Originally Posted by
retswerb
Thanks for this - I went looking on ebay after reading your post a few weeks ago and was able to pick up a used Drift for $31 including shipping. Haven't fully tested the battery life yet but it seems to be quite good, with decent video quality. Still figuring out how best to mount it.
Easiest way I've found to mount the Drift Ghost X to my bike helmets, using the supplied mounting shoes, is to ignore the excellent 3M tape and instead use Blue-Tak or equivalent Scotch brand adhesive putty. The shoe supplied by Drift is intended for motorcycle helmets, usually mounted on the side, and isn't at quite the right angle for typical bicycle helmets, which are smaller in circumference, with more arc and the 3M tape won't make even contact with the helmet.
Blu-Tack and Scotch detachable putty can be molded to any shape, holds securely, yet detaches without damage to most hard surfaces. I've used the stuff for at least 10 years on various projects, including outdoor mounting of wire antennas for my shortwave radio, to hold the wire against the brick exterior of my apartment complex. It held for months, much more securely than I'd expected.
I prefer to mount the camera on the top rear of my bicycle helmets for better balance. It puts the camera weight over my spine, so it causes less neck strain (I have pretty severe cervical spine stenosis, and I'm very picky about pressure on my head and neck).
To get the camera aimed where I'm looking, rather than down at the ground or up into the sky, I need to build up a wedge from the Blu-Tack or Scotch putty. I guesstimated it the first time, mounted the camera and did some test videos from my indoor trainer, while walking, and riding around the block. Usually it was very close and needed only minor tweaks in wedge shape and height to get the camera aimed where I wanted it.
On my hybrid with rear rack, I've used Blu-Tack putty to secure a Drift helmet mount for rear-facing camera. Works fine and would be a good solution for any bike with a rear rack -- which excludes all of my road bikes, unfortunately.
I also have a couple of Drift bar mounts but they're a bit crude and not practical for a rear facing camera. I've mounted the bar mounts on the seatpost or seat tube, etc., facing rearward, but the knobs for the thumb screws tend to scrape the insides of my thighs. So for now I'm not using a rear-facing camera. But those bar mounts work fine on the handlebar, stem or possibly some head tubes. I'd like to find a better solution but I suspect I'd need to have a clamp custom made by a 3D printer to suit my preferences. I'd prefer a flush mount Allen, Star or other bolt rather than the protruding thumb screws. And better quality detents for adjusting and holding the camera angle.