Which cameras, front and rear, for road bikes

After many years of incident free riding on the road, some recent events have sadly got me thinking about recording my rides, just in case something does go bad. Seems a bit of a common theme on the forum this morning too.

So what cameras do folks use? Decent battery life would be good. Easy to operate, one button push at start of a ride. Doesn’t need to record the whole ride either, a loop of the last 30 mins or something like that would be fine.

I’ve seen the Fly6 and that looks good for the rear. I’d get a Fly12 for the front but already have decent lights. Maybe one of the small gopro under the bars? A helmet one is probably the sensible choice but I’d rather something a bit more discreet.

I’ve got a mk1 Fly6 – still going, and footage is pretty good.

I’ve also recently got a go pro session for my birthday. It’s mounted is under the bars. The footage can be a little hard to see on a phone (number plates are a struggle) but is fine on a PC.

I’m using the Fly6 and Fly12. Can’t fault the former, and the only fault with the latter is the flaky accompanying app (and the fact that you’re paying a huge amount more than the Fly6 for that functionality).

But they both do exactly what you want (push the button and ride, loop recording) and there’s no reason to be put off by the Fly12 just because you’ve got other lights. I’ve got other lights, too, but the one on the Fly12 is basically just a nice free backup (although I do use it as my sole light on the Brompton).

I don’t know of much, if anything, that can compete on battery life with the Fly12. That’s a compelling factor for me, YMMV, but there’s plenty of (cheaper) competition in the sub-2hr daily commuter market.

Aldi had some rear light / cameras last week for £40
https://www.aldi.co.uk/camera-and-bike-light/p/079004160072600

Been feeling the same as you OP. I agree it’s sad that we have to think like this.

I got one of the Aldi ones, mine is still in the box but user reports seem favourable.

Quick google and the RoadHawk looked good until I saw 90 min battery life. Anything like that but better battery?

Fly12, well I’ll have a look. How accurate is the 10hrs battery if used just as a camera? And the price 🙁 I wonder if I could mount a second Fly6 on the front and run it with the light off?

I don’t mind having to recharge it after every ride but I’d want at least 3hrs battery life.

Reviews of the Aldi one not great, think I’d rather pay extra for the Fly6.

I wonder if I could mount a second Fly6 on the front and run it with the light off?

I has LEDs which run round the lens and can’t be switched off if the camera is running, and also is designed to fit on a seat tube so you’d need some custom mounting solution.

I has LEDs which run round the lens and can’t be switched off if the camera is running, and also is designed to fit on a seat tube so you’d need some custom mounting solution.

Mounting probably not too bad, could hack and superglue on a gopro mount probably. Shame about the always on lights.

The little GoPro Session ones looked good but then read on here that they don’t loop properly and are a bit of a faff to use.

Fly12, well I’ll have a look. How accurate is the 10hrs battery if used just as a camera? And the price I wonder if I could mount a second Fly6 on the front and run it with the light off?

I think I get about 8 hours out of it, which is disappointing given the claim (though, curiously, I think I get more than the claimed life out of the Fly6) but still class-leading. Yes, the price is a bit eye-watering. Wiggle had them cheap(er) recently, not sure if they still do.

As above, I think mounting a Fly6 to the front is a bit of a non-starter.

The little GoPro Session ones looked good but then read on here that they don’t loop properly and are a bit of a faff to use.

I use mine daily on my commutes for the very reason you suggest, piece of piss to use.

I tried various eBay specials but they all fail sooner or later (usually sooner), not always record relaibly, and usually crap in the dark. Bought the cheapest GoPro a few years ago – the £99 one – any not looked back. Mounted on helmet. Lack of looping not an issue, I run a big SD card and erase vid every time I charge it. Set up for one-button on/off.

Sometimes wonder about adding something for the rear too though and not sure what to use.

Fly 6/12. The looping facility will more than compensate for your other front light. Fly 12 has a Joystick like beam pattern. I use it with a Mk2 Strada.

Fly 6 is a lump, but is fit and forget. The new one without bracket is even better. Fly 12 App is awful, as is the times when it decides it wants wifi mode because I pressed the wrong button. The back buttons are designed for Australians with mitts not winter gloves. But I still like it. It lasted six hours on flashing yesterday.

You may be interested to learn that when something REALLY did go wrong last year, my Fly 6 footage was used to exonerate our club at the inquest after my club mate was killed by a pothole collision on our group ride.

I’ve got the Aldi one.

Two issues for me
– the seatpost mount isn’t great. Just a velcro strap. It’s very easy to knock it out of place.
– video quality is rubbish. It’s grainy, blurry, v poor in low light. It’s just about acceptable in an emergency providing it’s not too bumpy.

It looks like it’s been manufactured very cheaply as the alignment doesn’t look great on the lens so some may be better than others.

I might take mine back.

Looks like a Fly6 for the back then.

Shall have a closer look at the small GoPro for the front being half the price of the Fly12. What’s the battery life like? Google seems to suggest 2hrs which isn’t great for me.

TiRed, I’ll have a good look at the Fly12, if you recommended it then it’s probably good for me as we usually seem to have very similar requirements! Sorry to hear about your clubmate, awful experience that, remember reading your posts from a while back.

With the Fly12 app, how often do you have to endure it? Is it just when you want to view some footage or change the setup? I could probably live with that.

Would have been useful to have the Fly6 a few months back when I got side swiped into a ditch on a wide straight road by an overtaking car. Driver was very concerned and apologetic… until the cops turned up, at which point he started claiming I swerved out into his path. Cops seemed uninterested and said it was my word against his (despite witnesses in the two cars behind backing me up 🙄 )

Notice the RoadHawk has an optional external battery that takes it up from 90 mins to over 4hrs. Cheaper than a Fly12. Quite tempting.

FLy 12 is a tool, when I use it as per the Fly 6, it’s OK. Has let me down on two occasions and a reset works. It’s almost certainly user error. But I’d prefer a simple Fly 6 user experience.

Anyway here some Fly 12 footage -scroll to 4 minutes 🙂

Pretty good. Sod it, think I might just go for the Fly bundle. I’d rather pay the cash and get something designed for purpose that works well (at least most of the time!)

With the Fly12 app, how often do you have to endure it? Is it just when you want to view some footage or change the setup? I could probably live with that.

You need the app to change settings (eg to tell it which of the dozen or so light modes you do/don’t want to cycle through, etc) but that’s done via its Bluetooth connection, which is a little more reliable than its wifi connection, and you don’t need to do it often.

If you want to look at, edit or save video via your phone or tablet, it has to fire up the wifi connection, which is unreliable at best. On the occasions you can actually get it to connect, previewing video is like trying to intercept enemy military transmissions from halfway round the globe: the image frequently stutters, glitches, or degenerates into motionless grey soup.

However, you can just do what you do with the Fly6: pop the card out and stick it in a computer.

FWIW I’ve found that the iOS app is marginally more successful in connecting but is unpleasant to use, whereas the (completely different) Android app is a little nicer but almost never connects. Neither have seen much in the way of updates in the last 12-18 months that I’ve used them, AFAICR.

Anyway, unless you’re itching to upload something when you get to work, you almost never have to endure it. Thankfully 😉

Full review here, BTW: http://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/review-cycliq-fly-12-front-light-and-camera/

I’ve been using a Drift Stealth 2 for about 18 months (about £80, I think). It needs recharging about once a week (total riding time of about 3 hrs) and when not being charged lives in a bike locker year round (in Aberdeen). I baulked at the price of the Fly12 ones, although do like the look of them. It loop records video, time stamps etc and pretty much starts up with one push of the button. I’ve just got an Aldi Fly6 rip-off, and it is about what I expected for £40. I’ll see how it does over the next few months (I’ve made sure to keep the receipt safe!)

one of the bike review website teasered a picture of a new version on the fly6 and 12. might be worth holding off to either get the latest or see if the current versions prices drop.

Anyway, unless you’re itching to upload something when you get to work, you almost never have to endure it.

I would have thought it was advisable to view at least a sample of the recorded footage regularly, e.g. weekly. Otherwise there is a risk that if the unit develops a fault, you might not know about it until an incident did ocur and you wanted/needed the footage of that incident.

But you can still do that without having to use the app. In fact it’s probably quicker not to.

I’ve been using a gopro session on the front for about a year, I’d go with the Cycliq bundle.

Lack of looping is a huge PITA, and the battery only lasts me one ride.

Wouldn’t want to use the Cycliq on the MTB though so the Gopro wins there.

Fly 6 and 12 can’t be faulted, and I also have a Drift Stealth 2 on my helmet.

The one problem with the Fly 12 on a commuter bike is the hassle of attaching it to the bike with its GoPro mount. I got round that with an Exposure handlebar bracket and an Exposure GoPro QR mount – with this combo I can attach and remove it in an instant.

But you can still do that without having to use the app. In fact it’s probably quicker not to.

So you do it almost always by removing the card? Forgive my ignorance, is the removal of the card, insertion into a laptop, and then re-insertion into the Fly unit going to cause problems if it’s done as frequently as, say, once a week (are the unit’s fastenings and the card designed for that much physical wear and tear)?

Also, I expect the rear unit is sheltered from rain by the bulk of the rider/saddle and their forward motion, but doesn’t rain obscure the lens of the front unit? I would have thought that a small visor or lens hood on the front unit would be a good idea.

I’ve used the Exposure Go Pro mount – too much play in the system. You must have some smooth roads! I sooo wanted it to work, but the mount needs to be metal not plastic.

Bez’s experience with the Fly 12 app is the same as mine. It’s too smart for it’s own good. You can only sync Strava metrics with an Iphone as it needs wifi and a second connection (3G). I never remove the cards, I just plug the lights into my laptop USB.

I’ve set up my light modes with the iOS app, and then basically gave up on it. I just plug it into my laptop! There are 10 modes(off, then low/med/high and solid/intermed/flash)

I have:
off
low flash – daylight running
med intermed – surprisingly good in the dark, esp with old Strada
high solid – Joystick mode

I’d rather like a saddle rail mounted Fly 6, and the same user experience for the Fly 12. It’s not quite there, but they are the right tools for the job.

Some left-field suggestions…

Samsung galaxy s5 using the ‘auto-guard’ app.

Afaik, it detects a collision and uploads the video to YouTube.

This case should be good. Mind the lanyard…

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/232053441415

There’s also those garmin ‘out front’ type twist-on mounts to glue onto the back of the case.

I flagged up the galaxy s5 because you can easily swap the battery, and the cameras very good.

Polaroid cube plus. Image stabilisation.
I used mine in a newmowa aftermarket case and I was impressed with the footage. Battery life would have been better if I hadn’t left the wifi on.

I’ve no experience of polaroids own mounts, so can’t comment on how securely they hold the unit, but maybe use the handlebar mount on the seatpost???

I’ve used the Exposure Go Pro mount – too much play in the system. You must have some smooth roads! I sooo wanted it to work, but the mount needs to be metal not plastic.

Disappointing as I’ve a couple of exposure mounts in the spares box.

I’d rather like a saddle rail mounted Fly 6, and the same user experience for the Fly 12. It’s not quite there, but they are the right tools for the job.

Does seem to be the case.

Polaroid cube plus. Image stabilisation.

I’ve heard that the GoPro cube thing is better at pretty much everything.

Samsung galaxy s5 using the ‘auto-guard’ app.

An interesting idea, but sounds like a bit of a faff, I really just want something simple that’s designed for the job.

I’ve used the Exposure Go Pro mount – too much play in the system. You must have some smooth roads! I sooo wanted it to work, but the mount needs to be metal not plastic.

Is the play between the Fly unit and the plastic bracket, or between the plastic bracket and the triangular slot on the handlebar mount?

If the latter, you might be able to eliminate the play by adding some electrical tape to the plastic bracket to make it a tighter fit in the triangular slot. I have two plastic brackets for my Joystick, one of which is a slightly loose fit, so there can be some variation in the fit of the brackets.

I’ve used the Exposure Go Pro mount – too much play in the system.

The roads round here (Oxford) are rubbish, and it’s never been a problem. I’ve also used it off-road without any trouble (I’m a feeble cross-country pootler, not a downhill gnarler).

I think slowster has the answer – there can be quite a bit of variation between the brackets. I really don’t have any play on those I have now, but had a previous one that left the light/camera wobbling quite a bit. I know the Exposure lights have metal feet on them, but I’m happier with a plastic adapter as that would presumably be the bit that fails in a crash.

I’m the same as TiRed on the app – I used it once to set up the light options, but haven’t touched it since. I just plug the whole thing into my laptop when I want to see the files, which charges the camera at the same time. Very easy.

@mrblobby

I heard that the Polaroid cube outperforms the session!!!

As for the Samsung, merely a case of downloading the app…

I’ll need to take a closer look at ‘auto-guard’. I’m pretty sure it features a navigation function.

And the Samsung has faff-free connectivity to your Bluetooth or Ant+ speed/ cadence sensors.

If the latter, you might be able to eliminate the play by adding some electrical tape to the plastic bracket to make it a tighter fit in the triangular slot. I have two plastic brackets for my Joystick, one of which is a slightly loose fit, so there can be some variation in the fit of the brackets.

Latter. I added a topeak instant patch, I’ll try the electrical tape. The Go pro clamp is always rock solid.

I’ll try the electrical tape.

I’ve just tried it myself with my loose bracket (I haven’t bothered with it before, because I use my other bracket). A small piece of tape about 3mm x 3mm placed in the centre of the V shaped recess which forms the base of the ‘triangle’ and which the sprung clip presses against should do it (maybe two pieces on top of one another if it’s very loose).

Let us know if it works for you. I’ve been thinking about getting cameras myself, and it would be ideal if the front would fit on the Exposure quick release mount.

I had a Polaroid Cube for a while. I actually really liked it, although the battery life was quite short and the image quality wasn’t sharp enough—but I’d expect the Plus to fix that. It’s a fun bit of kit. But there are probably better choices for the OP’s requirements.

The Cube mounts really well like this:

One new 10p piece, 2g of Sugru, one Garmin Edge mount. Presto, a Polaroid Cube bar mount. Thanks @ffflow for the tip https://t.co/iZlRoVNk0d

— Bez (@beztweets) November 27, 2014

I’ve been thinking about getting cameras myself, and it would be ideal if the front would fit on the Exposure quick release mount.

I would imagine a Go Pro Session would be fine – the Fly 12 is quite a lump by comparison. My original solution worked for a while. In fact, my first bracket was such a poor fit, I contacted Exposure and they sent me another free of charge. It was better, but nothing like as solid as my Strada.

If I could mount a metal bracket I would be very happy indeed. I have quite a few go pro mounts from my Powerpods, but much prefer the Exposure system.

Session looks good – just to add you can get a stem cap mount for Go Pros, so that would be good with a Session.
I have a Shimno cam mounted there and its a good mounting place. Shame the Shimano has such a poor picture quailty.

Added some gorilla tape to the base and front edge of the exposure Go Pro mount and it feels more solid than the previous patch. Tuesday is fixed club ride night. So i’ll give it a 100km shake down to see how it survives. Not sure how much I trust it mounted under the bars though.

We shall see.

Worked like a treat. 108 km this evening on low flash then medium intermittent. Never missed a beat, always rock solid. And mounted upside down too. Delighted. Two beeps when I turned it off back home.

Mr B, buy the 12 and you can have my spare mount. Then you can swap with your Strada as desired.

One thing I don’t like about my Fly12 – keeps me from using it on a lot of rides – is it’s just plain heavy, which I notice in bike handling. Does anyone else find this?

Mr B, buy the 12 and you can have my spare mount. Then you can swap with your Strada as desired.

Off the bike for a couple of weeks post op but once back on I’ll drop you a mail 🙂

Re the weight, is it much heavier than a Strada, which is already quite a lump. I notice it initially on rides but doesn’t bother me. Wonder if you could get a fork crown mount for it? Might drop in on the guys at RaceWear and see what they do.