12: Introducing The Genius Water Bottle Cage, Ep. 12

Hello and good day to you from episode 12 of our podcast series Project Breakaway. A metaphorical and literal time in the day when we here at Predator Cycling take some time away from working in the back of the shop to come and share with our listeners what we're doing, how we're doing it, what it takes to do it, our ideas, our innovative success stories, and even our missteps and failures. If you find yourself with an interest in bicycles, composite manufacturing, out of the box design, or even curiosities beyond, I encourage you to stick with us, settle in, and learn a little. I'm Courtney B, co-owner and project manager of Predator Cycling. I'm here with my partner, Aram Goganian, the other co-owner, CEO, lead designer, and engineer, and product specialist of Predator Cycling. How's it going, Aram? It is going absolutely wonderful. Yes. Yeah. You happy to be back after Snowpocalypse of the southern part of the United States last week? I I am. I we're dethawed and life is back to some sort of normal. Yeah. Whatever this new normal is. We were literally unable to come to our shop for like 4 days. And then we got in on the 5th day and it was like what the point? Yeah, it was pretty bad. Um everything was just ice and just slush and it was not good. Right. Ten- Tennessee didn't get it as bad as Texas, obviously, but it was definitely disruptive. It was very disruptive in the fact that our city has no snow plows. Well, it's the South, I guess. I guess. Um so yeah, that was fun. Anyway, so we're back and we've regrouped. Yesterday was Monday. We just had to remember what we were doing exactly with life. Yeah, and get projects back rolling and machines fired back up, everything warmed back up, calibrated. So, Mhm. So now we're back here with another episode. Yep. And we have been focusing a lot uh on our 3D printed products for a couple of weeks now. Mhm. And we are finally ready to share one of them in more detail. Yep. So later this week on Friday, we've decided, we will begin selling and the website page for this product will be live um for our new water bottle cage. It is called the Genius water bottle cage. Mhm. So there are quite a few things to mention about this product. Um I'm going to highlight a few of them and then we'll revisit and take our deep dive into a discussion. All right. Sounds good. So basically, uh an overview, the name of the cage is the Genius cage. And so we're going to talk about um AI uh artificial intelligence. I'm going to do that each time. Okay. Okay. Uh AI driven generative design. And Artificial intelligence. It is uh uh 3D printed. It's not carbon fiber. It's made from a a a hard, rugged 3D print material. It is. Um its weight is around 20 grams. Don't hold me to that because we have Did we weigh it after we put the paint finish on it? Yeah, we're still making some very slight tweaks to the process, but yeah. Around 20-ish grams. Mhm. Um it was designed with topology optimization um in uh ANSYS. Yep. And uh it was designed for uh elasticity. Yep. And so that it had a secure grip on the water bottle. Yep. Um and then let's see uh we also want it's a ceramic coated finish. It's non-corrosive. Yep. So we're going to hit on that. And then it's um printed here. Yep. In our shop in the United States of America. Yep. So it's not a And just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Um yeah. So those are the highlight points. So let's go back and you can go into more detail. Yeah, for sure. So what are we starting? We're starting with the name. The Genius water bottle cage. This yeah. Well, I mean the name was done by the genius herself, Courtney. Um Oh, wordsmith. Yes, you are. You named most of our products of recent years. Um but uh yeah, the Genius is we named it because it's using um It's smart. It's smart. It's a very smart cage. Um it's using um AI. Artificial intelligence. So it is uh it is a genius. Um and it's the first product that we have like we've talked a lot about in the past that we use simulation for a lot of things and how we we use AI and topology optimizers and CFD and all these great things. Um we've never had a product that was actually mostly designed by the computer. So this is a product that I mean, I said Let's go back a few steps. Yeah. For anyone who's like, "I don't know what they're talking about." Okay. You have a product in mind. Yes. You know it's a water bottle cage. You know that both there are two bolts that go through it. You know that it twists on the bike when you pull out the water bottle. And you know what other forces and loads essentially. Yeah. You have an idea. Yeah. So you put those numbers and parameters into the computer. Uh-huh. And then the computer will spit out multiple versions of designs that fit those requirements in the most basic sense. Yes. That's that's the concept. Um where things get a little more complicated is we actually so in order a water bottle cage is interesting because it's simple yet really complicated because you think about the basic loads on a on a water bottle cage and you go like, "Oh, that's pretty simple." And then you start actually thinking about how it works and how it's used on a bicycle and the things that could happen to it and it becomes more complicated. So there was a lot of simulation that was done in order to figure out the simulation and the parameters of that simulation. Um but the point being is that it was it was exactly what Courtney said. It's It's basic parameters were put in. Um the basic modeling structure was designed that we thought would be um pretty optimal. Um and then we let the computer really just take it from there and optimize that. And then there has to be a certain amount of you know we're going back in and redesigning things because well, you know, in in in production printing we couldn't actually make that or there would be too much wasted material. Um so there's a lot of Just printing it with the supports and Right. Printing with supports and post-processing work. So basically you get what it spits out. You choose a design that fits most of your requirements and then you massage it to make it it I mean this specific product looks way more generative than how we use it with our bike designs. Yep. But it it you know we massage it, make it look predatory. Yeah, for sure. And we Also it there's there's a lot of like considerations into like actual end use function that the simulation doesn't really take into account. So there's a lot of little details. But the idea is that the structure in the design and a lot of the angles and shapes that you see are designed using AI. And this was a really interesting It's very organic is how they always describe the generative design that things. It's cool. It's super cool. And it's it's exciting because we've been playing with this this technology for several years now and it's the first time that we're actually able to leverage it into a part when you look at it and you say, "Oh yeah, that's totally a generatively designed part." Like that's that it looks it. And I think it's a step back maybe from how we usually present our you know Predator's always looks fierce, claw, strong, fast. And this is way more um organic and and smart is why we named it the Genius Cage because the computers are alive and well. And they're building water and they're happy and they're building water cages. Water bottle cages. Yeah. So let' us talk about um 3D print and it this is not a carbon fiber product. Yes. I mean so that it kind of yes, this is a 3D printed product. This is um we we in the I mean years and years and years ago we had some non-composite parts that we sold. But we haven't done that in a very long time. Um so this is new for us. Um we've been using like we've talked about in previous podcasts that we use 3D print a lot or our manufacturing processes here and like jigs and fixtures and prototypes and things like that. And this is our first consumer product that is direct printed. So we're really excited for that and it really opens up the possibilities for us for a couple of products a couple of things. One, we can actually start introducing our our our price point. Um it becomes more interesting. So we can be a little more competitive on our pricing. Um and we're actually I mean we're this cage is really cool because we actually really leveraged um what printers can actually do, material sciences, and different types of materials we can use and incorporating that with our our our topology optimizations, our supercomputers that we have here locally, um and being able to leverage that to actually make a part that we can actually print print effectively in a reasonable amount of time and also um meet a price point. Right. So that it's super cool. Um and we can scale. Like it's completely scalable product. So it it it really works well like that. So let's talk about the um use for of the uh ANSYS software and the topology optimization that you used because you explain it the bottle cage as having a elasticity and a secure grip. Yeah. Um so explain like how is that different from other water bottle cages? So there's a there's the way the best way to explain this cage is it's not just flexing from a a set point. There's not a point that just bends in the flex of that cage allows you to squeeze the bottle. This is actually the way it's the way the the bottle cage is actually gripping the bottle. It's basically pivoting from like six different locations and actually gripping the bar the bottle. So, that's one of the things like we say and it's it has a grip on the bottle. Um and the elasticity of the material allows it to flex. So, it really conforms to the bottle and just has this really uniform grip on the bottle. Mhm. And that with the balancing of the design process and the print and the materials, we can actually get this really cool balance of a cage that's um very light, very tough in the sense of its its durability and like repetitive use and then also its grip. So, um it this really cool balancing act this product is and that's also I think, you know, comes back to its name. Um It's smart. It's super smart. It's it's genius. It is and it's this new methodology that we have of designing parts. Um How would you compare it to I know carbon fiber water bottle cages? Yes, I mean that exist. We have them. Right. Yeah, we have them I have yeah, I have them on one of my bikes. I got a bunch of cool carbon cages. Um they're super cool. There's nothing there's um we so we looked years ago we looked at making a carbon fiber water bottle cage and it was like, oh, we should totally do this. This would be awesome. And then you start looking at the price point. You start looking at the material properties of composites and does it make sense to make a bottle cage and it just it's not a perfect fit composites. It's one thing to make something cool and it's one thing to make something functional that everyone can use. That's also cool because it was designed by a computer. Absolutely. And it's comes back to this idea of like you know, I always have this question actually so like my great uncle who was a product designer and and whatnot. He used to always tell me there there's a there's a there's a point of function that matters. Like what's the point? And that kind of always rings in my bell because I in my head because I always think about it when I think about products and The bells are always ringing in your head. There's always there's there's a constant bell ringing. But the the point of this idea of of designing something with a purpose. Mhm. Um and sometimes composites is just used or carbon fiber is just used because it's cool. Mhm. And on this um product we really went down the idea of doing it intelligently and for a purpose. So, it's designed where we're it's not the lightest cage in the world. It's a you know, we're floating right at 20 grams. It's floating between 18 and 21 grams. It should be 20 grams in production is our is our target. Um but it's it's it's very light. It has an incredibly good grip. It's incredibly durable and it can take impact and and um um and hold on to the bottle in rough road conditions. So, it's that balancing and it's at an economical price point. So, it kind of that fine line between it all. Right. Um and we that's something that we could not do with composites. Right. Um and I mean I'm not going to kid like we actually designed a couple of cages that are quite a bit lighter than this one. Um but we decided not to produce it because we hadn't tested out its its long-term durability yet. Yeah. So, that may be some reason to consider And there's also just a visual aspect of looking at something and even though it may be functional and work, it just is like, wow, that looks like I can snap it in half. Yeah. Well, also it comes into that thing we've talked about before is this just there's a thing of too light. I mean, there's a thing of taking off too much material and especially in simulation when you're optimizing to that level of of optimization, you're only the computer's only taking into account the forces and loads that you're giving it. Mhm. So, there's always that you know, freak accident of like you know, something coming off the road and hitting the side of the bottle. Well, the simulation didn't account for that. Mhm. So, you know, there's a lot of other things that could happen. Right. So, you have to think about that. And once the page is live, we have added a GIF GIF GIF GIF GIF. I don't know, this is your part in it. A GIF. I'm going to go with GIF. We added a GIF that we created that really shows how the computer starts creating the cage based on the parameters that you put in. Yeah. So, it's it's pretty cool to maybe if you're not familiar with exactly what we're talking about. We'll have It's a good visualization. We'll have a good visualization on the website. So, check that on Friday. Um let's talk about the ceramic coating finish. It's non-corrosive and it's going to be offered in currently black and red. Yeah, so um one of the things that's really difficult about 3D print is that it doesn't always survive really good in UV. It sometimes has um um issues with um with uh uh road debris or like like sugar that's found in in in energy drinks and stuff. No. Snow snow. Um it a lot of those parts it it can actually mess up the the finishing of the part which can actually degrade the part over time. So, one of the things that's really important for us to be able to bring this product to market was to get to find and build out our own coating system that would work for this. So, we've gone with a a ceramic coating system that's incredibly thin and is very um it's very flexible so that we can actually not crack or or break apart over years and you know, thousands of bottles going in and out of the cage. Um and also has a really good um um lubrication aspect. So, it actually will helps guide the bottle cage in and out the bottle in and out of the cage. Um and it is 100% UV stable. It is it's a really cool system. So, we're excited and there's the possibility of more colors down the road maybe if Yeah, for sure. If people are interested. If you yeah. If someone wants to buy a hundred, I'll offer you a free color. Uh-oh. Um and then lastly, they are printed here in-house in the United States by you. Yes, they are printed by us. Maybe me in the future. Yeah, well, right now I'm testing it. I'm just getting the first productions. So, this is a product that is fully designed and manufactured here in the United States. We're not waiting on shipments from overseas. Yeah. There's the problem you always just contact us. Yeah, and the other thing too is it really makes for I mean, I think in the modern day we've kind of lost that whole aspect of you know, designing and manufacturing and building stuff by the the actual company that sells it. But one of the big benefits is like that that loop is so short from like the it's designed and then it's manufactured 30 ft away from where it's designed. Mhm. Um so, like when something happens or being able to like understand how it's being manufactured and processed and finished and designing that part properly um is so important. Um and especially in something like this, I think it really um Anyways, I think it's super cool and it's uh um it allows us to make the product better. Mhm. So, you know everything about everything. Uh at least the process of how the cage is made. Yes. Yes. The genius behind the Genius water bottle cage. Yes. I'm looking right at it. Okay, um well, that's all I wanted to touch on on the cage. Is there anything else you want to mention? Oh, price point. Price point. Yeah, so well, what? Okay, well, it's going to be $35. It is. The cage is going to be $35. Um Plus shipping. Plus shipping. Um and then they're going to be uh we're going to release it on the site on Friday. Um so, the first ones will ship out next week. Um and just there there may be slight delays on shipping depending on how many we sell. Um we have some Depending on the uh previous week's storm and Yeah, right. I just got my Valentine's Day flowers. So, You did. No promises. Uh yeah, and um just yeah, there may be slight delays on the first couple weeks of shipments um just depending on volume so we can get a handle on printing and manufacturing. Mhm. So, just heads up on that. Great. So, I think that covered it. I think it did. $35? $35. Red, black, on the website on Friday. The Genius water bottle cage. Boom. Named after myself. Okay, well, in recent news, we've been working really hard to update our website. We now have scheduling features on both um the web-based one-on-one we okay, let me re let me reword that. We have scheduling features. We have one scheduling feature that is web-based so that you can schedule a one-on-one with Arm for questions about building your new road frame. Or if you just want to see his face and ask him some questions. I guess we could do that. I can make time for that. Um we are also starting to offer more bike fitting services. Yep. Again. Yeah. Um Arm is a certified bike fitter from years and years and years ago. Yeah. Um we kind of stepped away from it just based on your time and Yeah. How long it takes. Um but we are going to start um advertising those services more here locally in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Um and we've always accepted inquiries for local fits. Um but now we're just going to Make it more visible on our website. So, now you can log on and I believe probably also at the end of the week Yeah. We will have a live bike fitting page where you can schedule a bike fit. Mhm. Don't even have to call. Nope. You can just go online and Click the button. Book an appointment. Show up. Wear your mask. Yes. Wear your shoes. Wear your kit. Bring your bike. I don't know. Yeah, all of it. I've obviously never been bike fitted. Fit. Uh well, you have actually. You have been fitted. I have? You have. You have been fitted. In my flip-flop? In in your For my workers, my knee highs? Your all of them. You've been fitted. Um okay. And that's the recent news. And I think we're going to wrap it up. Yeah. So, we thank you for choosing to take some time with us. We look forward to future breakaways. Look for us on Instagram and LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and in person here in Tennessee. We ask our listeners to please share, like, and subscribe. We're available on all major streaming platforms. Thanks for listening. Have a good one and find some time to break away.