Is it worth getting a gopro for commuting to work, cycle runs and the yearly holiday? I would like to try it but may try getting a used one first or maybe not? Def not the expensive ones for sure, thanks in advance for advice given.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
gopro commute
(16 posts)-
Posted 5 years ago #
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I used to use a camera on my commute, but I've given up. So many of my commutes are incident-free, and even the 'incidents' aren't really that significant, I didn't feel it was worth it. [Full disclosure: most of my commute is on the canal towpath, with simple on-road sections at each end]. The problem I saw was that either I record every ride, or don't bother, as it's inevitably the one where the camera is off that has the incident. It is a faff to keep it charged and, if necessary, to empty the memory card. You'll know if you can be bothered with that faff on a regular basis.
Two things to consider if you are regularly having 'incidents' on the bike. (1) Is your riding style a contributor and (2) are these incidents that are really worth making a fuss about? I found I was making too many nippy videos about close passes that were dangerous and stupid but not utterly life-threatening.
I did enjoy making films of bike rides, though. A bar mounted camera made a great film of the Pedal for Scotland I did with 10 year-old mini-Greenroofer, which we still enjoy watching.
I'd say get one and enjoy making films with it.
I'd also say that none of the above is meant to be a criticism of people who do record their rides every time. I suspect that if I was regularly commuting through Edinburgh city centre along its main roads at rush hour then I would start recording rides again.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Really good advice there -i love swimming and snorkelling so that is also part of it. still thinking about it
Posted 5 years ago # -
@Greenroofer: I agree with you that using a camera really needs to become part of your regular routine, otherwise sod's law will ensure that the one time you need the footage, the camera will be out of action for one reason or another.
I find the footage from bar mounted cameras too wobbly (which is one reason why I am planning to get rid of my Fly12) but each to his own. I am currently trialling a gopro mount that fits on a rucksack strap. Initial results seem promising, although it definitely needs a bit of tweaking to get a view of the road ahead rather than just a metre or so in front of the front wheel. One potential drawback is that I can only fit it on the left-hand strap of the 16l 'sack I usually use; whether this is a show-stopper will become clearer when the angle of dangle is sorted. Of course, this is no use if you don't use a rucksack (although you can get dedicated chest mount harnesses - Decathlon do one for not much money).
One thing I definitely hate is helmet mounted cameras - the footage always seems to look like the worst of 1980s not-very-steadicam hip yoof TV. I think the ideal in terms of stability might actually be a frame-mounted camera but suitable mounts seem to be few and far between, and there are issues with placement - putting it somewhere where you won't clatter it in normal riding, while keeping things like control cables out of the picture.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I use a Shimano CM-1000 Sports Camera (Though mine was £85) as a rear camera (Which used to be my main camera) and a Drift Ghost 4K as my new main / helmet camera. I don't have any experience with other cameras (E.g. GoPros), so can't really comment - but the two I use are much smaller than a GoPro, which I like - I don't feel too much like a teletubby cycling around :)
I plug the cameras in to charge overnight, and clear the footage every day (the cards hold about 2 days worth of footage), which takes 2-3 minutes, including the time it takes my PC to start up. Both cameras also have a phone app I can use to delete the SD card contents if I don't manage it. Basically, I don't think of it as a burden at all to remember to keep the cameras charged and SD cards empty.My commute takes me from Gilmerton to Holyrood, with Gimerton Road in particular having loads of "incidents", and I cycle every lunch break and cycle home the "long way" frequently. I do 100+ miles a week, almost all in the city, on roads.
I got my camera a few years ago after getting close passed by about a foot by a driver. I knocked on his rear passenger window as he passed, to show how close he was, and he reacted by pulling hard left and slamming the brakes on, then getting out and trying to swing a punch at me. I didn't bother reporting it to the police because I couldn't remember any sort of useful description of the car or driver, and certainly no number plate.
I probably average about 1 video a week, though the majority are like Greenroofer said - minor incidents that I wouldn't care about usually, but since the cameras are on and recording anyway, I figure I might as well upload them.
The cameras have come in handy a few times - I've been to court once for a driver who was using a phone while driving, then pulled into the ASL on a red light, and then spat in my face when I told him to get off his phone (He changed his plea to guilty at the last moment and got charged with assault, but no road traffic offences).
I've had another driver a week or two ago who's been charged with careless driving after doing a head-on charge at me on the wrong side of the road because there were parked cars on their side (video in 2-3 weeks once I've confirmed that it's not going to court).
And I'm currently talking to the police (talking at the police is probably more accurate, since the officer dealing with it is quite frankly utterly incompetent) about an almost identical incident as above, except this driver drove through a "give way to oncoming vehicles" towards me.
I'm perfectly happy cycling on off-road paths without cameras, but I have to admit that I feel slightly nervous cycling through town without cameras - that mostly comes from the fact that I've reported dozens of incidents of dangerous and generally poor driving to the police WITH video, only to be told there's nothing they can do - so it feels like just my luck that I'll end up in a collision when I don't have cameras, and previous experience tells me that the police will take no action without video evidence.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Worth considering one of the cheap copy action cams. I've got one which I am more than happy with. Got it as a gift so not sure how much it cost, but a fraction of GoPro for sure.
The main drawback is battery life - just a bit over the hour.
I got a Garmin mount with attachment for the camera underneath which does the job really well of holding it in place. There might be a little camera wobble but nothing too bad.
Making it part of the routine is essential though and I found myself regularly forgetting to switch it on at first. Once you have done that it isn't too much bother.
Posted 5 years ago # -
One thing I definitely hate is helmet mounted cameras - the footage always seems to look like the worst of 1980s not-very-steadicam hip yoof TV
I actually find helmet mounted cameras to give the best footage - the important thing is that the camera points where you're looking - but yes, it does bob around a bit.Most cameras have a way to stabilise the footage, but I'm not a fan of how that looks.
My most recent video, with the Drift camera on the helmet mount, and the Shimano rear:
EDIT: Oh yeah - battery life. My Shimano gets about 90 minutes (recording 60 FPS @ 720p), the Drift gets about 2.5h (2.7K @ 60 FPS), and I have the additional big battery pack (not used it yet), which should give 6+ hours battery life.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@EdinburghCycleCam - Is the Drift the one that died in the rain?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@CycleCommute.CC - It is, unfortunately, but Amazon gave me a full refund (I actually made £10 profit since the original was £300 and the replacement is £290).
In future I'll stick the waterproof case in my pannier, and use that if it's raining heavily and I'm planning a long-ish ride home. I'd used it in the rain dozens of times before without any problems.The manual says: "This means that you can use your camera in the rain, providing the USB and memory card covers and a Ghost 4K module are securely in place, but the camera cannot be submerged", but apparently 2-3 hours in fairly heavy rain and wind was too much for it unprotected.
Posted 5 years ago # -
i had a go-pro but ebayed 6 months ago as it was too frustrating to use - it was the gopro 4 hero or something. The main issue was it didn't loop, so the memory card had to be reformatted or the files deleted or it just just ran out of space and stopped recorded.
The only way to get it to loop was to set it up via the app and every time the camera powered off you had to re-set it up, it was horrific. Or deleted the footage after every use - that was 18 button presses and not at all intuitive.
I know this has been 'fixed' in the go-pro 5 onwards, although go-pro say the looping function was deliberately disabled as people were complaining about over-writing footage.
Also I with the go-pro stuck on top of my helmet I got quite a lot of abuse ie "you can't film me" etc... it just wasn't worth it.
Am now probably going to have another go, likely either the shimano CM-2000 or the Drift. But whichever i pick, it'll need to fit on the underside of a garmin mount as CycleCommute.cc mentioned.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I think "you are not allowed to endanger my life" is a good retort to "you are not allowed to film me"
I've been humming and hawing for years about getting one (or two) I will probably keep doing so until the tech becomes cheap, reliable, idiot proof and the police accept the evidence e easily on line.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@CycleCommute.CC: Worth considering one of the cheap copy action cams.
I have an SJ4000 GoPro clone which was very well reviewed when it came out. I does do loop recording (overwriting the oldest clips) so you all you have to do is keep it charged.
This model is getting a bit long in the tooth now - although it has been updated with WiFi - but is still available for ~£60-80 from the usual online suspects (I think some outlets are clearing the non-WiFI version for silly money at the moment).A more recent GoPro clone that gets good reviews is the Gitup Git2 or 2P, available for under £100 depending on the accessory package it comes with. This model also does loop recording (according to the manual, anyway). The gadget-freak side of me is almost tempted to give it a go, actually...
My first port of call for reviews on all types of action cam is Techmoan. He recently rated the Drift Ghost X as "the best bike commuter camera". It's on Amazon for £122 at the moment. It does loop recording (rather disappointingly they call it "Car DVR loop recording mode").
Posted 5 years ago # -
@Edinburgh Cycle Training: Surely a simple: "Yes I am," is clear, concise and to the point?
Or maybe, if you really want to conflate the two issues: "That's something else you're wrong about, on top of the way you treat other road users".
Posted 5 years ago # -
I bought my first cam when I mainly used the roads between Leith and the Gyle, and one terrifying close pass by a large artic on an empty Ferry Road just after 6am one summer morning.
It's been easy to make it part of my cycling routine: charge it back up for the journey home when I get to my desk at work, and charge it when I get home for the next morning's ride.
My current is a Xiaomi Yi Discovery - which was only about £45 and has a rear LCD. Prior to that, it was a Xiaomi Yi (which still works fine - I just wanted a screen to review footage on without having to download and open the files).
I have a 128Gb card in it (despite the manual saying it doesn't accept cards that size), so I only have to remember to clear the files off every now and then (and I can do that via the screen in the camera itself, as well as via the mobile app).
I wear it atop my helmet - looks stupid, but the footage and stability is brilliant and it sees what I'm looking at.
I've rarely used the footage, but it has been useful reporting an artic that pulled out and nearly ran me over and also for reporting stolen bikes to the police (very clear footage of the faces of the scrotes riding them - police came and took away copies). It's also useful for catching interesting stuff like herons on the WoL, comedy suicidal squirrels, tiny yappy dogs trying to savage my ankles, and red-light jumpers!
One day I'm going to bodge a bracket so I can mount my old Yi as a rear-facing cam, as I've had things thrown at me from behind over the years, and I have no way of knowing who did it or how close they got to braining me!
Posted 5 years ago # -
mercury1and2 - yes it is.
I use the GoPro session 5 that I clip onto my backpack shoulder strap. See pic:
Although most of my commutes are incident free. If something were to happen, I think it would be a useful tool.
Posted 5 years ago # -
The gopro 7 white reviews are mixed - and @nevelbell that is a good spot for camera. i will think some more because it is not just the camera...
Posted 5 years ago #
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