[Holtzman]

I would tend to disagree with the running trend in this thread. I don't believe these wheels will be in the kit of parts for several circumstantial reasons.

1. If they were going to be in the kit, Why would IFI release them now? Did they release the kitbot chassis last December? Did they release the Kitbot Transmission last December? definitely not. Mind you, releasing the kitbotwould have given away details about certain rule changes(size constraints, 4 CIM's). Releasing these now only gives away the fact that wheels will be useful in next years game. Wow, who could have predicted that?

2. Different sizes - The fact that they offer different sizes at all tells me that they are intended to give teams options... and if there were in the kit of parts, teams would be stuck with whatever size they gave out.

3. Cost - I'd estimate that these wheels are going to retail for somewhere in the range of about $50 usd based on other competitive prices(AM). So say for arguments sake, say they cost IFI $30 to make.

So $30 x 4 wheels x ~1000 teams = A LOT of $$$$


And the reality is, a lot of teams just aren't going to use them. And that means wasted money for FIRST, and higher registration fee's for us.

So, in my opinion, these will not be in the KOP... and just aftermarket products(darn good ones at that). I could definitely see IFI going more indepth into the aftermarket robot component business. After all, a little friendly competition between companies is good for the customer. Helps keep costs down, and quality up.