The carrier fitted to my cycle is a bog standard, Chinese made aluminium carrier, the sort that can be purchased for about £15-£20. The only thing that makes it in any way different is that I've modified it slightly in order to take the camera case.
To carry the camera and associated stuff in safety, I use a Peli case. I used to carry the C900 and C2000 in the pannier, but the thought of what would happen if I fell off with a new C3040 sent shivers up the spine. Peli cases are made from fibreglass, and packed with soft supportive foam which can easily be cut to shape. The case is waterproof when closed, and strong enough to withstand being stood on and therefore is more than adequate to withstand the rigours of cycling whilst keeping the contents safe and protected from bumps and vibration, as well as the inevitable rain and snow showers experienced during my trips...
When I decided to get the case, I thought hard about how best to carry it on the bike securely. I needed a solution that was robust and yet easy to detach. After much thought, I figured the best solution would include some form of catch, the kind used on briefcases and the like. Diving into the RS catalogue, I found the spring catches pictured below (cat no. 206-4652).
The solution I employed involved fixing two pieces of extruded aluminium angle profile on the carrier using countersunk 6mm cap screws and nuts, through holes in the central member of the carrier. These are mounted to snugly fit the case in between them, the rear one shorter and shaped to fit within two protruding ribs on the case itself, thus providing solid location and preventing lateral movement. The case is then held in position by three stainless steel spring toggles, two retaining the front of the case and one central at the rear.
Mounting the hooks that mate with the toggles onto the
Peli case was tricky, as they had to
be in exactly the correct position to create enough retaining tension from the
springs such that the case was held tightly and vibration free, and also tightly
enough so that the toggles would not 'pop open' under movement. The hooks were
mounted on the case using 4mm brass screws - tapped into the
Peli case and with locknuts on the
rear, sealed with silicone sealant to cover sharp edges and prevent water
ingress. The toggles were mounted to the aluminium sections also using 4mm brass
screws tapped into them - only in this case, using locknuts was not possible, so
thread locking adhesive was used instead, the protruding threads being cut off
and ground flush with a flap wheel. All sharp edges were removed from the
sections using the same method, to ensure no damage would be inflicted on the
case through repeated use.
In practice, the case is held extremely securely to the carrier. Strongly enough, in fact, that one can pick the rear of the bike up by the handle of the case. The lid of the case hinges toward the saddle, and as can be seen, can be opened without removing the case from the bike. Thus when I want to stop and take a photo, I just park the bike, open the case and grab the camera (as can be seen here, in the 'Hints in the snow' series). The hooks on the case are not obtrusive, and the only modification I made was to put a metal strengthening plate under the hook on the rear of the case to lessen deformation after prolonged use.
The case can be attached and removed in seconds... so when I pop into the pub, I just flip open the clips and the case comes away easily.
The only real disadvantage I found with this scheme was that when the camera case is not fitted, the clips rattle like hell. If you look closely at the two pictures of the case on the bike, you'll see elastic bands round the aluminium sections... these are used to stop the toggles rattling when not transporting the camera... I'm sure there must be a better solution than elastic bands, but I'm beggared if I can think of one. If anyone reading has any suggestions, I'd be only too glad to hear them.
