Originally Posted by
carleton
I spent A LOT of time making toe-strap fixings for clipless pedals a couple of years ago. After dozens of prototypes, I feel like I had really solid designs for both LOOK KEO MAX 2 and Dura Ace pedals. Then I ran into the limitations of the materials. Because of the nature of the process, they were prone to sheering between the layers if the stress were enough.
I reached out to a company that could take my files and make 3D prints using metal (which would have been an upgrade), but family and work stuff took precedent and I lost steam.
I even had an idea for a chain tensioner that would be faster to use than screws...but also lost steam.
I've looked at metal printing services, but they seemed far out of reach (the quote for the extension above was ~$7k in Titanium and ~$2k in Aluminum. Which seemed a bit too steep for a prototype
- although I admit I didn't explore it very far or get multiple quotes)
I'm decently handy with composites, I think I could take one of these (structural parts) print them with water soluble filament, then wrap them in carbon/kevlar.
It's a lot of work though, and at that point it kind of just makes more sense to make a either make a 2-3 piece mold, or in the case of the extensions, just take a plaster mold like some of the custom companies do.
That all leads down the rabbit hole of having it approved, safety tested, for sale to the public, etc etc.(Sounds like a lot of work for someone who - similar to you - has a very limited amount of steam
)