I had designed a water bottle cage last year. The idea is not new, but my thought is custom. Many cyclist love custom gear, whether it be kit, shoes, bikes, or helmets, matching team stuff is cool. The idea of a custom bottle cage is a little more difficult as they are often made via injection molding. Now you could simply lay stickers on a basic design that you could produce in multiple colors, but the sticker route lacks the clean look I wanted to achieve. So my answer, 3D printed bottle cages. The major benefit is quantity of a sale is negligible, I can sell this custom product with no minimums. The major downside would be that the design would have to accommodate for the lack of durability and strength that is seen with 3D printed products.
My first run can bee seen below
Testing:
The bottle cage has a good snug fit but the walls lack the strength to retain the bottle during aggressive road turbulence. There seems to be an excess of deflection where the lettering cut out is located. I believe strengthening ribs running around the exterior of the two arms will help reduce this deflection.
Take 2 coming soon!
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