Notso_fastLane

Coming soon.

I can see possibly getting one of these when it hits the market. Especially in my case, riding a recumbent and a velomobile, it's hard to look back, although the velo has really good mirrors.

This is not only provides a rear view, it records, much like a Cycliq.

https://cyclingdesigns.com/why-cyclesight/

I'll be curious to know how many rider think this is worth the price (about $100 more than the Fly6) for the added display capability.

Whadya think?

mcours2006

I don't ride a recumbent, but I do have both rear and front cameras. The purpose is just to record. For monitoring rear view I rely on my trusty helmet mounted mirror which works perfectly. How useful would it be to monitor the rear traffic on a recumbent? I don't imagine you could react fast enough to make much of difference if you are in the line of collision.

RoadKill

I have the Cyclic and think having a rear view camera is a great idea. But with this one I have a hard time believing a video image displayed on LCD in bright sunny days or low light conditions will be as useful as a good old fashioned mirror. Just think about looking at your phone with sun directly hitting the screen, or using your phone camera at night, etc.

BobbyG

My glasses-mounted Take-A-Look mirror allows me to see behind without looking away from oncoming traffic. That is one the advantages of helmet/glasses mounted mirrors over bar-mounted mirrors. A live, rear-view camera would suffer the same disadvantage as long as the screen was bar-mounted.

Also, a rear-view camera might have a slight lag in its display. Last year I bought a Drift Ghost action cam to replace my old Contour Roam. The Ghost can deliver a live view through a small wifi signal it generates (which is also how you can access all the camera settings...much better than the older non-wifi camera). But I do notice a small delay in the signal...perhaps only 1/4 of a second, but it still a delay.

On the other hand...Cadillac has been offering a digital rear-view mirror for a few years now, and one advantage people report is when there are hi-beam lights behind you that would normally blind you or force you to use darken your mirror, the digital mirror allows you to see behind better since the actual brightness of the lights is not transmitted, and the overall contrast of the image is less than reality, so the overall brightness can be enhanced making visibility better than an "analog" mirror. HOweverm then again, it is a forward, high-mounted morror that lets you face ahead.

chaadster

It’s cool, but conceptually primitive being that it’s another couple of stand-alone, tacked on bits. There are advantages to the approach, for sure, but I’d rather have the screen integrated into a computer and the camera into a taillamp or saddle bag. That’s a big ask, but absent that kind of design integration, I’d guess that uptake for standard/upright sport cyclists (like me) would be slow.

It’s a great idea for velomobiles, for sure! Are there no wired rearview cams in that market segment, though? Seems like that’d be cheaper and no less effective way to go.

Notso_fastLane

The system I'm looking at for my velo is actually less expensive, and wired, so there's no lag. Plus, it's a front & rear camera with a display. It's less expensive, partly because it's intended for motorcycle use. I already have a 12V electrical system, so it's just a matter of wiring it into the existing system.

For a bicycle, though, I can see using something like this wireless camera since it's self contained, and can probably be easily swapped between bikes.

fooferdoggie 

with a garmin radar and a mirror I have all I need. the radar lets me know how many cars how fast and their position without taking much effort to see.

Darth Lefty 

$270 for a cheap little action cam and monitor?

I was also thinking to mention the Garmin radar but was beaten to it. That's a popular product because it asks for your attention. Something like this that turns on when the radar triggers, and feeds it to your GPS screen, that would be cool. All the pieces exist, it would only be software... if they wanted to do it

Leisesturm

If a lowly mirror is good enough for NASA when a $1B shuttle spacecraft needs back-up for their multi-million dollar digital camera docking systems, then mirrors are good enough for me. $270 is half the price of my bike and my bike is no slouch in the price/performance category. Doesn't reading (right here!) about the grievous injuries suffered by cyclists hitting fixed objects or speed bumps, cars, and etc. at speed, inform an opinion that what is in FRONT of a bicycle is much more important than what is behind? The only time I monitor my six is when I am intending to move from my safe space in the FRAP GAP into the main traffic flow. 45+ YEARS of doing it this way hasn't revealed a downside. YMMV but not by much I don't think.

Darth Lefty 

Don’t ask what NASA’s mirror cost, though.

self crashes are frequently under reported because there’s no injury, or at least no injury that makes it to the doctor, much less the police. At least, I know that’s the case for motorcycles, based on surveys that people have done in the past. But a car will kill you to death

Bald Paul

I, too, would vote for the Garmin Varia radar, and a mirror.
For the rear view screen to be effective, you'd have to be constantly watching it. The radar signals your Garmin unit, which signals you with sound and visual cues that a car is approaching. You can then check your mirror.
It's a shame I didn't figure this out until *after* I had been hit.

fooferdoggie 

the only thing a rear camera would give you over the radar is car type. it would take a lot more focus to see what is going on.

Notso_fastLane

Well, this one includes recording, similar to the Cycliq.

Daniel4

How's the audio?

Mine are lousy. Can hardly pick up a conversation I have with people when I chat with them on the trails. But the bicycle noise vibrating through the camera is sure loud and clear.

I'm thinking of getting an external microphone. Some people carry a separate audio recorder but I think that's getting a bit much.

Bretagne530

Bobby G,
You mentioned one of the Drift Ghost cameras as having some type of live feed option apparently through their phone app. Have you used it and if so was it reliable? In a few weeks I'll be taking delivery of a Velomobile that has a fairly high nose on it, which makes it hard to see about 10 feet of the road directly in front of the Velomobile. I'm looking at different live feed camera options that I would mount either in the front or above me to give me a better POV using my phone or a separate small screen. Any insights on this would be greatly appreciated.
Ciao,
Robert

BobbyG

I have v the drift ghost xl which is supplied to have 5 yo 8 hours of battery life, but I would guess the generation of the wifi signal for live feed would make a big dent in h that.

I haven't used the live feed at length so i don't know v how stable it is. The default view is a very wide 170 degrees but there is an option for a narrower view which would yield more detail.