Cameras on bikes

[Pinhead]

I have always had a camera on my bike, front and back

I don't buy new, I buy pre owned, 1080 recording and they have NEVER let me down and also they are the only gopro you can buy the extended life batteries for that last 2+ hours

https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail?id= ... position=3

However after getting a once in a lifetime (mess up by London camera exchange) who sold me a complete kit of an Osmo Action Camera for £40 (buy in price) instead of the £130 retail, I have bought @ £170 (I use cex a lot) the Osmo action camera 3, coming Monday

Here is the original, and as it records whilst plugged into an external supply, the power bank/light I have it records for 5 hours, 4k, "rock steady" (steady shot)

The model3 will be helmet mounted with a cable to a power bank in my cycle jacket.


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[Cugel]

Once upon a time I did wonder about using a bike-mounted camera just to take the odd filum of a nice section of riding. But then I considered .... how often would I look at them? Probably never. Somehow moving pics are not the same memory-enhancers as still pictures. (You'd expect the opposite, eh)?

But this to the side.

In 64 years of cycling on the roads of Blighty I've had but once incident where car-prang occurred. (1/6/1980). Happily there were reams of witnesses whose testimony combined got me a compensation wodge for my bent bike & wrist; and the driver a prosecution. I won't say I've not been close-passed at other times but I've never felt in danger as I've always felt in control.

Close passes in West Wales, not far from where you live ...... they don't seem to happen to me, despite thousands of kilometres in the last five & a half years since moving here. Drivers are for the most part very considerate, apart from perhaps the odd tractor driver in a hurry.

It might be that, living and cycling near Aberystwyth, you're suffering the poor driving of those coming here on holiday or transiting the main routes about Wales for other purposes. They bring their aggressive big-town ways with them. It may also be that all that camera and warning notice on your bike are actually stimulating some of the more loony drivists to "punish" you. It happens, I'm told.

Still, if getting close-passed is a regular occurrence for you, a camera seems now to be a necessary part of getting the heddlu to do anything at all about bad driving. Yet more "safety" gubbins and its cost to keep the motorised loons at bay; or to catch them when they aren't kept there. Cuh!

[TrevA]

I run front and rear cameras. The front is a Techalogic combined light and camera and the rear is a Cycliq Fly6 combined light and camera. The Techalogic has a battery life of around 3.5 hours if both light and camera are used, longer for camera only. The Cycliq has about a 6 hour run time.

They are useful for close passes, bad driving and other purposes too. I was out on a ride on Thursday where a rider in front of me skidded on some gravel and went down. Whilst we were waiting for him to get a lift home, I was able to connect my phone to the camera and we established that he had ridden wide on a corner to avoid a pothole and caught some gravel that had accumulated on the outside of the corner.

[axel_knutt]

There are occasions when I'd have liked a camera to record some of the more hair raising incidents, but whenever I felt the urge to get one the words hoist & petard always sprang to mind.

[revjames]

Hi, this is my first post so be gentle
I have recently started cycling more. Its been on and off and have finally got my bike set up properly and can do decent distances without too much discomfort. Bike is a Cannondale CAADX gravelbike, which was offered at a price too good to pass up.
I recently went out and after 4 miles found myself at the side of the road. A lady got out of her car and asked me if I was injured, to which I replied 'only my pride'. I straightened out my bars and carried on cycling. I realised I had no recollection of coming off/being hit. I did another 14 miles and went home, I wondered why my hands were oily, obviously had to put chain on but had no memory of it. Strava map also a surprise as I remembered little of the ride. Next day I ended up in A&E had several X rays and a CT scan. Thankfully all OK. which brings me to the subject of this thread - cameras. If this happens again, it would be nice to know what happened!
Not keen on helmet mounts, prefer discretion. Front and rear bike mounts with a phone app to retrieve videos easily - both cameras on same app would be good. Combined lights good. Just thought asking on a place like this would help me get the best set up?

Thanks in advance

[plancashire]

I'm with cugel on this one. I thought of buying a bike camera with the money my kind colleagues donated when I retired. Here in Germany it wouldn't be for recording close passes, more for my rides. I could show the Brits the nice routes and infrastructure we have here, I thought. Then I considered the work I'd have to do to make presentable videos, maybe with commentary, find somewhere to post them, deal with the replies and so on. It seemed less appealing. Instead I bought a very high quality piece of German engineering I can use every day while I remember happy times at work and the people I shared them with: it's a manual coffee grinder with no electronics or software.

[Cugel]

I'm with cugel on this one. I thought of buying a bike camera with the money my kind colleagues donated when I retired. Here in Germany it wouldn't be for recording close passes, more for my rides. I could show the Brits the nice routes and infrastructure we have here, I thought. Then I considered the work I'd have to do to make presentable videos, maybe with commentary, find somewhere to post them, deal with the replies and so on. It seemed less appealing. Instead I bought a very high quality piece of German engineering I can use every day while I remember happy times at work and the people I shared them with: it's a manual coffee grinder with no electronics or software.

A wise choice - although there's something to be said for a small electric motor in a coffee grinder when one is too weak from a long bike ride to manage the turning of a handle. I likes the Ibertal. meself. Being a coffee addict, ours has ground millions & millions of beans over a decade or two (with only one motor and two burr replacements). If I'd ground them all by hand I'd be a stone lighter! Well, 6 kg. Also, one arm would be bigger than the other.

[TrevA]

Hi, this is my first post so be gentle
I have recently started cycling more. Its been on and off and have finally got my bike set up properly and can do decent distances without too much discomfort. Bike is a Cannondale CAADX gravelbike, which was offered at a price too good to pass up.
I recently went out and after 4 miles found myself at the side of the road. A lady got out of her car and asked me if I was injured, to which I replied 'only my pride'. I straightened out my bars and carried on cycling. I realised I had no recollection of coming off/being hit. I did another 14 miles and went home, I wondered why my hands were oily, obviously had to put chain on but had no memory of it. Strava map also a surprise as I remembered little of the ride. Next day I ended up in A&E had several X rays and a CT scan. Thankfully all OK. which brings me to the subject of this thread - cameras. If this happens again, it would be nice to know what happened!
Not keen on helmet mounts, prefer discretion. Front and rear bike mounts with a phone app to retrieve videos easily - both cameras on same app would be good. Combined lights good. Just thought asking on a place like this would help me get the best set up?

Thanks in advance

I would recommend the Techalogic front and rear lights. They are both around £100 each, combined light and camera, mount on the handlebars and seat post - run time, I get about 3.5 hours with the light in flash mode, longer if you turn the light off and just have the camera on. Videos can be viewed on your phone or tablet, using the Viidure app. The camera connects to the phone via Wi-Fi.

I run the cameras every time I ride, but I rarely look at the footage, unless there is an incident on the ride. But the footage is there if I need it. I got my cameras after a fellow rider was knocked off by a car pulling a trailer on an Audax ride. I witnessed the incident, but couldn’t recall the car number plate, as it all happened so fast . The rider fractured his skull, despite wearing an helmet, and the driver was never traced.

[revjames]

Thanks, I have seen the Techalogic stuff and quite liked it so its good that someone else has a recommendation for them.

[miller]

On the front I run a GoPro 12 attached to a volta which will give me around 5 hours recording. I was conscious I wanted one for the back and came across this on amazon. Was only £35 with the voucher. Comes with 2 batteries and all the accessories needed, so this now sits on my helmet facing backwards. I am thinking of moving it on to my seat, however this then means I will need to move my saddleseat.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01HPX ... image&th=1

[mister_ed]

I've got techalogic front and rear cameras, the ones with the integrated lights. Had a fault with the front one, and they just sent me a new one. Then I bought another pair for my SO. The lights are pretty respectable too.

Generally pleased with them, submitted 6 police reports so far. Definitely good for close passes, but with the very wide angle it often doesn't clearly get drivers acting poorly towards other cyclist unless they are very close.

I think they have discontinued one of them pending a new product, which is a shame because they haven't got the new product yet.

[AlanW]

A few years back l had both the Fly6 rear light/camera and the Garmin light/radar. Then Garmin announced the introduction of thier light/radar/camera unit.
So as having one unit attached to the seatpost was much better than having two, l sold them both and waited to get the new combination Garmin unit.
However, all reviews l read didn't really favour the camera, so l held back on my purchase.
Fast forward to present day, lve had so many close passes it's time to get another camera.
The "new" Fly6 Pro seems a great choice other than the price.
The Garmin combo, ticks all the boxes, other than the camera and associated software.
But enter into the mix, the Tooo rear light/camera. I know a few member that have them, and they all rant about them. Plus, it's a third of the price of either the Garmin or the Fly6 Pro.
But does anyone have any thoughts of any of the three mentioned above?