Is your Bosch Kiox getting in the way on the handle bars?
Many have seen the Kiox mounting which Trek bikes come with, mounted on the top tube of the frame just below the stem. We had been thinking that an option like this for other bikes would be great, but how could we achieve this without permanently modding the bike... So we set about working out a solution.
Firstly we set about modelling a bracket which would be able to hole the Kiox. The design uses the original shape of the Acid bracket which came on the Cube Stereo Hybrid. Many iterations later we got a perfect fit.
The next challenge is how do we attach the bracket to the bike? Well, we got a little inspiration from GoPro. Any people out there who have used a GoPro adhesive mount will know they are near permanent! So we purchased some 3M VHB double sided permanent adhesive mounting tape to test out its strength.
Two small strips and we were able to pick up almost 10kg with it before it let go. We decided this was good enough, we will increase the size of the strips in the final design and be able to hold about 20kg!
After some more design work to ensure the bracket fit nicely on the curvature of the top tube on the frame we were in business! The bracket utilises the original Kiox controller mount and magnet, simply unscrew from the Acid bracket, and refit into the new mount block using the slightly longer bolt and nut supplied.
To fit the block mount to the frame is simple, clean the frame with some quality degreaser and let dry, then wipe down the area using an alcohol wipe (which we will also supply) and let it dry, finally attach the block mount using the 3M adhesive strip which will come attached to the bracket already. Now leave the bracket for 24 to 48 hours (this will allow the adhesive strip to fully cure) and the bracket will be very secure.
If this isnt secure enough for you, the bracket is designed to allow access to the USB port on the bottom of the Kiox and also the lanyard attachment point. You could attach a lanyard to the Kiox itself and loop around the stem, giving that little extra piece of mind.
The new mounting position does however mean that the computer and controller (still on the bar) are now separate when steering, this can put strain on the cable. To overcome this, we moved the controller in on the bar toward the stem by a couple inches, giving enough slack to turn the bars about 180 degrees, which should be enough in the event of an unplanned dismount!
Unfortunately at some point, there could be strain on the cable which could damage it if you spin the bars round enough. One solution to this is to install a "block lock" style headset which can physically restrict the angle you can turn the bars to, but unfortunately this is perhaps the only solution.
And there you have it, frame mounted Kiox! We are awaiting some final supplies arriving before we produce this to sell, although it will be very soon :)