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Accessories - misc
Thermoworx Blackmorph Thermoworx Blackmorph Thermoworx Blackmorph
Blackmorph

Thermoworx Blackmorph

8
by dave atkinson
UPDATED Sat, Jul 27, 2019 01:03

First Published Jul 26, 2019

7
£10.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Jolly useful stuff for hacking and fixing
Weight: 
250g
Contact: 
thermoworx.com
How we test

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Do you like fixing stuff? You may have come across Sugru, which is a self-hardening silicone rubber, kind of a mouldable glue. Thermoworx Blackmorph is a different kind of material – a thermoplastic polymer – but it can be put to use in many of the same ways, and some different ones, and it scores over Sugru in that it's cheaper, remouldable and reusable.

  • Pros: Great for fixing and hacking stuff, remouldable, reusable
  • Cons: Very hard when set so not ideal for some bike-related tasks, not a glue so surface prep is important

Blackmorph (Whitemorph is also available, as are colour pigments to make your own colours) melts at 62°C, so getting it ready to use is just a case of popping some granules in a cup and pouring on some boiling water. Once it's melted you can form it into any shape you want.

Blackmorph-2.jpg

It sets to a plastic hard enough to be structural. That means it's not ideal for ergonomic tasks like fitting your handlebars to your hand shape, as it's not particularly comfy to hold. But you can do all sorts of other stuff with it.

I've mended some cycling shoes with it, added some wings to a tricky bolt to make it easier to undo, fixed a windscreen wiper (okay, not a specifically cycling-related task), replaced the nose bits on some sunglasses... that sort of thing. Basically, hacked stuff.

Blackmorph-3.jpg

If you get it wrong then you can just heat the Blackmorph up again with a hair dryer and re-mould it or pull it off and re-use it. Those are the two main plus points over Sugru. That's a one-time affair – it sets and that's that – so you have to use a whole packet if you open it, and if you're not happy with the results you need to start again.

> Bikepacking basics: bike repair and first-aid kit

Blackmorph isn't a glue, so it's important to prepare surfaces well: make sure they're clean, and scuff them up a bit with some emery board to help adhesion. I found it also helps to heat up whatever you're fixing with a hairdryer where you can, especially if you're tackling a big job like a shoe repair.

Anyway, it's just really useful stuff to have knocking about for all those minor hacks and repairs. I can thoroughly recommend it.

Verdict

Jolly useful stuff for hacking and fixing

road.cc test report

Make and model: Thermoworx Blackmorph

Size tested: Black

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Thermoworx says, "Blackmorph® is a reusable thermoplastic polymer with a low melting point. The pellets fuse together, soften and turn semi-transparent when heated to over 62°C allowing users to easily shape the polymer by hand! Blackmorph® hardens to a solid, black, non-brittle, strong material that truly has unlimited possibilities. Blackmorph® has no shelf-life and is fully biodegradable. Not compatible with Thermoworx colouring pigments."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Thermoworx lists:

Heat in hot water over 62°C

Mould by hand

Reusable

Strong

Biodegradable

Black edition

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It's great.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Great for fixing and hacking stuff, remouldable, reusable.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Very hard when set so not ideal for some bike-related tasks, not a glue so surface prep is important.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

There's not much direct competition. It's cheaper than Sugru but not exactly the same thing.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Really useful stuff to have knocking about, not expensive. Go get some.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 45  Height: 189cm  Weight: 92kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Merida Scultura

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Thermoworx Blackmorph 2019
Thermoworx Blackmorph
Thermoworx 2019
Thermoworx
Dave Atkinson

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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7 comments

Avatar
Liam Cahill | 5 years ago
0 likes

This sounds ideal for plugging the unused mechanical shift ports on my new CX bike. Unless I'm not supposed to be using this on carbon stuff?

Avatar
handlebarcam | 5 years ago
2 likes

Do not try the all-natural alternative as the results are likely to be disappointing.

Avatar
Yorky-M | 5 years ago
0 likes

Will just order now.

thanks for heads up.

Avatar
bechdan | 5 years ago
0 likes

How does this compare to Sugru?

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to bechdan | 5 years ago
1 like
bechdan wrote:

How does this compare to Sugru?

This is thermoplastic and sets to a hard plastic whereas sugru sets to a silicone rubber. Thermo-setting plastic can also be remoulded as you can heat it up again to make it pliable. You get less time to mould this as it'll cool down relatively quickly.

Personally, I'd prefer sugru for replacing the nose rubber bits of sunglasses that always seem to get lost.

Avatar
Xena | 5 years ago
4 likes

Perfect . I was about to throw one of my  old dildos away ,now I can fix it ,,,good times 

Avatar
bechdan replied to Xena | 5 years ago
4 likes
Xena wrote:

Perfect . I was about to throw one of my  old dildos away ,now I can fix it ,,,good times 

how did you manage to damage your.... never mind i dont want to know

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