Thanks for your interest.
My goal here is to gauge whether there is enough interest in this to produce a small batch, and to optimize the design of the product to meet the needs of ultra cyclists.
How much would this cost? It depends on the size of the production run and how fancy I get. If I reach 20 pieces, economies of scale kick in to lower costs, and I can also contemplate having custom tube clamps fabricated, which would be cheaper and lighter. Depending on how these factors add up, my guess is that a single deck could range in price from $30 to $70 plus shipping.
What will it look like? I’ve written a bit about prototype #1 and posted some photos here. I will be redesigning this based on my own experience and feedback from this form, so the final product will look a little different.
Once I’ve received some responses, I will contact respondents by e-mail to let them know what my plans are.
Other notes
- For mounting headlights, the Wildcard Deck will use GoPro mounts. Many headlights are available with GoPro adapters, which provide a more compact platform than a dummy handlebar.
- One of the questions I’m soliciting feedback on is whether you’d want just the deck with tube clamps, or an assortment of computer/GoPro mounts. If I wind up offering those mounts, they’ll be sourced from Alibaba and priced separately; in any case, I will provide recommendations on what to use.
- For the phone mount, I am designing specifically for a Quadlock mount with a 2-hole AMPS base. Quadlock is already widely used and lets you customize the pieces of your mount, and this seems like the best option.
- One thing to bear in mind is that tapping threads in holes is an expensive operation that doesn’t get much cheaper with higher volumes. In my prototype, none of the holes are tapped. I will look for ways to keep the number of tapped holes at a minimum to keep the cost down. A typical Garmin/Wahoo hole pattern requires 4 holes, and tapping that pattern once could add $12 to the price of the product.
- I am including bottle-cage mounts as possible option, but actually storing a water bottle on this may be problematic. The bottle takes up a lot of space; it could be stored on the bottom of the deck, but would interfere with almost anything else there. Also, a bottle of water is relatively heavy, and the mounting bolts may need reinforcement on the opposite surface. However, there are other accessories that use standard bottle-cage spacing, so there may be a case for the mounting pattern.
- I’m not trying to get rich off this, but I’m not trying to get poor, either. I plan on building in a small profit and a cushion into my eventual price.