Want to get some reviews on cycling cameras for bikes. Something to help protect me or record close passes and so on.
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You beat to asking the same thing!
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I have heard that the Garmin Varia is the go to system.
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I know they do a rear light/camera/radar, but do they do a front one as well?
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This is a great thread. Funny how I was thinking this the other day too.
For me while I’d say still not ideal but the best front and rear cameras are from Cycliq. A downside is you can only get them direct. There are better action cameras GoPro and Insta360 but they don’t have the safety dash camera features. I think battery life is now better on the latest Fly12 as my only real complaint with mine is I can’t replace the battery’s when out all day. Having to reduce the quality to extend the riding time. That said I always worked to only getting an hour + on my GoPro as often you wouldn’t realise it had gone flat.
The Cycliq also integrate with my Garmin head unit so I can control the light modes and also see battery life.
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Thank you for the recommendation. I’m really only looking for something for dashcam type functionality rather than recording the ride as such. It’s a shame they don’t offer just the camera as I already have an decent selection of lights, but I guess you can never have too many!!!
That was my frustration mostly for the front. Having lights from Exposure which are brighter and offer longer burn times I just wanted a smaller unit ideally without the light. However I guess your not paying some much for the light and most of the cost is the camera.
I do also run with my GoPro but this is really when I am wanting better quality images when on some bigger rides and needing to be able to switch out the battery.
I know some people who got the Chilli head camera but the quality isn’t great. I also know someone who got a dashcam for a motor bike and uses that but requires a bit of work to wire it up to battery pack.
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You make a good point that it’s essentially a camera which happens to have a light as well. I guess the combined light would probably last long enough for a fair few rides anyway, and then just break out the heavier duty stuff as and when it’s needed for longer rides. It’s just nice to try to reduce the amount of “stuff” on the bike! I do quite like the idea of it connecting to the Garmin though.
Do you have a rear camera as well?
Yes I have both front and rear cameras from Cycliq.
I’ve just been doing some research and an alternative front camera that might be worth looking at is the Insta360 One R and GoPro as both do have loop recording making it much better as a safety camera what I’m not sure about at the moment is how easy it is to lock/archive footage based on you having an accident or near miss. Ideally like with the Cycliq you would have one button to press or and auto detection in the case of an accident.
Another option appears to be the Techalogic DC-1 which is a front and rear camera in one and also has loopback recording. For me I’m not a fan of the camera stuck up high on your helmet as you can feel it even if they aren’t that heavy having had plenty of helmet mounted lights. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Y5HL152?tag=georiot-trd-21&th=1&ascsubtag=cyclingweekly-gb-9909950227086934000-21&geniuslink=true
I do like the idea of the Garmin Varia RCT715 Rearview Radar with Camera and Tail Light it is just the price I don’t like as for about £100 more you can get the bundle of both Cycliq ones. That said the Garmin wasn’t even an option when I got mine.
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Thank you so much for researching and sharing. I must admit, I’m not a fan of helmet mounted either. Good to have some other options to take a look at. I do like the idea of the one press option like on a car dashcam to lock footage. If I’m in a near miss situation, it needs to be easy to capture.
My husband has a Garmin Varia rear view radar and light, but no camera, which he’s a big fan of as it shows him the speed and proximity of vehicles behind. He says it works really well with his Garmin head unit. But if you add in the camera as well, it’s not the cheapest option and I don’t think they do a front camera at all.
I’d been thinking about a camera of some description for a while, but was out in fairly grotty weather on Saturday on a narrowish road, and ended up with a white van a few inches off my back wheel, repeatedly slipping the clutch and revving the engine! I pulled over when there was an opportunity and he passed with an unnecessary amount of wheel spin and some fairly cololurful language!
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This is great feedback. Thank you everyone.
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Agree with Beth. Gold level info here. Thanks.
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