adamtki

Is there a camera you can mount on your bike that it always records the last 15 minutes or so of video so that if someone tries to buzz you or you get into an accident, you always have something recorded to document the incident? Nothing's happened to me so far recently, but I'd like to be prepared!

Something similar to the BikeAmigo except without a monitor and with a battery pack.

smasha

i've got HERO-960s. they can be set up so one button turns them on/off and they go straight to record mode. just delete the files if nothing interesting happens.

KD5NRH

I've been thinking about this one: https://www.dealextreme.com/p/h-264-7...-2-5-lcd-54137

Having its own display could be handy.

ItsJustMe

You want one with a G force sensor so that it KNOWS when something happened. If you're in a serious accident you may not be able to go stop it before it rolls over and erases the content.

The problem I have is that all of the ones I've seen with loop recording are built for cars, and none are waterproof. Without a waterproof camera, I'll have to be mounting it, unmounting, etc. Also the odds of being in an accident are probably higher in adverse weather so going with a non-waterproof camera is probably not good unless you just don't ride in adverse conditions.

smasha

the only use i can think of for a display would be aiming it properly, but i've never had a problem getting my cameras right without displays.

this is also less of a concern with wide-angle cameras... one would aim a rifle at a target, but one would point a shotgun. wide-angle makes it less critical if it's pointed 10-20 degrees off.

ItsJustMe

never shot a shotgun, huh? They're still guns, not bombs.

dsprehe89

I remember seeing something on Gizmodo.com that pretty much looked like a bluetooth headset that you would were and it would record constantly and just keep the last 15-30 min and continuously record over the older stuff and it was made just for what you are looking for. It was made so that when something cool (or bad) happened that you would want on video, you would just press a button and it would stop recording and you could just plug it into your computer and get the last 15-30min or however much it was. If I see it again I'll post a link up on here for you.

EDIT:
Found it. Its called the Looxcie LX1. You can get it on amazon for $150 and it records the last 4 hours not just 15 min.
https://www.amazon.com/Looxcie-LX1-Bl.../dp/B004DI7F76
and heres some more info on it.
https://gizmodo.com/5639699/the-looxc...tops-recording

smasha

ever see a scope on a shotgun?

the distinction between aiming and pointing was taught to me when i got my shotgun license/permit/certification (i don't remember what that paper said) in NJ.

edit: i suppose the distinction isn't something i completely agree with, but it's not something i completely disagree with.

ItsJustMe

Nope, because shotguns generally do not travel far enough to need one.

The point was that the spread on that lens is 90 to 120 degrees. shotguns, even modified choke, don't have nearly that much spread, probably more like 3/4 of one degree. You might be able to get a shotgun that had a 1 or even 2 degree spread, but a camera with a 2 degree field of view would be almost impossible to aim; that's a telescope.

The proper analogy IMO would be a rifle versus a claymore antipersonnel mine.

smasha

hehe... the front of the camera can have a label: "THIS SIDE TOWARDS ENEMY".

colleen c

I have consider the buying the HCX-HD1 1080p Full HD Helmet Camera . The description from the manufactor website list it as weatherproof, mudproof, HD, rotating lens, bult in mic, LCD screen and LiIon battery for 2.5 hrs. It does not listed as Loop recording, however listing from other seller has it list as 15, 35, 45 loop recording. You probably can contact the manufactor to be sure if it does have loop recording.

https://www.consumersupermall.com/hcx...a-p-29002.html

https://www.cycleprotectionproducts.c...ra-p-1161.html

ItsJustMe

Thaks colleen, that looks excellent. I have been riding 25000 miles now and have yet to have an incident that I'd really want video for, so for now I think I'll stick with my $10 key-fob camera, but that's tempting for sure.

freighttraininguphill

It won't work like a police dashcam or black box recorder, but the Kodak Playsport is cheap and records in 720p and 1080p HD, which is useful for capturing license plate numbers. It's also waterproof to 3 meters underwater. I have one and use it on a handlebar mount on climbing rides. I have a 16 GB card in it and it will record over 7 hours at WVGA (848x480) resolution, which is still very good. Battery life is pretty good too. It's advertised as 90 minutes. I've never tested the limits of the battery because I don't want a corrupted file from a shutdown due to a dead battery, but I have come pretty close to 90 minutes. I always carry 3 extra batteries. So far I've only had to use 2 on a long ride.

adamtki

Thanks, that's pretty close to what I'm looking for. It's really nice. I wish it was a little smaller (by taking away the monitor).

KD5NRH

Yep. Mossberg even makes barrels with integral scope mounts.
https://www.mossberg.com/products/acc...section=access

KD5NRH

Showing the cop what you just recorded beats having to wait until you get home.

freighttraininguphill

+1

Not all cops have MDC's (laptops mounted in the car) that have card readers so they can watch the videos on your memory card.

ItsJustMe

Yup, because people shoot slugs out of shotguns sometimes. I've never heard of anyone mounting a scope on a shotgun to shoot a shot load, only for shooting slugs when deer hunting. At that point it's not really a shotgun, it's just a low-velocity rifle throwing big honking bricks.

smasha

what's the rush? unless something truly terrible happens, 99% of the time there won't be a cop on scene. if there is, just let them know you've got video and find out how they want it delivered. if the cop didn't witness the incident, they're probably not going to issue any tickets on-scene.

i've also heard stories about some cops (certainly the minority)... that might issue a ticket to a cyclist for an offense that didn't happen. rather than argue with the cop or try to prove them wrong on the side of the street, i'd just show up to court with the video and have it thrown out. right or wrong, i wouldn't mention the video while on scene.

edit: i can picture this happening if a car full of "witnesses" says a cyclist ran a light before getting hit by a car. take the ticket, thank the officer kindly, go home, review the video, and then go from there.

my dad, driving a van, got rear-ended in a hit-n-run, got the plate, and reported it to the local police. the cops at the desk ran the plate, told him it belongs the police chief's daughter, and told him not to pursue it. if that was on video, the state police would take an interest in the video and they'd want to know how he knew the other car belonged to the police chief's daughter. things could have turned out... interesting.