[JustTryingToGetFromAtoB]

I know there will be other threads but I figure the tech keeps moving so I would put a new one. Kick me if this is rude.

After being on the receiving end of more needless shitty driving this morning, I think I’m asking Santa for a camera this Xmas. It needs to be easy to use and reasonably priced.

If I do send to the police it will usually be Thames Valley though I am tempted to go and find the bell-ends and give them the chance to respond to the footage first (the worst behaviour is almost certainly from people close to home). Therefore I need to catch ghe plate and preferably the face of the driver.

Topic

[mark1a]

OK, understood, but they were

OK, understood, but they were driving like a c*** and when you feel the whoosh of the wing/door mirror on your elbow, you want the t*** to at least get a letter off the police with some advice about passing other road users in a safe and considerate manner. I’m not posting the video as I don’t have/want a YouTube account and it’s still with Dorset Police Op Snap, but trust me, it wasn’t “sorry mate I didn’t see you” it was “have some of that you biking ****”

[Hirsute]

If you dig into one of the
If you dig into one of the regs listed, it actually refers to motor vehicles where moving but any vehicle if stopped.

[mark1a]

30km/h on the screen grab,

30km/h on the screen grab, and they went past like a scalded cat in an EV. 

[mark1a]

You maybe right, I’ll defer

You maybe right, I’ll defer to your knowledge/interpretation, it’s just that I always thought that one should never overtake moving traffic on a crossing. 

HC191

191
You MUST NOT park on a crossing or in the area covered by the zig-zag lines. You MUST NOT overtake the moving vehicle nearest the crossing or the vehicle nearest the crossing which has stopped to give way to pedestrians.
Laws ZPPPCRGD regs 18, 20 & 24, RTRA sect 25(5) & TSRGD regs 10, 27 & 2

I’ve shown the Google Streetview here, it’s no place to overtake at full throttle in an electric car with insane 0-30 acceleration 0.5m from a cyclist. 
 

 

[Hirsute]

No offence for the zig zags.
No offence for the zig zags (assuming you were moving).

[mark1a]

Agree ref RCT715. Pricey but

Agree ref RCT715. Pricey but cheaper & smaller than separate light/camera/radar. Hardware is good, battery life is good, quality is good, companion app less so – but software can be fixed. Works well with Garmin Edge of course (swipe down, press “save clip”) and I’ve made several subs so far to local op snap. 

This is a screen grab of a clip, punishment pass for having the temerity to filter past at a traffic light, hopefully the police have actioned just for overtaking on crossing zigzags if not for the extreme acceleration close pass of me. 
 

Edit – I don’t have a red tyre, it’s the light!

[hawkinspeter]

jaysa wrote:

I’ve at least been listened to if I calmly state the problem or infraction, explain that it tends to kill people, ask them if they could avoid it in future and thank them.
No-nos are shouting, swearing and banging or otherwise touching their precious tin box.
And for sure send to the police – each submission takes 45 mins now.
Might help that I’m a girl …

Friday it was a 15cm close pass at 30mph in a 20mph by driver breathing laughing gas from a balloon – driver was so laid back he had trouble forming coherent words at the next lights …

I’ve previously tried to talk to drivers, but there’s only been a couple where they’ve appreciated the issue, so I just don’t bother nowadays as it just leads to me being angry or frustrated. The police get paid to deal with the public, so I leave it to them.

There’s an Ogmios episode that features him inadvertently breathing in nitrous oxide, but I was thinking that was satire.

[jaysa]

hawkinspeter wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

I don’t think trying to confront drivers with their dangerous driving is going to achieve anything as they’ll either get very defensive or very aggressive (maybe both). Just go with sending it to the police.

I’ve at least been listened to if I calmly state the problem or infraction, explain that it tends to kill people, ask them if they could avoid it in future and thank them.
No-nos are shouting, swearing and banging or otherwise touching their precious tin box.
And for sure send to the police – each submission takes 45 mins now.
Might help that I’m a girl …

Friday it was a 15cm close pass at 30mph in a 20mph by driver breathing laughing gas from a balloon – driver was so laid back he had trouble forming coherent words at the next lights …

[HoarseMann]

Good overview.

Good overview.

I would go for a Garmin RCT715. It’s 3-in-1, so just a single unit to fix to the seat post and will turn on/off with your head unit. No need to fiddle with any buttons on it. It’s pricey at £350, but you could argue good value if you were to buy a radar, camera and light separately.

Second choice would be a Fly 6. I note there is a Version 3 about to be released. They’ve reverted to the charge port on the side, rather than the top as on the CE. So hopefully those water ingress failures are a thing of the past.

I bought 2 cheap (<£50) action cameras and tried to bodge them to work on the bike before giving in and shelling out for a cycliq (fly 6 non-CE).

One of my cheap cameras was actually excellent value, it was a Shimano CM-2000, a £300 action camera I got discounted for £50. Whilst it’s got great mounting options, is really light and waterproof with super image quality (as good as a GoPro), including image stabilisation. The battery lasted 2hrs tops and though replaceable, you couldn’t actually buy a replacement! The buttons were also incredibly fiddly and the app a bit pants. All in all, it did the job, but was such a frustrating experience to use I gave up on it.

[OnYerBike]

I currently have a GoPro –

I currently have a GoPro – bought second hand so not outrageously expensive. Image quality is great; drawbacks are price (even 2nd hand) and battery length (depending on model ~90 mins). 

I previously had a Cycliq Fly6. While it lasted it was good – reasonably clear video (not as good as the GoPro but good enough), long battery life and a light to boot. But it randomly stopped working within three months. Cycliq replaced it under warranty (with a bit of persuasion…) bit then the replacement also stopped working, in less than one month. That time I opted for a refund rather than replacement. (Interestingly, as soon as I said it had stopped working Cycliq blamed user error resulting in water ingress without a shred of evidence). Other online reviews report similar issues. So I can’t recommend Cycliq.

In terms of other options that I haven’t used:

I am intrigued by the TOOO Cycling light/camera combo. Whoever runs the @PassPixi twitter account appears to have one and it seems good.

Various Drift Ghost cameras seem like viable options – good battery life and some have optical image stabilisation. But bulky, mounting may be an issue, and some users report reliability issues.

If you run a head unit, the Garmin RCT715 could also be an option. The camera seems mediocre, but a lot of people seem to love Varia Radar in its various forms, so if you’re in the market for a camera could be worth killing three birds with one stone (also includes light). Not cheap though… (although Garmin devices often heavily discounted around Black Friday etc.) 

[JustTryingToGetFromAtoB]

hawkinspeter wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

I don’t think trying to confront drivers with their dangerous driving is going to achieve anything as they’ll either get very defensive or very aggressive (maybe both). Just go with sending it to the police.

There’s a bunch of cheaper Cycliq imitations around, but I don’t know how they compare. From what I can gather, there’s still no decent competitor to Cycliq which is a shame as they’re expensive and have their own quirks (why can’t I keep my front and back cameras showing the same time?).

I do agree, and I’m not planning to go after people whilst raging. However, for a certain type of shitty driving, I’m optimistic enough that I think calmly asking someone to review the footage and see what it felt like to be on the receiving end of it could be educational and improve driving. I genuinely think a majority of shitty driving incidents are by people who are unaware how terrible their driving is.

I’m not going to go anywhere near the actual nutters. I could be completely wrong that they are notlocal and wouldn’t be able to find them anyway.

[JustTryingToGetFromAtoB]

This is useful, I do think I
This is useful, I do think I may be too lazy to deal with the admin after

[JustTryingToGetFromAtoB]

Thank you, really helpful
Thank you, really helpful

[JustTryingToGetFromAtoB]

jaysa wrote:

jaysa wrote:

Front, back or helmet? Battery life?
Fwiw, I run secondhand GoPros: Hero5 front and Hero 5 Session on the back.

Both are aasy to control from GoPro Quik app, and record number plates fine at 1080p50 linear mode, image stabilised.
A helmet cam would be best for driver pics, unless you can remember to angle a front cam at them.

Hero 5 is a bit of a lump but lasts well, Hero5 Session is neat as but only lasts 90 mins:

I was thinking handle bar rather than helmet, and was going to start with front and see if I get on with it before going rear (ooh errr)

It doesn’t need a huge amount of battery life as I don’t tend to go that far these days

[hawkinspeter]

That’s why the cycliq make

That’s why the cycliq make the best cameras for cyclists. Battery life is good, the video is very clear (except in low light conditions) and the SD card storage is self-managing with it over-writing older videos. You can also mark a video to not be auto-overwritten, but I can never remember what button that is.

[Author]

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