Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I have a new GoPro and ordered some mounts (soon please mr postie). I was wondering where I should mount it as a safety camera. I will also use it as a recreational camera, mounted whereever my Steven Spielberg instincts determine when riding off road etc.

I have read much of the who uses a video camera thread which tends to lean towards camera reviews etc. Where is the best/safest location to provide the most effective footage in the event of an incident. I am limited to one camera at present and do not spend a lot of time on busy, narrow roads but do travel through a couple of busy roundabouts and intersections. I am yet to decide on chest, helmet or bike mount, front or rear as most effective.

Mods please feel free to set this thread on your preferred course.

I vited for "More than 2 cams (everywhere)" as an ideal response but this would depend on your budget more than anything.

personally I have a single GoPro and helmet mount it.

Top of helmet, side of helmet, chest, back, arms, top of handlebars, bottom of handlebars, on the drops, under the seat, on the stem, front, forward..... on the frame, under the frame, on the quick release...... that's all I have done

Safety wise I'd go for a helmet view for forwards/side views with one on the rear.

Lukeyboy wrote:Top of helmet, side of helmet, chest, back, arms, top of handlebars, bottom of handlebars, on the drops, under the seat, on the stem, front, forward..... on the frame, under the frame, on the quick release...... that's all I have done

Safety wise I'd go for a helmet view for forwards/side views with one on the rear.

sonofthewind, is that you?

I have tried the front bar and it seems to pick up lots of road noise though the video is ok and vibrations didn't bother it.Top of the helmet ok if you want to look like a parrot, but it worked well there. I found the best spot to be on a bracket on the right hand side.
Mine took a bit of fitting as I had to purpose make a bracket to suite my helmet. I find that the position on the right brings the cam to almost eye level, and it is easier to turn on and off. Mine has a very quiet little sound upon activation and it is clear at this position. Probably depends on the shape of the cam really.
I doubt my helmet would ever pass the AUS standard though. Pity as it only 12 years old too..... love my helmet, it is great for is blackberry picking.

For "action" type video, eg bombing down some singletrack, definitely go with chest mount. It gives the best perspective, and is relatively immune from vibration.

And for onroad cycling, you're probably looking more to use it as an "incident" camera. In this case, if you're only running 1 camera, I think helmet mount is the go.

Helmet mount allows you to turn to film driver's face, numberplate etc. It also shows you making headchecks etc when changing lanes, which could be critical in a police investigation of an incident.

15wilsonwu wrote:

Lukeyboy wrote:Top of helmet, side of helmet, chest, back, arms, top of handlebars, bottom of handlebars, on the drops, under the seat, on the stem, front, forward..... on the frame, under the frame, on the quick release...... that's all I have done

Safety wise I'd go for a helmet view for forwards/side views with one on the rear.

sonofthewind, is that you?

No... not that I know of

Rear facing would be the most important, if you have two cameras then obviously its front and rear. I like having the cameras mounted low, I have mine mounted on the quick release of either the front or rear wheel, these give the best view/angle I feel and it also has some on the wheel in the shot which helps give some perspective.
You can find the mount in my DIY mounts, link in my sig.

Graeme

I'd just like to add a warning here to people using or considering using the GoPro with the handlebar mount. I was riding my (road) bike a couple of weeks back and the handlebar mount snapped sending my new GoPro Hero3 crashing to the road, lucky for me it was early so no cars crushed the camera and aside from a few light scratches on the housing the GoPro continues to function. After this I did some research online and found that the original GoPro handlebar mount is subject to cracking and failing under stress and vibration particularly when used on road bikes. As a result I ordered two new mounts from an american company called K-Edge (link below) which arrived today via fedex less than a week after I had ordered them. The mounts are made from aluminium, are rock solid and come with a lifetime guarantee so well worth checking out.

I've now got the GoPro mounted and ready for tomorrow mornings ride.

http://www.acecosportgroup.com/shop/k-e ... ounts.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Farris wrote:I'd just like to add a warning here to people using or considering using the GoPro with the handlebar mount. I was riding my (road) bike a couple of weeks back and the handlebar mount snapped sending my new GoPro Hero3 crashing to the road, lucky for me it was early so no cars crushed the camera and aside from a few light scratches on the housing the GoPro continues to function. After this I did some research online and found that the original GoPro handlebar mount is subject to cracking and failing under stress and vibration particularly when used on road bikes. As a result I ordered two new mounts from an american company called K-Edge (link below) which arrived today via fedex less than a week after I had ordered them. The mounts are made from aluminium, are rock solid and come with a lifetime guarantee so well worth checking out.

I've now got the GoPro mounted and ready for tomorrow mornings ride.

http://www.acecosportgroup.com/shop/k-e ... ounts.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hi,
Mine did the same thing after using it only about 3 times. Piece of crap really, very badly designed and made. I find it very strange that the mating surfaces where the bolts go through are made shiney smooth so stop any movement they need to be done up very tight, which can only encourage things to break even quicker.

Cheers

Sent from my GT-P5110 using Tapatalk 2

GraemeL wrote:Rear facing would be the most important, if you have two cameras then obviously its front and rear. I like having the cameras mounted low, I have mine mounted on the quick release of either the front or rear wheel, these give the best view/angle I feel and it also has some on the wheel in the shot which helps give some perspective.
You can find the mount in my DIY mounts, link in my sig.

Graeme

I go rear facing also. I have a http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/cntry-au ... 4godwCwASQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; mount and it sits just under the saddle. Nicely out of the way..only issue is if you want to run a saddlebag there.

This position gives a really good clear rear view recording location. You do pick up noise off the chain and road but I am not after the sound effects, more the video footage.

In time, when the budget allows I will be getting one for the front as well.

Update : Since my last post I've had a chance to try out the K-edge GoPro mount and am very pleased with the results. The mount is rock solid and even on rough ground the GoPro didn't budge. Here's a link to a short clip from today's ride so you can see for yourself.

http://vimeo.com/57565005

gretaboy wrote:

GraemeL wrote:Rear facing would be the most important, if you have two cameras then obviously its front and rear. I like having the cameras mounted low, I have mine mounted on the quick release of either the front or rear wheel, these give the best view/angle I feel and it also has some on the wheel in the shot which helps give some perspective.
You can find the mount in my DIY mounts, link in my sig.

Graeme

I go rear facing also. I have a http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/cntry-au ... 4godwCwASQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; mount and it sits just under the saddle. Nicely out of the way..only issue is if you want to run a saddlebag there.

This position gives a really good clear rear view recording location. You do pick up noise off the chain and road but I am not after the sound effects, more the video footage.

In time, when the budget allows I will be getting one for the front as well.

Having a single camera mounted on the rear gives good evidence in the event of an accident, the placement and movement of both the bike and the car can easily be seen along with any incidents that accur. Car swerving, close shaves, passenger throwing things, hanging out of the window ect.
facing forward, I feel you can see what is coming up and take steps to avoid a situation, but you cannot always see what is going on behind you.
If you are struck from behind it will capture the event and if it is a hit & run, a rear facing camera will capture a lot more than it would if mounted on a helmet, bars etc.

Graeme

Thread dig/revisit. For my 'safety/incident' camera use, after using the GoPro mostly front bar mount for a while I have tried the rear mount option ear the last week. This was largely in response to a number of hit from behind videos in the MM thread. After looking at the footage from a close-ish shave and then not-very-close left hook from yesterday I think I'll be going back to front mount for the majority of my rides.

There is one section I regularly ride where there is a higher risk of hit from behind, and very low risk of getting pulled out in front of so the camera will probably be rear mounted there. Otherwise the risk mainly comes from being pulled out in front of, or cutting me off so a front view is more valuable for those.

If you have 1 camera, the decision is between the rear (mounted on the seat post - or for a tiny cam, potentially on the seat stay) or on the handlebar. This provides stability and context compared to a helmet or chest mounted cam which will provide more stable footage.

Unfortunately an accident can be in front (left turn across your path) or come from behind - not sure what may more more frequest - so the cheap mobius which is mentioned in the Video Camera thread may be the solution.