Enhance Your GPS Holder Grip

Introduction: Enhance Your GPS Holder Grip

About: I'm an Italian freelance structural engineer, graphic designer and photographer, now I'm teaching physics in Waldorf high-schools. I always investigate electronics, robotics and science in general, I'm a passi…

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Have you ever built a GPS holder for your bike travels from a car cellphone stand? No? Really? Do you want an instructable to explain how to do it? No? ... ok, it doesn't matter, anyway I'm sure many of you had already done that... and however this instructables explains something more interesting.
Do you know that those cheap universal suction cup holders always have a poor quality foam rubber to keep stable your stuff? Maybe they think your car has good suspensions... anyway, my bike unfortunately is not so confortable, and I had to change the foam with something more efficient.

Step 1: The Choice

My choice fell some time ago on some rubber pieces taken from an old bike handle. They worked, but they were ugly and difficult to glue, maybe you don't believe me but they always came off, whichever was the glue!
So I thought to something more nice and tough, and the solution came in a Sugru packet! I choose the yellow mini pack because it will stand out well on the black plastic (and the general black colour of my bike and gears).

Step 2: Cleaning Up

You have to clean very well the plastic, so that Sugru will glue tough to the material. Use alchool to remove any oil and then don't touch it anymore with your fingers. Clean also your hands so to not let any impurities swallowed by Sugru (I think it's always very famished!).

Step 3: Unpacking

Open the Sugru pack cutting along three sides and with your fingers divide it into two equal parts. Manipulate each half until it becomes about an oval, don't take more than a pair of minutes, Sugru is rather fast to dry.

Step 4: The Pair

Push each sugru ball onto the holder sides, try to let it keep the holder shape near the borders, but don't flatten it too much, because we'll need some volume in the centre part.

Step 5: The Imprinting

Now take your GPS, push it under the kitchen sink water (ensure it's water-proof before doing it!) and insert it into the holder, as much as you can in the proper position. Now close the holder arms and push them strongly over the GPS. Sugru will not stick on the wet rubber of the device, anyway make it fast to not let him time to think...

Step 6: Let's Go Riding!

Wait some time, I think an hour should be good. Now you've the shape of your GPS rubber sides impressed on the Sugru which covers the holder arms. That will make the connections between the device and the holder very sturdy. Of course you can use the same holder for a different device, also if it will not fit exactly, but if you ever had a GPS you know you'll hardly change it for something else ;-)

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    7 Comments

    0
    waldy
    waldy

    9 years ago

    Hi Andrea, cool use of sugru Have you a link to the gps holder?

    0
    andrea biffi
    andrea biffi

    Reply 9 years ago on Introduction

    Hi Waldy do you mean an instructable to do that? I hacked an universal cellphone suction cup holder, I've removed the deformable brace and I attached a support for the handlebars.. maybe I'll make a simple instructable for that in near future.
    Have you seen the impressive gigapixel image I made with your gear? :-)

    0
    waldy
    waldy

    Reply 9 years ago on Introduction

    Hi Andrea, I mean where did you buy the universal cellphone suction cup holder, if you bought online? the ebay ones look a little big for a gps mostly for iphones. will have a look at your panorama :) Will hope to make one myself soon

    0
    andrea biffi
    andrea biffi

    Reply 9 years ago on Introduction

    Oh yes Waldy, I've bought it in chinese district here in Milan. They've a very large choice of this gadgets and they're also very cheap, a paradise for DIYers! Tell me if you need one.

    0
    andrea biffi
    andrea biffi

    Reply 9 years ago on Introduction

    I'm planning to write an instructable about bike gears and equipment for long travels. I'll post some photos there.. I've to design a new solar lithium charger too for that pourpose, it will power the GPS.

    0
    andrea biffi
    andrea biffi

    Reply 9 years ago on Introduction

    to be honest, the matching between GPS ans Sugru is perfect, but the holder is a little bigger and at his smaller aperture makes still a weak pressure... I have to thinking up!