Beautiful. Durable. Functional. If you don't have one, the Multi-Purpose Accessory Mount is the best thing that hasn't happened to your bike. But chances are this isn't your first time here, because few people buy just one. We don't condone it, but this lightweight mount is so strong, you can lift your bike by it. What's amazing, though, is that with its dual pivoting legs that come in three sizes, it can mount anywhere. Seriously. Add one or two Extender Kits and you'll suddenly find yourself with more room than you know what to do with! The triangulating legs cut out the shaking that flimsier mounts create, and allows for insane versatility. Big thanks to Ja Yoe for the videos. Visit JaYoe.com to keep up with his travels. FAQ 1. How do I know if an Accessory Mount will work on my bike? As long as you have a round or nearly round tube to attach to that is less than 1-1/4in (31.8mm) you should be able to attach an Accessory Mount to it. You will need two points of attachment, one for each leg of the mount. The two points don't have to be on the same tube, and the distance between the two points can vary quite a bit. Most people put their mounts on the same tube with the mounting points 2-3 inches (5-8cm) apart. Depending on the particular situation and the things you have to work around, all kinds of things are possible. 2. How easy is it to install? If you are just attaching it to a single, unobstructed tube, it's super simple. We use Cateye brand plastic band clamps for attachment. We modify them to add a metal bushing to move the mounting point out to half the width of the Accessory Mount's mid tube. You simply snap the Cateye clamps around the tube on your bike and attach the ends of the Accessory Mount arms to the Cateye clamps. If there are things in the way, you can adjust the arms on the Accessory Mount to work around them. 3. How strong are they? Pretty strong. You could probably pick your bike up with them. The real question is "How much weight can they take?". They can easily take a light, or a GPS, or a phone, or a mirror. They can take two lights as long as they aren't both big heavy ones with giant batteries inside. The Accessory Mount arms form a triangle with the tube they are mounted on. The base of the triangle determines the stiffness. As long as the ends of the arms aren't super close together (less than an inch and a half, or 4cm or so), the triangle will be very stiff. 4. What size range of tube can I attach to? Cateye clamps come in sizes from 1/2 inch (12mm) to 1-1/4 inch (31.8mm) in 1/8 inch (3mm) increments. They come with shims to let you fine tune the fit within that range. To clamp to things smaller than 1/2 inch, we recommend using a rubber shim. McMaster-Carr sells thick wall rubber tubes with 1 inch outer diameters and inner diameters down to 1/4 inch (1cm). A short section of material like this, sliced into a C shape, works great. We keep several sizes of this material in stock and can cut shims for a nominal fee. 5. Can I attach to things that are not round? It depends. The Cateye clamps can handle some ovalization, to around a 2 to 3 ratio of width to depth. You can sometimes use a larger clamp and shim the thinner part of the oval. It is also possible to attach the ends of the Accessory Mount arms to something else- a bottle boss, a brake boss, all kinds of things. There are also other clamps that may handle strongly oval tubes better, like P clips, though they aren't as stable as the Cateye clamps. 6. Can I get a wider tube across the middle? I want to attach lots of stuff. The tube across the middle is 30mm wide. We have 15mm extensions that can be added to the outside of the mount. It is possible to replace the tube in the middle with something wider, but all the widths of everything else also change. It's been done, and with good results, but it takes a bit of fiddling to do it. The extensions are very easy. 7. Can I mount my European light that's designed to attach to a tab with a horizontal hole? Yes, we make a tab style mount that goes on the end of the Accessory Mount. You can add up to two. 8. Which arms do I need? For most recumbent applications, we recommend the 50x75mm or 75x100 arm combinations. The different length arms give a lot of versatility. If you want more room, or to get things further away from the frame, go for the 75x100mm version. On upright bicycle stem mounting applications, we recommend the 75x100mm or 100x100mm arm combinations for maximum range. If you are mounting on a fork blade, we recommend the 50x75mm setup. For some Highracer Recumbents, the 100x100mm combination allows you to put a light down low and right in front of the BB shell. ADDITIONAL INFO Accessory Mount arm lengths are 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm. We normally sell them in the most common configurations, but can make different combinations on request. The mounting tube in the middle is 1 inch (25.4mm) in diameter. Nearly all bicycle accessories will work on a 1 inch tube. A pair of Cateye clamps is included. We make 90 degree adapters that can either be used directly with the Accessory Mount (to attach to bottle mounts, for example) or to be inserted into Cateye clamps to attach the Accessory Mount to a parallel tube, for things like putting an Accessory Mount out in front of your handlebars. Accessory Mounts can also be attached to things other than Cateye clamps. The holes in the ends of the Accessory Mount arms take 5mm bolts. Anyplace you can attach a 5mm bolt, you can attach an Accessory Mount. The arms are curved to let you work them around obstacles. The arms are reversible, so you can make them curve up or curve down, as needed. The tube across the middle where you put your lights, computer, GPS, or whatever, is 25.4mm (1 inch) in diameter and 30mm wide, which is ideal for most accessories. The tube has two O-Ring grooves in it, so you don't have to worry about your expensive light or GPS slipping off. We make side extender tubes and tab mounts for Euro style lights if you need more mounting options. Our good friend, John Spurgeon, who became the first person in history to complete Race Across America on a single-speed upright bike, exclusively used T-Cycle accessory mounts because he trusted their ultimate function and durability. He reported no problems whatsoever and continues to use the mounts on his bikes for commuting and training. Several other RAAM teams have used Accessory Mounts as well. A note on arm lengths: For most recumbent applications, we recommend the 50x75mm or 75x100 arm combinations. The different length arms give a lot of versatility. If you want more room, or to get things further away from the frame, go for the 75x100mm version. On upright bicycle stem mounting applications, we recommend the 75x100mm or 100x100mm arm combinations for maximum range. If you are mounting on a fork blade, we recommend the 50x75mm setup. For some Highracer Recumbents, the 100x100mm combination allows you to put a light down low and right in front of the BB shell. Accessory Mounts are machined from 6061-T6 aluminum, then black anodized. All bolts are stainless steel. The arms can be independently rotated 360 degrees and locked in any position. The Cateye clamps are non scratch plastic. The horizontal tube is 1 inch (25.4mm) diameter so nearly any bike accessory fits on it. The distance between the arms is 30mm, so if necessary, you can straddle a 1-1/8 (28.6mm) tube (a common mast and derailleur post size). A note on amazing lightweightness: the 50x75mm mount is only 53 grams. Accessory Mounts pretty much fit somewhere on everything. Really, it's great fun seeing how creative people get with these. It's not uncommon for people to order one, then come back later and order several more when they realize the things they can do with them.
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