Looking for a "safety" camera to go on my road bike.
I have a feeling the lanes around where I live are going to crazy busy and plenty of idiots once things open back up.
Anyone have any recommendations?
I have seen this one from Chilli Tech that looks pretty good. https://chilli-tech.com/content/new-bullet-action-camera/
Anyone used one?
Hint; having a camera won't make riding any safer.
No it won’t, but; When you’re sitting on the kerb waiting for the ambulance to arrive and the nice lady in the Discovery says to PC Plod ‘it was all his fault’ and there are no witnesses to dispute that, you can say ‘ha ha, ‘ang on rozzer, I ‘ad me ‘elmet cam runnin’.
I had a first generation cycliq front canera/light. Great idea but the video quality wasn't great and the app was a real pain in the Harris.
Shame as it was a great idea - I've no idea if the latest version is any good.
That website is so ****ing annoying. Which arse decided that the best use of video was to play some shitty porn tune as a soundtrack and put crappy captions on screen...
FFS, get with the 1930s people. It's been possible to have people's voices on video for around 100 years. Talk, say something, don't just waste the opportunity by sticking done godawful soundtrack on instead
Hint; having a camera won’t make riding any safer.
I know that. Hence the inverted commas.
Basically I not looking for a camera that takes video of me being all knarr.
In fact I have a suspicion that they make people less safe. The people I know who have one seem to much more frequently find themselves in conflict with other road users, than those who don't. Of course that doesn't mean the camera makes that happen.
I have one of the chilli tech cameras. I'll see if I can find the previous thread on them...
Here it is...
Our club was given a grant by plod for 4 cameras. We got the cycliq ones which are good, but I think over priced and the battery life hasn’t been great. The chilli ones I think give similar results and better priced.
Since ours have been on the road we are getting about 4-5 “results” a week. Every ride seems to get at least 2-3 close passes / dangerous overtakes but it’s a pain submitting them all so just the worst go in.
We are looking at getting some gilets made up with a camera image on to warn that ride may be recorded. Police reckoned substantial reduction in close passes with the gilets from research. Our thinking is if we can make all the local idiots think twice the roads will be marginally safer - the amount of incidents suggests a large and growing number of idiots.
Still to be convinced in the gilets but we will probably give it a punt.
We are looking at getting some gilets made up with a camera image on to warn that ride may be recorded.
Sounds interesting... 🤔
I have a chilli tech one but can't seem to work out how to use it! 🤣
I have the Chilli tech cam and the battery life is good but when i got properly close passed, the sort where on an MTB you (belatedly) take your hand off the bar as a reflex. the camera moved onto the next recording, lost a couple of frames so the plate and the driver giving the finger was missed. It felt like an on purpose type move, scary as F due to the speed.
Ive had plenty of close passes, with or without the cam and aside the time I got forced off the road by a horsebox (Not deliberate I think) I'd not bother to report or remember the others.
Worth bearing in mind if you have it programmed to record set chunks of time, I think the default is 3 mins.
Is there anything at the moment which competes with the Fly6 as a rear camera?
The things I really like:
- doesn’t get in the way of anything
- just need to press a button and go
- integrated light
But the battery life isn’t up to a decent length ride and it wouldn’t hurt to have better image quality. (BTW I have the Mk2 version, previously had the Mk1 via Kickstarter; the newer versions have even less battery life.)
Ive got a Drift Ghost XL camera
1080P, 9 hour battery life, easy to rotate the lens for different mounting options
They are made for motor bike riders and their nice smooth helmets so i had make a helmet mount using an old helmet light strap and the parts supplied with the Ghost XL
Camera is great, can read number plates, waterproof and the app is easy to use, can be set to film continuously or 3 minute clips like a dashcam would be better if it had some stabilization software but for £150 you cant have everything
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drift-Ghost-XL-Action-Camera/dp/B07ST83GKZ
So far Ive submitted 3 videos to the police dashcam website, two were drivers pulling out on me at junctions (both times i had to take avoiding action) the third was someone on their phone coming towards me and drifting onto my side of the road!
Had plenty of others but they were the worst three, it wasn't until i got the camera and played back some of the incidents that i realised how bad some were
I've had both the Fly cameras (front and rear, mark IIs). I sold the front one and the wife uses the rear one.
They're ok, but if you get a close pass and the car is shadowed by strong sunlight etc you'll struggle to read the number plate as you have very few frames to look at and the camera sensor struggles with contrast (as do all sensors). We had one the first time I used it and couldn't make out the number plate.
Cycliq are poor quality and the battery life is awful. Had 2 Fly12 (front) battery failures and gave up with them. Kept the Fly6 (rear) but it doesn't last a whole longer ride (as above) and needs to be charged up regularly when not in use.
I've gone back to GoPro for longer, reliable footage even if they are less aero. Impressed with the chest mount.
I saw a CCTV style sign that could attach to panniers etc with magnets, can't remember what it was called but it looked good.
I have a Cycliq on the front & sometimes I mount a Go Pro on the seat post.
I 'think' having the Go Pro on the back makes drivers who see the camera act more courteous.
I’ve found my Cycliq cameras to be ok, but I did have the Fly12 relaxed under warranty when it stopped recognising the sd card.
Have sent footage twice, one was from driver deciding to soak a group night ride by speeding through a puddle, the other just a basic cut up.
Both got results - finding the number plate on the dark one was tough, but it was there.
Agree, they do need careful battery management on long rides, but both last my 90 minute “long way home” commute.
Ideally I’d like something the size of a GoPro session with looping /incident detection footage lock and not bother with the included light.
Ideally I’d like something the size of a GoPro session with looping /incident detection footage lock and not bother with the included light.
Aye, this with GPS so the videos can be location/time stamped.
Sorry - next daft question. If you’ve only got one camera, is front or rear facing more important?
Bringing this thread back as I’m considering one for both the car and the bike.
Question: are there any sensibly (or ideally low) priced cams that can be used in both the car and the bike - just moved between them ?
Hint; having a camera won’t make riding any safer.
I think having a visible camera has some effect on driver behaviour.
At the same time it will mitigate the rider as they try to make sure the video they are about to submit the isn't full of expletives....
The cheap chilli camera is fine, I helmet mount with elastic and it's stable, visible and accessible
are there any sensibly (or ideally low) priced cams that can be used in both the car and the bike
Yep, the £30 one i posted about on another thread, if Sportpursuit still have em. has a mount which could be stuck on the dash
Just checked, Vupoint, its called - they still have the pink one - now only £25. bargin!
I decided dual-purpose would be a right pain - not least because the car one should just be there all the time and turn on with the ignition. so have ordered a Chilli Tech mkII for the bike and will look into car dash cams separately. Fingers crossed the Chilli tech units are good.
If your budget stretches to it the GoPro max is an option, gets you 360 video but the battery only lasts about 90 minutes so you have to be careful to turn it on when you need it if on a long ride. Also you need to have enough space on the SDcard so you have to keep deleting it. Have a look at videos that Jermey Vine posts and it gives good coverage.
The fly 12 is good as the battery lasts 5-6 hours and overwrites over the oldest files so is pretty much fit and forgot, apart from charging.
I kind of decided I needed the 360 after someone basically failed to see me on a roundabout, my fly12 did not pick up anything useful as it was largely to my side.