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The Accessory Holder is made from materials that are readily available from any hardware store - you may even have what you need lying around the house. You can click any of the pictures for a larger version.
Materials:
Tools:
1. The first step is to determine what the Holder will be used for, and where it's going to go. The Holder is designed to clamp onto round tubing. First measure the diameter of the tubing the holder will clamp onto, this is the size of drill bit you must use in the next step. Then determine how long the holder should be; so that everything you want to clamp onto it will fit.
2. From one end of the conduit tubing, make a mark to indicate how long the holder will be. At this mark, position the appropriately sized hole drill bit in the centre of the tubing, and drill straight through. Make sure to drill straight down so the hole isn't off-centre. It's also best to set the drill on high speed, this seems to help cut through the plastic better. Warning: do not use a spade-style bit to drill this hole, as it will jam on the plastic, potentially ruining the hole AND twisting the tubing and/or drill out of your hand. Use a hollow bit!
3. The Holder will probably be clinging to the rest of the tubing by some thin pieces of plastic on either side of the hole. Cut through the exact centre of the hole with a saw to free the holder. You can easily make a second holder from the leftover tubing by cutting off the tube another few inches back.
4. There will be plastic bits clinging to the Holder from the drilling and cutting process, trim these off with a sharp knife.
5. Now it's time to drill a smaller hole for the zip-tie to pass through. Perpendicular to the direction in which the large hole was drilled, mark a point about 3/16" (4mm) inwards from the outer circumference of the large hole. With a 1/4" drill bit (or whatever will allow the zip tie to pass through), drill a hole in both sides of the side of the tubing. It's easier to drill these holes individually. As with the big hole, clean up the excess plastic with a sharp knife.
If you're using a tube clamp instead of a zip tie to attach the holder to the bike, then you'll have to widen the small hole with a knife. Or, you can use a hack saw to cut a slit instead of drilling a hole, but this can be tricky to do.
6. The holder can actually be used now, but for aesthetic reasons we're going to paint the holder to match the bike. Choose a colour that will match or compliment your bike, and spray-paint the holder so no grey is visible on the outside. I recommend using Krylon® Fusion paint, because it sticks to plastic very well, and won't flake off.
7. Once the paint is dry, you can attach the holder to your bike. It can go virtually anywhere, but in this example I'm going to clamp it to a support beam on my front fairing. Simply slide the zip-tie through the holes and around the bar, and tighten. You can put a piece of rubber in between the holder and the bike to protect the bike and prevent the holder from slipping.
8. Last Step! Attach all the accessories to the Holder. In this example, I have a Cateye bar-end mirror and a Cateye Astrale 8 bike computer attached to the Holder. Yours will probably be different.
And there you have it! This project can be completed in less than an hour, including drying time (if you use Krylon paint). It provides a stable, adjustable place to attach all sorts of bike accessories. Feel free to experiment with different mounting positions, hole sizes, etc. Happy riding!
This article and concept for "The Universal Accessory Holder" are copyright Rebel Cycles, 2006.