Getting Started with This Mess
So I saw this “Forcemech Carbon F1” bracket for bicycle phone mounts floating around online. Looked kinda cool and supposedly lighter than anything else. Price tag? Absolutely wild. Figured, eh, I got some scrap carbon fiber sheets collecting dust in the garage and a rainy Saturday. Why not try making something similar myself? See if it’s actually worth the hype.
The Great Garage Hunt
First thing: find all the junk I needed. Tore apart half the garage looking for that carbon sheet I swore was behind the snow tires. Dug through bins full of random nuts and bolts that probably belonged to appliances I threw out years ago. Needed:
- Small rectangle of that carbon fiber scrap.
- Crappy little handsaw for cutting composites.
- Sandpaper rougher than cheap toilet paper.
- Super sticky epoxy glue, hopefully not dried out.
- Drill and some small bits.
- Safety glasses I always forget until dust hits my eyeballs.
Took longer to find all this crap than I thought. Almost gave up when I found the epoxy tucked under an old paint can.
The Messy Cutting Part
Measured out a rough rectangle on the carbon piece using a bent ruler – good enough. Marked it with a pencil. Carbon fiber is nasty stuff to cut. Little fibers get everywhere. Sawing it felt like dragging the saw through wet cardboard filled with splinters. Took forever, my arm got tired, and the edges were jagged as heck. Thought “Well, that’s why they charge so much, I guess.”
Making It Less Ugly (Sort Of)
Grabbed the roughest sandpaper. Started rubbing down the edges like I was scrubbing burnt food off a pan. Carbon dust just poured off it, got all over my clothes, the workbench, probably my lungs too. Took ages just to get the edges kind of smooth and stop them from scratching me. Even then, it wasn’t perfect. Flipped it over and sanded the faces a bit. Didn’t get it shiny, just less dusty and fuzzy.
Drilling Holes Like a Drunk
Next up, holes for the mount bolts. Measured where they should go. Measured again because I didn’t trust myself. Took a deep breath, held the carbon plate down real tight, and started drilling. Small bit first. That sound! High-pitched screech like a demon cat. The bit grabbed suddenly – almost stabbed my hand. Scared the heck out of me. Went slower after that. Made the hole big enough, then slowly opened it up wider with the next size bit. Still felt sketchy.
The Glue Trap
Wanted a little reinforcement where the bolt head sits, so cut two more small circles of carbon. Mixed that epoxy glue. Smell hit me hard – stuff is nasty. Slapped glue on one circle, stuck it over a hole. Held it down. Glue squeezed out everywhere. Glued my finger to it instantly. Peeling it off was gross. Used way more glue than needed, made a huge mess. Ended up with sticky spots all over the place and fingers I had to scrub for ten minutes.
The (Sorta) Final Thing
After letting the glue dry overnight (smell lingered!), I looked at my creation. It was definitely carbon fiber. It had holes. The edges were, well, they weren’t sharp anymore? It felt lighter than metal. Not perfectly flat, mind you, and the glued bits looked messy under the glare. But! I managed to bolt my phone mount bracket onto it. It fit! Actually held my phone. Did a little jiggle test on the bike. Seems fine. Doesn’t look store-bought, but it’s doing the job.
Was it Worth the Trouble?
Honestly? Probably not for most people. The dust was awful, the cutting sucked, drilling was scary, and I made a glue disaster. If you need something fast and perfect? Just buy it. But for me? Yeah, it was kinda fun figuring it out. Learned what a pain it is to work with this stuff firsthand. Made something useful from scrap. And hey, I know exactly where I cut corners if it snaps tomorrow!
