DIY Bicycle Camera Mount

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: