dgasmd

A few weeks ago, I bought a CountourHD helmet cam. Mostly to record my kids on neighborhood bike rides and such. It has worked great so far for that, but I also used it this past weekend to record off and on during a century ride. It certainly has its +/-, like everything. Although they seem to be very popular in other sports, I have not seen anyone else using them in cycling. Fredilicious? Maybe so, but it seems to me as it would be awesome for races, long rides, rides during trips, etc.

Anyone else out using them? Which model/make are you using? Battery life? Memory size/length of video time? Do you just store your videos in your computer/discs or do you upload them all to some web site?

Hot Potato

Check out the commuting forum. They take a bleary ride to work, speed it up a bit, add some music, then argue endlessly about lane position, stop signs, and traffic situations.

celticfrost

Ask/pm carpediemracing to see what he uses. He's got some pretty good bike videos posted here and at sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/ .

big john

Here is a video my friend made on Saturday. It's 50+ minutes compressed down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6XwRyGvyBI

carpediemracing 

i try and record rides/races. My current setup:


Camcorder, records image seen by the helmet cam.


Helmet cam (from chasecam.com, excellent customer service) and 8 x AA batteries. I now use Lithium batteries, which are much lighter and more reliable. The helmet cam will go for approx 12 hours on a set of batteries.

Full description of current setup:
https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...elmet-cam.html

With the above setup I record to DV tapes. I've yet to delete or erase a tape that I "like", and this includes a few tapes I think are marginal (meaning there's no compelling story in the tape, like sitting up at the bell).

I've kept every tape, and I also keep the file on the computer (1-1.5 GB per tape). I even have back-ups - 3 or 4 different computers.

I got a more digital camcorder that will record incoming video (i.e. act as a VCR). However, that camera is less than reliable - the signal keeps cutting out, and on the Canon it works fine. I wanted to be able to record a 4-7 hour ride non-stop, and the digi camcorder would allow me to record about that in HD. Then I could just buy SD cards and save all the GB of data on hard drives.

I'd like to get a VHoldR, all-in-one kind of thing, but I can't afford it. Or two or three, which is what I'd want. I also don't know if helmet/bike cams will be legal in 2010, so I'm afraid of buying anything just yet. USAC has been pushing hard to make cams illegal. I have no idea why because cams can really help clarify what happened in an incident.

After the race incident earlier this year, I decided that, ultimately, I want to record all rides (races and solo/group rides) and drives (i.e. driving my car). I just bought a rig to set up an SD based camcorder in my cars, and I want to be able to have something similar for the bike.

cdr

dgasmd

Wow, you do get the price on the recording time dept. (12 is a lot). I do think that is a lot of stuff to pack, rig, and carry though. At least for me though.

The main pains in the ars I have found so far with mine are the following:

1. The camera lens rotate by hand to accommodate the angle the camera is fixed. This is great as you can fix the camera in any way. However, there is no way of checking what the camera is pointing at unless you take it down, download the video to the computer, and see it. Then, you have to adjust it again based on that, and so on....... It can take several times (time consuming) to get it perfect. I am short in the patience department.

2. The holders supplied are terrible to place on a road helmet. With all the vents it is difficult to find a spot where it would sit just right. I would have liked to put mine on the top of the helmet, but it was near impossible. Finally, I had to put it on the side of the helmet. It looked like it would become loose easily, so I drilled a couple of holes and put a zip tie to it. So far it has worked well.

3. The on/off button can be difficult to engage, especially to the on position if your hands are sweaty.

4. The sound is terrible at best. That is fine by me, but I can see how this could be a deal breaker if I was interested in hearing a lot of the sound.

5. Battery life is not that great, but I can't really see me doing several hrs of taping at one time.

Why would you want to tape/record every time you drive your car?

hairnet

This is what JoeyBike uses and his videos come out looking pretty good.

https://www.bikeforums.net/electronics-lighting-gadgets/456613-my-helmet-cam-setup-perfected.html

bike_boy

Yeah, JB uses a VholdR which is the model prior to the new ContourHD.

markieta

I will be using the HD Hero GoPRo
https://www.goprocamera.com/hdheropreview/

Can't wait! Taking it on our annual snowboard trip,
then recording races in the summer on the bike.

Chilled

toooooooooo funnnnyyyyyy!!!!!

daven1986

I will be getting a ContourHD for commuting - in the event of an accident I want proof in case of hit and run etc.

carpediemracing 

I tried to post this last night but had some issues with BF so just saved the text for today. Then I saw more responses

Last question first - I live in an area where stop signs are quite literally optional. We're not talking "rolling at 5 mph", we're talking tire screeching turns from a side road onto the main artery road, 25-30+ mph through a stop sign into a pretty busy road. I see a stop run like that virtually every time I drive to work, and my commute is 3 miles long. If I get creamed by some idiot like that, I want video evidence of it.

I actually talked to the Town Selectman (Selectwoman, actually), and she basically declined to increase enforcement of such minor traffic violations.

The other thing is that when I stop at a stop sign, I cringe because most people don't expect a stop, so they have to really slam on the brakes so they don't hit me.

Tailgating is another problem. Cars look like NASCAR packs, they're sometimes literally only 10-15 feet apart at 40+ mph in a 30 zone. This with lots of deer, bears (they're a big problem in town), etc, stuff that could pop out any second. Again, if I get creamed because I didn't want to slam into a deer or a bear, I want evidence of it.

This relates back to cycling to the crash earlier this year where someone took me out. I realize now that the guy who took me out wanted to get not two lanes over (3-4 feet) but three lanes over (5-6 feet). If he moved just 3-4 feet, he'd have ended up behind someone else. He swerved with no regard to whoever was around him, at reasonably high speeds (I was going 28 mph), in a pack of racers about 300 meters from the finish line, about 50 meters from the last turn on the course. In other words a very intense time of the race, one where everyone is really bunched together. (We were so bunched that another guy broke 4 ribs, and about 5-6 guys crashed hard enough to break equipment - all this in a group of about 15-20 riders).

He got together with his two teammates and they all agreed on a story. His teammates were the only ones who essentially swore (on the phone with a USAC appointed "fact finder") that the swerver "swerved to avoid someone else". Everyone else involved swore that the swerver swerved to get around two guy (after he elbowed one a few times, then yelled at the other to move otherwise he'd "go through" him - his words). I actually eased to see what would happen, plus I thought the left would open up (swerver was on the right curb).

Anyway, if I had the helmet cam on, it would have been pretty clear if someone had swerved, the actions leading up to the crash, etc. Since I actually don't remember the contact (I lost the moment of contact and the actual fall - I only remember the back of my helmet slamming into the ground), I couldn't declare even that he took me out. All the other guys around did though, and this wasn't the first time this guy did it.

Unfortunately he understands how things works (he's a race official, promoter, local association board member, etc) and he knew that two teammates agreeing on a story would make it impossible for him to be effectively penalized. As it was, he was allowed to finish up his season, and he'll be able to race normally next year.

So...

I want to wear a cam all the time. On the bike, so that I can record, even postumously if it's a car/bike thing, what happened. If it's my fault, so be it, but I don't want to take the fall for someone else's nonsense. In the car for the same reason, especially since I already own all the gear, and in a car there's no problem with battery life and such.

As it is, that bike crash cost me over $7k, and definitely wiped out my racing budget (for helmet cam gear, aero wheels, track stuff like frame or bike, etc) for my traditional winter "buy gear" time.

It's a bummer because, as I pointed out to my friends, I don't crash. I fell once when I unclipped a finicky pedal (which I super-loosened). Other than that crash in 2003 or so I'd have to go back 16 years or so to find another crash. And I focus on crits, and I've mixed it up in some pretty intense races. I play conservative in general, make moves when I can, and the last thing I want to do is fall. To be taken out like that wasn't good.

As far as the other things go:
1. The double cam, one recording, the other "seeing", allows me to check instantly what's being recorded.

2. The 12 hours is just for the helmet cam. The Canon, with extended battery, has been good for 1.5 hours, and the longest tape I have is good for 120 minutes I think. The other camera, the HD camcorder that uses SD cards, is allegedly good for 4-5 hours (battery and memory), but I haven't tested it yet for endurance. I'd like to use a solar panel (top tube, helmet, maybe even wear it on my back) and plug it into the USB or another slot so that I can extend the usable life of the SD card camcorder.

3. The extra gear is why I raced without the helmet cam in 2008. It was too much of a pain and the rechargeable AA batteries started fading hard. With the lithium batteries the helmet cam has more juice, punching the signal through to the camcorder much more reliably. The Li batteries are also much lighter so I stick them in my pocket (I used to use a Camelbak to carry everything). In 2009 I raced relatively often with the set up. It's not water proof so I can't dump water on myself if I'm using it. That has to be changed, or I need to use a much lighter set up that sits entirely on my helmet.

4. The helmet cam is 520 line, so it has good resolution. I have a wide angle lens, I think a 130 or so. That's necessary, else you end up with a "butt and ankle" cam. A 90 makes things look much closer though, so it'd be good for, say, drafting trucks. This is just a statement, not a response.

5. I have a powered mic on the thing but I still haven't figured out how to screen the wind effectively. Right now I tape over the mic and tape it in a pocket in the helmet (i.e. vent that ends up covered). It makes a ton of wind noise. I suppose a commercial wind block thing would help but I haven't bothered finding out. I think about how rock stars blow on the mic and it makes the same noise. I figure that if a pro can't get rid of that wind noise, I really can't either.

I used one to record some rides in CA. The lack of feedback (hard to see the blinking light) is not good. The mounts are nice albeit clunky. You MUST have the freshest most powerful batteries. I got 30-40 minutes out of new alkalines. If I were using one regularly I'd get lithium batteries.

See my first response. I'm with you.

cdr

Flash

I have an oregon scientific cam. It's definitely durable. I've had it under 12 feet of water, thrown it around, used it on the bike helmet and mounted it on a lacrosse helmet to record a scrimmage ;-). I taped a 40 minute scrimmage no problem, the batteries (AA I believe) are still pretty fresh.

works flawlessly but if not mounted properly, the shake is very noticeable in the results. 640x480 max resolution, 1 hour of video. I'm sure the newer cams will get you HD quality.

prathmann

Seeing this thread I figured I'd see how well video would work just using my old pt.&shoot digital camera. Recorded my trip to the local library to return some books. Nothing exciting, but I think the video came out ok. You can see the shadow of the camera mounted on the right side of my handlebars in some sections:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iH03lgvJWs

Looks like I could record for a little under an hour before needing to replace the memory card.

Chilled

Got mine in the mail today. Mounted it on the handle bars and did a couple of runs, uploads, editing and came to the conclusion that this is a great product.

https://www.driftinnovation.com/products.html

I'm almost looking forward to the next time I get hit by an imbicile behind the wheel!!

dgasmd

Well, after using the CountourHD helmet cam several times now, I have gotten a bit more used to it. The video is very good, but in not so bright days it does look a bit dark. The front lens rotates on its axis to be bale to aim it regardless of the body position, but the downside remains that you don't know if it is in the right spot that you want it until you download the video and see it. That can be extremely annoying and frustrating as you may turn the lens some as you dismount it from the helmet, so that by the time you download the video and see it, the lens is already in a bit of a different position. What I may do when I have the patience and time is glue the lens in place with a tiny drop of glue or wax, so I can remove it later if needed. The ideal thing on this camera would be to have a tiny screen to be able to see what you are pointing at or be able to rewind it a bit and see.

Regardless, I think for the price, size, and convenience this will be hard to beat any time soon.

Jynx

I am actually going to pick up a helmet cam since there are a lot of good deals now for the holidays. I am going for the Helmet Hero HD. A lot of the problems previously mentioned with battery life have been fixed. I was looking at the Contour HD but it is not as durable. It is only water resistant. The Helmet Hero is water proof to like 100 ft deep, and has a protective case for shocks and drops. I plan to mount it on the bars since cycling helmets probably wont be easy to attatch to.