The Coolest Homemade 3D Printed Bike Parts!

Over on the GCN App we've seen a lot of 3D printed bike parts, and we thought they were so cool, we'd dedicate a whole video to some of our favourites! Alex takes you through the basics of 3D printing, and some of his top 3D printed hacks!
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[@fieteferrum3441]

Pro tip from an engineer working for plastics department at my university, to make a part stronger increasing the wall thickness helps more than increasing the infill percentage. The part walls are in direct of load most of the time. Great video, I printed spd-sl sneaker plates for casual riding, they work great so far ✌️

[@log_it8282]

Pro tip from a physicist: Be aware of the anisotropy with the weak link being the layer direction. Use it to your advantage by printing multiple pieces by their main load direction and join them with super glue rather than printing a single big part which will very likely fail. Carbon reinforcements also work wonders if you want it to stay flexible.

[@fieteferrum3441]

@@log_it8282 great advice, you're right ✌️

[@doxielain2231]

I came here to say this. Not as an engineer, but just someone who has been printing and designing for a bunch of years now. Infill is more to be thought of as internal support.

[@FiveMinuteVelo]

This and the other replies are correct, there is a lot more complexity than this video makes out. However it is a KZbin video that's dumb down for the generic audience and not for us engineers. Is a little knowledge here dangerous? Terry

[@truantray]

@@FiveMinuteVelo yes, this video vastly oversells 3D printing. I have multiple printers but would not trust any bike part to a 3D printer.

[@fongxyz]

I made a rear derailleur using a combination of metal and printed parts. Metal parts are the pins, shaft, and springs. The body is printed using PETG (Will be printed in ASA-CF for final product)

[@chills996]

Best 3D print I've used so far is a Shimano Hollowtech crank remover tool... took mere minutes to print and is seriously useful. Nice vid! :)

[@kel5944]

I hope they make it for the hollow tech 2 crank. I’m going to look for it today. One of my road bikes has been sitting since last year because the tool I have doesn’t work for it.

[@AnvilAirsoftTV]

Good shout I can’t find mine!

[@kel5944]

It wasn’t the tool I needed… oh well.

[@chills996]

@@kel5944 Ah, sorry. Guess you could design your own but I wouldn’t know where to start with that.

[@kel5944]

@@chills996 I’ve done some designing, but I doubt I’m good enough for that yet. I’ll probably just spend the $20 for the tool.

[@bikepackingadventure7913]

Can you 3D print Zip Ties? Question from Si 😏😆😁

[@doxielain2231]

Yes, you can.

[@a_bonbon]

It is a pity that Si didn’t Si show up in this video him being GCN’s 3D printing expert 😅

[@compassionsix]

More of this please!

[@JesseStarrPhoto]

As others have said, infill is not the main setting for increasing strength and can just waste material. Increase perimeters to increase strength.

[@dundeedideley1773]

give us a best 3d printed parts competition

[@user-yx1qk4sk5t]

I need a life size, 3d printed Ollie.

[@adammacfarland6415]

I made some aero boxes that hold hydration bladders under the aerobars and in the frame triangle of my tri bike. I mix my nutrition as a drink and can fit enough for the bike leg of an Ironman. I don’t have to mess with refilling a reservoir or shuffling bottles around. The straw is held in place so I only need to leave aero position to maneuver or stretch out. Plus it looks cool.

[@vladimirzhukov4378]

Thinking about the same. Are there any details on your project?

[@adammacfarland6415]

@@vladimirzhukov4378 I suppose it’s sort of hard to describe. Total capacity is about 2.5l. The box under the aero bars is the whole length of the bars and fairly deep. It has sort of an airfoil shape. Taller than it is wide. Fixed with zip ties. The frame box fits tightly in the lower half or so of the main triangle. Fixed with the existing frame bosses. I am on an Argon 18 E119. The older model with rim brakes. Size S.

[@MrRundervinkje]

I made a little clamp that has the functionality of a hand brake. When i come home from a wet ride, i can clean the chain without it wobbling and then put it in the garage to dry fully. Very handy tool. Also, spacers for your discbrakes when you remove the wheels.

[@TRiX_ONE]

I made a customized phone holder on stem - when it is well made then it works like "click-in slide-out". It make me happy every ride. 😊 I developed specialized slicing technique / process, so i can made really light and functional 3D parts (with customized infill).

[@adamchambers7502]

Ive been doing similar phone holders myself

[@chrisvanbuggenum871]

No load bearing? But it worked so well for the Australian track team.

[@Osrszombie]

Ive made a 3d printed cafe cup holer for my handbars that change color red when its hot black when its cold so now i will never have a drink of cold coffee 😂 ever again been using it for a year and has not broken even when i came of my road bike, ive had alot of people ask me to print them one and now i keep a spear one in my backpack for when people ask me to make one. I give it to them for free and i still see people using them ❤❤

[@groundskeeper5292]

Thanks a lot! I was suffering from designer's block...You're video gave me some ideas for some 3 d printed parts I can make for my bike! Great stuff! Subscribed!

[@dancingtrees5717]

I printed a very useful thru axle protector for travel.

[@mrhankbotful]

I've been printing customized gps/light mounts this week to replace the ones broken in a wreck with a Jeep last month that totaled my Ti Salsa La Cruz. Handy tool if you have the chops to learn CAD/Cam software.

[@manueldeubler1127]

My personal favorite 3D bike thing is a piston advance tool by Murchderlurch on thingiverse. This tool is base on a Shimano bleed block with a cut out on one side that allows you to advance only one piston for cleaning.

[@Ed.R]

Just spent a satisfying afternoon in my workshop making a replacement part for my shifter using only hand tools. No 3D printer required and it's made of aluminium instead of plastic.

[@FLG8r]

i designed and 3d printed custom camera mounts for the GoPro Hero Max so that you have that properly stitched, detached view; fasteners for the Garmin Varia STL515 that uses zip ties instead of the rubber bands; storage holder for CO2 cartridges + inflator, etc. ... stuff like you said that aren't load bearing ... a useful tool(s) for designing these items are a vernier caliper and Autodesk Fusion 360; i prefer PETG filament instead of PLA; PETG is UV resistant and is the medium between PLA and ABS. I'm just an engineer that loves cycling also ... you can see some videos on my channel as examples

[@bele13]

How was this not hosted by Si?

[@thebr0wnhornet]

He would be too aroused

[@roberttell1587]

I imagine Si watching this video screaming Hack every 30 seconds.

[@rplumb7697]

Uh oh! I thought about printing headset spacers a couple of years ago, but decided it wouldn’t be safe. Though they’re not specifically load bearing, I think there’s probably too much force going through them as you ride. PLA probably wouldn’t be safe over the long run. Might be wise to ask an engineer though. 🥺 Just think of what would happen to your steering if all of a sudden one of your headset spacers disappeared.

[@FiveMinuteVelo]

You are correct PLA is probably not the best material to use as it is 'at least in theory' biodegradable and hence may deteriorate over time. I must admit my favorite material is TPU as it is flexible and very tough. Here is my first 3D printing video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5SQYq2oZrOgaq8 Terry

[@rplumb7697]

@@FiveMinuteVelo - just checked out the video! Great print. That gap between fork & headtube is almost nonexistent now! 👍 I’m using tpu for most of my bike prints as well. Light mounts, chainstay guards, frame plugs, etc. Great point on the biodegradable aspect of pla. With lots of uv light & moisture, I don’t know how long the headset/stem spacers would survive, even if they aren’t taking a lot of compression. Yikes!

[@836dmar]

I turned some spacers from white plumbing PVC about 10 yrs ago and it’s been fine. Has been raced, hammers, etc. It’s just under compression.

[@Bob-hf1cd]

you never want to do 100-percent infill on 3D printing stuff as it's not that strong if you do 95% infill it is a lot stronger

[@chrispownell]

What software does everyone use to create things like the GPS mount?

[@gaming-oyvinator]

wait.. so you made a video about bike parts you could 3d print, but only kind of showe one print you could put on a bike?

[@truantray]

I have a bunch of designs for bike tools on Thingiverse. You need to know the limitations. 3D printed plastic is not as robust as injection molded and typical plastic like PLA will warp in sunlight. Ideally, you need to use Nylon for parts, which means you need a far more expensive printer. But for shims, saw guides, headset presses, stands, it's OK.

[@TM-mt6sx]

Well we can make our own design of water bottle, bottle cage,chain guard and maybe fenders with 3d printer.

[@jameslee-pevenhull5087]

3D printing IS NOT wrought or drawn. You take the risk. The drawing file for the 3D print product is best done on a package that has finite element stress analysis. You need the Youngs moduli of elasticity and rigidity for the material you are using. Remember with 3D printing, there is no polymer grain structure. 3D printing is OK for model aeroplane wing and fuselage parts, because there are no human passengers at risk when the thing hits the ground. 3D printed metal parts as as good as castings. No structural strength.

[@Alphard_adventures]

My sons just got a 3D printer… I may start to take interest 😂

[@Sam-sd1ew]

Alex, how can you talk about cool 3d printed parts without sharing STLs? Collecting STLs is as much a part of 3d printing as collecting spare bike parts is to cycling.

[@21zit]

This bike was really easy to assemble kzbin.infoUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA and required very few adjustments out of the box. The wheels did not require any truing/adjustments. The frame had some small scratches, but nothing major.I did replace the seat though - the seat it came with was very uncomfortable. The tires need to be re-inflated every 4-5 days, but this appears to be quite common for the narrow 700x25 tires.Overall, in my opinion, this bike looks and rides like a much more expensive bike.

[@FiveMinuteVelo]

Here's my second video of a 3D printed seat clamp cover. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aouVZ4ZofNR7f8k Terry

[@rudyelizondo1935]

Huh?, lots of info, but what is The best tire for a rough roads and spayed?

[@petersauer94]

Is that a egg cup on the table 🤔

[@enoswilliam1]

Do you need clip in shoes?

[@Likelybiking]

Im trying to get the shop I work at to get one!

[@kel5944]

I clicked on this thinking it was a video from one of my 3d printing channels. I might print a dropper post lever when I get a dropper post for my hard tail. I’m inherently kinda cheap and currently poor. Stupid pandemic.

[@ronnieirawan7033]

You guys use a new camera?

[@mihaicostea4397]

mr beast tumbnail

[@monochromebluess]

More videos to follow this idea though would be good. Would be useful to discuss pricing. Leaving aside machine cost how much does it end up costing to make that part. Alex mentioned in the part he made for his bike it took several attempts to get it right so overall what did that part cost and was it worth it in the end.

[@Brainboy96]

Pennies. A 1KG roll of filament is like $30. You can print and refine a lot of things and spend less than buying a manufactured one

[@ljadf]

It's very cheap after you've bought the printer. Mine was $3000 AU so not cheap for a good one. The thing that costs most is your time to learn the software, then use it to print, I'm only just starting to get okay at it after many months of learning CAD. Then you have the 'failed prints' time, and the 'works but not exactly what I'm after' time. I find only rarely there's an exact 3d printed part that I'm after online, and retro engineering a part is a really painful process.

[@ejpauld3207]

I couldn’t stomach the cost of an out front mount for my canyon integrated bars and designed a 3d printed one. It’s been through 15-20 iterations over 3 years and has cost me at least the same as a bought one. But the satisfaction of doing it yourself outweighs the time and financial costs!!

[@timangus]

What's the deal with comments getting auto removed on GCN videos? Like what are the rules?

[@timangus]

Like, I tried to point to an interesting 3D print of mine a couple of times, but the comments got removed. Bit annoying.

[@timangus]

One of them didn't even contain a link, just a description of where to look. On the other hand there are tonnes of obvious scam spam comments that are not being touched.

[@adammacfarland6415]

I’ve run into the same issues. Did you try posting it as a reply to this comment? I got one to stick like that on another video.

[@Ed.R]

Its KZbin, some algorithm seems to decide who gets to say what. I'm rather sick of it. I asked them if there was a way to allow ALL comments on my channel and they said no. Considering switching to another website.

[@timangus]

Hmm ok. Not sure there is a viable alternative really. Maybe Vimeo?