These are pricey, but the features with a 4K camera look to be better than a Garmin Varia. Anyone have any reviews on this? Decent sale for what looks to be a nice Varia alternative.
I’ll give you my review which is mostly negative. I got the previous generation of both the Fly12 and Fly6 lights so maybe things have improved but here we go.
-
Battery life on the Fly12 is horrible. It stated something like 3-4 hours with lights and camera. In reality it lasted about 90min on solid light and a 2.5 hours on flash. Got caught out in the dark on more than one occasion.
-
Fly12 camera quality and light are actually really decent. Even at night you could see pretty clearly what was going on in the recordings.
-
The Fly12 weighs a lot. I had an out front computer + gopro mount which ended up snapping after a few rides.
-
The Fly6 was ok while it lasted. Camera quality was OK, not great and decidedly average compared to the Fly12 but you could make out plates etc in good light.
-
Fly6 battery life was actually as described. It even lasted longer on most occasions and after 3-4 hour rides still had plenty of juice.
-
It all came undone when after the 3rd ride it had rained overnight and what little spray got flicked on to the Fly6 ended up killing it completely.
-
I ordered during a Black Friday special and it took until about April until I received the lights. 2 of those months was me chasing up the postal service, but there was a big lead-time on the shipping regardless.
-
The application is rubbish. Maybe it has had an update or 20 since I last used it, but it was clunky, un-intuitive, and dealing with settings/recordings was painful
-
They outright refused to warranty the Fly6 stating user error (despite the device being “water and dust resistant for all-weather use”)
Overall the devices and company didn’t leave a great impression. Like I said, this was previous generation devices so possibly they’re better than they were, but do a few google searches and read some other comments but this about sums it up.
2 Likes
I was looking at the combo offer for black friday - but I’m holding off.
Its weird to me that one camera has wifi and the other doesn’t, plus the resolutions are different - like they are different generations.
Its not a cheap setup and I would have expected some smart connectivity between them (light mode, picture in picture type thing) - what shocked me was the lack of Ant+ light control.
I already have the RTL515 Varia (and the matching front light) for my commute bike, and would love some rear camera thing and I know the reviews aren’t stellar - but the 715 seems to fit the bill for me better.
1 Like
I think it’s more to do with the device profile. The Fly12 is far bigger which gives them a bit of wiggle room for bigger battery/more hardware etc.
I guess they’ll always be playing the game of biggest bang for your buck whilst ensuring ample battery life. No point having a crazy good camera + light if it’s only going to last 30min.
Thanks for the input. I may just get a nice lightweight rear light for close to dark riding. Figure a camera isn’t going to help me much if I get whacked by a car anyhow…I wouldn’t see it coming until I could review it afterwards. We have a lot of redneck farmer pickup types who try to run us off the road around here north of town. Maybe just a bright tail light–don’t ride in the dark but sometimes make it in right as the sun is setting.
My wife and I both run sets of the Fly12 and Fly6, and I’ve had their models as they’ve evolved beginning with their very first versions. They work great, and are much improved from previous iterations. Sure, they are “pricey”, but they offer an even greater amount of real value. And the Black Friday pricing is very attractive.
Any electronic device is going to have issues to some degree. The Cycliq devices offer the best value and compromises for serious cyclists that I have found, and they have so far remained a step ahead of the competition, on most things, many steps ahead.
Battery life is a function of current battery evolution and run times can be managed with Settings to draw less current for longer rides, things like switching image stability, resolution, high or low light settings, or turn the lights off (and use another device for light / visibility) to extend the run- or camera-recording-time.
I firmly believe that the safety aspect, and aspect of a video record to enforce accountability is a huge plus. I’ve used their video with law enforcement and on social media to effect real change.
Can you imagine a world where motorists know that every cyclist is running front and rear cameras and that footage can be used to hold them accountable by recording real behavior? Motorist behavior would change. We’ve seen it change in our local area. I encourage you to do yourself, and every other cyclist, a huge favor, the favor of improved safety, and get the Cycliq cameras.
They are a local company for me (literally less than a few kms from where I live).
It is not hard to find honest reviews of the pros and cons of these so I won’t delve into my own personal experience (I have had most generations of their front and rear lights and not had any issues).
For me, the biggest thing lacking with their rear light is the lack of radar. If they had radar incorporated into it then it would be a slam dunk in my view. I don’t want to have two units mounted on my bike and when needing to make a choice, will go with radar everyday over video. I have tried the Garmin RCT715 but personally I am not a huge fan of that unit, but I paid the money so am using it over my other Varia.
1 Like
Radar is really great for situational awareness. I use the Garmin Varia RTL515. (radar & light). When Garmin first introduced radar, I used it and was shocked at what a game changer it was for safety and situational awareness. But the performance of Garmin’s own RCT715 and their app shows how incredibly difficult it is to have many features and execute well. So far, it’s not worked out well for them.
One additional thing about the Cycliq cameras is the quality of the video (the clear winner) and having that video. Post-ride, we freqently review the video to capture stills, capture video segments of incredible scenery, and have captured incredible moments to then post on Strava or social media, or send to friends or just add to our personal albums. The footage during events is awesome, and it’s just so much fun to have and review video after rides.
Here’s my setup:
I want your setup! What’s the yellow light under the garmin? And is that the mount they provided?
i tried 2 generations of the Fly6 and both died pdq with no help from the company. I have had the Varia 715 since launch a few years ago and never had an issue. I do supplement with an additional rear light on my helmet in winter or my saddlebag in summer
" What’s the yellow light under the garmin? And is that the mount they provided?"
That is a Ravemen FR160. It’s a white LED w/ daytime visibility light with side visibility. The FR160 has a male Garmin mount on the bottom and a female Garmin mount on top, so it attaches to the computer mount where the computer would go and then the Garmin mounts on top of it. It offers a lot of light and a long run time.
The mount for the FLY6 (rear) has a Garmin mount and is designed to fit that specific seat post and is 3d printed. Then a 3d printed adapter (Garmin to Cycliq) is used to attach the Cycliq Fly6. There are a lot of 3d printed seat post mounts available, just do a search for something like - Garmin 3d seat post mount-.
In the front, the computer mount just needs a GoPro attachment on the bottom and Garmin attachment on the top. And Cycliq sells the Cycliq to GoPro adapter.
The saddle mount for the Varia is from Bup Labs.
1 Like
Slick, thanks for the extra photos! 3D printing is the duct tape of the modern era.