I’ve had a chat with @Calvin_pmw about getting some M3 bottle bosses made and he asked me to check in with builders to gauge interest.
On my latest production gravel bike, I’m using M3 bosses for bolt-on housing guides. This is the same size you’ll find that attach the guides to most suspension forks. IMO, this is a better size than an M5 boss, which is overkill for the job.
I’m using my little 3d-printer to make bolt-on guides. Plastic is nice for this application, since it doesn’t scratch the finish.
I paid a local machinist to make me a batch of these bosses, but I’d prefer that they were available for everyone to use. Paragon is the best choice for North American builders. I’m happy to share the M3 boss drawing with those of you in Europe and beyond.
So if you’re interested in using these bosses on future projects, please respond to this thread. The more interest we get the more likely PMW will make them.
Cool design! But as a low volume hobby builder I’d really only be interested if it was the complete package with the guides. If that was the case, I’d be a convert!
That’s a fair point. I’m not sure if PMW is interested in making guides too. That’s a lot more SKUs to carry.
IMO the guides are best customized for the frames you’re making. For instance, on the down tube I print out guides that fit the different diameters I use. Custom guides are probably even better for the low quantity builder since you’re probably using a wider variety of tube profiles for each build.
My little Bambu A1 Mini is one of the best tools I purchased for the shop in a long time. I’m kicking myself for not getting one earlier.
But then I’d need to learn how to design stuff in CAD
What I should have said is, as a hobby builder without a design/engineering background, if I can’t buy it off the shelf it’s not happening. Or at least not happening anytime soon.
i used to order the occasional m4 “di2 boss” from paragon for the odd project, and would be interested in the m3 for similar reasons. i wouldnt be high volume by any means, but would order some.
I could be interested in this. I currently make M4 bosses and 3dprint my cable guides. I’d rather drop down to M3 but I managed to find some tubing with an ID that lets me tap m4 without boring so I do that. I’d just add some on my orders but I think they’d have to be pretty cheap. I can bang out about 50 bosses on the manual lathe in about 20 minutes.
It looks like the min. material thickness of 1mm for the M3 drills is too thick for my application. Looks like a nifty solution for ti and aluminum though.
