Hello! I’m hoping to record some of my races so I can do a little post-ride analysis and replay them during indoor sessions. I think the priorities are:
Battery life (2-3 hours of recording)
Mounting / form factor (ideally small and can be mounted under a computer or in a non-intrusive way on a helmet)
Any camera recommendations?!
gopro session with a k-edge combo gps/gopro bar mount
Go Pro. You can get a session or 4/5 very cheap on eBay. Handlebar/saddle mounts are also very cheap on eBay. handlebar mount is the way to go for road/cx.
the shimano CM-2000 action cams were OK and pretty cheap if you can still pick one up. they also use Ant+ so you could get them to automatically turn on and off based on speed, cadence etc.
I picked one up for £64 new 
Not really a recommendation, just an example of what a cheapo camera can do, this was taken with a dbpower brand one (gopro clone, I’m sure you can find many other off brands), cost under $50
You can fast forward to the 26min mark where the climb gets really hurty (it’s an HC climb I did during a gran fondo I did in Portugal last summer)
You can get the GoPro session on ebay for under 70$ and it’ll give you great quality.
The new Hero7 Black is an excellent choice. The HyperSmooth technology they’ve integrated really is in a class of its own with the built-in image stabilization. Here’s what the wizards of smart are saying over at GoPro regarding battery life on the camera.
HERO7 Black
| Video Mode | Time (minutes) |
|---|---|
| 4K60 | 45-50 |
| 4K30 | 85-90 |
| 2.7K60 (4:3) | 60-65 |
| 2.7K120 | 30-45 |
| 1440p120 | 50-55 |
| 1440p60 | 70-75 |
| 1080p240 | 35-50 |
| 1080p120 | 40-55 |
| 1080p60 | 85-90 |
| 960p240 | 75-80 |
| 960p120 | 80-85 |
| 720p240 | 85-90 |
https://gopro.com/help/articles/block/hero7-battery-information
@Evan_Goldberg - You can get overlays on your footage by using Garmin’s VIRB Edit software. The Vegan Cyclist actually does a whole tutorial on YouTube and how to use it. Pretty fun.
Garmin VIRB Edit Software - VIRB® Edit | Garmin
Vegan Cyclist Tutorial - Adding Power/Speed Overlays w/ a GoPro (Cameras - Mounting - Overlays - Editing) - YouTube
There is also a GPLama video on data overlays with the virb software
Anyone know if there is a camera that integrates with Wahoo Element Bolt speed, distance, etc., data?
Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere…
Any suggestions for recording longer events & rides, 5-6hrs?
I’m looking at a Cycliq fly12CE but I’m concerned about the looped recording. For shorter rides their event detection would be fine but I’d want to deliberately record an entire event sometimes without wondering if it’s all being saved.
You’d have to either swap out batteries (not a great option) or find some sort of large battery supply. I’ve seen external batter options that attach to the GoPro that would essentially give you double battery life of 3-4 hours at best. Haven’t seen anything to get you to 5-6 hours. But at that length you’ll also run into SIM card issues which usually top out around 4-4:30 (depending on settings). So that’s another issue to consider.
I’ve used the old Xiaomi Yi for my motocommute. The newer one is better and does more than 1080p.
Cheaper than a go pro but still has astounding quality. There are aftermarket options too for the battery usually. And I tuink most of the newer ones come with a screen!
Anyhow it’s lasted me 2 seasons on the moto commute, and then I just changed helmet and didn’t feel like mounting a cam on the new helmet lol. But it still works
Get an external battery like Anker and mount it on top of your stem. Then just plug your camera into it, and that should give you enough power.
I do have one of the Topeak 5200mah battery packs that mounts under stem, maybe that’s the best option to use a GoPro. I was drawn to the cycliq because the battery life already works for my needs but I don’t like the looped recording (don’t know if this can be disabled, or how large a memory card would be needed for 6hrs). I also don’t need the light, just the camera.
Have you tried the “Anker” with a GoPro? Will the GoPro record and charge at the same time?
I haven’t tried running a GoPro with an external battery as I have a Garmin Virb, but my understanding is that it should also work. But don’t quote me on this.