Existing member, but new role!

[drewberz]

Figured I'd introduce myself here (don't recall if I originally did) as a member of the e-bike community, but also an advocate for and having an active role in advancing e-biking. I joined Streetlogic last year, an e-bike safety company that is putting cameras on bikes in order to promote safer cycling in cities. Our vision is that streets are made safer to ride in, and cycling continues to grow in popularity.

I've previously posted in the forums as a user and I will continue to do so...at least when I have the time hah! I appreciate all of the information EBR has given to me, and I hope to continue to give back to this community and the broader e-biking community going forward!

And who would I be without a bike pic? Here's my Giant Revolt, with about ~8k miles on it (display was replaced, so I don't have exact mileage). It could use some TLC around the pedals, hoods, tape etc.

 

[indianajo]

Welcome to your new role.
You link is interesting. My heirs & uninsured motorist insurance carrier would probably appreciate documentation of my final surroundings before I am wiped out by a motor vehicle. Huge barrier, I don't have a smart phone & am not going to have a smart phone. If I wake up in a ditch somewhere, the phone needs to be in my pocket, not clipped to the bicycle off in the weeds somewhere else. No 2.5"x4" smart phones exist that I've seen.

 

[drewberz]

Thanks! The black box recording is interesting and I think valuable to a rider. I've been hit by a car, but if no one is around to witness it, did I really? A lot of forces against cyclists. Heard of all kinds of stories too: police marks the cyclist at fault, there is no follow-up, no record of the incident etc.

All of the computation is done on the phone, so it's necessary as you mentioned. Curious why 2.5"x4"? Are those your pocket dimensions? Closest thing to a small smartphone is an iphone SE, which I looked up and is 2.7x5.5.

 

[indianajo]

. Curious why 2.5"x4"? Are those your pocket dimensions? Closest thing to a small smartphone is an iphone SE, which I looked up and is 2.7x5.5.

My flip phone is that size, and just barely doesn't squirt out of my pocket. Longer phone probably would. I stuff a napkin over it to hold it down.

 

[drewberz]

My flip phone is that size, and just barely doesn't squirt out of my pocket. Longer phone probably would. I stuff a napkin over it to hold it down.

I appreciate the simple solution!

 

[tomjasz]

No 2.5"x4" smart phones exist that I've seen.

And at that size the screen wouldn't be seen!

 

[Bicyclista]

@drewberz, thank you for the link to Streetlogic. For me, the barrier would be the subscription model. At $20/month, I would have paid them $1,440 for the six years of riding ebikes by now, and that would not be the end of it going forward. My two GoPro cameras, which I mount fore and aft, are a lot less than that. Of course, they don't have all the bells and whistles that Streetlogic provides, but they are capable of much higher quality video than Streetlogic cameras. At only 15 frames per second, their video recordings will suffer from stuttering.

I am a professional photograher and I abandoned Photoshop when they went to a subscription model. No more subscriptions of anything for me, thank you!

 

[m@Robertson]

I don't see enough added utility in this to make me consider a switch from the use of inexpensive, image-stabilized dashcams (action cameras that run on a loop). The subscription model over time is a dealbreaker.

I pay $100-$140 per camera and I use scuba boxes to be able to switch them from bike to bike so one camera can work for several bikes. The boxes cost about $13 each and I get them when I get the camera. Looking at the current models, they are now waterproof on their own so no need for an encapsulating box, which unlocks the use of sound.

 

[CodyDog]

Although I love innovation, I am not fond of a subscription.

 

[drewberz]

I do appreciate the feedback on the subscription! Some people don't like it, others think it's fair because there is a service. Horses for courses.

These cameras can do A LOT more than what a GoPro is capable of because they can use the brains of your phone. I like the safety options out there for cyclists more and more, as bikes are getting ADAS features that were previously reserved for cars. It feels like the industry is 'tightening up', and parts like the battery or frame are getting more safe too.

Garmin just came out with the Varia RCT715, which is an improvement upon the RTL515 (any of you ridden with this?) because it now has a camera. Varia faces the rear and gives an alert to vehicles coming up and has a light.

By any means, whatever you've got, use it! I've ridden with a Hero9 on the front, it's a bit tiring managing the ~1hr. battery life and all the files generated. I bought a spare GoPro battery, but even then I forget to charge it sufficiently-or at all-so it dies on me. It's another device to manage and charge. I tried using an external battery, which extends the life a lot, but if the power is cut I don't have all the video up until the power cuts. I remember it not saving the last ~6 seconds when I tested pulling the power. And I eventually have to charge the external. So it's not a reliable dashcam at least in that configuration.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I am looking at these guys good battery life and video but not too expensive https://cycliq.com/bike-cameras/fly12ce/#section-15