Do you need a GoPro?
 

I tried recording some of my bike with my iPhone 11 max pro and it wasn’t really good. It was really shaky but my mount wasn’t sturdy. My iPhone is big too.

Do you think it’s worth it to record? Is it important for safety? Like if a car is driving like a maniac would it help to record his license?

Do you any of you use the GoPro helmet mount? I’m running out of space on my front handles as I have bells and headlights.

Also how often do you have to charge it or maintain it and get rid of video for storage? Having A GoPro seems like fun but maybe too much work so I dunno. I’m also wondering if you need it for safety and to track down people with their license if they’re wreckless.

hmm...sounds interesting

I use a Rylo 360 degree camera (no longer produced, unfortunately) with a mount on the end of my left handlebar, closest to traffic. It records vehicles coming up from behind, passing, and going by ahead. It has excellent resolution and a zoom feature on playback that will show license plates clearly.
I've used it to show law enforcement one case of a very close pass, and one case of some idiot in a diesel pickup "rolling coal" (which is illegal in this state.) Both drivers were located and cited.
Downside? Battery life isn't great (about 45 minutes) so I have to carry several spares.
I know quite a few riders in my club that ride with video cams, either GoPros or Cycliq Fly 12/Fly 6 combos.
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Yes, you need a GoPro.
You can get a good deal on a 7 Black, which is still a very capable action camera.

I think gopros are probably a little overpriced. Image will always be shaky unless there is image stabilization on board.

Need? Definitely not. No.

I thought of buying one too, not to record my rides but some sort of security since law enforcers in my country go hard on cyclists. However, I thought that GoPros costs too much, if there would be a much cheaper alternative, I'd go for it though.

It's very interesting, I never thought about it before.

Cycliq cameras are a good one if your main concern is road safety. I also tried gorilla pod mounting my iPhone to the bike, too many micro vibrations that are further increased by the phones digital image stabilization not knowing what to do. That’s normal though as digital stabilization has always been poor mounted on tripods and solid objects.

GoPro is definitely worth it. I bought an HD Hero 2 on eBay last year, partially cuz cheap and also for a big part of nostalgia. The vibrations aren’t too bad with the ultra wide angle lens. Most the footage I get is clear.

I got a used Apeman a80 for 10 CAD. I wish I had two so I could record the rearview as well. I've had dashcam and rear view cam in my truck for years and leave them running 24/7. With all the maniacs out there you can't be too careful.

The Rylo & GoPro 7 and up have terrific on-board stabilization. I use them to get on-bike views of BMX racing.

I actually love the Rylo camera, though its software is painful. Strangely, they stopped making the camera to become a software company.

I'm not sure I'd use them to attempt to record a whole ride though - battery life and file size being my big problem. Just filming the 9 sub-1min heats at a BMX race for 3 racers ends up with quite a lot to deal with.

I don't think any camera in the market now can last 2-3 hrs of battery life and storage space. Unless it's a short commute to work. I'm buying a 360 camera for the fun of it. But seeing this thread I realized I can also use it for my weekly ride to work.

If you need longer battery life get a camera that can be plugged in and charge while it's being used. My camera has a waterproof case. To connect the charger I have to take it out of the case and then there's nothing to mount it to the handlebars.

Another camera I saw was "water resistant". That one has no case. You just bolt the camera to the handlebar and then you can plug in the USB charger while it's running.

I use this battery to power the led bar and tail lights on my bike. And with the inverter I can charge my phone, Bluetooth, even a laptop.

This is an old AGM battery. It's 12 amp hours and weighs about 8 pounds. The new lithium batteries you can get the same number of usable amps with 1/4 the weight.
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Outdated, inefficient, and high maintenence. Also doesn't hold a charge for long. Just get a regular USB powerbank, you can even get one with a little solar panel on top if you want. Most the new gopros can run off USB power and there's little toptube bags with earphone holes that would be perfect to hold one out of the sunlight heat and run to the camera.

I still have an old 2500mah opteka from 2013 I leave in the window when I not using so it always ready.

My battery works fine. If they die it's usually the fault of someone for not charging them or abusing the batteries.


Most power banks only give you about 15-30 watts of power. That's enough for a camera or to charge a phone but not much more. With a battery I can run 30 watts of lighting and charge all of my gadgets at the same time.

There's a couple of knock off GoPro cams on Amazon that are fairly popular.

Look for Akaso or DragonTouch. Works with GoPro mounts. About a 5th the cost of a GoPro but, obviously, it won't be as good. But it might be decent.

I used to ride with a GoPro mounted on my helmet. You can find adhesive GoPro mounts that will stick to anything reasonably flat. Advantage of always looking where you are but it made the helmet a tiny bit heavier. Didn't screw with feel or comfort, though.

I have a gopro 9. The video footage is amazing.

If there was simple fast way to turn/on/off record with the gopro 9 I would use it all the time. It was such a hassle to turn to on/record I used a usb power bank to record the whole ride. 4+ hour ride = 99% useless video and very large files that took hours to down load to the desktop. Then another hour+ to edit/extract something you wanted to keep.

I tried using pause/on/off on a few rides I spent more time fiddling with the gopro that I did not enjoy my bike ride much. So i stopped using it all. If I go on vacation with bikes I will use it but not for daily/weekly bike rides.

I think this might solve my problems.
https://www.amazon.com/GoPro-Remote-.../dp/B08SHZ2BL3

https://www.bikeforums.net/electroni...hting-gadgets/

if it brings you joy

I've enjoyed having a "sport cam" but not a GoPro branded camera

over the years I've bought more of the same. so I have a collection of mounts & other accessories all for the same model camera. I'm kind of invested, so I stick with it. if I were to switch models I''d have to start all over from scratch & build a new arsenal. if I was willing to go with that GoPro form factor (upright, square, non aero dynamic, requiring a big plastic case for bad weather, etc) I'd go w/ that brand rather than a knockoff. I guess this model (Hero) doesn't need the extra waterproof case. I suppose that would be the one I would get. but they have several models & I'd research more before buying

I have this remote for my GoPRo 9. Much better than trying push the button when riding, especially since I have a silicon cover on the camera. The remote I use has a lanyard I keep tucked in the top tube bag with the remote sticking out for east access.

I see that is the "New, Improved" version of the remote. I have the earlier one, with three buttons on the front, and it's pretty much useless. It will continuously lose the BT connection to the cameras, and then sits there with the "searching for camera" indicator on the entire ride. I've relegated it to a desk drawer, in the box with various extra GoPro mounts. Have you had any issues with the newer version?

(p.s.: the phone I was using for my Rylo videos was 3G, which, as you probably know, is going bye-bye soon, if not already. I had to upgrade to a 5G phone, and, of course, the Rylo app was no longer available for download, which effectively turned my Rylo into a paperweight. I now have two Hero 8 cams on the bike - forward and rearward facing - both connected to external power banks.)

I upgraded from a Hero 3 to Hero 9 over the summer, picked up the remote the same time. No issues connecting with the camera. The remote only has one button on the front with an LCD display, two buttons on the left and one on top.

Just read about the 3G shutdown. Article stated it will affect security systems and heart monitors the use 3G for reporting.

How well does it work? Can I leave my gopro 9 on pause for say like 60 minutes start to go down a scenic hill and turn on with just remote? How fast does it turn on/record etc??? Seconds or more like a minute where you have to know in advance you want to start recording ?

I do a lot of 4 to 7 hour rides on the weekend. 99.99% of the time I don't want to record anything.

The Hero 9 starts recording as soon as the button is pressed, either on the camera or the remote. There is an option where recording starts instantly, 15 or 30 seconds before you press record. I usually record my whole ride, especially if riding solo. For longer rides I'll use a small USB battery pack.

Video quality is good, so are the photos.​​​​​​​
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There are lots of gopro knockoffs in the fifty buck range that work great and some even have bt remotes. One of mine does. They also come with image stabilization, but if there's a piece of footage that's important to you it can always be improved with after market software. The charge on one of mine lasts about 90 minutes and I have a spare bat that I can throw in and takes only a second to do. If you put it on vehicle mode it will film on a loop after the SD card is full. I use a 128card and it's never gotten full on a single ride at high def. I have a mount on both my handle bars and helmet. The helmet video is much steadier than the handle bar, especially on gravel. I've only used the video one time in the last year to prove something to an LEO that I was bringing to his attention. After viewing the video he jumped right into action. Made my day.

I'm not familiar w/ all their products. why did you make the switch?