Bicycle Stereo Mount / Handy Mount

This Instructable is basically a re-work of an earlier gadget that I posted.  In my case, I wanted a way to carry a Bluetooth speaker, to listen to tunes from my Samsung Note II phone while I ride.  I wanted to be able to quickly remove the speaker when locking my bike to a rack at work or elsewhere.  The end result is this mount which works well for my needs, but is also flexible enough to be used for the carrying of any small-ish item(s).

The items required are:

1.  One bird feeder for suet.  I found this at the nearby Petco, a large retail store with pet supplies.
2.  Some plastic cable ties.
3.  Hairbands
4.  Optional - Bluetooth battery powered receiver (this one is a Vantec BTA350)
5.  Optional - Battery powered stereo speaker (this one is a Phillips SBA1700)
6.  Optional - (not shown)  Velcro stick-on pads

Note:  While there are many Bluetooth speakers now on the market, I wanted a bike stereo that took standard batteries.  The Vantec receiver takes a single AAA, and the Phillips speaker takes three AAA's.   It's a personal thing, based on too many rechargeable devices that are either not charged when needed, are missing a required cable, or no longer accept a charge.  I do use rechargeable standard batteries, such as the Eneloop brand.  Also, I tried a different speaker and will say that a three battery portable speaker is likely to be able to have enough volume for this purpose, and a two battery unit is likely to be too quiet.

Remove the hinged cover and the hanging chain from the Suet Feeder.

Apply three cable ties to the left hand side of the body of the Suet Feeder.  Note the orientation of the cable ties, placed to provide an effective 'catch' for the hairband loops.

Loop three hairbands to the right side, and stretch them to the cable ties, forming a stretchable retaining cord system that is very quick to release when necessary.

I added Velcro peel-and-stick pads, half to the speaker and half to the Bluetooth receiver, and attached them together.  I coiled the audio cable around the receiver, giving me a small speaker system that I can easily carry inside to my workplace.  I used Velcro in case I may want to use the Bluetooth receiver for other purposes, such as with my home stereo.

Attach the "Handy Mount" to the handlebars and handlebar stem, using three or more cable ties until you're happy with how secure it is.  For my bike, I also added a quick-release bicycle light (Planet Bike Blaze 2 Watt LED Headlight).  To get the best angle for the light, I ended up propping up the Handy Mount with some bits of PVC pipe....a trial and error kludge.

I could have used just the speaker without the Bluetooth receiver, instead clipping on an iPod Shuffle or other MP3 player to the mount.  But by using my phone, I have access to all of my MP3 files, and the MapMyRun app will announce my mileage (I have it set for every half mile) and pace. 

I stand in awe sometimes of how much infrastructure we use in our daily lives.  Phone as complete music collection, the GPS navigation satellite system, the cellular communication system....all to help me enjoy riding my bike just a little bit more.