I’m getting ready to leave for a bike trip down the islands of Croatia and I’m considering filming some of the scenes from my bike. Does anyone have advice as to which would be better - helmet or handlebar mount? It seems like the helmet mount would allow me to turn my head toward in a direction off the road to capture a vista to one side or the other. So not ever having ever filmed with GoPro this seems to be the best but I’d like to hear thoughts from experienced GoProers. Thanks!
Look at some videos oline and think about which views you like better.
I think head mounts end up with some pretty jumpy videos. Looking around, down to your water bottle, looking at your Garmin and overall more bouncy. Think of Chris Froome with a GoPro on his helmet, his videos would be of not much but his stem.
Bar mounts are much more stable, you may miss some of those side views, but the whole video will have better quality and flow.
Road (or tri) bike on smooth roads: handlebar is ok
MTB or bad roads: chest harness with gimbal
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I have a Contour camera and mount it on my helmet and it does a decent job. Personally, I like that perspective better. It takes a few rides to get the angle right. Generally speaking, we ride with our heads down and look up with our eyes, so your first attempt may just show road/trail. That said, when you stop and are talking to people, all you get is sky. 
Also, GoPros look stupid mounted to helmets. They are too big, and the mount and pivot just puts it way up in the air.
One other note, hours and hours of the road or trail going by is pretty boring. Your best bet is multiple cameras with different perspectives, and then edit them together and down to a short highlight film.
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For road cycling, my helmet mount makes for way more interesting videos. For MTB, chest mount is way better than helmet/bike mounted cams due to the crazy shake you get. Sometimes though, both are better. Switch the camera mid-ride, and then edit them together.
Get as many mounts as you can and switch them up. When you edit your movie never stay on the same shot for more than 3-5 seconds. Three minutes of the same shot descending a mountain is VERY boring.
I’ve used all of the mounts below:
helmet
handlebar
chest
seatpost
headtube
chain stay
top tube
You get the idea. Mix it up.
Is the GoPro not convenient to start and stop recording? I don’t intend to let it roll and roll - only when particularly interesting views open up. When we stop, I thought I’d whip out my Sony RX 100 (pro camera that looks like a point and shoot) to do hand held stuff.
Depends on the model you have, the location of where it’s mounted, does it connect to your phone or remote, etc.
I use a Hero2. Most the time without the wireless pack. So if’s it’s mounted behind me it’s almost impossible to turn it on “on the fly”. If it’s on the handlebars it’s much easier.
This!
The bar mount on a mountain bike or a road bike on a bad road produce a really bumpy film clip. Also, make sure you really tighten the mount, use the $5 tool or you’ll end up watching your camera skitter away.
Helmet mount is more stable than bar mount unless you have a lot of head movement. It’s heavy, though, particularly on long rides. If you’re riding road make sure the angle is right so you see the items, not the road.
For off road, can’t beat the chest mount and wearable gimbal. You incorporate arms and bars which gives a really nice POV shot.
The roll bar mount can attach to your suspension fork and also gives a nice POV shot especially if you get air!
The seatpost mount behind is a nice view but also can be bumpy.
Wrist mount can be easily manipulated for a variety of angles.
For destination videos, mix up the shots. On a hard climb, walk up first and set up your camera on a short tripod to record you coming up (drop cam shot).
Shoot in hi def 1440/30 or better. Get at least a 32 card, 64 is better. Get extra batteries and a charger.
Have fun editing in the free Go Pro Studio. Careful when you add music not to infringe on copyrights.
CAUTION: Go Pro filming is addictive!