#HTE

The 3D-Printed Mythos Elix Bike Stem

UK-based Metron Additive Engineering uses innovative design and digital fabrication to create high-end medical, aerospace, automotive and bicycle components. The company was founded by Dimitris Katsanis, a cycling enthusiast and engineer, whose bio states that Metron has created bike components used to win over 100 gold medals in Olympics and World Championship events.

While those components were specifically crafted for individual cyclists and teams, Katsanis has now formed Mythos, a retail spin-off, to sell Metron’s bike components to the public. This week they announced their first product, the Elix bike stem.

Designed using FEA (Finite Element Analysis) to calculate load paths, the unusual-looking and lightweight (~150g) part is DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) 3D printed in Scalmalloy, an alloy of scandium, aluminum and magnesium. The unique shape is said to maximize stiffness during sprints while better soaking up vibration on rough surfaces.

“Having been designed specifically around the most extreme load-paths experienced by a stem, the Elix stem is 15% stiffer in torsion than an equivalent alloy stem while maintaining the same bending stiffness, so you can put more power down when you need to and still stay comfy on the rough stuff.”

There is one type of shock the Elix can’t help absorb, that of sticker. They run £500 (USD $627).

https://www.core77.com/posts/115805/The-3D-Printed-Mythos-Elix-Bike-Stem