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TECH NEWS

Silca unveils £175 super-strong 3D-printed titanium computer mount

New Mensola is said to be up to 12 times stronger than a traditional mount while weighing as little as 27g... but it’ll cost you!

Silca has unveiled a 3D-printed titanium computer mount called Mensola that’s made in a latticework design to increase strength and save weight. Silca says that it is six to 12 times stronger than designs made by traditional methods, weighs as little as 27g, and takes both Garmin and Wahoo bike computers. Oh, and it's priced at £175.

Mensola is the first 3D-printed product from Silca, a company founded in Italy but now based in the USA.

Silca Mensola bike computer mount - 4.jpeg

“3D printing lets you have full control over the design of the product compared to traditional CNC methods because it’s possible to also design the interior,” says Silca. “This results in a lighter and stronger product which can be optimised in ways which are not possible by any other method. 

“The [Mensola] mount takes full advantage of this by having a latticework inside instead of being made of solid titanium. This design uses techniques and concepts from architecture and aircraft design allowing for maximum strength at minimum weight, and then 3D printing allows these techniques to be applied at a scale far smaller than is possible by any other manufacturing method.”

Silca Mensola bike computer mount - 5.jpeg

Silca says that it wanted a computer mount system without a clamp on the handlebar, so Mensola shares the same bolts as a stem front plate. It is made from 6Al/4V titanium powder which is recyclable.

President and CEO of Silca Josh Poertner said, “We want to make beautiful products that last forever and are working towards creating a range of 3D-printed accessories.

“This technology has been in our industry for a few years and it is the future of everything 10 years from now. There is no tooling involved, there are no material stock size limits, we don’t have to start with a piece of bar, whittle it away and try to recycle the 80% of the metal that ends up on the cutting room floor. Here we start with one raw material and we grow the parts to spec – which is an exciting environmental story.

Silca Mensola bike computer mount - 3.jpeg

“The real excitement, though, comes in the look and feel of the product and what the engineering team has done which is not possible with traditional methods. We’re using a stress skin design concept. The load is all in the top and bottom skins, then you connect them with struts and you end up with a part that’s 15% lighter but somewhere in the order of six to 12 times stronger than any of the other products on the market.”

Silca Mensola bike computer mount - 2.jpeg

Silca claims that “the stressed skin also allows for aerodynamic design elements to be used resulting in reduced drag coefficient compared to previous designs”, but it doesn't offer any figures.

Stem bolt spacing varies between manufacturers so each Mensola is designed for a specific faceplate geometry. Versions are available for stems from FSA, Specialized, Bontrager, Zipp, and more. Weights range from 27g up to 36g, and each is held in place by two 6Al/4V titanium bolts.

Silca Mensola bike computer mount - 6.jpeg

Your bike computer fixes to a press-moulded plastic cradle that’s held in place by a titanium bolt. You swivel this cradle through 90° to swap between Garmin (including the large Edge 1030 model) and Wahoo computers. 

Silca Mensola bike computer mount - 7.jpeg

For comparison, an aluminium K-Edge Garmin Sport Mount has a claimed weight of 48g, although is priced at £34.99. A K-Edge Garmin Race Mount has a claimed weight of 33g and is priced £64.99.

We can't say we've had particular problems with the strength of existing computer mounts but maybe you have. The Mensola certainly looks cool and unlike anything else out there. Priced £175, you can file this one under ‘premium product’.

Silca’s UK distributor is www.saddleback.co.uk. It's expecting stock over the next few weeks.

silca.cc

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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32 comments

Avatar
The _Kaner | 2 years ago
0 likes

I'll stick with my (adjustable) FormMount, thanks.

Avatar
maxdabrit | 2 years ago
0 likes

All that 'engineering' and they use a plastic insert attached with a central,single screw. Nope, never gonna stop a large Garmin rocking back and forth and eventually breaking loose. Ditto the combo of a Fabric light paired with a smaller Garmin or Wahoo. Silly billies.

Avatar
Carior | 2 years ago
3 likes

Surely the only people that are going to buy this bike are overweight middle aged city big wigs what buy the brand new Sagan edition S-Works SL7 and all the matching shoes, helmets etc - have it tricked out with ceramic speed everything and are blown off the back of the group ride by a 1% gradiant!

As others have said, it doesn't even look good (and it amazes me that I have seen two separately publications suggest it does!)

Avatar
brooksby | 2 years ago
0 likes

That is a very weird thing.

Avatar
EK Spinner | 2 years ago
1 like

If (very big if - infact no) I were to purcase and fit this, I would want to keep it really clean, it seems to have numerous internal cavities etc, do you have to strip it from the bike and put it in the dishwasher once a week.

to my mind not even a very nice design, never mind over engineered and over priced to solve an issue that doesn't exist. Taking that all into account I'm sure it will be a great success

Avatar
Prosper0 | 2 years ago
6 likes

For some reason Silca deleted this post of theirs because of the volume of immature comments from consumers. Can't think why. 

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Gkam84 replied to Prosper0 | 2 years ago
6 likes

Memes for days....

Avatar
Chris Hayes replied to Gkam84 | 2 years ago
8 likes

Hilarious.  I wonder what sort of market penetration they were expecting?

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Captain Badger replied to Chris Hayes | 2 years ago
5 likes
Chris Hayes wrote:

Hilarious.  I wonder what sort of market penetration they were expecting?

Must have been a hard decision

Avatar
cdamian replied to Prosper0 | 2 years ago
2 likes

"for the discerning cyclist looking for the strongest and most beautiful mounting solution"

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to cdamian | 2 years ago
1 like

cdamian wrote:

"for the discerning cyclist looking for the strongest and most beautiful mounting solution"

Quickly bolt it on, and you're ready for action....

Avatar
brooksby replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
1 like

Captain Badger wrote:

cdamian wrote:

"for the discerning cyclist looking for the strongest and most beautiful mounting solution"

Quickly bolt it on, and you're ready for action....

It looks more like you'd just strap it on...

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
2 likes

brooksby wrote:

...

It looks more like you'd just strap it on...

No shaming here Brooks, you do whatever you feel...

 

Avatar
Prosper0 | 2 years ago
0 likes

  

Avatar
Boss Hogg | 2 years ago
1 like

What a friggin fugly monstrosity... 

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espressodan | 2 years ago
7 likes

"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should".

Plastic is an ideal material for a computer holder. I don't want a mount that's 6-12x stronger than anything else out there. A degree of frangibility is a good property in a handlebar mount. This monster will transfer any stress, from a crash or just daily handling, straight into your stem.

Not only might it cause long-term damage (load transfer stress) but the stresses are probably outside the design criteria for the front bolt holes, which were only designed to retain the mounting plate.

Pass from me. Also, 27g still heavier then my $7 plastic eBay out-front mount which comes in at 17.9g.

If I was a cyclist who had everything, I wouldn't want this.

Avatar
Chris Hayes | 2 years ago
2 likes

Who knew that those plastic ones were so unreliable?  Luckily Silca spotted this and saved us all with more aerospace-grade Ti..... 

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Surreyrider | 2 years ago
1 like

Why?

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Captain Badger replied to Surreyrider | 2 years ago
1 like

Surreyrider wrote:

Why?

Perhaps it's because "12 times stronger than a traditional mount while weighing as little as 27g"

But more likely because " it’ll cost you!"

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Surreyrider replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
0 likes

But my plastic Garmin mount is strong enough and lighter...

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Dnnnnnn replied to Surreyrider | 2 years ago
0 likes

But not nearly expensive enough - don't you understand??

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check12 | 2 years ago
10 likes

thank goodness as I've snapped 3 computer mounts already this year! (I haven't)

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hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
7 likes

Missed opportunity there. The main reason you'd want a strong computer mount is if you mount a camera onto it as well, so they should have the option for a GoPro mount on the underneath of it.

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lesterama replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
1 like

But then it would look like a Prince Albert

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hawkinspeter replied to lesterama | 2 years ago
5 likes

lesterama wrote:

But then it would look like a Prince Albert

I'm not sure it would make a vas deferens

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bikercub replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
4 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

I'm not sure it would make a vas deferens

Chapeau! I cock my hat to you for that excellent comment.

Avatar
henryb | 2 years ago
3 likes

I wonder if they know that Wahoo sell their standard ELEMNT mount for less than 10% of the cost of this? Oh yes, and it's lighter (0.9oz, or 25.5g)

https://uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/accessories/elemnt-bolt-mount

Avatar
the infamous grouse replied to henryb | 2 years ago
1 like

henryb wrote:

I wonder if they know that Wahoo sell their standard ELEMNT mount for less than 10% of the cost of this? Oh yes, and it's lighter (0.9oz, or 25.5g)

https://uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/accessories/elemnt-bolt-mount

well because that one isn't symmetrical. and no amount of effort will ever ensure your wahoo centerline is the same as the stem centerline. or maybe your stem centerline is offset from the front wheel centerline. hmm.

Avatar
Sriracha | 2 years ago
2 likes

They could not provide the one picture we want to see, in situ?

"in the order of six to 12 times stronger than..." the piece they are attached to?
I do worry (perhaps needlessly?) about the stresses these mounts could place on the faceplate bolts. Maybe not through correct use, but any untoward knocks, idiots using it to manhandle the bike, etc. I guess you'll only know the once, and suddenly, if it has taken a toll.

Avatar
Drinfinity replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
3 likes

Yes, I think this is terrible engineering. The regular plastic design is strong enough, light enough and cheap enough. Why make it 12 times stronger rather than making it strong enough with much less material?

That's before you get to the appearance of a hideous knob sticking out the front of your bike.

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