Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Make Your Own Camera Mount: Post Vids as Well If You Make Any

I added a cheap little $3 camera mount from conduit electrical hanger at Home Depot. Took advantage of the strap and meter in case the cam fell off. I'm going to have to tinker with it to reduce the vibration. I also bought one to mount to the frame as well.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3637/3354985250_908397fb20.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3555/3354985312_af7365ca93.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/3354189669_7c9093a87c.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/3354189849_55a5418369.jpg?v=1237070569

Here's a clip of the Fordam Road and Central Park hill and 5th Avenue. I thought I had more footage, but my battery wasn't charged when I left and I only got a little of the ride:( All the noise is from the meter hitting the stem
Fordam (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gyeswho/3354119859/)
Central Park (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gyeswho/3354134457/in/set-72157615264001984/)
5th (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gyeswho/3354950876/in/set-72157615264001984/)

I watched your first vid and now i feel like im gonna throw up.

Cool idea though. I give you credit for putting it together.

nice work, i love seeing diy bike gadgets. however, i too felt like throwing up after watching those vids. a helmet mount or drop-down system may function better in terms of vibration.

drop down system? what's that? I'm going to try and make a helmet mount soon, this was just a quick test to see how it ran

yeah unless its on a track you probably want to stick to helmet cam..

hey you have the same camera as me. you can make a cheapo wideangle for it using a waterbottle top and a peephole thing from an old door. you can also switch out the "lenses" to get bigger and smaller views. granted, until the camera gets a little steadier this will most likely make folks viewing your videos even sicker. but they're fun to mess around with anyway. heres some pics of the infernal device.
oh yeah, it helps to scrape out a bit of the plastic inside the cap so it fits snug on your camera.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/3355433866_82147b757c_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3538/3355433646_8ca07f3e22_o.jpg

wow that's nifty. I may want to try that out! Great Idea

i guess helmet is the way to go. i was just thinking about whether one can rig up a drop-down type of attachment that has some suspension or whatever.

that bottlecap mod seems interesting!

I liked the moron on the 3 wheeled jackass machine taking up a whole lane trying to pump himself up the hill... the camera is a good idea though

Nice Dom. How'd you figure out the right bolt to use to mount the camera?

id consider covering the screw part if youre going to keep the mount on without the camera. it looks like a good start!

Nice Dom. How'd you figure out the right bolt to use to mount the camera?
thanks. I look up tripods and it said most camera's have a 1/4" threading


id consider covering the screw part if youre going to keep the mount on without the camera. it looks like a good start!

I don't keep it like that, i was just taking a pic to show what goes on

What about a chest mounted cam? Would that reduce vibration and still be awesome? Might be steadier than a helmet cam, and could clip onto your mess bag with rotatable cell-phone-holder-like-thing.

Something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VHwDAYmrnc (skip to a minute in)
or this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgiCuWQet4Q (with a better angle)

I made a little mod to help with the vibration a little (don't know if it helped much, but I tried)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3583/3358160954_eaf6d7e99e.jpg?v=0

Here's my 1st compilation vid of today's ride
Riding the Bronx (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be4RA_ulBOE)

Slik makes an excellent camera mount which is designed to clamp onto tubes. It is rock-solid, adusts in any direction, and will fit a wide variety of tube sizes, such as handlbars and stems, or seatposts and frame tubes. I'll post a pic of it tomorrow. I bought one at a camera store here in Tokyo, the cost was about $60.

At Urban Outfitters, they sell a camera mount that's supposed to go on top of a 2 liter bottle. Happens to fit over a 1" steerer tube really well, if you have a bit of tube above your stem.

Gyeswho....you're one of the best posters on BF. Keep it up bud.

Too bad I can't say the same for myself.

I just bought one of these:
http://www.scandinavianphoto.se/img/img_large/904002.jpg
and then i just put it on my handlebar with the help of a rubber band.

http://vimeo.com/2457086 <-filmed this vid with that setup.

my friends was selling a product similar to this, i think they are called "go-pro" helmet cams. pretty inexpensive and work well.

thanks. I look up tripods and it said most camera's have a 1/4" threading
According to the internet, it's a 1/4"-20, so 20 threads per inch if anyone's considering making one.

Here's my 1st compilation vid of today's ride
Riding the Bronx (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be4RA_ulBOE)
Some pretty tight squeezes in the middle there.

Hey gyeswho, when ur riding are you purposely trying to not rock the bike? Or are you just riding?

I think the vids look good. I was just thinking put them to music to ditch the wind noise, and then u did...

Hey gyeswho, when ur riding are you purposely trying to not rock the bike? Or are you just riding?

I think the vids look good. I was just thinking put them to music to ditch the wind noise, and then u did...

Thanks. I'm just riding, no trying to keep things stable.

my friends was selling a product similar to this, i think they are called "go-pro" helmet cams. pretty inexpensive and work well.

That's the camera I was going to buy too, but I wanted to see if this would work 1st. I think I may eventually buy it because I really like the amount of mounting options available for it and would do some pretty cool stuff with it

Your videos would be much better if you mounted the camera to the frame instead of the bar or stem. It also helps if you have a camera with image stabilization.

Below is the Slik camera mount attached to my Gios. It adjusts to fit many sizes, so I can put in on pretty much anyplace on my bike, facing in any direction. The camera is a Samsung sports camcorder, which is small, weather resistant, and has image stabilization. I bought it for $200 when Comp USA went under.

I tried it out last week in Tokyo on my old Schwinn, but I forgot to format the memory card. The video was fine, but the audio was choppy. I'll record a couple more this week and post them.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj268/Frontman7/image.jpg

all of the above options suck compared to the super clamp:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/546371-REG/Manfrotto_by_Bogen_Imaging_035_035_Super_Clamp_without.html
http://webimages.akajohndoe.com/photo/bogensuperclamp2.jpg

Canon mini tripod zip-tied to handlebar.
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o178/ranggapanji/pet009_1.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/my.php?image=helmetk.jpg%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://img13.imageshack.us/img13/5651/helmetk.jpg
(http://img13.imageshack.us/my.php?image=helmetk.jpg)http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/5651/helmetk.jpg (http://img13.imageshack.us/my.php?image=helmetk.jpg)



example of video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EXif6IwPcc&frmt=18

all of the above options suck compared to the super clamp:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/546371-REG/Manfrotto_by_Bogen_Imaging_035_035_Super_Clamp_without.html
http://webimages.akajohndoe.com/photo/bogensuperclamp2.jpg

Not so good, with this mount you have to adjust the camera by moving loosening the clamp and turning the mount body, and to pan the camera you need to loosen the mounting nut and turn the camera itself.

I prefer the Slik setup. The mount has enough offset to look over the bar when mounted on the top tube, or to look around the cables when mounted to the head tube. And the clamp can be fastened in any direction, and at any angle, while still allowing the camera to be set to a vertical position.

It's a very sturdy clamp, and I can use it to mount my D300 or other cameras without the fear of it slipping, or breaking.

you must not use tripods a lot... that mount can mount any bogen/standard threaded tripod head.

like this:
http://hollywoodexpendables.com/cw2/assets/product_thumb/488minism.jpg
this:
http://www.adorama.com/images/large/BG322RC2.JPG
or this:
http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/non-nikon_articles/markins/markins_images/bogen3435QR.gif

you can put any one of these on that clamp, and it's secure as hell on any shape.

you must not use tripods a lot... that mount can mount any bogen/standard threaded tripod head.

like this:
http://hollywoodexpendables.com/cw2/assets/product_thumb/488minism.jpg
this:
http://www.adorama.com/images/large/BG322RC2.JPG
or this:
http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/non-nikon_articles/markins/markins_images/bogen3435QR.gif

you can put any one of these on that clamp, and it's secure as hell on any shape.

I've been a photographer for 20 years, and I sometimes trip over tripods when walking around my apartment after dark.

Yes, you can mount other heads on the clamp, but on a bike a simple and inexpensive solution is best, right?

The Slik mount I showed in my earlier post is actually one that I normally use to mount an auxiliary flash to the leg or neck of another tripod. The legs of these heavy-duty tripods are about the same diameter of bicycle frame tubes, so it is a pretty good all around one-piece solution to mounting a camera on a bike.

wow. the power of MS Paint.

I made one last year, and did a short video. Yeah it was super choppy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHhZLZMiGKE

This makes me want to get at it again and try out a few new designs.

Short testing of the helmet mount I made (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_DTGGruGhc)
from some foam and zip ties. I don't know what to think of the vid, but I'm not too satisfied with the setup. I may end up resorting to buying a cam mount instead for something that is both secure, adjustable, and easy to mount. This looks appealing
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/items/313039.jpg

For the most part, video cams mounted on your body, including the helmet, give you the most fluid, non-jarring pictures.

Your videos would be much better if you mounted the camera to the frame instead of the bar or stem. It also helps if you have a camera with image stabilization.

Below is the Slik camera mount attached to my Gios. It adjusts to fit many sizes, so I can put in on pretty much anyplace on my bike, facing in any direction.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj268/Frontman7/image.jpg

This looks great, but I don't think it will fit on my carbon-framed road bike or my mt. bike the same it does as shown on your bike. The head tubes are probably too large. It would work on my ancient steel bike, though, and on the handlebars of my other bikes.

This looks great, but I don't think it will fit on my carbon-framed road bike or my mt. bike the same it does as shown on your bike. The head tubes are probably too large. It would work on my ancient steel bike, though, and on the handlebars of my other bikes.

the superclamp would be your best bet then since it can accept tube diameters up to 2.1". Someone pointed me to this method and I think I may follow this (Bogen / Manfrotto 155 Double Ball Joint Head with 2933 Camera Platform & 035 Super Clamp):
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3504/3180997039_254fb21f83.jpg?v=0

I tried out a frame mount and found it works a little better than the handlebar mount. Here are 2 short clip of both sides for comparison:
Left side (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gyeswho/3385651088/)
right side (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gyeswho/3384877371/)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3433/3385570610_59510e13e6_b.jpg

That's the camera I was going to buy too, but I wanted to see if this would work 1st. I think I may eventually buy it because I really like the amount of mounting options available for it and would do some pretty cool stuff with it

yeah, there versatile which is why they sell well. apparently they guy that started the company is only 32 or around there and just partys in his mansion and yacht all day making stupid videos.

Gyeswho....you're one of the best posters on BF. Keep it up bud.


Agreed. I enjoy your constant innovation!

Thanks. Here's another compilation showing the maneuverability of bikes


Churning and Turning (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCYsXnPEGIg)

>Your videos would be much better if you mounted the camera to the frame instead of the bar or stem<

Why should this be so?

all of the above options suck compared to the super clamp:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/546371-REG/Manfrotto_by_Bogen_Imaging_035_035_Super_Clamp_without.html
http://webimages.akajohndoe.com/photo/bogensuperclamp2.jpg

If you are going to use a Bogen SuperClamp you would want to mount a small ballhead on it to make aiming the camera easier.

i just recently made a helmet camcorder mount but I dont want to post it because you all will probably laugh at me. Basically consists of camcorder in a box that is bolted to my helmet on one side, and a counterweight filled with coins bolted on the other side.
Gets good footage since its DV, but its sometimes shaky because the helmet doesn't fit snug to my head.
Also the whole thing weighs about 6lbs so my neck gets tired about 10 mins after having it on.

i just recently made a helmet camcorder mount but I dont want to post it because you all will probably laugh at me. Basically consists of camcorder in a box that is bolted to my helmet on one side, and a counterweight filled with coins bolted on the other side.
Gets good footage since its DV, but its sometimes shaky because the helmet doesn't fit snug to my head.
Also the whole thing weighs about 6lbs so my neck gets tired about 10 mins after having it on.

neck fatigue sounds a little dangerous.

I just made mine today. I used an old light holder I had and just drilled a bolt into it then put a wing nut on the other side. camera mount. http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=a67e6ff66b&view=att&th=1205ed207ce02161&attid=0.0&disp=inline&zw

I like the idea, but as I suspected, some roads are shaky for the camera, but the central park one was legit. Wish I knew a park in Toronto like that.

Well I took the plunge and ended up getting a GoPro Hero for a deal on ebay. Video is much more steady and mounting is very easy to use. Here's a short morning commute vid
Morning Commute (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCNDDTyF7Uo)

on a somewhat related note, does anyone have ultimate awesome status and have helmet mounted lights that they can show?

looks fun