Mounting Tripod

[david1701]

Right, I'm a photographer and see shooting landscapes as a good way to combine photography and cycling.

My tripod is big and heavy and atm I carry my camera kit on my back (though I intend to change that) so I'd rather have it low down on the frame if poss or at least not smacking me in the face when I look back.

As an aside is it a terrible idea to strap a shoulder bag to the top of the rack or should I stick with a backpack?

The only cycling photographer I know has a shorter one and wears it strapped across his back (like I do when off the bike)

Long term I'd like to get a Vitruvian which I could just shove in a pannier as its much lighter and <40cm long

 

[zacklaws]

I see it is only 650cm folded so is it not possible to fasten it to the side of the top tube of your bike. Before I got mechanised transport, I cycled hundreds of miles with my fishing rod holdall which was six foot long tied to my crossbar as it was called in them days and it never caused any problems..

 

[david1701]

I've ridden like that, but its very fat (8-10cms) which made me ride with my knee out at an angle (and I grazed it once or twice). Unfortunately I've also ridden horses a lot so tend to mean I try to ride with my toes in the whole time.

 

[aberal]

It's generally not a good idea to carry anything your back on a bike, especially something as heavy as a tripod. Apart from any comfort issues or liklihood of strain on your back, if you were to come off the bike and landed on your back, you would run the risk of some serious injury. So my advice would be to get the Vitruvian asap.

 

[david1701]

atm I can't blow 180 quid on a toy :s quiet time of year and pushing advertising can get dear :s

Now it does work just strapped to the rack vertically but it gets filthy and can work loose and a strong enough network of bungies is slow to take on and off. Dunno just wondering if someone else had already worked out the problem and had a magic bullet for me

 

[ColinJ]

How about doing this?

Taken from this discussion.

 

[mark barker]

Could you find a plastic tube large enough to slide part of the tripod into? (I'm thinking some kind of drainage pipe for example). If so, would it not be possible to permanently attach this to a rear rack on your bike and just drop the tripod into the tube? The tube wouldn't need to be as long as the tripod, I'd guess a third of the length would be fine.

 

[david1701]

hmmm I'll have a look when I get home, thought about it before but dismissed it as so long it would stick out the back

drainpipe's not a terrible idea, just a boot for the bottom of the tripod then strap it at the top

will have a play later

 

[aberal]

atm I can't blow 180 quid on a toy :s quiet time of year and pushing advertising can get dear :s

Just to follow up here... I had a similar problem to you and to be honest, although I had two Giottos tripods had never heard of the Vitruvian until I read your post. Long story/cut short - decided to bite the bullet, sell my existing tripods and heads and buy the Vitruvian. It arrived today and am delighted with it - gives me everything I wanted in a tripod, simpler and easier to operate (and weighing less) than my other two and best of all fits into my camera bag and will strap easily to a rear bike rack without protruding or getting in the way. AND you can get the Vitruvian a lot cheaper than your post - see Amazon here. With the money combined from my sale, I got the new one cheaper. So am quids in with a tripod which suits me better and am now happy chappy all round.

 

[david1701]

let me know how you get on with it

I'm worried about wobbling :s

 

[Crepello]

I'm going to buy a Tamrac Zipshot Tripod, which is reviewed on Youtube here. Positive are it's very light, compact, very quick to set up and an ingenious design. Downside is it's 112cm height and possibility of a little wobble with a big telephoto lensed SLR mounted.
For me it seems to represent a good compromise for lightweight cycle photography. I use a bar bag for my kit and would probably strap this tripod below the bar bag.