Experimental studies on vortex-induced vibration of bluff bodies require linear springs and air bearings for constrained and frictionless motion. The cost of air bearing system is high, and moreover, it needs a constant supply of pressurized air. We have devised an alternative, low-cost method to study experimentally the vortex-induced vibration characteristics of a single circular cylinder. A cantilever beam can be used to provide elastic support to the bluff bodies in place of springs and air bearings. The cantilever beam can also provide the restoring force and frictionless motion of the bluff bodies. The support of the cantilever beam can be either in the upstream or downstream direction relative to the cylinder. The cantilever’s length, width, and thickness are 540 mm, 30 mm, and 1.6 mm, respectively. The aspect ratio of the circular cylinder is 31. In this work, we have studied the effect of the direction of mounting of the cantilever beam on the VIV of a single circular cylinder. The peak of the highest vibrational amplitude of the circular cylinder, when the cantilever beam was mounted in the downstream direction, was recorded as \(A^*_{\max }=0.792\) at \(U^*=6.1\) . The peak of the highest vibrational amplitude of the circular cylinder, when the cantilever beam was mounted in an upstream direction, was recorded as \(A^*_{\max }=0.74\) at \(U^*=5.87\) . The peak of the highest vibrational amplitude of the circular cylinder in the case of the upstream circular cylinder attached to a cantilever is \(6.5\%\) less than the downstream circular cylinder attached to a cantilever. The reduction in peak of the highest vibrational amplitude is due to the change in the direction of the moment of the drag force about the mean position of the cantilever beam.