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Gotway MsuperX (MSX) Thingverse 3D Printable Fender Review


GQS

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It's been an incredibly wet rainy season here in the SF Bay Area these past weeks.  After getting a MSX from a friend, the first mod I did was to install a fender so I don't have the water on my back.  The Gotway factory MSX fender is a great solution, flexible and durable.  I didn't like that you had to drill into your case and I didn't particularly like the way the factory fender looked.  So I looked into alternatives.  I found the following on Thingverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3230717), a design that was modified from the msuperv3 fender (THANK YOU Stephen for the creating and sharing the file for the MSX fenders).  The Thingverse photo was this, and I was in love.

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It was sleek, it followed the lines of the case, it didn't require any drilling, and it didn't cost much more than the Gotway factory fender to have it printed in PETG (vs PLA) and shipped to me.  They key to printing this is to ensure that you print it standing up vertically so that the clips have the most strength.  PETG has much stronger layer to layer adhesion than PLA and since PETG is a copolymer like Nylon, it will eventually be biodegradable to some degree versus non-biodegradable PLA.  PETG also doesn't cost much more than PLA, unlike ABS or TPU (note: TPU won't work because of the clips needing to be able to grip firmly).  Even thought it was printed in a black color, it is very green :lol:.

I wanted to confirm a few things since feedback on the Thingverse site was sparse.  I spoke to the Thingverse file creater, Stephen S., who mentioned that several guys in the SF Bay Area group is already using it on their MSX without issue.  Fitment is good but there wasn't much other feedback.  With that, I went and used the normal fender file without the stand and without the logo.  I used the file completely as-is without modification.  I used a company called 3dhubs (https://www.3dhubs.com/) to print this with the instructions that they print it standing up with a single filament line across the clips.  They took about a week to print and QA the item before shipment.  It costed me the minimum printing amount of $35 shipped.  You might get it cheaper if you print 2 or play with the infill and layer settings. 

This is what I received after 2 weeks and $35.  The company 3dhubs did an awesome job printing it.  A single filament across the clips as you can see by the horizontal lines when standing it vertically.  Packed securely and they even included their QA form signed by the tech. 

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Installation was straightforward, PETG is pretty flexible like ABS and fairly strong if you printed it vertically as instructed.  Just squeeze the bottom and slide it up.  Make sure you push the bottom clips OUTWARDS with some force to ensure full engagement.  It was hard to see that I was not fully engaged without a flashlight because I printed it using black material. 

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Fit is great, it is snug but not too snug, the material is strong.  As you can see there is some cosmetic gap at the top.  But fully functional and has good clearance from the tire.  The clips are snug to the point that I am confident that it will not come off during normal riding. 

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Isn't it beautiful?  I didn't see any posts specifically about this fender so I wanted to write this up to encourage you guys to try it out if you are on the fence.

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Edited by GQS
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Yes huge thanks to @SuperSport for this and his many other contributions to the EUC community! His new "Pedal Pushers" are awesome and attach to the pedals so you can flip them down with your feet.

I love this fender and can confirm that it fits well and works. Very curious about the strength of the PETG material. My only issue with the fender has been breakage; the weight of the MSX is such that an accidental tip-over or really any sort of weight-bearing impact causes it to break. I've tried PLA and ABS materials; I would try again in PETG but I've been very pleased with the rubber Gotway mudflap, I've had it on for a few months now and it has held up perfectly, despite some unintentional (and intentional) abuse.

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I can't wait to get a pair of the pedal pushers.  They are a great idea. 

PETG is stronger in layer-to-layer adhesion than both ABS and PLA.  But how much stronger is the question.  The fender survives normal lean against wall backward falls without shattering or coming off.  Honestly I don't think anything attached externally will survive a 42mph "Vano" crash.  :lol:

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On 4/2/2019 at 1:02 PM, GQS said:

THANK YOU Stephen for the creating and sharing the file for the MSX fenders

You are very welcome, and thank you for the kind review.

On 4/2/2019 at 2:28 PM, who_the said:

Yes huge thanks to @SuperSport for this and his many other contributions to the EUC community! His new "Pedal Pushers" are awesome and attach to the pedals so you can flip them down with your feet.

I love this fender and can confirm that it fits well and works. Very curious about the strength of the PETG material. My only issue with the fender has been breakage; the weight of the MSX is such that an accidental tip-over or really any sort of weight-bearing impact causes it to break. I've tried PLA and ABS materials; I would try again in PETG but I've been very pleased with the rubber Gotway mudflap, I've had it on for a few months now and it has held up perfectly, despite some unintentional (and intentional) abuse.

Yes, strength is always the issue with 3D Printing and these heavy wheels.  I wish I had a way of injection molding these, maybe in Polycarbonate?

On 4/3/2019 at 3:31 PM, GQS said:

I can't wait to get a pair of the pedal pushers.  They are a great idea. 

PETG is stronger in layer-to-layer adhesion than both ABS and PLA.  But how much stronger is the question.  The fender survives normal lean against wall backward falls without shattering or coming off.  Honestly I don't think anything attached externally will survive a 42mph "Vano" crash.  :lol:

I'm thinking of buying some more PETG and giving it another go.  It's slightly harder to print than PLA, but maybe the strength will be beneficial.  On the Parking stand, I found it to be slightly too flexible, so it tended to fall over easier.

Yeah, nothing survives a Vano Crash!  :roflmao:

I take that back, his new Bionic Leg survived his latest crash.  That's saying a lot.

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