ItsJustMe

I just posted my Cycliq Fly6 review. Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/CSo39h_xzFc

Redhatter

I've had one for a little while now. Not bad, BUT… two things that annoy me.

Out of the box, if you plug one into an external 5V supply while it is on, it turns off immediately thinking it's being plugged into a computer. They fixed this with a firmware update. It's worth noting the internal battery runs for 4 hours.

I'm finding when the unit gets warm, it becomes reluctant to turn on or stay on. Quite often I've gotten to my destination, and noticed the damn lamp has turned itself off. Or the camera has turned itself off and left the LEDs blinking. So a little unreliable.

Which is a shame, because the concept is brilliant.

metalheart44

Very useful review. (BTW what is the cat's name?) Although I like the idea of the camera+light combo, I want a daylight capable tail light (currently use a Dinette 300) and I would not replace that light with the Fly6, but in stead it would mean adding the Fly and I am not sure about that option. Anyway, thanks for the thorough assessment, good job

ItsJustMe

The cat is black, so of course his name is Jiji.

BTW if the camera turns off and leaves the LEDs blinking, that's extreme low power mode. It's supposed to do that when it gets to something like 5% battery left, the camera shuts off and you have 90 minutes of flash time left.

I haven't had any trouble yet, but I've only ridden with it two days.

I bought it to be a camera alone. I probably won't even use the flasher bit at all, or if I do it will be at night with the Pulse60 on solid.

metalheart44

You should post pics of the cat, sounds like a character. Anyway, your review is credible and helpful. I would not buy the Fly6 as a tail light, but the camera function sounds useful. I want/need a bright daytime tail light and I find that many folks do not understand that need/want and think of tail lights as most useful for night time riding. I don't ride at night, but I personally believe in the value of a bright day time tail light that can show drivers I am on the road. At the same time, I also feel the need for an evidence camera and the Fly6 checks the boxes in many of the ways you note in your review. You are DC rainmaker in the making. Thanks.

Redhatter

Yep, now why would it be reporting 5% battery left when my radio reports the battery on the bike is sitting around 12.4V and said battery supplies the tail light via a USB 5V adaptor.

As I say, something's a little flakey, mainly exacerbated when the unit is running on external power.

ItsJustMe

Not all devices do well when being powered while running. It confuses some devices if they were not designed to do that. I don't know if this is the case for the Fly6, I just mention it as a possibility.

I would talk to the company. I've heard they're pretty responsive and if you have a bad unit they are likely to replace it.

Redhatter

Yep, I've been in touch with them. I have not heard much at all, other than the email got lost somewhere in their pile.

As for confusion over power supplies, that's a design flaw in my book. :-) 4 hours is bugger all for a modern tail light, it'd do in a commute but only just.

Any long distance run, forget it, and its long distance runs that I see this being most useful.

ItsJustMe

FWIW here's the rack mount I came up with last night. It works pretty well, I'm a little nervous about rotation, I will probably try putting a little rubber inside to stop it rotating. It's not rotating now but if it did the cam could hit the spokes.

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/ra...ar-bike-camera

Cycliq

Hi Redhatter - sorry to hear your experience with our support system. If you are still having any issues with your Fly6, as the CEO, I want to make sure you are looked after. To my knowledge (in a company of 3 employees) we have not had any support queries that did not get addressed. Please contact us at support@cycliq.com and reference this post with a request to speak to me (Andrew Hagen) and I will look into it for you. Look forward to hearing from you.

Regards, Andrew

Redhatter

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the contact. Unfortunately the Fly6's condition here regressed from mysteriously turning itself off to refusing to turn on. It hasn't wound up in the household garbage yet, nor have I taken a screwdriver to it either. (Not sure what the unit is based on, but I'm guessing some sort of ARM-based SoC… I have a little embedded-Linux knowledge under my hat.)

I acknowledge my use-case is very atypical in that, I am trying to permanently power the device externally from a 12V→USB power supply. I basically found at first the USB cable kept falling out. Hot glue fixed this somewhat, but when the unit then refused to power up, I decided not to pursue it further.

Basically, the unit was never designed to be powered in this manner. Micro-USB connectors are not designed to remain in place with the vibration that stuff gets on the back of a bike. Brisbane roads are hardly rough, but I've seen plenty of screw-on fittings rattle themselves loose. (Some examples: tips on pens, a cigarette lighter plug, the screws in my radio transceiver case). Micro USB cables just don't handle that sort of abuse. A DC barrel connector may work, or a more industrial style

The concept of the Fly6 is brilliant, and for <2hr commutes it'd be fine. There's enough battery life to get to your destination and at worst case if you can't charge it while you're there, you will still have enough power to get home. Theoretically. My commutes to/from work are 1 hour, and I can use my laptop to charge at work, and there's a few places where I can charge at home.

Just on long commutes or trips, the battery capacity isn't quite there. (e.g. when I do a trip to my radio club, that's an 80km round trip that means 6 hours of cycling.) Being able to externally power it would fix this. Being able to externally control it would be real nice too, so that it turns on with the rest of my other lights -- something I can do without stopping.

There is a possibility to fix that in the next revision. The use of USB isn't a bad idea, just relying on it as the sole connector for power means providing power to it externally whilst on the move becomes more difficult, and thus would benefit from a dedicated, more robust socket.

For those who only do short runs, it's worth looking into. It's just a matter of knowing the device's limitations.

Cycliq

I do appreciate the clarification. Sounds to me like you might have the previous model of Fly6. The current model lasts for up to 6 hours with the flashing lights on their brightest setting and longer if you turn off the flashing lights (we have had reports of up to 9 hours in the field!). This model also allows the input of external power if 6 hours is not enough for you! To remotely activate devices, they need some form of connectivity which the current model of Fly6 does not include. The future models will and should allow for remote activation.

I note your comment about limitations and agree that every device has them. We just think that we have catered for cyclists like no other product on the planet. If there is a limitation, I'd challenge any other product to a cycling feature comparison chart and know that Fly6 will win without question.

Of course, we try and learn from each product we make and NEED the feedback from our customers like yourself. We know we don't always get it spot on but we learn and improve. I'd like to think that Fly12 will be a great example of this principle when it comes our in a couple of months.

Thanks again and keep the comments coming!

Regards, Andrew

ItsJustMe

I certainly get way more than 2 hours off mine. I can believe easily 6 hours because I run it 90 minutes a day and I don't charge it for a week at a time (typically 4 days of riding) though I haven't really kept track of it. Mine has never exhibited any flaky behavior.

FWIW I have designed a rack mount for the Fly6. It's unfortunately pretty specific to the Topeak Tourist DX rack, but it's very solid.

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/ra...iq-fly6-camera

Redhatter

Ahh, my apologies, the box does claim 6 hours. (I seemed to recall reading 4 somewhere) That's what I based the "two hour commute" on, two hours there, two hours back. Based on a 6 hour battery life, that'd make it a 3 hour commute. On my example long-distance run of 80km, it'd just make it.

That said, in practise for me, I've turned it on before leaving home, and found it turned off when I arrived at work. That'd be leaving sometime before 4:30AM and arriving at or slightly after 5AM. This does not inspire confidence.

Still, the good news it worked for @ItsJustMe, and probably countless others. I suspect I am in the very small minority.

dicktill

Hi John,

Thanks for the review! (And Andrew, thanks for the product; I have one of the originals, and one of the newer ones.)

Back to John: I also travel with a rear rack, and currently have the Fly6 mounted to a piece of aluminum tubing P-clamped to the rack, but as you said, rotation is an issue, although I have a jury-rigged anti-rotation device. Will you be manufacturing and selling your mounts? I don't have a 3-D Printer, but do have a milling machine, so I'm sure I can adapt your mount (actually, mounts: I have n+1 bikes).

Regards, Dick

ItsJustMe

I don't have plans to sell the mounts, but if someone wanted one of my designs I'd be happy to print it and mail it out for a nominal fee, probably $10 or so should cover postage and filament. I'll even customize a bit if you have a different rack, and let me know what color you like

if the Cycliq guy is still watching, PLEASE put a lanyard attachment point on your devices in the future. I do not ever trust any mount, and I want to tether things to my bike. There's nothing on the Fly6 to attach to so I'm probably going to make a little clip to just slide up to the top 5cm or so of the mount. It will make the cam sit a little high in the mount but that should be OK.