I am using the helmet bracket & it will be attached to the top of my helmet. It is strictly a video camera only. As well as using it to video record my rides for fun, maybe I'll create a fun video set to music similar to a power point presentation.
But I'll also use it to document how traffic behaves when I ride. For example it should catch when a motorist passes way to close, cuts me off, etc. With this video footage I may show it to the police dept. to see if they feel it is necessary to monitor the traffic in the area I ride in, especially when I commute home through major & busy roadways in the industrial/commercial areas of my community.
Though this could be used to make the roadway safer for ALL users, it is mainly for my safety. As selfish as that sounds & probably is I need to ensure my safety on the roadways. I have been buzzed, brushed, crowded, cutoff, etc, by motorists on the roadways I ride on. I am doing everything I need to do to ride in a safe & legal manner. This includes, but is not limited to taking the lane & riding as far to the right as is practicable when neccessary, not to mention riding in a defensive manner & not riding like I'm invisible.
Granted the camers will be primarily for fun but who knows what I'll record when using it.
What do you think?
The BikeForums Team
-adv-
This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.
Sounds great to me. Plus you can show your non cycling friends what its like to ride.
fordfasterr
do it !!!
I want to watch the videos.
be sure to setup a youtube account - as that is the only way I can watch movies online with my Linux PC's....
LittleBigMan
Seems to me Noisebeam here on the forums tried this on his regular commute with good success. Posted it here, too. A bit bumpy. He had sound too. Kinda neat to watch. Go for it, dude.
Helmet Head
It's good that it's waterproof, but having the entire camera weight including the recording equipment on your helmet might be a problem.
You might be better off with something designed for this. See helmetcamera.com where only the camera is attached to your helmet, and all of the recording equipment is in a backpack or handlebar bag.
slowandsteady
Might be better to have it on your handlbars instead. Having it on your head could make for some nauseating videos. You probably move your head more than you realize.
genec
Might be better to have it on your handlbars instead. Having it on your head could make for some nauseating videos. You probably move your head more than you realize.
I have a feeling the vibration of the handle bar might make for even worse videos.
slowandsteady
I have a feeling the vibration of the handle bar might make for even worse videos.
good point
Might be good to try both and see what nets the best videos.
sbhikes
I think Al or whoever it was who showed us his videos had strapped it to his bike, to the head tube or somewhere on the front I believe. They came out ok with less vibration that you would think.
Helmet Head
LCI_Brian and his friend use dual helmet cams. They use road bikes with suspension to smooth things out. The results are outstanding.
noisebeam
Yeah, its me. Oh the handlebar - some vibration, but only degrades suffciently to not read plates when going over bumps. Tried the helment too, but that moves around enough to not make for easy to read signs either - that is you will have to not move your head like you normally do if you want a watchable video.
The field of view is narrow - not enough to show passing distance unless the vehicle holds line after passing.
You see so much more with your eyes!
Makes for fairly boring video too. I've take a lot of mine off server to save disk space, but there is still some there, I'll post links in a moment.
I videoed every commute in 2006, about 5% or so failed as unit unexpectedly shut off and didn't properly save resulting in corrupted video file. I stopped using it this year.
edit:
here is one with profanity at the end:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=3469314&postcount=94
these are reduced 2x in size and heavily compressed to save disk space. with the improved model of camera you will need to agressively do this as it uses 2x the frame rate.
Al
genec
LCI_Brian and his friend use dual helmet cams. They use road bikes with suspension to smooth things out. The results are outstanding.
I've seen the results and they are quite good. I thought it was more due to the quality of the cam, but I have no idea what they are using.
What kind of recording system do they have?
And as a side note... gee, if I could only document some of the idiots I rant about, eh?
N_C
do it !!!
I want to watch the videos.
be sure to setup a youtube account - as that is the only way I can watch movies online with my Linux PC's....
Already have one.
N_C
Seems to me Noisebeam here on the forums tried this on his regular commute with good success. Posted it here, too. A bit bumpy. He had sound too. Kinda neat to watch. Go for it, dude.
I can shut the sound off on mine, which I'll probably do because all you'll hear is the wind noise.
N_C
It's good that it's waterproof, but having the entire camera weight including the recording equipment on your helmet might be a problem.
You might be better off with something designed for this. See helmetcamera.com where only the camera is attached to your helmet, and all of the recording equipment is in a backpack or handlebar bag.
I tried more then one position before choosing to put it as dead center on the top as I can. This way the helmet is not off balance. I will check out the link, thanks.
straightedge
Have you had a chance to use it yet? Is the quality worth it? I know you usually get what you pay for, but is it at least acceptable? I've been looking for something decent like this for a while, I don't do enough video to justify spending a bunch of money a nice digital camcorder and taking video with my digital camera isn't the safest, riding one handed through traffic while trying to hold the camera steady with the other :eek:
Also, how is the quality in lowlight?
N_C
Might be better to have it on your handlbars instead. Having it on your head could make for some nauseating videos. You probably move your head more than you realize.
This will be trial & error. If it is to shaky on the helmet I'll move it to the handle bars & see how it looks there. The camera can record at 30 fps so I should be able to get pretty stable footage. Time will tell.
N_C
Remember I ride a recumbent. It is probably easier for me to keep my head still compared to a wedgie bike.
ghettocruiser
So is this to entertain fellow BF members with clips of local motorist antics, or to collect evidence for lawsuits? :D
ken cummings
I see the camera, I can see how to reduce vibrations, but I am not enough of a techie to visualize the roadworthy recording equipment. Could someone post a picture of the attached cables and recording equipment including the power supply? Or is it as simple as pluging it into a digital light weight movie camera? At the moment all I am channeling is the VCR under my cable box. Thanks.
There are a couple of monster descents around here that I would like to record and play back to relatives. Up to 12 miles, with pitches over 20%, and speeds over the old National Speed limit as possibilities.
N_C
Have you had a chance to use it yet? Is the quality worth it? I know you usually get what you pay for, but is it at least acceptable? I've been looking for something decent like this for a while, I don't do enough video to justify spending a bunch of money a nice digital camcorder and taking video with my digital camera isn't the safest, riding one handed through traffic while trying to hold the camera steady with the other :eek:
Also, how is the quality in lowlight?
I have used it, but not on the bike. While my wife drove our vehicle, I held onto the camera & recorded traffic, etc as we drove. I had it set on the highest possible resolution. With a 2GB card it only allows 1 hr of record time. The footage wasn't too bad. I did this in daylight, low light & after dark. Of course the daylight footage was better but the low light & darkness were better then I thought considering the camera rely's on what ever light is available.
N_C
So is this to entertain fellow BF members with clips of local motorist antics, or to collect evidence for lawsuits? :D
Yes. Except for maybe the lawsuits. :D ;)
noisebeam
Keep the sound on. The rare conversations I've had with fellow drivers have been great. Plus you can capture the honks and vehicle noise.
Al
bac
I have a feeling the vibration of the handle bar might make for even worse videos.
Bumpy roads can be blurry, but it's really not too bad. Wind noise is an issue. All these videos (not dial-up friendly) were shot with my Canon PowerShot S400 mounted to the tops of my bars with a simple u-bolt:
Keep the sound on. The rare conversations I've had with fellow drivers have been great. Plus you can capture the honks and vehicle noise.
Al
Al, have you tried posting any of your stuff on youtube? Just create an account named noisebeam! That should take care of all the incompatibility problems.
noisebeam
Al, have you tried posting any of your stuff on youtube? Just create an account named noisebeam! That should take care of all the incompatibility problems.
A while back I read the youtube requirements and the take away was before uploading I needed to convert to a format I didn't have a codec for at the time. I can revisit.
edit: i just uploaded the one i postd above.
edit2: here it is:
YouTube YwpJz438DyQ - Double Honk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwpJz438DyQ)
Al
noisebeam
I posted a few other videos on youtube - keep in mind the quality shown is not represenative of the output of the ATC-1000 - it has been size reduced and compressed by me, then reconverted (size expanded and compressed) by youtube. That is not to say that the ATC-1000 quality is that great, its not just as bad as the uploaded videos.
Al
o-dog
I want to get one of those.
I hope it will fit on my handlebar.
Helmet Head
Nevermind the quality, I can finally see your videos! Outstanding! I love the center lane usage to pass the bus. Many cyclists would not feel comfortable doing that. And you got a close pass not only twice in the double close pass video, but once in the longest honk video. Only thing I can suggest is keep monitoring in the mirror, looking back over your left shoulder and/or using the slow/stop hand signal when they are getting too close, and continue moving further left if they're still trying to squeeze in.
Oh and in one of those videos there is a classic sidewalk cyclist who crosses the street in a crosswalk (I didn't notice if it was marked) without even a hint of looking back over his left shoulder to check for potential right hooks (this is how sidewalk cyclists die). In fact, if you had been turning right you could have easily have hooked him yourself.
Great stuff!
Helmet Head
I want to get one of those.
I hope it will fit on my handlebar.
FWIW, Al's handlebar video is much more bouncy than the stuff LCI_Brian produces with a helmet cam wired to a video recorder in his handlebar bag on a bike specially outfitted for taking video (stem shock absorber, etc.).
N_C
A while back I read the youtube requirements and the take away was before uploading I needed to convert to a format I didn't have a codec for at the time. I can revisit.
edit: i just uploaded the one i postd above.
edit2: here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwpJz438DyQ
Al
Al,
From the footage in the video it looks as though you had the ROW, were riding where you were supposed to be, obeying the traffic alws, etc & were slowing down to stop or pass through an intersection. So why in the hell did the ******* motorist honk at you, twice no less? And it also sounds as if he or she yelled something at you & you maybe yelled something back. Is this correct? It is hard to tell because the audio is not the greatest.
Please explain a little more about the video & what happened & if possible why.
genec
I posted a few other videos on youtube - keep in mind the quality shown is not represenative of the output of the ATC-1000 - it has been size reduced and compressed by me, then reconverted (size expanded and compressed) by youtube. That is not to say that the ATC-1000 quality is that great, its not just as bad as the uploaded videos.
Al
Al are you tagging these all in some similar way so they are easy to search for on youtube?
The quality appears fine, and nearly as good as what you had posted previously. Oddly the audio seems to be what suffered the most.
noisebeam
Al are you tagging these all in some similar way so they are easy to search for on youtube?
The quality appears fine, and nearly as good as what you had posted previously. Oddly the audio seems to be what suffered the most.
I didn't even bother to check the audio after uploading - I'll do that in a moment.
tagging - any recommendations. I added some key words, but not consistently : cycling, bicycle, honk
genec
Nevermind the quality, I can finally see your videos! Outstanding! I love the center lane usage to pass the bus. Many cyclists would not feel comfortable doing that. And you got a close pass not only twice in the double close pass video, but once in the longest honk video. Only thing I can suggest is keep monitoring in the mirror, looking back over your left shoulder and/or using the slow/stop hand signal when they are getting too close, and continue moving further left if they're still trying to squeeze in.
So Helmet Head do you honestly believe that those motorists are treating Al as "the driver of a vehicle," and are doing all they can to drive well?
I don't notice the motorists honking at any other vehicles in their vicinity... they seem to be saving their "special attention" for cyclists only.
Al certainly seems to be adhering to the principal of acting like the driver of a vehicle.
Perhaps the motorists' "special attention" is due to some attitude Al is displaying, eh?
Al, you should stop acting like a wimp out there... as obviously demonstrated by your use of the center lane to pass a bus... ;)
noisebeam
Please explain a little more about the video & what happened & if possible why.
I explain it here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=3469314&postcount=94
As to why the driver honked, I can only assume - perhaps they were impatient or didn't believe cyclist belong on the road.
As I said in the link above, these kinds of honks don't really concern me from a safety perspective, they only annoy me long after the fact, say when thinking about it while typing on BF as it is a reminder of the poor way people treat each other.
Al
genec
As I said in the link above, these kinds of honks don't really concern me from a safety perspective, they only annoy me long after the fact, say when thinking about it while typing on BF as it is a reminder of the poor way people treat each other.
Al
Amen... it IS nothing more than inexplicable poor treatment... that some motorists seem bent on directing toward cyclists.
Obviously they saw you... sigh.
noisebeam
I posted a video to show what helmet cam view looks like in comparision.]
YouTube _hHPcNNGNBE - Truck with Trailer Passing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hHPcNNGNBE)
I monitored the truck in rear view mirror and gave slow/left arm signal continuously for quite a while before going left of the manhole cover. I didn't see it as a serious concern as the driver moved further left and I did not look back to make eye contact. The driver passed his truck with fine clearance, but pulled right too soon so the trailer got close.
(HH - no need to provide 'constructive' feedback on this one, thank you. But I do know you were curious what a helmet view looks like.)
Another funny thing is some of the other boring cycling videos I put up on youtube two days ago, but gave no links for on BF, have 10 or less views. This one has nearly 70 and rating (one star ;) ) after being up less than an hour. I suspect because it has the word 'trailer' in it and viewers are looking for movie trailers. I bet they are disapointed. ;)
Al
sbhikes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwpJz438DyQ
Happy f***in' Thanksgiving? Who said that, you or the guy in the car?
noisebeam
Happy f***in' Thanksgiving? Who said that, you or the guy in the car?
Me. Sorry if it offends. I said it in very late response to someone in the car telling me to get off the road - you can sort of hear that. Saying it was for my benefit only.
Al
SSIndyRider
Rather than boring others, I've thought of doing this for those rainy days or especially the cold winter days when I'm stuck on the stationary - would make the time pass better - visualizing a ride I normally ride and having markers in time. It'd be better if they could be distance encoded to be able to link to the stationary to simulate speeding up/slowing down with the video.
Asudef
Is it possible to set or hack one of these to clear it's memory every so often like when you're at a light just so that you could capture higher quality video and sound? I want to get something like this but having to trade video length with quality seems a poor trade off.
Maybe program it to record in 30min blocks or so and you can choose to save if something happened or hit a button to recycle that footage if nothing happened. That way you could have high-q video and only save what you need, maybe it's a dumb idea but if its possible...
genec
I posted a video to show what helmet cam view looks like in comparision.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hHPcNNGNBE
I monitored the truck in rear view mirror and gave slow/left arm signal continuously for quite a while before going left of the manhole cover. I didn't see it as a serious concern as the driver moved further left and I did not look back to make eye contact. The driver passed his truck with fine clearance, but pulled right too soon so the trailer got close.
(HH - no need to provide 'constructive' feedback on this one, thank you. But I do know you were curious what a helmet view looks like.)
Another funny thing is some of the other boring cycling videos I put up on youtube two days ago, but gave no links for on BF, have 10 or less views. This one has nearly 70 and rating (one star ;) ) after being up less than an hour. I suspect because it has the word 'trailer' in it and viewers are looking for movie trailers. I bet they are disapointed. ;)
Al
Hey in the longest honk video, was it the SUV that finally close passed that was the honker? Amazing that there did appear to be gaps in the left lane, yet the SUV chose to crowd you instead.