thrllskr

I got into a minor accident with no injuries to me nor damage to my bike. I called 911 and half way through the incident the Cops were going to give me a ticket for reckless driving, failing to yield to a turning vehicle, and some other BS that I don't remember. They were not going to issue a citation to the driver because he didn't do anything wrong. The accident details are not important for this post. The important thing is I have the entire incident recorded on my GoPro Hero 3+ which has Wifi. Rather than argue with the cops and the driver about what happened I pulled out my phone and connected to my GoPro and we all watched the video.

The result, the driver of the car was embarrassed because he was caught red handed lying about the incident. They gave him the ticket and sent me on my way. My GoPro cost me around $375 for everything, and my citation was going to be around $350.

What I learned, having a cam is good, but having a Wifi Cam is better. I would have had to go to court and the driver would not have been punished for what he did. You might save $300 on a less expensive cam but, proof at the incident is going to save time and money.

Has anyone ever had to go to court with video footage? What were the results? Any problems with insurance claims. Should I be on the watch for anything from this incident?

volosong

Wow, that's an amazing story. I got my second GoPro last year from Costco, (who always has some type of package deal for the stuff they sell). It came with a WiFi back and I was excited because I thought it would act as a secondary battery pack, thereby extending the recording time. Nope. So, I set it aside never to be used again. I did an internet search and found a place that still sold the BackPak for the Hero2 cameras and now have about 3.5 hours of recording time before I have to switch batteries.. Reading your story, it looks like I should pack the WiFi back when I ride. You just about recovered the cost of your camera. Good that you were not hurt...nor the bike. Well done.

p.s. Can't address your specific questions. Just want to thank you for the 'head's up'.

Cyclosaurus

Good idea, glad you avoided an expensive ticket. An option for someone using a non-wifi camera who has a compatible Android phone, is to get an OTG (on-the-go) SD reader (<$10). You can just pop the card out of the camera and into the reader and view the footage.

TrojanHorse

I'm -> <- that close to getting some sort of camera. The current leader is the mobeus, mostly because it's dirt cheap and I can get a fistful of them for the price of one go pro but your story about live reviewing the footage ... although the on-the-go reader tip is solid too.

Why, why, why are the cops always adversarial to cyclists? You should have plenty of them in Denver too. We have similar issues with sheriffs in southern california. Frustrating.

thrllskr

I was hoping that I would never need a camera on my bicycle but, I do. We all know why they target the cyclist and all we can do is prepare ourselves for their ignorance and lack of "protection and serving." If you cannot play the video live somehow, you might want to rethink why you are going to be using it.

TrojanHorse

That's solid advice. I just ordered my mobeus (I'm thinking of getting some for use as dash cams too in my cars but I'll try one out first), and the media appears to be an SD card, so I'll have to try one of those OTG readers. I also want to get a little external battery pack so it lasts longer than an hour or whatever - not much point in having a camera if it's off or the battery is dead.

Thanks for posting your story today.

thrllskr

Keep me posted on the Mobeus. I would consider getting one of those to catch video from the rear.

volosong

I recently purchased a K-Edge seat rail mount for a rear-facing GoPro. It's solid, but I lose the ability to carry my seat bag, (spare tube, patch kit, tire irons, quick link, etc.). Also, the video is not nearly as interesting as it is from a forward-facing camera. Who wants to see where they went. Looking where you are headed is more exciting.

volosong

The Amazon listing shows it is a micro-SD card. That's good. At Costco, they cost less than the stamp-sized SD cards.

TrojanHorse

I think the idea is that you can catch the plate # for the jack wagon who ran you off the road. maybe.

The mobeus is tiny and since you're not really worried about production video quality, you could probably just strap it to your seat bag. I wouldn't want to ride without all my spares, that's for sure.

volosong

On that particular bike, I'm using a top-tube bag. Using a top-tube bag is supposed to be very Fred-like. I don't care. Like you say, don't leave home without it, (spare tube, irons, etc.).

Stupid me, I stripped the bolt and can't figure out how to remove the bracket. Not the bolt threads, like I normally do. I stripped the Allen-head hex at the top of the bolt. Maybe I could drill a slot using my Dremel and use a flat-blade screwdriver?

- - - - -

Do some test rides. I'd guess that a camera strapped to your seat bag will result in pretty jittery video. You are going to want something more solid/stable. Bags are going to "bounce" around a little bit.

TrojanHorse

something like this will let you back out your damaged bolt:

Alden 8530P Grabit Damaged Screw Remover 3 Piece Kit - Screwdriver Bit Sets - Amazon.com

as for video... yeah, i'll be doing plenty of experimenting. Of course, the thing won't get here for 6 weeks.

joeyduck

I have a Craftsman set like these and they are awesome for when your skills were not so awesome.