Dashcam for biking suggestions please?
#1
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Dashcam for biking suggestions please?
I ride about 6 hours so I want something that can record for at least 7 does such a dashcam exist for a bike yet? If it cannot last with its battery I easily can keep it plugged in to battery pack while riding as long as it still allows it to work. What are some suggestions out there that I should start using? I just had a scooter person hit me on my bike and this isn't the first time so I really want to start recording things.
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There are no cameras that I am aware of that have a large enough battery to actually last 7 hours.. I've ran a GoPro Session as a rear facing camera for years attached to a 5000mah USB battery stick in my saddle bag. With it, I could have easily gotten several hours.
I recently tried replacing it with a Drift Ghost XL Pro that promises 7 hours of runtime at 1080p but mine arrived defective and I can't get any support at all from the company. Not to rehash that here so here is my thread on that topic.
https://www.bikeforums.net/electroni...t-cameras.html
Aside from my issues and if you want to roll the dice with Drift, then it says it can get 7 hours, is waterproof etc.. Based on my experience with their 'support' I'd not recommend them at this point.
GoPro is suppose to be releasing a Hero 11 Mini later this month that might be great for cycling. It's going to be small with small battery life which is going to require a battery stick / pack to extend it's record time. I assume with a large enough battery pack you'd be able to reach your several hour requirement..
I recently tried replacing it with a Drift Ghost XL Pro that promises 7 hours of runtime at 1080p but mine arrived defective and I can't get any support at all from the company. Not to rehash that here so here is my thread on that topic.
https://www.bikeforums.net/electroni...t-cameras.html
Aside from my issues and if you want to roll the dice with Drift, then it says it can get 7 hours, is waterproof etc.. Based on my experience with their 'support' I'd not recommend them at this point.
GoPro is suppose to be releasing a Hero 11 Mini later this month that might be great for cycling. It's going to be small with small battery life which is going to require a battery stick / pack to extend it's record time. I assume with a large enough battery pack you'd be able to reach your several hour requirement..
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Drift promises long run time, but I've not looked into review or real-user experience to see if that's actually what people are getting.
A GoPro with a power pack would be a good option (but pretty expensive).
I used Cycliq Fly12 and Fly6 front and rear cameras for a while, they are a light and camera combo. Quality was good enough for dashcam style stuff, number plates, etc, but it's not GoPro quality footage. I do not know for 100% if you can attach a power pack though to extend run life (only around 4-5 hours max).
A GoPro with a power pack would be a good option (but pretty expensive).
I used Cycliq Fly12 and Fly6 front and rear cameras for a while, they are a light and camera combo. Quality was good enough for dashcam style stuff, number plates, etc, but it's not GoPro quality footage. I do not know for 100% if you can attach a power pack though to extend run life (only around 4-5 hours max).
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fwiw - since about February? been experimenting w/ a GoPro 8 primarily for it's image stabilization & I've been very happy with it. changing batteries during a ride is a nuisance that I'm working around, but so far, I haven't gone the power pack route. honestly don't know if it has a looping/overwrite feature. I just take clips of highlights & road crossings or intersections
good luck w/ your quest!
good luck w/ your quest!
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#5
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I have budget (around $100) action cameras for my helmet and rear facing. Spare batteries and sd micro cards give me recording time for 6hr on one camera a 8 hrs on the other at 1080p60.
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Here's how I solved the problem. Garmin 1030+ on an out-front mount with adapter to accept the Garmin external power pack. Stuck on the bottom of that is a Bontrager headlight (stick on GoPro mount) with my GoPro on another mount connected via USB cable to the Garmin powerpack. You have to change the battery door on the GoPro to do this, and when you do, it's no longer waterproof, so I wouldn't ride in the rain.
I don't know if you'd get 7 hours, but you could always carry a spare GoPro battery.
I don't know if you'd get 7 hours, but you could always carry a spare GoPro battery.
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Drift promises long run time, but I've not looked into review or real-user experience to see if that's actually what people are getting.
A GoPro with a power pack would be a good option (but pretty expensive).
I used Cycliq Fly12 and Fly6 front and rear cameras for a while, they are a light and camera combo. Quality was good enough for dashcam style stuff, number plates, etc, but it's not GoPro quality footage. I do not know for 100% if you can attach a power pack though to extend run life (only around 4-5 hours max).
A GoPro with a power pack would be a good option (but pretty expensive).
I used Cycliq Fly12 and Fly6 front and rear cameras for a while, they are a light and camera combo. Quality was good enough for dashcam style stuff, number plates, etc, but it's not GoPro quality footage. I do not know for 100% if you can attach a power pack though to extend run life (only around 4-5 hours max).
It's unfortunate that they (Drift) no longer offers this version as it does do a fairly good job at doing what it did.
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Here are a few of my bikes where I've ran a rear camera.. On all but the Drift XL Pro I ran a USB cable to a power pack inside my saddle bag. If you look at the images closely you can see the cable running from the camera, up the seat post, under the saddle bag and into the saddle bag.
I've also had a Fly6 and was actually a tester for Cycliq when they were developing their Fly12 many years ago, Cycliq makes great devices..
If you choose to go with a rear seatpost mounted camera like I have DO NOT use the plastic GoPro mounts. Order some aluminum mounts and an aluminum seatpost clamp.. If possible, also attach a lanyard.
Here is a shot of my one attempted ride with the Drift Ghost XL Pro. This camera has 2 options for power. One is USB C inside the flap that also houses the SD card but if you use it you loose waterproofing. The other option is a 3.5 mm cable (thats included) and allows charging while keeping it water proof. Pretty nifty, bummed mine is a paperweight.
This is a GoPro Session with a USB Battery Pack inside the saddlebag. The problem with this was the door needed to be open to for the cable to connect and charge while riding. This resulted in ZERO waterproofing.
Next is an older model Garmin Virb (bullet style).. You had to open the rear flap to connect the USB cable which left it kind of exposed to water being kicked up..
I've also had a Fly6 and was actually a tester for Cycliq when they were developing their Fly12 many years ago, Cycliq makes great devices..
If you choose to go with a rear seatpost mounted camera like I have DO NOT use the plastic GoPro mounts. Order some aluminum mounts and an aluminum seatpost clamp.. If possible, also attach a lanyard.
Here is a shot of my one attempted ride with the Drift Ghost XL Pro. This camera has 2 options for power. One is USB C inside the flap that also houses the SD card but if you use it you loose waterproofing. The other option is a 3.5 mm cable (thats included) and allows charging while keeping it water proof. Pretty nifty, bummed mine is a paperweight.
This is a GoPro Session with a USB Battery Pack inside the saddlebag. The problem with this was the door needed to be open to for the cable to connect and charge while riding. This resulted in ZERO waterproofing.
Next is an older model Garmin Virb (bullet style).. You had to open the rear flap to connect the USB cable which left it kind of exposed to water being kicked up..
Last edited by raqball; 09-11-22 at 05:01 PM.
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I have the Teentok cameras (front and rear) and they last about 5-6 hours if not using the light. I'm pretty sure you can run them while plugged into a USB power source, though.
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How much do you want to spend?
Today I purchased the new DJI Action 3 (adventure bundle) to use as a rear camera since my Drift was pretty much DOA.. It's pricy but the adventure bundle comes with 3 extreme batteries and a nifty and compact case to hold and charge them all on the go.. Battery life will depend on settings etc but with 3 extreme batteries you should be able to make it just fine. Even more so since when you replace a battery and put the dead one in the charge case, it will charge it back up. They claim it's fast a charging battery pack and you can get 80% battery life back in all batteries in 56 minutes. Basically you'll never run out of battery.
This review is pretty good on the setup. He talks about and shows the battery charging pack that comes with the Adventure bundle.. He talks about the battery pack at the 11:20 mark of the video.
The DJI 3 adventure bundle is $439. But it comes with 2 GoPro mounts so I can keep one permanently attached to my bike then have another mount for when I want to use the camera for other activities.
If you don't want the adventure bundle the the standard Action 3 sells for $329.. But for an extra $110 with the adventure bundle you get 2 extra extreme batteries (3ea total), the portable quick charge battery case, 2ea GoPro mounts, and a selfie stick. I'd never use the selfie stick but the extra batteries, portable charger and the extra GoPro mount was worth the added cost to me..
I guess it all depends on how much you want to spend. I looked at the new GoPro's, including the Mini after GoPro's announcement today and opted for the DJI over them. For me 3 included batteries, quick charge portable battery pack etc was my deciding factor..
Good luck..
Today I purchased the new DJI Action 3 (adventure bundle) to use as a rear camera since my Drift was pretty much DOA.. It's pricy but the adventure bundle comes with 3 extreme batteries and a nifty and compact case to hold and charge them all on the go.. Battery life will depend on settings etc but with 3 extreme batteries you should be able to make it just fine. Even more so since when you replace a battery and put the dead one in the charge case, it will charge it back up. They claim it's fast a charging battery pack and you can get 80% battery life back in all batteries in 56 minutes. Basically you'll never run out of battery.
This review is pretty good on the setup. He talks about and shows the battery charging pack that comes with the Adventure bundle.. He talks about the battery pack at the 11:20 mark of the video.
The DJI 3 adventure bundle is $439. But it comes with 2 GoPro mounts so I can keep one permanently attached to my bike then have another mount for when I want to use the camera for other activities.
If you don't want the adventure bundle the the standard Action 3 sells for $329.. But for an extra $110 with the adventure bundle you get 2 extra extreme batteries (3ea total), the portable quick charge battery case, 2ea GoPro mounts, and a selfie stick. I'd never use the selfie stick but the extra batteries, portable charger and the extra GoPro mount was worth the added cost to me..
I guess it all depends on how much you want to spend. I looked at the new GoPro's, including the Mini after GoPro's announcement today and opted for the DJI over them. For me 3 included batteries, quick charge portable battery pack etc was my deciding factor..
Good luck..
Last edited by raqball; 09-14-22 at 12:03 PM.
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I've been using Contour cameras for years - they're not making them anymore but there are lots on eBay.
I have all the mounts so I'm reluctant to switch, but today my mount broke and the camera fell off and broke too - so I got another one (my third).
They have replaceable batteries, and I have about 7 of them and they last about 2 hours each. I like this a lot better than permanent batteries, I just bring however many I think I'll need, and I rotate them to equalize use.
I've recorded nearly entire centuries with this setup.
They will not loop though, so once your SD card is full you need to transfer files or reformat or something... on HD mode it's about 10 minutes per GB so 300 minutes on a 32GB card... and you could go longer on lower res.
Other examples of my recordings here (this should be a playlist)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...HRkbT4_ayxOUen
And nearly all the photos on my Blog were just screen grabs from videos... have a look.
I have all the mounts so I'm reluctant to switch, but today my mount broke and the camera fell off and broke too - so I got another one (my third).
They have replaceable batteries, and I have about 7 of them and they last about 2 hours each. I like this a lot better than permanent batteries, I just bring however many I think I'll need, and I rotate them to equalize use.
I've recorded nearly entire centuries with this setup.
They will not loop though, so once your SD card is full you need to transfer files or reformat or something... on HD mode it's about 10 minutes per GB so 300 minutes on a 32GB card... and you could go longer on lower res.
Other examples of my recordings here (this should be a playlist)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...HRkbT4_ayxOUen
And nearly all the photos on my Blog were just screen grabs from videos... have a look.
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I'd probably be tempted to get Cycliq Fly 12 Sport - this an updated version that was just recently announced. It supposedly get 7 hours of battery life, has image stabilization and is supposed to start shipping in a couple weeks.