Got a 3D printer? Wheels Manufacturing’s Hootin Hauler awaits

Who would have thought a paint-stirring stick could be a race decider? At Unbound – and some other gravel events on the calendar – many riders live in fear of clay-like mud affecting their race. These days, many riders have taken to carrying a paint-stirring stick or similar prodding object to keep their wheels turning in the event of heavy precipitation.

This year, US-based Wheels Manufacturing (Wheels Mfg) took it upon themselves to design, make, and gift some 5,000 entrants a better version of the paint stirrer – one that mounts beneath a regular bottle cage, and that forms a platform for further carrying options.

It’s called the Hootin Hauler, and Wheels Mfg hopes it will become more widely adopted by those who like to tinker with 3D printers. The company sent one my way in advance of Unbound to look at, print adapters for, and ride with.

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