Bike Phone and Light Mount

Customized mounts for lights, phones, bike computers and the like seems like an ideal application of 3D printing, with relatively simple geometry and light loads. This is in contrast to my last post on the water bottle cage. My bike has a Bontrager Blendr stem, which provides a clean option for mounting accessories. The Blendr integration system (check out their video below) requires at least three components, the stem, a base and and one or two accessory mounts. The base and mount are connected with machine screws and nuts.

However, with 3D printing you can merge the base and accessory mount into a single, custom mount for your specific accessories. In my case, I combined the base with custom mounts for an ION 200 RT Front Bike Light and an inexpensive, but highly rated RYYMX Bike Phone Mount (affiliate link).

The Blendr compatible piece is the part that wraps aound the handlebar and tucks into the stem. Hats off to the Blendr design for making use of this space in a very elegant manner. It also happens to be compatible with the constraints of FDP printing, where the partial cylinder of the base prints on its end and the the clamping forces end up pulling pretty much in the ideal direction along the layer lines.

While the initial design concepts and prints came together pretty easily, it did take a few iterations to get everything dialed in. The custom mount for the phone is just a partial socket for the the ball joint and makes use of the thumb wheel that was provided with phone mount hardware. The custom light mount orients the light horizontally and make use of a flexure to retain the light while allowing for easy removal. The overall configuration accounts for the stem and head tube angles while also avoiding the brake and shifter cables.

Like the 3D printed Raindrop Water Bottle, I’ve been using this custom mount on my bike for about six months without any issues, and based on the simplicity of the design and how well it prints, I imagine it should continue hold up well.