looking into this fly6 camera light, I did read Ray’s review.
any real world users who want to share their experience?
In particular, their website says it will trigger a cutoff within an hour if the bike is down for 3 sec at 45 deg angle.
does that mean if I get a flat the camera will think it’s a crash?
Just ordered, will let you know when I get it…
BikeSnobNYC has a good deal of blog posts about the Fly 6 as well
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Pluses:
- Well made/waterproofed
- Easy to use
- Video is pretty good quality. You won’t be able to read a license plate off a moving car though.
Minuses:
- For mine, battery life is only about 4 hrs (not the 5hrs advertised)
- It’s too big
- The rear light is too wimpy
The rear light is essentially identical to the planet bike superflash. That was a decent light maybe 3-4 yrs ago but now there are options that are way way brighter, and as a father of two young kids I feel like I need to use them. So now I have this huge camera/light on my seat post and I need to attach a second light in addition. I would have preferred a smaller camera-only option. If a superflash is bright enough for you, then it does serve two purposes at once so that’s great (albeit at twice the size of a superflash). I’m hoping the Rideye is a better solution for me, at which point I’ll sell my Fly6.
As for the crash sensor – yeah if it takes you an hour to fix a flat it will turn off automatically. I think even a triathlete can manage that though 
I think those little white leds rotating around the lens are just too bling. Yeah I know, I know, “too bling for a triathlete?”
Using one for about 2 months. Longest ride has been 2 hrs, so I haven’t been able to fully test the battery. A bit disappointed the license plate isn’t able to be seen clearly. Light seems bright enough, overall I’m happy w/ it. I did get it a bit cheaper as an early KickStarter supporter.
The main reason for getting this
Would be license plate visibility
You really can’t see them?
Just got mine, only have done 3 or 4 rides with it. Still need to download the video.
Later!
Brian
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The main reason for getting this
Would be license plate visibility
You really can’t see them?
I would say >95% of the time you can’t. If both you and the car were stopped, or if you were fully in the lane with a car staying behind you, I’m confident you could read the license plate. The video is pretty decent. It turns out that reading a license plate on video from one moving vehicle to another is actually a pretty tall order.
what’s the point then if someone hit you and took off?
what’s the point then if someone hit you and took off?
Well first of all, you could get all the details of the accident on film so it would not be a case of “he said, she said”. That seems like a big deal. I suppose if someone actually rear-ended you straight on there’s also a higher chance of being able to read the license plate as it would nearly fill the screen at that point! I’m not planning on testing that one out. But yeah, if it’s something like a sideswipe then I kind of doubt you’d get it. I also backed Rideye, which should be out within a month I would think, so I’ll report back if it’s any better. Also if I can remember when I get home I could also post some sample video so you guys can see what I mean.
If someone rear ended me I’m sure it’d pick up the plate number, maybe even if they buzzed me. In “normal” traffic I’m not able to make out the plate.
I have mine, and, at least for riding through the city I get everything very clear. PA doesn’t have front license plates, so it doesn’t help a ton there, but the few NJ cars that have been behind me are perfectly clear. I’ve moved it between tri bike and my “errand” bike (a Linus) with no issues, and, again, in the city, it’s plenty bright to make cars aware of you.
Would I use it for trail riding at night? Probably not. But I’ve been pretty happy. I did swap out the micro SD card for something bigger, and haven’t maxed the battery yet, but it’s lasted a full 3+ hour ride, at least.
kicking up an old thread, but
You’ve had the Fly6 a few months now. What do you think about it?
My chief concern is battery life. I need it to run 5hrs. Any chance of it doing that with low flashy mode?
And how hard is it to pop of the seat post?
Could you be noodling along, spy a photo-op and easily pull it off, shoot a little film, and then put it right back on without having to dismount the bike?
Thanks!
Not sure on validating the 5hr piece, but on the removing it off the mount piece, it’s easy enough to remove the mount while standing. But I’m not sure I’d actually try what you’re proposing, which, I believe I’ve summarized below:
- Continue pedaling down street, avoiding small poodle
- Complete a reach-around, grab camera, and slide along the pole until removal
- Still pedaling, dodge runner with headphones in the bike lane
- Remove MicroSD card from bottom of unit
- Still pedaling
- Stash Fly6 in back pocket, grab phone
- Place MicroSD card in phone
- Avoid hitting grandma
- Open video editing app
- Import in file from MicroSD card
- Nearly lose phone to unseen pothole
- Complete video editing that rivals Blair Witch
- Start upload…wait…damnit, only in ‘E’ cell service!
- 22 minutes later of waiting and pedaling, upload is complete
- Insert MicroSD card back in Fly6 from back pocket
- Start to complete second reach-around to put Fly6 on rear mount
- Get hit in head by soccer-ball from neighbor kid, luckily, your subsequently epic crash is captured free-form like a drone by the Fly6 as you and it fly through the air
- Upload video to YouTube
- ST gathers, watches…enjoys.
Roughly.
- Complete a reach-around, grab camera, and slide along the pole
Roughly.
You just lobbed that one up, man.
Seriously though, love you’re work. You’re the man.
If mine is representative, you have no chance at all of getting 5 hrs. Low flashy mode seems to make no difference at all to battery life so I don’t bother using it any more. I use it every day on my commute, 30 mins each way. It lasts 4 days (so 4 hours total). I have also taken it on long weekend rides. It lasts just over 4 hours (maybe 4:10) when left on continuously. (The camera turns off but the light continues for a while after that.) The battery life has maybe declined a hair since I got it but not much. Mine never got more than maybe 4:20.
As for your second question, it’s super easy to take off, but I don’t really know about doing it on the fly. I’ll bet you could practice a few times and figure that out. Never tried though.
Lanier
kicking up an old thread, but
You’ve had the Fly6 a few months now. What do you think about it?
My chief concern is battery life. I need it to run 5hrs. Any chance of it doing that with low flashy mode?
And how hard is it to pop of the seat post?
Could you be noodling along, spy a photo-op and easily pull it off, shoot a little film, and then put it right back on without having to dismount the bike?
Thanks!
Pluses:
- Well made/waterproofed
- Easy to use
- Video is pretty good quality. You won’t be able to read a license plate off a moving car though.
Minuses:
- For mine, battery life is only about 4 hrs (not the 5hrs advertised)
- It’s too big
- The rear light is too wimpy
The rear light is essentially identical to the planet bike superflash. That was a decent light maybe 3-4 yrs ago but now there are options that are way way brighter, and as a father of two young kids I feel like I need to use them. So now I have this huge camera/light on my seat post and I need to attach a second light in addition. I would have preferred a smaller camera-only option. If a superflash is bright enough for you, then it does serve two purposes at once so that’s great (albeit at twice the size of a superflash). I’m hoping the Rideye is a better solution for me, at which point I’ll sell my Fly6.
As for the crash sensor – yeah if it takes you an hour to fix a flat it will turn off automatically. I think even a triathlete can manage that though
+1 for that review. Also, if you lay your bike down on its side, the camera will auto-shut off after 3 mins.
Have ridden enough with it to report that I’m pretty impressed with the clarity of the video. That said, it remains a pretty incomplete picture, since it’s only filming rearward. If the problem happens in front of you, the Fly6 video is not going to help a lot. What I’d eventually like to see is a smaller unit with two cameras, one rear-facing and one facing my left, and a headlight unit with front-facing camera and one facing my right for full 360 degree coverage. Audio need be on the rear unit only, and it needs an audio editor that can remove the wind noise (audio editor on the computer, not part of the unit).
Take care,
Brian
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Pluses:
- Well made/waterproofed
- Easy to use
- Video is pretty good quality. You won’t be able to read a license plate off a moving car though.
Minuses:
- For mine, battery life is only about 4 hrs (not the 5hrs advertised)
- It’s too big
- The rear light is too wimpy
Agreed on this for the most part. As noted not sure about a full 6 hours but I don’t usually go longer than 3 hours so it’s fine for me. The support is great. I did have an issue with my first Fly6 and emailed the company. They sent me another unit at no charge and didn’t want the defective one back. Anecdotally the light seems to keep people away. I’ve noticed a decrease in close passes but this may be because I’ve been lucky not to encounter too many idiots.
Pluses:
- Well made/waterproofed
- Easy to use
- Video is pretty good quality. You won’t be able to read a license plate off a moving car though.
Minuses:
- For mine, battery life is only about 4 hrs (not the 5hrs advertised)
- It’s too big
- The rear light is too wimpy
Agreed on this for the most part. As noted not sure about a full 6 hours but I don’t usually go longer than 3 hours so it’s fine for me. The support is great. I did have an issue with my first Fly6 and emailed the company. They sent me another unit at no charge and didn’t want the defective one back. Anecdotally the light seems to keep people away. I’ve noticed a decrease in close passes but this may be because I’ve been lucky not to encounter too many idiots.
well just ordered the “new and improved” let see how that one is