Helldorado

Lets discuss cycling with a video camera. Do you wear a helmet cam or a handlebar cam or a chest cam? Does it make you feel safer? Have you ever recorded something that helped you in any way? Would you recommend a certain camera brand or model to a newbie (like me)?

Bmach

I don’t, it would not make me feel safer. It would just maybe help after the fact.

Gyro

Gopro 6, handlebar. Safer no. It 's not going to save me from problems I may run into, in court later, maybe.

Yes, I like to do dark night time-lapse or look back at something I found unusual during the ride.

texbiker

I video record portions of my ride but not for safety purposes. I have a website (see my signature below) and write about my riding experiences (among other things). I create a video and upload to YoutTube. I use 2 GoPro cameras, Hero 7 Black and Hero 7 Silver. The Silver is my hand held camera and the Black is usually mounted below my Bolt computer out front. I also mount the Black on my helmet, not on top but on the front. After the ride I edit the video using the Garmin VirB Edit program to connect GPS data to the ride video. The program can insert gauges in an overlay on the video. You can see today's video at this link: In the video you can see at the beginning the Black is mounted on my helmet. Tomorrow I will mount it below my bike computer.

There are cheaper cameras and I tried one but I want to record audio with the video during the ride rather than voice over after the ride. The GoPro Black does a good job of that using a GoPro mic adapter. The cheap camera I tried didn't record the audio good enough to understand.

roundypndr 

I have a couple of stealthy Contours, one is mounted pointing forward, on the left side of the head tube, the other is pointed aft, and is mounted on the left side of my rear pannier carrier frame. The video cameras have been very helpful in garnering better detailed information, should an incident occur that I would need to contact law enforcement.

mcours2006

I video record my commutes and solo rides on the road with bar and saddle cameras. When in group rides, off-road trail rides, I don't bother. Doesn't make you safer. It doesn't make me feel any safer, but in case something happens and there are no witnesses, the video footage is good for that.

BobbyG

I've been recording for 6 years with a helmet cam, which can record events to the side and slightly behind, like a menacing car, if I turn my head I haven't had a major incident yet, so it has not been helpful with that.

What is has been helpful with is making me a better rider, as early on I discovered that any outbursts and over-reactions were rather ugly. Also I get to document and share the joy of bike commuting and other rides.

https://www.youtube.com/user/bgvideo62/playlists

CargoDane

Seems like a lot of faff for very little benefit (except maybe) for a a potential court case. And even that seems like it would take luck too to prove anything.
I do see videos sometimes of someone pointing to their camera and saying "You're on video", making the other person retreat. I guess I could make a dummy camera or find some old non-working for the same effect if I got into enough confrontations to warrant that (which I don't).

I-Like-To-Bike

Bringing a camera to a potential fist, tire iron, knife or gun fight with an enraged stranger on the street and pointing the device as if it were a defensive weapon may not be such a good idea.

The someone having a camera (or phone or fake camera) pointed at them and told that "You're on video" may not necessarily be intimidated and retreat, but rather may become more enraged and even provoked to at best break the camera or phone, or do something worse.

CargoDane

I haven't given that part much thought, I must confess. I don't have an "action" camera. I rarely even take still photos of anything.

Daniel4

I have a helmet cam and a rear view cam. If there are no incidences during my ride, I erase the videos. I have used captured images to report bad driving of commercial vehicle drivers to their employers.

Out of curiosity, I watched the videos taken by the rear-facing camera on busy streets to see what motorists actually do when they approach me from behind. I am quite pleased that they follow at a safe distance and change lanes when it's safe for them to do so. I haven't been bullied on the road for a long-long time since I started wearing my cameras. It could be the awareness that Covid has done to make bicycling very popular or it could be that over the past few years, motorist have grown comfortable and more acceptance of cyclists on the road with them.

Chistophe516

1, Chest
2. GoPro Hero 4
3. Absolutely
4. Yes
5. My Gopro is several years old. They are up to the GoPro Hero 9, now. There are other cameras', if GoPro is not to your liking.

I-Like-To-Bike

I think it very unlikely that any motorist who stops to"discuss" a negative street encounter/incident with a cyclist, will think that the cyclist is not 100% at fault for whatever has the motorist riled up. It is 100%++ chance if the motorist has exited the car and approaches the cyclist for further "discussion." It is 100% chance that the motorist will consider the cyclist a jerk under these circumstances, with or without a camera, no matter how polite, sensitive, and classy the cyclist thinks he is.

Helldorado

please elaborate on 4.

CB HI

I have had drivers want to either argue or even physically fight until I pointed to the helmet camera.
I have had commercial drivers force me off the road and when I caught up to them at a traffic light and pointed to the camera telling them the video is going to the police and thier boss, they start appoligizing and begging.

I like a helmet mounted contour camera. The one I have:
https://www.amazon.com/Contour-ROAM2...052784&sr=8-34
Newer modles:
https://www.amazon.com/CONTOUR4K-Cam...052784&sr=8-13

Chistophe516

My recommendation is GoPro. But I know that other cameras' exist(not like Nikon, Minolta, etc.).
I have my camera on a Chest Mount Strap. So drivers' can't see my camera. Because, It is up to them to be stupid, or not.

noimagination

WTH is up with your use of apostrophes?
cameras' (2nd time, see your 1st post)
drivers'

It's not quite random, but I have no idea what you think you're doing with them. Normally an apostrophe at the end of a plural noun indicates the possessive (e.g. "My parents' house" is the house of both of my parents), but that doesn't make sense in this context. It seems that you want to indicate a plural, but that is easy in the cases of the nouns you're using (cameras = more than one camera; drivers = more than one driver; no apostrophe is needed for plurals) and people rarely mess this up.

Perhaps you're not a native English speaker?

Litespud

I run a Cycliq 6 rear camera. I got it mainly for dogs - if I’m chased and brought down by a dog, I want evidence of what it looked like and from what property it emerged, ‘cos someone’s getting sued. The camera’s less useful for cars as NC cars don’t have front tags, so there’s no guarantee of identifying a specific car coming from behind. Still, better than nothing. The most useful part of the camera is probably the pretty decent red strobe. The cycliq is a purpose-built bike camera - good battery life (~6 hr camera-only, ~4.5hr camera + strobe), looping over-recording of video, with the ability to save segments either by push button or automatically if the bike goes over, to prevent over-recording of specific incidents. They’re not cheap, though - IIRC it cost ~$250

BikeLite

i' love' apostrophies'

dragoonO1

I have a helmet camera and a tail camera pointing behind me mounted on the rear rack(s). I have also used handlebar mount hanging upside down, and as of this year I am using a 360° action camera on a shoulder mount.

It doesn't really make me feel safer, but I feel more prepared in case of a crash or other incident to know that I have evidence in support of my version of events.

I have used the handlebar mount and a cheap no-name action camera to record my own crash in a hit-and-run where I was struck from behind by a pickup truck. Because it was on the handlebar, it didn't capture the plate nor the driver, but the video was instrumental in multiple insurance claims and for the responding police officer in his incident report. I purchased a new camera and mounted it to my helmet after this hit-and-run, so the camera records where I look. I also added the tail camera after the crash.

I have used the videos I recorded while riding my bicycle to report 2 traffic incidents to local PD. The drivers in both cases sideswiped me out of the adjacent bike lane while I was present, forcing me to swerve out of their path. Both drivers were identified and issued a warning after the officers reviewed the video(s).

I have also used the videos recorded while driving a car to support auto insurance claims when I was rear-ended, because I use the same cameras as dashcams.

I like Sony brand action cameras due to their low-light video performance, high bitrate, video and color quality, image stabilization, and frame rate. Sony cameras have short battery life, so I carry spares and have a charger. Yes, that's a hassle. Go Pro Hero Black 5 & up are solid performers, and I'd probably recommend them. I would consider the GoPro Max & Fusion for my own use, but I would recommend the Black line in general.

The 360° camera is very useful and it's pretty neat, but it's more difficult to manage the video files for editing and so forth. I use a Xiaomi MiSphere, aka: MADV Madventure 360/Mijia, a Sony FDR-X3000, and a Xiaomi Yi Lite(rear came on bike and rear window in the car).

Chistophe516

No disagreement about Mexico. While using a Chest Mount Strap position, might give the impression video inaccuracy. ATST positioning the camera on the helmet, while the main intention of the camera(and possibly a better viewpoint). The problem I saw in a number of videos'. Was that, along with a stationary camera position, it necessitates ducking even further. If a cyclist had to duck for any reason. A cyclist could 'clothesline' themselves', courtesy of how secure the camera is to the helmet. Lastly, The helmet position(as opposed to Chest or Handlebar), causes the video to almost make the viewer feel like. They were in a washing machine. Because of how the cyclist turns their head. That is why I have a Chest Mount Strap. So, I can position the angle of the camera, at plate level.


English is my first language, even though I was born in Germany.

https://www.elc.edu/grammar-lesson-s...sessive-nouns/

CargoDane

Not to start a fight, but that was not how you used it:

That's not plural possessive. Whereas sentences such as "Most cameras' batteries" or "drivers' heads" are.

Leisesturm

"The crux of the biscuit is in the apostrophe" -Francis Vincent "Frank" Zappa

Notso_fastLane

It's more common than you might think, but certainly a tiny fraction of actual riding that gets recorded. There are a fair number of videos on the Cycliq site that state that charges were later filed based on the video evidence.

Chistophe516

Another reason(but not the main reason) that I use a Chest Mount Strap. Is that, the abdominal region of the body absorbs the shaking caused by road conditions, better than the head. The head is not as stable and can still shake.