Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

Do you record?

Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

Do you record?

Old 03-10-20, 09:46 AM
  #51  
RubeRad
Keepin it Wheel
 
RubeRad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,238

Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,399 Times in 2,510 Posts
Originally Posted by joesch
Goodwill hunting paid off nicely.
That's what Matt Damon and Ben Affleck said
RubeRad is offline  
Old 03-10-20, 12:09 PM
  #52  
banerjek
Portland Fred
 
banerjek's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 11,548

Bikes: Custom Winter, Challenge Seiran SL, Fuji Team Pro, Cattrike Road/Velokit, РOS hybrid

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 232 Post(s)
Liked 53 Times in 35 Posts
Originally Posted by denada
i i'm not sure what to do with the footage yet. it's quickly filling up terabytes of external storage
This is precisely why I don't record. If you don't have time to edit/organize footage now, that doesn't get easier after time passes, memories fade over what to target, and you have much more to deal with.

One of my cameras is a Hero Session 5 -- love the form factor and the low light performance. However, if you want great street footage, a 360 camera is the way to go because you can change perspectives constantly. The GoPro Fusion delivers excellent footage though both the space and video editing becomes a bigger deal.
banerjek is offline  
Old 03-10-20, 02:54 PM
  #53  
Lemond1985
Sophomore Member
 
Lemond1985's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 2,690
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1628 Post(s)
Liked 1,057 Times in 631 Posts
Originally Posted by rumrunn6


wow, that's a recipe for disaster!
I agree. Here in CA you have one law that says you need to give bicyclists 3 feet, and another one that says you can't cross over a double yellow line. How does this shake out IRL? Just look at the chaos! If ever you wanted a picture that symbolizes the current state of CA ... there it is, right there (good thing that Toyota had 4WD).
Lemond1985 is offline  
Likes For Lemond1985:
Old 03-10-20, 04:52 PM
  #54  
EviLDORK
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Milwaukee
Posts: 49

Bikes: Surly Disc Trucker, Canondale Synapse, Canondale Touring 1, Salsa Mukluk, Masi Uno, Trek 850

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 15 Posts
Recording video only makes it more difficult for me to forgive and forget. It's only marginally useful if I'm severely injured and useless otherwise.

I'm bad at predicting where I'll encounter incidents I'll want to record. I expect to encounter more problems at busy intersections and bottlenecks, but I actually encounter problems on slow parkways with ample room for passing or even MUPs.
EviLDORK is offline  
Old 03-10-20, 07:10 PM
  #55  
wipekitty
vespertine member
 
wipekitty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Land of Angora, Turkey
Posts: 2,476

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 687 Post(s)
Liked 220 Times in 163 Posts
I pretty much only record during high-risk times, which around here (North Carolina) means rainy days. In some other places, hot days and early season snowfall are ripe for bad driving, so I'd record that too. I've also done a few recordings just for fun on recreational rides.

I got a camera after an accident last summer (which was followed up by some absolute ridiculousness from law enforcement). A recording of the incident would have been very helpful in making my case, but would not have eliminated the awfulness of bruised ribs. So, recording comes down to a risk assessment; if conditions make it more likely that I'll encounter funny business, I'll record; otherwise, it's not worth the hassle.
wipekitty is offline  
Old 03-11-20, 08:04 AM
  #56  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
Originally Posted by Lemond1985
(good thing that Toyota had 4WD).
but ground clearance is more important there
rumrunn6 is offline  
Old 03-11-20, 07:32 PM
  #57  
Daniel4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Toronto
Posts: 3,497

Bikes: Sekine 1979 ten speed racer

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1477 Post(s)
Liked 637 Times in 436 Posts
What video resolution do you use to be able to read licence plates?

On today's commute, I set the video resolution at 720P120fps. The only way to read a licence plate is to get right in front of it. Even if the car is the next lane, I couldn't read the letters.

If I set the resolution to 1080p60fps, the battery might not last the entire one hour trip.
Daniel4 is offline  
Old 03-11-20, 07:44 PM
  #58  
Retfor
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 70
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times in 9 Posts
Originally Posted by Daniel4
What video resolution do you use to be able to read licence plates?

On today's commute, I set the video resolution at 720P120fps. The only way to read a licence plate is to get right in front of it. Even if the car is the next lane, I couldn't read the letters.

If I set the resolution to 1080p60fps, the battery might not last the entire one hour trip.
even 4k footage can be hard to make out plates due to the constant movement and encoding algoritms. the best is to say the plate out loud if you can so that you have a verbal record of it.
Retfor is offline  
Old 03-11-20, 08:37 PM
  #59  
Daniel4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Toronto
Posts: 3,497

Bikes: Sekine 1979 ten speed racer

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1477 Post(s)
Liked 637 Times in 436 Posts
Originally Posted by Retfor
even 4k footage can be hard to make out plates due to the constant movement and encoding algoritms. the best is to say the plate out loud if you can so that you have a verbal record of it.
That's what I was thinking. Thanks.
Daniel4 is offline  
Old 03-11-20, 11:35 PM
  #60  
denada
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: chicago
Posts: 176

Bikes: '07 jamis venture race, '19 trek fx sport 4

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 78 Post(s)
Liked 34 Times in 22 Posts
Originally Posted by banerjek
This is precisely why I don't record. If you don't have time to edit/organize footage now, that doesn't get easier after time passes, memories fade over what to target, and you have much more to deal with.

One of my cameras is a Hero Session 5 -- love the form factor and the low light performance. However, if you want great street footage, a 360 camera is the way to go because you can change perspectives constantly. The GoPro Fusion delivers excellent footage though both the space and video editing becomes a bigger deal.
i looked at the max, which i think is the new fusion. it's not my style. i like a more classic look. and i'm a street photographer, so the wide angel lens of the 8 and the session lend themselves to my style.

i haven't really started using my 8 yet because i haven't figured out how i wanna mount it yet. i love the session.

i'm an analog photographer who is insanely pick about my scans, so editing and organizing is a challenge i'm willing to take on. i'm yet to figure out a system for my gopro footage yet. i better decide and get started quick, or i'll be so backlogged that the daunting nature of catching up will cause me to continue to avoid it.
denada is offline  
Old 03-11-20, 11:38 PM
  #61  
Retfor
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 70
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times in 9 Posts
btw, another tip: if youre recording and something happens that you DO want to keep, right after it happens stop recording and then restart. itll make it easier to find the incident in your recordings and make a little less work cutting it out.
Retfor is offline  
Old 03-12-20, 07:31 AM
  #62  
Phil_gretz
Zip tie Karen
 
Phil_gretz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Fair Oaks Ranch, TX
Posts: 7,006

Bikes: '13 Motobecane Fantom29 HT, '16 Motobecane Turino Pro Disc, '18 Velobuild VB-R-022, '21 Tsunami SNM-100

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1465 Post(s)
Liked 1,542 Times in 806 Posts
I can see the value to prove fault in the case of negligent homicide. My wife and my heirs will be well taken care of.

Not only is there the initial cost of the equipment. Then there are data storage requirements. Storage is not free.

The biggest cost would be time. Time to fiddle with another piece of gear. Time to transfer/download video, time to watch or edit it. And for what? There is too little time for things that matter.

I know what I did on each day's ride. I was there. And if I'm dead, do I want my family to re-live the event? Heck no.

Seems like a huge waste to me. One man's opinion.
Phil_gretz is offline  
Likes For Phil_gretz:
Old 03-12-20, 08:13 AM
  #63  
Retfor
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 70
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times in 9 Posts
Originally Posted by Phil_gretz
I can see the value to prove fault in the case of negligent homicide. My wife and my heirs will be well taken care of.

Not only is there the initial cost of the equipment. Then there are data storage requirements. Storage is not free.

The biggest cost would be time. Time to fiddle with another piece of gear. Time to transfer/download video, time to watch or edit it. And for what? There is too little time for things that matter.

I know what I did on each day's ride. I was there. And if I'm dead, do I want my family to re-live the event? Heck no.

Seems like a huge waste to me. One man's opinion.
On average, I spend about an extra few minutes per day on it. only takes a moment to charge delete, etc. There's no need to watch it unless you want to or there's an incident that you know you want to cut out and save. But even saving something only takes a couple minutes. I don't consider it a huge waste at all, it's minimal.

but it does more than just allow my family to relive my death, it gives proof of what happened. All too often bikers are automatically blamed. If you've got video proof of what happened, then you can force them to blame the driver. Whether you're just hurt or injured, or killed, that can make a huge difference.

*shrug* to each their own, but I think it's minimal effort that's totally worth it. Hopefully I won't ever need it, but I'd rather have the evidence just in case.
Retfor is offline  
Old 03-12-20, 08:18 AM
  #64  
Phil_gretz
Zip tie Karen
 
Phil_gretz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Fair Oaks Ranch, TX
Posts: 7,006

Bikes: '13 Motobecane Fantom29 HT, '16 Motobecane Turino Pro Disc, '18 Velobuild VB-R-022, '21 Tsunami SNM-100

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1465 Post(s)
Liked 1,542 Times in 806 Posts
Originally Posted by Retfor
Hopefully I won't ever need it, but I'd rather have the evidence just in case.
So, interesting point. But what is the use of the video. If there is a criminal charge brought against the driver, then, if admitted into evidence, the video may support the state's charges. It may also influence during the sentencing phase. Okay.

But aside from "justice" for the survivors, do you expect them to file a civil suit to obtain wrongful death damages? I don't. I wouldn't want my family to go through that. They'll be fine without attaching to other folks' resources. That was part of my point.

The net usefulness of any video may be...subject to speculation and debate.
Phil_gretz is offline  
Old 03-12-20, 08:25 AM
  #65  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
evidence is evidence. without it there is no evidence. whether it's useful or not, is only relevant, if you have evidence. without it, the point is moot. meaning if you have it, you can decide to use it or not. without it, a decision is not available

rumrunn6 is offline  
Old 03-12-20, 08:29 AM
  #66  
Lemond1985
Sophomore Member
 
Lemond1985's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 2,690
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1628 Post(s)
Liked 1,057 Times in 631 Posts
Originally Posted by Retfor
even 4k footage can be hard to make out plates due to the constant movement and encoding algoritms. the best is to say the plate out loud if you can so that you have a verbal record of it.
My Fly 12 CE (see photo above) captures plates really well, within maybe a 20 foot distance, in daylight with a straight-on view, coming or going. It's next to useless at night, though it's possible you *might* capture the plate or a partial plate, or at least get a vehicle description. With my camera, I only see a need to read out plate numbers unless it's at night, or another vehicle is blocking it or something like that. Overall I'm very happy with the image quality, and since i started using a 64 gb card, it holds about 8 hours of video.I will add that the image stabilization is great, there is some sort of loose ball inside of the camera that bounces around and somehow keeps the image perfectly steady.

I think the biggest selling point the Fly 12 CE has is battery life. They claim up to 8 hours, but I think with a new battery, it's closer to 6, with a year-old battery that's been charged maybe a hundred times, I now get about 4 hours of battery, which is plenty for most of my rides. I don't review the video unless something noteworthy happened, and then I will take a still shot to preserve it, then record over. I find high speed mountain descents very relaxing to watch, and I have a couple of those saved, plus a couple clips from my old riding loop where I lived last year, those bring back memories. Most clips I just record over though, it would take thousands of dollars of storage to preserve those, and I'd never watch them anyway.
Lemond1985 is offline  
Old 03-12-20, 04:30 PM
  #67  
Retfor
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 70
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times in 9 Posts
Originally Posted by Phil_gretz
So, interesting point. But what is the use of the video. If there is a criminal charge brought against the driver, then, if admitted into evidence, the video may support the state's charges. It may also influence during the sentencing phase. Okay.

But aside from "justice" for the survivors, do you expect them to file a civil suit to obtain wrongful death damages? I don't. I wouldn't want my family to go through that. They'll be fine without attaching to other folks' resources. That was part of my point.

The net usefulness of any video may be...subject to speculation and debate.
If you wouldn't sue, then yeah, not much use, but you never know what you'd do until you're in the situation. If you don't have the evidence to prove you weren't at fault then you won't have the option.

I got hit by someone a couple months ago and fractured my elbow. He was completely at fault and due to his gross stupidity and negligence I'm likely to have some issues with my elbow and other parts the rest of my life. Hopefully not terrible issues, but only time will tell. You bet im suing...
Retfor is offline  
Old 03-13-20, 11:53 AM
  #68  
DiabloScott
It's MY mountain
 
DiabloScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mt.Diablo
Posts: 9,991

Bikes: Klein, Merckx, Trek

Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4311 Post(s)
Liked 2,954 Times in 1,601 Posts
Originally Posted by Phil_gretz
So, interesting point. But what is the use of the video. If there is a criminal charge brought against the driver, then, if admitted into evidence, the video may support the state's charges. It may also influence during the sentencing phase. Okay.

But aside from "justice" for the survivors, do you expect them to file a civil suit to obtain wrongful death damages? I don't. I wouldn't want my family to go through that. They'll be fine without attaching to other folks' resources. That was part of my point.

The net usefulness of any video may be...subject to speculation and debate.
If you have the good fortune of being killed by someone with insurance - why wouldn't your family make the claim?
These things almost always get settled before lawsuits.
Lawsuits almost always get settled before court.
If a victim had definitive video coverage it would be presented and the insurance folks would come to an agreement.
If the video were no so definitive, it would be part of a larger process including accident re-constructionists. There is a whole industry and professional society out there that specializes in this https://actar.org/ they know how to evaluate action cam videos and Strava records. Lots of them specialize in bicycle collisions too.
DiabloScott is online now  
Old 03-14-20, 02:56 PM
  #69  
alston28
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 24
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
YouTube

Load your rides on YouTube. I have a Fly6 and 12. I generally load them. Sometimes I edit the ride for friends. Record rides for my estate, too. So far, no close calls. Been buzzed a few times. Yelled at once.
alston28 is offline  
Old 03-14-20, 03:29 PM
  #70  
sjanzeir
BF's Resident Dumbass
 
sjanzeir's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Posts: 1,566

Bikes: 1990 Raleigh Flyer (size 21"); 2014 Trek 7.6 FX (size 15"); 2014 Trek 7.6 FX (size 17.5"); 2019 Dahon Mu D9; 2020 Dahon Hemingway D9

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 792 Post(s)
Liked 1,493 Times in 496 Posts
Originally Posted by Daniel4
If I set the resolution to 1080p60fps, the battery might not last the entire one hour trip.
Originally Posted by sjanzeir
They're not as heavy as they look, and they can power the cameras for about four hours at 1080p60fps.

Last edited by sjanzeir; 03-14-20 at 03:32 PM.
sjanzeir is offline  
Old 03-15-20, 02:46 AM
  #71  
denada
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: chicago
Posts: 176

Bikes: '07 jamis venture race, '19 trek fx sport 4

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 78 Post(s)
Liked 34 Times in 22 Posts
i'm eventually going to edit my videos into some sort of project, but so far i've just been uploading them on to youtube. contributing to the garbage of the internet. i wonder if youtube will eventually tell me i've hit some storage limit. probably not. i've use blogger.com (owned by same company) for image hosting for almost 10 years, and they haven't stopped me. google wants all the content it can get. i'm going to buy an 8tb external hard drive specifically for storage of bike video. they're less than $200 now days. looks like you can get one for closer to $100 if you keep an eye out for deals.

i enjoy watching my videos after. remembering how nice the day was.

switched from a session 4 to an 8 black. the difference in video quality is significant. today was my first day using the 8, but i got a gopro employee to explain to me how to use the gps overlay for future videos.

the challenge was coming up with a stable mount that i could remove in 5 seconds. because living in chicago, when i lock my bike up to go in to a store for even five minutes, i take every electronic piece on the bike with me. solution was the gopro "protective housing." on their website it says it's $50, but i know i didn't pay anywhere close to that. i click it open, take the camera out, and am on my way. i doubt someone is going to snap the housing off walking by. would be broken and worthless if they did.

lots of talk about recording for evidence in this thread, and that's a bonus. i'm more into the video of the city from my bike. chicago is beautiful.

i got two batteries and a dual charger. that was big in deciding to give up the session, which has a non-removable battery. with two batteries, i get two hours of 4k or four hours of 1080. works for me.

i saw someone mentioning at what resolution you can see license plates in this thread. with the gopro 8 black, that's far from an issue at any setting.

Last edited by denada; 03-15-20 at 03:12 AM.
denada is offline  
Old 03-15-20, 10:28 AM
  #72  
Darth Lefty 
Disco Infiltrator
 
Darth Lefty's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Folsom CA
Posts: 13,775

Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Tilt, Samba tandem

Mentioned: 72 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3126 Post(s)
Liked 2,102 Times in 1,366 Posts
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
evidence is evidence. without it there is no evidence.
Without context the evidence looks like you are riding on the sidewalk in front of a cop
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17
Darth Lefty is offline  
Old 03-15-20, 06:01 PM
  #73  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
Without context the evidence looks like you are riding on the sidewalk in front of a cop
that frame is only one 30th of a second. The video has the context
rumrunn6 is offline  
Old 04-04-20, 12:03 AM
  #74  
denada
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: chicago
Posts: 176

Bikes: '07 jamis venture race, '19 trek fx sport 4

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 78 Post(s)
Liked 34 Times in 22 Posts
Originally Posted by Retfor
btw, another tip: if youre recording and something happens that you DO want to keep, right after it happens stop recording and then restart. itll make it easier to find the incident in your recordings and make a little less work cutting it out.
gopro caught on to this. you can hit the power button lightly and it marks the spot. i still use your method sometimes too. i guess because the record button is the tiniest bit easier to touch.

i have been enjoying recording my rides. even catch myself talking to the camera sometimes. and yeah, i watch videos of me riding a bike. about as good as anything else on.

chicago at night is absolutely beautiful from the wide angle lens of a gopro. i duck under the bars and ride to the top of parking garages. much fun. probably good exercise too. come down those things going so fast.

Last edited by denada; 04-04-20 at 12:09 AM.
denada is offline  
Old 04-05-20, 09:45 AM
  #75  
Daniel4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Toronto
Posts: 3,497

Bikes: Sekine 1979 ten speed racer

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1477 Post(s)
Liked 637 Times in 436 Posts
I made good use of my camera a few weeks ago. I caught a driver in a FedEx truck performing a dangerous move. I later went online and filled-in the online e-mail form describing the date, time, place and what the driver did.

The next day FedEx wrote back and said they'll have their regional manager contact the driver. With FedEx's exact e-mail address, I posted the photographs.
Daniel4 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.