Fly12 cycling front light and video camera launches on Kickstarter

Following on from the success of the Fly6, Australian company Cycliq has launched the Fly12, a 400 Lumen front light with an integrated HD video camera. It’s currently on Kickstarter and has sailed past its funding target with 22 days to go.

The new Fly12 packs a 400 Lumen LED light and HD video camera, housed in a slim and smart looking waterproof unit. It can record 1080p video at 40 or 45fps, or 720p at 30 or 60fps. It has a 130 degree wide angle lens and records onto an included 16GB MicroSD memory card - it’ll accommodate up to a 64GB memory card.

The Fly12 is powered by a 5,200mAh lithium-ion battery, charged by a USB lead, and is claimed to be good for 10 hours when just using the camera, 6 hours in camera with the light in flash mode, and 2 hours in camera with a steady light mode.

It doesn’t weigh much, just 209g - lighter than taking a separate LED light and camera on your ride.

One clever feature it the option to display a tramline grid, representing the lanes of the road or cycle path, over the video, so you can see just how close that car or lorry was when passing you. A timestamp is also recorded onto the video, in the bottom right of the picture. Strava data can also be added to the video presumably to display speed, distance and segments.

The Fly12 can be mounted to the handlebars using the supplied mount, but it's also compatible with a GoPro and Garmin mounts, handy if you have a few of those mounts knocking about.

A smartphone app allows the recorded footage to be easily viewed after a ride, using Bluetooth or WiFi, and that’ll make it easy to share on your favourite social media network.

There has been a huge surge in the number of cyclists filming their commutes, you only need to do a quick search on Youtube to see just how popular it is. The Fly6 and, now the new Fly12, are quite unique in that they provide illumination as well as recording, and the most obvious benefit is less devices hanging off your bike.

The Fly cameras also record on an endless loop, replacing previous footage so you never run out of space on the memory card, and don't need to wipe it before each ride. If the camera is horizontal for 4 seconds, which would be the case in the event of a crash, the camera will continue to record, but won’t write over older footage.

If you’re interested in getting your hands on the new Fly12, a pledge of $329 will get you one, with an estimated November 2015 delivery.

Legendary commentator Phil Liggett has been using the new Fly12, and seems impressed.

"I thought the Fly6 was the best thing to happen to promote safer cycling and now it is set to pair up with Fly12. The Fly6 is a must have on our busy roads and the images it produces are amazing. Can't recommend it highly enough to everyone.”

Check it out at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fly6/fly12-cycling-accessory-1080p-camera-and-front-lig