$5
Builders' Wall
Your name on the Builders' Wall and every build update.
Pledge
Select
Fund the Build
The CycleKart
The CycleKart. Build it, cut it apart, build it better.
$0 raised of a $17,500 goal
- 0
- backers
- 193
- days left
- Apr 30
- deadline
Pledging opens Jan 29, 2027
Pledge to this projectYour card is saved today and charged once, between May 1 and May 7, 2027, only if the CycleKart reaches $17,500 by April 30, 2027, 11:59 PM CT. Give Now contributions count toward the goal. If the goal is missed, you are never charged. You can cancel your pledge before the deadline through our contact form.
Give Now: support the build: A one-time contribution of any amount, charged today. No reward. It is kept and used for the build even if the goal is missed, and it is not tax-deductible.
Fund the shop, the build, the rebuilds, and a second, better kart.
The CycleKart is an electric, open-wheel neighborhood racer, designed here and built by hand. This campaign funds the whole road to a good one. It pays for the shop to build it in, the first prototype, the rebuilds that fix what the first one gets wrong, and a second, better kart built from what the first one taught. The goal is $17,500. Pledges are charged after the campaign closes on April 30, 2027. The build runs from mid-May to October 2027, and backers see every step of it.
How funding works
- Pledge (all-or-nothing)
- Your card is saved today and charged once, between May 1 and May 7, 2027, only if the CycleKart reaches $17,500 by April 30, 2027, 11:59 PM CT. Give Now contributions count toward the goal. If the goal is missed, you are never charged. You can cancel your pledge before the deadline through our contact form.
- Give Now (support the build)
- A one-time contribution of any amount, charged today. No reward. It is kept and used for the build even if the goal is missed, and it is not tax-deductible.
- What you get
- Both prototypes, the shop equipment, and all build materials remain the property of the owner. Backers receive their tier rewards, not a share of the project. Only the Build Slot is a deposit: it reserves a production kart, with price and delivery set later.
- When the work happens
- The build starts in mid-May 2027 and runs through October 2027. Backers get updates on the shop setup, Prototype 1 and its first drive, each rebuild, and Prototype 2.
Reward tiers
Every pledge funds the build, charged only if we hit $17,500. Pledges stack. Only the Build Slot is a deposit: it reserves a production kart, with price and delivery set later. The prototypes stay in the shop.
$30
Crown Coin
A black challenge coin struck with the King of America seal.
Pledge
Select$45
Build Tee
The black Build Tee, printed with the seal.
Pledge
Select$75
Scale Kart
A 1:10 black 3D-printed CycleKart, plus the Crown Coin.
Pledge
Select$250
Build Slot
A numbered spot in the first black batch, plus the coin, tee, and model. The full $250 is credited to your kart invoice. Refundable on request until you sign the invoice.
$250 deposit, charged only if the campaign is funded. It is credited in full to your kart invoice, refundable in full on request until you sign that invoice, and refunded in full if no kart is offered. This is not a contract to buy and does not lock in a price, specifications, or delivery date. The coin, tee, and model are yours to keep either way. Build Slot numbers are assigned in the order pledges are received.
Pledge
SelectRewards ship to U.S. addresses only, with shipping included. We will email you for your shipping address after the campaign is funded. Give Now: any amount, no reward.
Campaign timeline
- Jan 29, 2027Campaign launches
- Apr 30, 2027, 11:59 PM CTPledging closes
- May 1–7, 2027Pledges charged, if the goal is met
- Mid-May to Oct 2027The build
Budget
The build itself is $7,245. The rest of the $17,500 goal covers card fees, reward costs, and Build Slot deposits held for kart invoices.
| Shop equipment (welder, saws, grinder, jigs) | $1,500 |
| Prototype 1 parts | $2,100 |
| Iterations (cut-aparts, re-welds, adjustments) | $1,600 |
| Prototype 2 | $2,045 |
| Build budget | $7,245 |
|---|---|
| Campaign goal (also covers card fees, rewards, and held Build Slot deposits) | $17,500 |
Equipment and steel costs are estimates. If a line changes, money moves between lines; the $7,500 total stays fixed.
Timeline
- May 1–7, 2027Pledges charged, if the goal is met
- Mid-May to JulyPrototype 1 built and driven
- July to AugustIterations: cut apart, re-weld, adjust
- September to OctoberPrototype 2 built
Backers get an update at each milestone.
The story
The first one is never right. Anyone who has built anything knows that.
The CycleKart started as one picture of a small electric racer with spoked wheels and an open front end. That picture became a 3D model, and the model became a full layout in Blender: wheels, brakes, seat, battery and steering, each in its place. The parts that make it different are designed here. The parts that have to be dependable come from proven suppliers.
Then comes the real work. Prototype 1 gets built and driven. Then it gets cut apart, re-welded and adjusted, as many times as it takes, until it's right. That's where most of the money goes, and that's where most of the story is.
What the first kart teaches goes into Prototype 2: a second, better kart. Both stay in the shop as the reference for everything that comes after.
Back the work now, and a Build Slot holds your place in line for a production kart.
The CycleKart is an off-road recreational vehicle for private property. Unless we confirm otherwise in writing, it is not street-legal, registered, or certified to any vehicle safety standard. The Scale Kart is a display model for adults, not a toy.
Builders' Wall
Backers who chose to be listed. Names appear as pledges are received.
The wall opens with the first pledge.
Pledge to this project
Pledging opens Jan 29, 2027. Enlist for official correspondence and the Office will report when it opens.
Project updates
Updates are posted here at each milestone, and sent to everyone enlisted.