Universal Mount adapter (Spiegen Gearlock compatible)

Spiegen is a German company which makes phone cases and accessories. I rate them highly. “Gearlock” is their line of branded bicycle mounting components. This STL provides a “universal” mount which is compatible with their Gearlock mounting system. See compatible products here.

I was disappointed to see that the Gearlock “universal” mount that Spiegen manufactures can no longer be purchased separately to the bike-side mounting system: it seems that only iPhone cases compatible with the Gearlock system are sold separately in my country now. I have used this mounting system to attach my phone to my bike for some time, but having lost my old phone, the universal case mounting hardware was lost with it. 

Rather than having to purchase a full mount kit to obtain new mounting hardware for my phone, I modelled a compatible part which I am uploading here. This model was created independently by hand, using measurements taken from an original part.

I'm not a lawyer, but I do believe it is safe to print and remix this “compatible” part for hobbyist, non-commercial, personal use. Please be aware that selling this part may be a violation of Spiegen's patents. I couldn't find the specific patent for the Gearlock system on Spiegen's website, but I still would not recommend commercial distribution of this part without a license. My intention in uploading it here is to help existing Spiegen customers replace this part when lost, as it is not available without purchasing a whole new mounting kit. 

Printing & Mounting

This is not a beginner 3D print. The original part is moulded plastic, so getting the geometry right using an FFF/FDM process is a challenge.

The tolerances on this model are tight. This is deliberate: you really don't want your phone coming loose on a trail and falling off the bike. The STL geometry is correct, but printers will naturally have variance in their printing accuracy. You might need a few attempts to get it right.

The geometry of the model can make it a real pain to print support material under the mounting “wings”. I would recommend using the “support painter” functionality in the PrusaSlicer to restrict supports to just the middle/edges of this segment: see the provided .3mf file for an example: supports are painted just on the base of these parts. Removal of supports after printing will require a sharp craft knife and/or the use of a deburring tool (which is a bit safer).

Spiegen provide a pad made from 3M VHB *(Very High Bond) double-sided adhesive tape with the original part. This tape can be purchased from many different sellers (I got mine on eBay). I've found this works really well to bond this compatible universal mount to a phone case, but requires trimming with a sharp craft knife.

I am aware that this part is niche. If it has saved your proverbial bacon, please leave a like and a comment.