quick release fork mounts and adapters

i'm looking to make a bike carrier for my ute using quick release fork mounts attached to a length of wood. i've been looking around and wanted to see if anyone can recommend any based on quality and value.

The other thing i wanted to find out, and this is what's bothering me the most, can anyone recommend some 20mm and 15mm thru axle adapters that aren't a complete rip off. maybe i'm missing something but i don't see why a tube with a couple of strips of metal welded to it should cost $50-$60.

Thanks
 

Dozer

Heavy machinery.
Staff member
I have devised a simple way to make adapters to accommodate the 15mm and 20mm axles so you can attach your bigger hubbed bikes to the 9mm typical quick release clamps. Just get some steel pipe , file the welded bead from the inside of it to improve the inside of the pipe and have someone weld a couple of pieces of flat bar to it where it won't warp the pipe. Just copy what you see on the websites, it's so easy and so much cheaper.
 
yeah that seems to be the best idea, i would have been happy to pay maybe $20 for one but $50 is ridiculous. i even saw one brand retailed at $90.
if that's just how much they cost i think i'll be getting a friend to make some.
 

Dozer

Heavy machinery.
Staff member
I couldn't find any from the usual outlets fro under $50 so I went down the "make my own" path. Let us know how it goes. ;)
 

wombat

Lives in a hole
Do you actually need to clamp a qr fork at all? If you only have 15 or 20mm forks then the qr trap itself is kinda redundant. May as well just get the pipe welded to an L bracket that you can bolt straight down.
 

Dozer

Heavy machinery.
Staff member
Do you actually need to clamp a qr fork at all? If you only have 15 or 20mm forks then the qr trap itself is kinda redundant. May as well just get the pipe welded to an L bracket that you can bolt straight down.
Yep, you're right. SOrry, I should've specified that the set up I had in mind incorporated all size fittings on one L shaped bracket wich you interchanged according to your fork size.
 

crowash

Likes Dirt
I've had a crack at 3D Printing one specifically for 15mm out of abs plastic. Its a bit of an experiment, I haven't tried screwing it to the ute tray yet, mostly just seeing if it can be done if its strong enough. It actually seems pretty strong and of course you can make the fit perfect so you don't get any movement as well as personalise it if you wish. Anywho bit off topic but definitely a solution for these types of issues for the future.

15mm2.jpg15mm.jpg
 
yeah my xc bike uses a qr fork and so does my mates xc bike. my trail bike has a 20mm and my mates trail bike is 15mm so i had considered making one rack for the xc bikes and one for the trail bikes. however if i can just have one rack and be able to carry any combination of bikes without having to swap mounts that would be preferable. just chuck the adapter on and go. if i'm making the mounts myself i really could have both a dedicated rack for the thru axles and adapters for the rack with the qr mounts. i'll be having a chat to my mate about it as he's the one whose bike i carry the most and he's pretty handy with the tools.
 
I've had a crack at 3D Printing one specifically for 15mm out of abs plastic. Its a bit of an experiment, I haven't tried screwing it to the ute tray yet, mostly just seeing if it can be done if its strong enough. It actually seems pretty strong and of course you can make the fit perfect so you don't get any movement as well as personalise it if you wish. Anywho bit off topic but definitely a solution for these types of issues for the future.

View attachment 269022View attachment 269021
that looks really cool, i imagine that would be really good for when your driving on rough roads and there's lot of vibration in the car.
 

wombat

Lives in a hole
I've had a crack at 3D Printing one specifically for 15mm out of abs plastic. Its a bit of an experiment, I haven't tried screwing it to the ute tray yet, mostly just seeing if it can be done if its strong enough. It actually seems pretty strong and of course you can make the fit perfect so you don't get any movement as well as personalise it if you wish. Anywho bit off topic but definitely a solution for these types of issues for the future.
Looks like FDM, yeah? I imagine it'd be pretty prone to fracturing in use given the torque the axle could exert on it, but it's a pretty sweet proof of concept!

I see no reason why a product like this couldn't be moulded in a polymer though. You could also design it with reducer sleeves to switch between 20 and 15mm axles too.
 

stoo

Likes Dirt
That placky jigger looks ace, well done.
And that's a good idea using a sleeve to swap between 15 and 20mm, I made a 15mm mount out of solid alu. stock but my main bike will be running 20mm forks soon, I might try that......

 

crowash

Likes Dirt
Looks like FDM, yeah? I imagine it'd be pretty prone to fracturing in use given the torque the axle could exert on it, but it's a pretty sweet proof of concept!

I see no reason why a product like this couldn't be moulded in a polymer though. You could also design it with reducer sleeves to switch between 20 and 15mm axles too.
its abs at 50% fill. Yeah it'll have some force on it but the internal fill is designed for max strength. I think the biggest enemy will be sun which is why i avoided pla. a 15mm plumbing pipe fits 20mm perfectly. I'll get to mounting and testing at some point. Good news is 3d metal printers for home aren't that far away.
 

wombat

Lives in a hole
Nice gadget mate! I'd love to have a home unit to play with.

I'm sure abs is a strong enough material, and I've never used a makerbot, but the fdm printers I've used in the past usually leave you with a part that has a fair tendency to fracture along the shear planes between layers.

Very keen to see how you fair with it though, it's a good solution.
 

wombat

Lives in a hole
That placky jigger looks ace, well done.
And that's a good idea using a sleeve to swap between 15 and 20mm, I made a 15mm mount out of solid alu. stock but my main bike will be running 20mm forks soon, I might try that......

Are you a machinist / fitter stoo?

What about making something this way:
trap.jpg
trap_exploded.jpg

Just a quick mud model but hopefully you get the idea.

I figure this is essentially the way plenty of hubs work, so no reason a trap can't work this way too. It's more pieces, but it only needs a couple of small pieces of 20x40mm stock, as opposed to a big hunk, and the plate for the base.
The biggest problem is ensuring that the two blocks sit in proper alignment, but I don't know how big an issue that would be in practice.

Thoughts people?
 

stoo

Likes Dirt
Nah, I just have an old lathe and a mill in the shed.

Nice design that!
Might flex a little though from the skewer side force??
 

wombat

Lives in a hole
Might flex a little though from the skewer side force??
Mmm, good point, I reckon adding a second flange and fastner at the back would aleviate that issue, but it'd also start to get too bulky and difficult to mount.

It'd probably be best with a full length tube for the axle, just need to figure out how to implement that.
 

crowash

Likes Dirt
How much $$$ in media to produce the mount?
From what I understand, that isn't cheap?


Sent from my iThingy using Tapatalk
bugger all... filament is $50 a kilo I haven't weighed it but it's not heavy and Lots left from a roll... Power usage is a couple of bucks.
 
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