Having seen this
I'm not going to have a driver try to kill me and walk away without any consequences. I've had a couple of deliberate close passes in the past year on country roads and around town and I've had enough.
My wife has also started cycle commuting and I'd like her to be able to record too.
Ideally;
1) front and rear view
2) single on/off switch even if it's multiple devices/lenses - motion detect for start/stop even better.
3) good battery life - commuting for 40 minutes a day for a week between charges
4) not helmet mounted - my wife rides with a front rear helmet lamp and a camera would just add more weight.
There are dedicated bike lights with cameras.
https://road.cc/content/review/257830-cycliq-fly6-ce-camera-and-rear-light
Only problem appears to be the rear one dies if it gets so much as splashed with water (loads of bad reviews online from people whose camera died after one ride in the rain).
Had a fly 6 for years and it never died in the rain. The brackets used to fail regularly, not the light. In fact Cycliq gave me a replacement when I lost mine. My Fly 12 is however bricked. They asked too much of the 12 software and should have kept it as simple as the 6. When it worked it was great. If a little heavy.
The 6 is also a good rear light.
A looping GoPro would be fine too on the bars. I’m more interested I what’s behind, personally.
That story is horrible! 🙁
People can be vile. ****ing coward.
Had a fly 6 for years and it never died in the rain.
Interesting, I almost bought one, then read the reviews on Amazon..
I’ve used the first two incarnations of the Fly6 (so not the CE) extensively and they’ve been very reliable and generally well-designed (other than the rubber ladder straps eventually breaking). I do use mudguards, though.
As above, they were far too ambitious with the Fly12. That said, mine works fine other than the hopeless phone app and Bluetooth/wifi functionality, and you can still just take the card out and get at the files that way. I would think the CE models fall into the over-ambitious trap, too.
I haven’t used them much recently but I recall they end up in awkward file formats.
If you can get an earlier model Fly6 I’d recommend it; the Fly12 is harder to recommend but I don’t know what else has come along since in terms of a “turn it on and forget about it” way of working.
I know at least one person with a fly 6 and 12 and they do five figure annual milages with them and still recommend then.
If they could run off a dynamo id be interested, but I hate charging batteries enough as it is. Phone, garmin, lights, cameras. I quite like just grabbing my dynamo'd gravel bike and just going for a ride!
For simplicity, id rather a 360 camera on my helmet, at least that comes indoors to be charged after a ride.
For simplicity, id rather a 360 camera on my helmet, at least that comes indoors to be charged after a ride.
This, or even under the stem would probably capture enough sideways/behind you too.
New GoPros announced today, which includes a new 360 one.
I have the Fly 6 / 12 CE combo.
They are pretty good, give good footage.
Battery life is mediocre - I can probably get 6 hours out of them if I have it on the low flashing setting, but that means a charge every week or so for me (I don't go into work every day, and I often get the train home). They will "fast charge" if you have a charger capable of that. I usually charge at work and it's done before lunchtime on a normal charger.
If I'm taking the long way home (i.e out for 4 hours or so) I have to put it on a low setting to be sure of getting home.
I use a mudguard, otherwise the 6 gets covered in road crap. water ingress has not been an issue.
File formats on the CE are "normal" mp4s now - not some weird mp4/avi wrapped bundle any more.
The only gripe with the App is that it only connects to one or the other at the same time
Those reviews on Amazon are at least a year old, and don't reflect my experience.