A rear-facing HD video cam and tail light that does both jobs well: Simon Vincett reports on testing.
Rating 89%
Function 36/40
Quality 38/40
Price 7/10
Appearance 8/10
$290
Having been rear-ended by a driver who then fled the scene, the developer of the Fly6 knew exactly what he wanted from an on-board video camera. His design incorporates the cam into a tail light to cover both functions of seeing and being seen.
The light has the classic and very effective ‘superflash’ format, with a main LED and three minor ones. These operate in two flash modes at three strengths: low, high and super bright. The low strength reduces glare for others in the peloton, which also works well for other commuting riders, and the super bright is good for daytime visibility when riding on high-speed roads.
The video camera is 720p High Definition (1280 x 720 pixel resolution). It captures 30 frames a second from a wide-angle lens (130 degrees), which provides good detail. It produces AVI files in standard frame size, so there’s no letterbox effect. The time and date of the footage is recorded in the frame.
The footage is captured in fifteen-minute segments (approx. 900MB per segment), with instantaneous follow-on to the next segment. The 8GB card holds about two hours of filming. When full, the camera starts recording over the earliest files. To prevent recording over footage of an incident, however, filming ceases if the bike is tilted more than 45 degrees for more than 3 minutes.
The image is very stable due to the cam being mounted on the seat post and the height is ideal for recording number plates. The audio recording picks up a lot of passing air flow noise but adequate situation sound as well. The microphone is tucked away under the mounting bracket, which is effective at preventing water ingress.
Waterproofing is otherwise covered by a nano-tech hydro-phobic treatment to IP54 standard. Overall the unit has a tough, durable construction.
The uncomplicated manual guides you through a straightforward set-up before initial use and a simple process to view and download files. The mounting kit includes wedges for achieving the right angle and an adapter for aero seat posts.
For more info and to buy fly6.com
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The Fly6 is expensive and not very flexible (I have one that was given to me).
For the price you can by two dedicated cameras that scroll through the memory card so you always have a record of your last period of riding.
Sad that we feel we need these but I know people who have successfully used them to provide evidence after accidents.
I have the 1st version of the Fly6 and now the latest version of Fly6.
It’s great, simple, has a light, and mounts really well.
The picture quality is more than sufficient, and I have piece of mind that the light is bright and there is the added assurance of a camera.
It’s not cheap, but the dual function (light and camera) is not offered by any other product – so it’s unique. (I have a GoPro too – and that is expensive!)
The more and more obvious it is that riders have cameras rolling every time they roll, will make for a change in behaviour.
I’m happy with the product, and I use it every day.