[Orion.DeYoe]

This season one of the Ri3D teams, "Boom Done", did something interesting with their bumpers. They integrated them into their frame. The wooden part of their bumpers acted as a structural element of their drivetrain.
Is there any rule in this past year's rule book that prohibits this? I don't recall one off the top of my head but I could be forgetting.
According to the rules and standard operating procedure at a regional, you have to be able to weigh your robot and bumpers separately. However you only have to do this twice (assuming you play in elims) at each event. And with a bit of care put into the system it shouldn't be too painful to unbolt them for those two occasions.
In the past two seasons (by my estimation) there has been an increasing number of teams switching to reversible bumpers. I'm speaking of the type with a large flap that can be flipped over and velcroed into place to change bumper color. Reversible bumpers are feasible to integrate into your frame as they don't have to be removed every match.
All that being said. Doesn't it seem worth it to rely on 15 lbs of material that doesn't count towards your weight limit for structural support? If you made use of that 15 lbs and used some really good quality wood (something like oak or hickory) you can build a REALLY strong frame with the proper design.
This allows you to really lighten up your frame and possibly devote more structure to extra functions.