I finally have proof of concept. My prototype bicycle tripod carrier works! With just a bit of revising, I think it will be great. 

For some time now I’ve thought about devising a way to carry a sturdy tripod on my bike. No, not some compact, lightweight tripod that will shiver in a light wind. I want to carry a real tripod. One that I can use for long exposures, one that can handle a larger, heavier camera, one that I can safely hold my Actus. My tripod of choice for this task is a ProMaster Specialist SP532CK (legs) with a geared head. The goal is to build a carrier for the tripod that can easily be connected and disconnected from the rack over my bike’s rear wheel. 

For the quick connect feature I decided to use some woodworker’s aluminum track. Woodworking is a hobby of mine, so I had extra pieces of track around my shop. I made a basic “shelf” for my bike rack out of walnut and mounted the male portion of the track to its sides. I drilled and tapped 3/8”-16 ports into the aluminum track on both sides. My idea was to build a box for the tripod with coordinated pieces of track as part of its undercarriage. This would allow the box to slide onto back of the bike. Once connected, two knobs with 3/8”-16 threads to hold the box in place via the ports I installed.

For the box prototype I chose ¾” aspen. It is lightweight, affordable, and extremely soft and easy to work with. In the long run I will probably make a final version out of a better-quality hardwood, ideally with a thinner ½” dimensional thickness. 

I set a deadline for myself of mid-March when I would be visiting Lincolnshire IL for a convention. I come here every spring for this event. Last year I noticed an all-purpose trail in the woods near the hotel and came to discover it is the Des Plaines River Trail. All these years I never knew it was so close! I would bring my bike, my camera, and my new tripod box.

The basic design of the box is a simple one. I finished enough of the prototype before departing for Lincolnshire to give it a test run. The wood is still unfinished, and my knobs for holding the box in place are not completed. I’m making those by hand from 3/8” aluminum rod which I’m cutting threads into. They are only half done, so I grabbed two 3/8” bolts and washers along with a combination wrench to temporarily mount and dismount the tripod box. I found time in the early evening to hit the trail. So, I walked my bike downstairs from my hotel room and attached the tripod box. I bundled up for the cold ride and put on my backpack with the Actus and some lenses. Over a few hours I covered about 8 miles of the trail. It is a sand trail and its current state of spring wetness caused a good deal of rolling resistance.

Overall, the new tripod box worked great. The access door, which popped open a few times, which did not surprise me. I had worried this might be a problem since I used a pretty weak latch on the door. I’ll upgrade that when I return home. The other annoyance is the noise of the tripod rattling in the box when I ride over rough portions of the trail. That can be remedied with some cloth lining inside the box. I must say, overall, it was a great success! Unfortunately, I never took a photo on this trek due to poor lighting and lack of a worthy subject. But, I did stop to remove and replace the tripod a few times just for good measure. I got a few strange looks on the trail due to this long, weird mailbox looking thing extending from the back of my bike. I don’t mind. This is a case of function over form and I’m too old to worry about vanity. If the setup results in beautiful photos I will be happy as a lark. 

Once I’ve perfected the design my plan is to add another “shelf” to the top of the tripod box that is the same size as the one on my bike rack. Then I will build a smaller box or basket that can hold additional gear, clothing, food, or ??? This modular design will allow the new, smaller box to be attached directly to the bike (when I leave my tripod at home) or to the top of the tripod box. I like and appreciate flexibility in design work.

Wandering on foot through wild places is still my first and favorite method of enjoying the natural world as well as photography. Touring by bicycle is quickly becoming my second favorite and I’m glad to have solved this problem of bringing a real tripod along for the ride.