Bumper sets, skirts, or reversibles?

[AndyBare]

I don't know if you can add another poll, but an interesting thing to see would be what teams use vs. what they would like to use.

[bEdhEd]

Originally Posted by AndyBare

I don't know if you can add another poll, but an interesting thing to see would be what teams use vs. what they would like to use.

That's an interesting thought. Does your team have a desire to use a type of bumper, but can't or not know how to do it?

[CalTran]

Originally Posted by bEdhEd

That's an interesting thought. Does your team have a desire to use a type of bumper, but can't or not know how to do it?

Personally, I'm a fan of how 2056 does their bumpers. They start out white and then print on the colors for a crisp number. I simply have no idea where you would get that service done.

[AndyBare]

As for my team, we have simply used the same way of mounting bumpers. Haven't really considered other options. Velcro reverses do sound very convenient. I'll have to talk to my team about it when we need to make a new set. This year, we may just be using last year's again, depending on chassis dimensions.

[bEdhEd]

Originally Posted by CalTran

Personally, I'm a fan of how 2056 does their bumpers. They start out white and then print on the colors for a crisp number. I simply have no idea where you would get that service done.

Another way to get crisp numbers is to get them silkscreen printed or ironed on. As for how 2056 does it, they may have some connections to people who dye fabric. You should ask one of their members for more information. They have a convenient "contact us" page on their website where you can ask them directly.

http://www.2056.ca/contact

As for my team, we use a stencil and fabric paint like many teams do.

[MrBasse]

We took the Velcro method and changed out the Velcro to use a bungee. No more attaching Velcro or having Velcro wear out. Just add a loop to the end and fish a bungee through, hog ring the ends together and be done for the season. Video of a one person change here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYTiRxLw7oA

I have already had a request for a how to, and I will post a white paper when we build our bumpers next week.

We also use t-shirt vinyl and a vinyl cutter to create our numbers and then heat press them on.

[bEdhEd]

Originally Posted by MrBasse

We took the Velcro method and changed out the Velcro to use a bungee. No more attaching Velcro or having Velcro wear out. Just add a loop to the end and fish a bungee through, hog ring the ends together and be done for the season. Video of a one person change here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYTiRxLw7oA

I have already had a request for a how to, and I will post a white paper when we build our bumpers next week.

We also use t-shirt vinyl and a vinyl cutter to create our numbers and then heat press them on.

That's pretty neat! It's like a hybrid between a skirt and a reversible! How well does it stand up to the rigors of gameplay? I can't see much of a reason for regular bumping or sliding to cause the bungee cord to slip, so this looks pretty reliable. The only problem I could see is the fabric getting caught in the wheels from being pushed around. We like velcro because it anchors the fabric in a specific place, making sure it stays away from moving parts. I might get my team to try this for the season. I want to make sure I get the instructions for this, so along with posting a white paper, could you also send me a personal message?

[MrBasse]

Originally Posted by bEdhEd

That's pretty neat! It's like a hybrid between a skirt and a reversible! How well does it stand up to the rigors of gameplay? I can't see much of a reason for regular bumping or sliding to cause the bungee cord to slip, so this looks pretty reliable. The only problem I could see is the fabric getting caught in the wheels from being pushed around. We like velcro because it anchors the fabric in a specific place, making sure it stays away from moving parts. I might get my team to try this for the season. I want to make sure I get the instructions for this, so along with posting a white paper, could you also send me a personal message?

The bungee on our 2013 bot was entirely inside the frame perimeter so it never came in contact with anything. We just put a couple of small bolts around the outside at the corners of the frame to hold the bungee from getting tangled with the wheels. We actually forgot to change colors until we were lined up to get on the field at MSC, but with two people it is about two seconds to swap colors.

PM sent...

[bEdhEd]

Originally Posted by MrBasse

The bungee on our 2013 bot was entirely inside the frame perimeter so it never came in contact with anything. We just put a couple of small bolts around the outside at the corners of the frame to hold the bungee from getting tangled with the wheels. We actually forgot to change colors until we were lined up to get on the field at MSC, but with two people it is about two seconds to swap colors.

PM sent...

I remember in 2010 when bumpers first became red/blue I independently came up with a reversible design as a rookie, but the way I made them wouldn't work because I didn't put a 45 degree "miter joint" on the fabric so we had to stuff extra fabric in to the space between bumpers. We gave up on the reversibles that year and just kept em on the blue side and used a red skirt.

Then in 2011, I re-designed the fabric to have the miter, and at the moment, nobody else, (or at least one or two teams, if my memory is off) at our main regional had reversibles yet, so we would purposely neglect to change colors when lining up at the start of a match, so we could show off our new bumpers on the field. It was fun seeing other teams who never saw reversibles gasp at the speed of our color changing! We also did it to implicitly spread the idea that color changing can be easy, and that you don't need to have skirts or two sets of bumpers.

[brianbond]

Separate bumpers no questions asked for us. Just the professional look of it is what it boils down too. Nothing really wrong with skirts other than looks in my opinion.

[LeadU2Fun]

We have always done 2 sets but are tackling the reversibles this year. We have one of the schools classes (graphics) either silk screen or vinyl cut the numbers and put them on for us. Check with your school to see if there is a class that makes T-shirts and they should be able to help.

[Short Stuff]

Our team used reversible bumpers last year that used elastic bands that would wrap either over the top of the bumper or underneath the bumper depending on what color we needed and looped into small hooks attached to the back.

[Qcom]

Originally Posted by bEdhEd

Another way to get crisp numbers is to get them silkscreen printed or ironed on. As for how 2056 does it, they may have some connections to people who dye fabric. You should ask one of their members for more information. They have a convenient "contact us" page on their website where you can ask them directly.

http://www.2056.ca/contact

As for my team, we use a stencil and fabric paint like many teams do.

You can purchase iron-on transfers that are laser-jet compatible. 2996 has done this for at least the last four years.

[Zuelu562]

I've been doing FIRST for 7 years now. I've used all of the above. Different sets in 2012, skirts in 2011 and 2013 and reversible in 2010 (for the record, I honestly forgot how we did it in 08 and in 09 we had a single white bumper. This was before the advent of the colored bumpers with team number on it requirement). Heck, in 2011, we had a rigid frame that dropped into place on the frame, and used the skirt (which ended up being too small!!!).

Not sure what we're going with this year, but I can tell you we will have distinct segments, whether we go full length or only worry about complying with the rules (> 8" from each corner).

[Pockets]

Our team (2177) has used reversible Velcro bumpers for the past few years and they work really well. I did make a white paper recently explaining how we make them. We have the numbers screen-printed on.