This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on April 8, 2009). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.
Yes, there are already a ton of posts on the ‘net telling people how to do this, and I’m indebted to them all, as I read most of them when planning out my approach. Still — this is how I did it, so I’m going to add to the chatter. :)
Parts
(I really don’t know the technical names for any of these, I’m reading off the Home Depot receipt, so my apologies if I’ve flubbed a part name here and there.)
- 1 basic reflector. I’d recommend one with two distinct screw placements, one for the actual bike mount, and one for adjusting the reflector (this makes sure you don’t have one assembly doing two jobs in the final mount). Reflectors may be easy to come by at your local bike shop, Cycle Therapy in Kent gave me two (well, a bag full, but I only took two) completely free of charge!
- Drill and 1/4″ drill bit.
- 1 1/4″ X 2″ coarse (20 thread count) bolt.
- 2 small 1/4″ cut washers.
- 1 1/4″ hex nut.
- 1 large 1/4″ fender washer.
- 2 large 1/4″ rubber washers.
- 1 1/4″ wing nut.
- 1 1/4″ acorn nut.
Assembly
- Remove the reflector from the mount.
- Drill out the open screw hole to a 1/4″ diameter.
- Thread the bolt through, then secure it with one small washer and the hex nut.
- The rest of the pieces attach in this order: wing nut, small washer, large rubber washer, large fender washer, large rubber washer, acorn nut.
- Attach the mount to the bike.
- Remove the acorn nut (put it in a pocket so you don’t lose it!) and attach your camera.
- Use the wingnut to tighten the washer platform assembly snug against the bottom of the camera.
- Go riding!
Photos
Results
And that’s it. Works pretty well, too — here’s the result of my first ride with the mount, just a short jaunt out and back along a section of the Green River Trail:
What a cool ride! Lovely place too. I should get a bike myself…and move to a city with more parks to go to. hehe
I wish I had done this for Bike NYC. Would have been pretty cool in some of the sections.
Nice pics and cool 16 X 9 video! Though at times I felt sure that I’d feel better if I had access to a Dramamine tab :)
BTW, greetings from northern Israël
Think it could handle a larger miniDV camcorder? Weighs just shy of 2lbs.
I’m not sure if this little guy will support something that heavy, but I do remember seeing some more heavy-duty DIY mounts for people with video cameras when I was researching mine. A little Googling should track them down. Good luck!
this is what i been looking for!!
I just have to let you know that this DIY and the video is helpful and cool, thanks!
Thanks Sergio!
Thanks for the idea, the shopping list and the tutorial photos! My son has been asking for a $300 bike mount camera (dreamer!) and this is exactly the happy medium I was looking for! Thanks so much for sharing!
I tried a similar mount but it was very jiggley and shaky when hitting little ripples on the roadway. I went to Home Depot got all the needed materials except for the rubber washers which seemed too thin… I think I may be able to get something at an automotive store. The rubber washers would absorb most of the “shock.” I think your video was sped up? I would like to have seen it in regular time to compare with the videos I took.
This is such a good idea!