Anyone using Cycliq Cameras on their bikes?
 

I recently bought both their front and rear cameras. The rear is easily attached around the seat post with a Velcro strap. The front camera is a little trickier, at least for me. Instead of using a handlebar mount I was able to come up with a way to mount it under my Garmin bike computer. It took a little drilling and some small bolts with nuts and lock washers but it’s well fastened. Unfortunately I only have one of those mounts and 4 bikes which I ride. They sell a dual mount but it’s pricey. I would like to avoid moving the computer mount from bike to bike as well.

I took them out for the first ride yesterday. I was out there over 7 hours so neither camera lasted the entire ride. The rear camera lasted a lot less time as I was using it for both a camera and a rear flasher. When I realized how much the flashers were draining the rear camera battery I cut those off. Now I need to figure out how to use my regular rechargeable rear flashers in conjunction with the rear camera. Normally both are mounted in the same spot.

Fortunately I didn’t have any situations that warranted capturing video so I didn’t lock in any footage for storage on the SD card. I haven’t downloaded any footage as the batteries really needed recharging before I tried that. Next time I’m going to adjust the settings for maximum battery life to see how that goes. Specs call for the front camera to last up to 8 hours and the rear 7. I was pretty far short of that yesterday.

The cameras are made for cycling. The idea of having the cameras is two fold. You can lock in video footage so it’s not recorded over by pushing a button. If there should be a incident, like getting struck by a vehicle or crashing, the cameras will continue to record and lock in that footage.



https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...96b1669d0.jpeg
Front mount side view.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a641edd41.jpeg
Front camera under my Garmin.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4dd008d93.jpeg
Rear camera.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bbc6bd40e.jpeg
Rear camera side view, see the safety tether around the seat post?

I use a pair of Drift Ghost X video cameras, front and rear. Much less expensive (around $50-$75 depending on discounts and coupons) but reliable and weather resistant. Decent image quality and dynamic range for reasonably good nighttime light sensitivity. My older cameras could only make out the approximate shape of a vehicle at night. The Ghost X is much better than that.

The basic camera comes with a 5-hour battery that really lasts that long, and there's an optional 8-hour battery pack for $25.

The lens can be rotated so the proper horizontal aspect ratio is preserved in any position the camera is mounted. I suspect it's actually the sensor that's rotated internally.

Lots of options to set up to the user's preference. I set mine up in "car DVR" mode for 5-minute segments that eventually overwrite the earliest segments as the media card fills up. That's happened only a couple of times on longer rides. If I rode more than 5 hours more often I'd get the 8-hour batteries and 64 GB or larger media cards.

Man, I am glad you are asking this question. I have both cameras.

At the outset, let me say this: Great cameras. Criminally crappy mounts.

The rear camera is great. The only thing I don't like about it is that the ONLY place to mount it is to the seat post. The problem with mounting it there ... it only works if you don't have a large seat bag, and I have a large seat bag (it is where I store jackets and the like). But I use it for communting, and went with a smaller bag. That works great. And for my rear flasher? I mount a Cygolite on my rear seat stay on the left. That is a better place than the seatpost anyway (less light in the eyes of cyclists behind you).

The front camera? Dunno if it is great or not, because I haven't been able to use it. The handlebar mount it came with gets my nomination for the most inappropriately designed mount ever. The plastic is so cheap, and the design so flimsy, it came apart when I tried to mount it, and I was being gentle. It's made of plastic cheaper than the mounts you get with lights they give away for free. Utter crap. And get this ... a replacement is well over $20. The front light is fairly heavy ... it NEEDS a robust mount.

Cycliq sells a metal mount. But not only is it overpriced ($70 or so), it is also unavailable. Can't find one for sale.

So it sat on the counter for some months while I tried to figure it out. I found another metal mount ... something made by a third party. Only $15 or so, metal, and could be used to mount a GPS unit as well. Like the one you have pictured there, it has a mount on the top for the GPS and another mount on the bottom, where you can mount anything. Eureka! The Cycliq comes with a universasl mount (one side mounts to the headlight, the other can be screwed on something else ... just like your picture). So I mounted it that way.

But wait a minute. When I did that, it rattled on the mount. WTF. I check where Cycliq universal mount attached to the mount with screws, and that wasn't the source. No ... it was rattling because UNIVERSAL MOUNT CYCLIQ PROVIDES WITH THE LIGHT DOES NOT FIT SNUGLY WITH THE SPADE PORTION ON THE CYCLIQ LIGHT. That's right ... the pieces THEY provide do not fit well together. Being rather cheap plastic, I think it likely that that rattling (and not over all that many miles) will fracture the plastic, and the >$200 camera/light will fall to the ground.

Pretty much useless. So it is still sitting on the counter while I try to figure out where I can possibly mount it. I'm actually thinking my helmet might be the best place. As you can tell, I do NOT recommend buying one until CYCLIQ gets their act together with the mounts.

Totally agree. Except it doesn't even work with small seat bags:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/03...8=w644-h362-no

I switched to panniers so I could use it on my commute bike.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QL...A=w644-h371-no

Great information Vic!! My brother ran into the same issues and forewarned me about the front mount you've had trouble with. He had an earlier vintage with the metal mounts and continues to use those instead of the plastic ones. The front camera is pretty heavy, too. It really needs to have a secure fit.

I first attempted to use the plastic mount for the front bars you described and I can see how it would break. Interestingly I could not get the camera and the Garmin mounted together on top of the bars so I looked for another option. The cable housing interfered with where I needed to mount the clamp for the camera. That pushed the two mounts too close together for my liking. Luckily, I remembered that I had an "underneath mount" for a GoPro (which I still have new in the box!!!). I attached that GoPro mount to the bottom of the Garmin out-front mount using two specialty bolts from Lowes, plus doing some minor drilling. It's tricky because you have to put in the screws for the underneath mount first, then attach the twist mount for the Garmin. I have tried using aftermarket out front mounts for Garmins in the past but they weren't quite snug enough. I don't think the Garmin would ever come off the mount but it bothered me to see it jiggling around.....and the Garmin really would have jiggled around if I had the after market mount on my gravel bike.

I think the price for the Garmin out front and Cycliq underneath mount combo was around $60--$70 each and..... like you said they are not in stock. I just need to find some more of the underneath mounts and some Cycliq twist mounts and fix up the other 3 bikes,

I downloaded the video segments from the cameras from today's ride. I actually had a driver make a move to turn left in front of me today. I actually locked up my rear wheel and bounced around a bit. I showed both the front and rear views to my wife and she said "OMG"! Picture quality is good. If you like the rear camera, the front camera seems to be even better. It was very easy to download the videos as well. I like that they are in 5 minute segments so easy to move through them. Hopefully I can get the battery life thing figured out via setting adjustments. I might get the SD reader and adapter so I can easily look at them on my phone or iPad when I'm doing tours.

I'll have to look to see how I can mount the rear flashers on my seat stays. Unfortunately the seat stays on my two Cervelo's are pencil thin, but maybe I can just add more rubber inside the clamp flasher holder.. My Pinerallo is the vintage where they have the funky flared seat stays with a pointy rear side to it's difficult to attach a standard mount securely.


Edit-the underneath camera mount was from a Quad Lock and not GoPro. I found them online and have ordered some more to modify my other mounts. Woo Hoo!! If you use the Garmin out-front mount I can describe what I've done. I really makes a clean setup, I feel good about the heavy camera staying in place and not coming loose. I even inserted some split washers to keep the mounting screws tight.

https://www.quadlockcase.com/collect...ant=1904499908

I'm thinking Cycliq might have a mount designed to attach to a rear rack or maybe even a pannier.

On my second Fly 6. Just received Gen 2 version, son got old one.

I use mine as video recording on base "spinning" light. I mount a Serfas Thunderbolt on left seat stay crossing the bands to hold tight to stay. While on "spinning" lightest flash mode, the system lasts me at least 9-10 hours. I will turn off when I am on MUP sections of ride.

Have half dozen bikes that I use this system on, from Bianchi Infinto to '87 Cannondale. I do ride with under seat bags. When Fly 6 doesn't fit on seat tube, I mount Fly 6 on down tube just under the seat stay junction. I do realize every bike may not be ab;e to be fitted with this product.

This product is worth the cost, my first one was responsible in part to convict a driver of negligent assault, reduced with my approval from felonious assault.

Good luck!

I have the first generation of both the Fly 6 and 12, and I've found them to be fairly reliable. I'm short, so I need to play some games to fit the Fly 6 with a small saddle bag. I was able to get it to fit with the Ortlieb mini saddle bag which sits real high underneath the saddle and by strapping the top strap around the seatpost clamp. This made me have to use a different mounting angle on the Fly 6, but it works. I've had the Fly 6 since 2016 and the Fly 12 since it first came out-- 2016 or 2017???

I've also got the previous version of both. The rear mount, I cut a 2" section of 1.25" dowel, cut a lengthwise notch in it, and used the Fly 6 mounting strap to hang both of them from my rear rack. Metal mount on the front, as mentioned above. They're on my rain bike.

I've got to go for a long-ish ride to run the batteries down, assuming they're charged to begin with. My problem is keeping them charged. If I only ride the rain bike once a week, keeping the clock going has run the batteries down before I start. I've all but given up on keeping time and date synch'ed correctly.

Cycliq Opinions - Bike Forums

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I've had a Fly6 for ~1 year. It's been pretty reliable, the mounting is low-profile and snug, and I think the strobe is decent. It's good for 4-5 h, so it'll last most rides. I bought it for dogs and drivers, but the only interesting thing I've captured so far is a rider behind me flying off into the undergrowth after touching wheels with another rider. I'd like a front camera, but I've heard little good about the Fly12, both in terms of reliability and battery life. I'd also like a more powerful main front light. One of our riders runs Fly6s front and rear, which seems like a reasonable solution camera-wise, but I'm not wild about displaying a red light on the front, even the small circular lights surrounding the lens, which aren't cancellable. When the battery starts to go in my Fly6, which it will inevitably do, since I use the Fly6 all the time, I'm tempted to do a little tinkering - first replacing the battery (not strictly user-replaceable, but I've found equivalent third party batteries online, and if I can replace the battery in an iPhone, this should be easy). Then, I'm going to look for someone on campus with some electronics chops, and see if it's possible to swap out the main red strobe LEDs with white ones, to essentially convert the Fly6 into a "proper" front camera - relatively small, reliable and with a white front strobe marker - I always have a small white strobe on the front of the bike anyway, for overcast weather or rain, or for cycling through town, where drivers are generally hunting for parking spaces and not looking for cyclists.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...17b98a5c91.jpg

I have both of them. CE versions. I have a previous version of a Fly6, which I liked better, but they both work fine.
The only issue I had with the CE, other than the bluetooth seemed to stop working (I can't get it to talk with the phone... hard reset of the 6?) was that I had initially stuck a 64gb data card in there. it didn't really like it, so I replaced it with a 32, and it's worked fine since, and the other thing is that the that little rubber sealer that protects the slots broke off, and Cycliq doesn't seem to give a rats ass about it. So, I just use duct tape, and hope it doesn't rain. My previous model still have the rubber sealer on it. I almost want to say that the older versions were made more durable.

Fly12: Like most reasons you get a camera, you are involved in an accident or get fed up with too many close passes, that gets you too close to a hospital bed. I've not had any issues, per se, with it, It films fine, It's what I expected. The only thing I'm very disappointed in is their mounting for it. It is atrocious. It is being held on by some plastic universal adaptOr, which costs an additional 16US to combine with their Duo Mount unit. As time has gone on, the teeth that hold in the unit, have broken off, and barely holds it now. On rides, I am happy that I have a strap, at the back, because it falls off at least 3 or 4 times, but the strap just lets it dangle there. It only happens when I get into a climb, and it shakes right off. It's pretty much the same as what Biker395 describes. It's a nice little unit, but it is now going to be taking a seat on my counter until I can figure what else I want to do with it. So, what I'm looking for in cycle-land is alternatives to what cycliq offers-- that cheap universal adaptOr that 's going to break in short time, or another option that you can use to get the thing to mount.
It's back to pulling out my gopro hero 3+ and night lighting for the front lighting, because cycliq is out of stock on their precious POS unit that probably originates in a country that has supply issues..... So, maybe, I'll just need to concoct up something else so I can ride with the unit once again.
Advice appreciated!

Any short sample videos to post?

Deleted, same info as someone else posted.

Here’s the front view


And rear

My review videos:

Here’s my rear camera, with an external battery situated between the saddle and seat bag. The charging cable runs under a few straps to just above the camera. I starting charging the camera after filming for about 3 1/2 hours.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d9f10f44c.jpeg

The Black Hole of Customer Support
 

I don't know how Cycliq is still in business. They don't honor their warranty.
The cameras are great ... until they stop working. It took less than a year for my Fly12CE to turn into an expensive paperweight.
Cycliq's Customer Support team must have gotten sucked into a black hole. After the master reset they prescribed didn't work, they stopped responding to me. I'd send them an email reminding them about my ticket every 10 days or so. It's been over 5 WEEKS AND NO RESPONSE!
The LBS where I purchased them told me I'm not the first to complain about the non-existent customer support from Cycliq. In fact, because of Cycliq's pattern of non-support, the LBS stopped carrying Cycliq products.
If you buy a Cycliq product, CAVEAT EMPTOR!

BTW ... this is the mount I ended up with. It works as well as possible, I think. The Cycliq mount still sucks, though.

https://www.wiggle.com/lifeline-out-...or-garmin-edge

I just had one fall off my post (I guess it was loose), and I went back up a steep hill twice to see if I could find it... .no luck. I went to amazon, and whaddaya know, I got a competitor brand because I don't really want to give this company (cycliq) any miore business. If garmin had something similar, I'd buy it from them.

do you have a pic for your setup? I'm trying to get the fly12 back in service. It works, but it's currently a paperweight.

Do these help?


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e4336142e.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ad80a8438.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f7a8e4141.jpeg

I think I see what you’ve done. Are you using the 1/8 turn twist release Cycliq piece? I’m tying to get more of those but they’ve been out of stock for months. It looks like you just fastened the camera directly to the out front mount.

Yep ... that's it! So Cycliq is out of those? Sheez.

Someone asked for videos...
Me on a ride:

Wife on commute

and another