Cycliq Fly12 CE - Yes or No?
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Cycliq Fly12 CE - Yes or No?
Hi there.
Have been reading a lot on these forums an other forums about video cameras for my bike.
Cycliq seems to be the winner when it comes to battery life - which is a factor for me since many of my outdoor rides can be in excess of 3+ hours
There has been some concern by a few about the image quality of the Cycliq cameras.
Has anyone here - who purchased the Cycliq Fly 12 CE been dissatisfied with the image quality so much that they would not recommend it?
Also - if you considered the Cycliq Fly 12 CE - and chose something else - what did you end up purchasing and why?
Thanks
Sparky
Have been reading a lot on these forums an other forums about video cameras for my bike.
Cycliq seems to be the winner when it comes to battery life - which is a factor for me since many of my outdoor rides can be in excess of 3+ hours
There has been some concern by a few about the image quality of the Cycliq cameras.
Has anyone here - who purchased the Cycliq Fly 12 CE been dissatisfied with the image quality so much that they would not recommend it?
Also - if you considered the Cycliq Fly 12 CE - and chose something else - what did you end up purchasing and why?
Thanks
Sparky
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I'm a satisfied Cycliq customer, and I'd buy one again.
Now this is a product of a small company, headquartered in Australia (IIRC). So there's a few common-sense steps a potential consumer might take. First, buy from an authorized dealer in your country that has a decent return policy. Second, read the fine manual and follow the directions, all of them. Third, if you have any problems, check out the manufacturer's web site to see if it's an operator error you can fix. Next, contact the dealer if you're not satisfied -- they may be able to help. Finally, keep all your paperwork until dealer return period and manufacturer's warranty have expired.
Now this is a product of a small company, headquartered in Australia (IIRC). So there's a few common-sense steps a potential consumer might take. First, buy from an authorized dealer in your country that has a decent return policy. Second, read the fine manual and follow the directions, all of them. Third, if you have any problems, check out the manufacturer's web site to see if it's an operator error you can fix. Next, contact the dealer if you're not satisfied -- they may be able to help. Finally, keep all your paperwork until dealer return period and manufacturer's warranty have expired.
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Check out the Drift Ghost X and other Drift cameras. I bought a Ghost X in early September 2019 to replace an aging Ion Speed Pro that wouldn't hold a charge. I liked the Ghost X so well I bought another in December. I usually mount them front and rear on my road bikes, although occasionally I'll use one on the helmet, mostly for casual rides on my hybrid.
Both were discounted around 25% from the list price, under different promotions. I think I paid around $80 for the first, $75 for the second after the Amazon discounts.
Helmet mounts using 3M VRB adhesive were included but those are primarily intended for motorcycle helmets. I bought clamp-on mounts separately for the handlebar/stem and seat post. Due to an old neck injury I can't take much weight on a helmet, although it's not bad mounted on my POC Omne Air Spin commuter type helmet when I'm sitting more upright on the hybrid. I couldn't find a comfortable balance point to minimize neck stress on my road bikes, so I switched to mounting on the bikes. The camera weighs only 120g but that's uncomfortable for me unless it's balanced properly, which is difficult to do on some helmets. I had to skip the 3M VRB tape on my POC and used Blu Tack gum or Scotch mounting putty to build up a mounting spot over a vent in the helmet. Bit of a kludge but secure.
They run 5 hours with the standard battery, up to 8 with the optional larger battery pack.
I usually set it to car DVR mode, 5 minute segments that loop continuously. Eventually it will overwrite the earliest files. With a 32GB card that works out to three of my usual rides before it begins overwriting. There's also a tagging mode to set a reminder for a particular video, but using that in traffic would require having a free hand and being conscious to use it. DVR mode is hands free. A 5 minute segment length seems reasonable for quickly finding a particular incident and saving it without editing (even cropping might discount the value of a video in a legal action) or saving an entire hour long video.
The included screen is tiny and strictly utilitarian for setting up the camera via a menu. It's easier to use the app, which is quite good. I've used the app and review screen on my phone to demonstrate a hazardous driving incident to a local school bus supervisor when a bus driver nearly clobbered me. That's very handy.
It's weather resistant. No problems in the two or three rains I've been caught in.
The lens (probably the sensor itself) rotates to accommodate any mounting position. Much better than my other portable video cameras.
No in-camera stabilizer. It's pretty stable mounted securely on the frame. Drift recommends helmet mounting but my videos were much harder to watch from that vantage point. (I also have a GoPro knockoff with good in-camera stabilization but that's one of the few good things about it. Otherwise it's not a good bicycling camera for traffic documentation.)
No accident detection, etc.
Video quality is good, a reasonable compromise of contrast and saturation in standard mode. Up to 1080p, frame rate up to 60 in 720p (there's also a 4K version that costs more). Better dynamic range for high contrast nighttime scenarios. But nothing will reliably record US license plates at night -- they're too small and highly reflective. And at night the slower shutter speed invariably blurs most frames. I'd be lucky to capture even a partial plate. But the vehicles themselves are recorded in adequate detail even at night. Far better than my Ion Speed Pro, which was good in daylight but almost useless at night.
Both were discounted around 25% from the list price, under different promotions. I think I paid around $80 for the first, $75 for the second after the Amazon discounts.
Helmet mounts using 3M VRB adhesive were included but those are primarily intended for motorcycle helmets. I bought clamp-on mounts separately for the handlebar/stem and seat post. Due to an old neck injury I can't take much weight on a helmet, although it's not bad mounted on my POC Omne Air Spin commuter type helmet when I'm sitting more upright on the hybrid. I couldn't find a comfortable balance point to minimize neck stress on my road bikes, so I switched to mounting on the bikes. The camera weighs only 120g but that's uncomfortable for me unless it's balanced properly, which is difficult to do on some helmets. I had to skip the 3M VRB tape on my POC and used Blu Tack gum or Scotch mounting putty to build up a mounting spot over a vent in the helmet. Bit of a kludge but secure.
They run 5 hours with the standard battery, up to 8 with the optional larger battery pack.
I usually set it to car DVR mode, 5 minute segments that loop continuously. Eventually it will overwrite the earliest files. With a 32GB card that works out to three of my usual rides before it begins overwriting. There's also a tagging mode to set a reminder for a particular video, but using that in traffic would require having a free hand and being conscious to use it. DVR mode is hands free. A 5 minute segment length seems reasonable for quickly finding a particular incident and saving it without editing (even cropping might discount the value of a video in a legal action) or saving an entire hour long video.
The included screen is tiny and strictly utilitarian for setting up the camera via a menu. It's easier to use the app, which is quite good. I've used the app and review screen on my phone to demonstrate a hazardous driving incident to a local school bus supervisor when a bus driver nearly clobbered me. That's very handy.
It's weather resistant. No problems in the two or three rains I've been caught in.
The lens (probably the sensor itself) rotates to accommodate any mounting position. Much better than my other portable video cameras.
No in-camera stabilizer. It's pretty stable mounted securely on the frame. Drift recommends helmet mounting but my videos were much harder to watch from that vantage point. (I also have a GoPro knockoff with good in-camera stabilization but that's one of the few good things about it. Otherwise it's not a good bicycling camera for traffic documentation.)
No accident detection, etc.
Video quality is good, a reasonable compromise of contrast and saturation in standard mode. Up to 1080p, frame rate up to 60 in 720p (there's also a 4K version that costs more). Better dynamic range for high contrast nighttime scenarios. But nothing will reliably record US license plates at night -- they're too small and highly reflective. And at night the slower shutter speed invariably blurs most frames. I'd be lucky to capture even a partial plate. But the vehicles themselves are recorded in adequate detail even at night. Far better than my Ion Speed Pro, which was good in daylight but almost useless at night.
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I would really consider before purchasing. I had the previous generation and had a overall good experience. I was very excited to hear that the CE her nation would integrate with Garmin.
So far this integration has been very inconsistent and has never worked correctly. i have resorted to manually starting both when I begin a ride. My Bontrager Ion Pro and Varia Radar lights work beautifully with my Garmin Edge 1030 and previous Edge 820.battery life for both the Fly 12 and Fly 6 is pretty bad. I can’t get more than 2.5 hours on a long bike ride. The video quality is the only reason why i continue to use them. Support is responsive but again they have never resolved the integration promised. They had an app at the beginning and that quietly went away. Their instructions are straight forward and you can create a light network but it’s hit or miss to start up and record when you start a ride. Great idea, nice quality built hardware but inconsistent integration and battery life. Sorry for being the pert pooper.
So far this integration has been very inconsistent and has never worked correctly. i have resorted to manually starting both when I begin a ride. My Bontrager Ion Pro and Varia Radar lights work beautifully with my Garmin Edge 1030 and previous Edge 820.battery life for both the Fly 12 and Fly 6 is pretty bad. I can’t get more than 2.5 hours on a long bike ride. The video quality is the only reason why i continue to use them. Support is responsive but again they have never resolved the integration promised. They had an app at the beginning and that quietly went away. Their instructions are straight forward and you can create a light network but it’s hit or miss to start up and record when you start a ride. Great idea, nice quality built hardware but inconsistent integration and battery life. Sorry for being the pert pooper.
Last edited by Pirategrad; 01-26-20 at 06:34 PM.
#6
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I have both the Fly12CE an the companion taillight (which I hardly use). The FLY12CE gets it's rated battery life for me and works well. In the last year I've used it about 4 times to correct driver behavior successfully with either law enforcement or with the manager responsible for safety with commercial drivers. Very happy with the product. I probably used it 200 days last year.