full capability for the riders who want it.
Enter stage left: 3D printing…
The real innovation happens at the seatstay. Instead of building a fixed bridge into the carbon, which would interrupt the carefully tuned flex that makes this frame so comfortable over long hours, we developed a 3D printed bridge. This simple, yet elegant solution bridges the mudguard securely between the seatstays when fitted.
Thanks to 3D printing, we can keep the carbon structure completely clean. No metal bosses, no unnecessary reinforcement, no compromise on the beauty we had designed. The printed bridge clips neatly between the seatstays, adding a solid mounting point right where the mudguard sits. Sure, you could fit a wraparound style mudguard instead, but those tend to rattle and flex when the roads get rough, which isn’t necessarily the soundtrack you want for those long winter excursions.
It’s a small detail but reflects our broader design philosophy: every element should serve performance, comfort, and practicality in equal measure.
