Tallulah's Diary

[Lee337]

Well, the dashcam was a washout, luckily, I tested it out in the house before attaching it to the bike.

First of all, there is no function to set the time/date. It starts at 01/01/2019 01:00 - What's the point of having a time/date stamp on a Dashcam if you can't change it?

The control unit is a cheap plastic box which you are warned is not waterproof (it's described as a Motorcycle recorder). I know it was cheap, at only £36 but my old action camera, a GoPro copy cost less and at 4 years old, is still going strong.

The only way to view the video is to remove the SD card and transfer the video files to your PC. It is supposed to have a G-sensor so it locks the video in the event of an accident and was also meant to have an internal battery which activates the camera even when the ignition is switched off, they call it 'Motion (or Motin as it says on the box) detect. I rather suspect that's b0ll0ck$ as well.

Lastly, the quality. It's supposed to be 'Full HD', I used a new and newly formatted micro SD card. The rear facing video footage was just blue, with no sound, the front was, well, take a look at the video for yourself and decide. I know it's a little all over the place, but you'll notice when I do move the camera, it's not smooth, and looking at the spec for the front camera again, its 640x480, which is hardly going to provide HD quality.



I bought this as the battery in my GoPro copy is a little old, so doesn't hold a charge for more than 20 minutes. I wanted something that came on with the ignition and went off when the ignition was switched off. This one seemed to fit the bill & whiler I've seen cheaper, I figured it was still cheap enough as an experiment & I wouldn't be too worried if the quality was poor, as long as it did its job - it doesnt.

So, if you see one of these, steer well clear.

[London_Phil]

When it comes to video recording, branded names can really make a difference. Innov and the like use higher quality sensors, which as we found out with phone brands, is crucial.

[Sin_Tiger]

Thanks Lee. That is pretty poor, even my +10 year old one gives better results than that and it has proved its worth on more than one occasion.

[ghulst]

If I use a cam on my motorcycle, I use my GoPro Black 7. No real dashcam. But it gives me a nice image.

[Lee337]

The GoPro copy I have gives a good image but the battery only lasts about 30 minutes. I used it when Iwas commuting to work as riding through Peterborough, there wasn't a day when someone (usually a taxi) pulled out in front of me or a young mother would push her buggy out in to the road, knowing that any vehicle would stop.

As of Saturday, with the changes to the Highway code - and I've been out on the bike twice since then, riding through my nearest market town, the local bike club has been out in force, testing the new rules* and pedestrians seem to have forgotton what pedestrian crossings are for. There are also a large number of drivers in this area who are not too fussed with UK licences or tax/insurance. This is one of the main reasons why I was considering a bike dedicated dashcam that looked both front and back.

I think once I've got my money back from the seller of the sh1t camera I bought, I'm going to bite the bullet & buy a decent(ish) one. For short journeys, I'll probably still use the GoPro copy & I now have Nextbase cameras in both our cars.

*As of 29th January, for those who haven't heard, cyclists are being encouraged to ride 2 abrest and/or in the centre of their lane to make them more visible. This is supposed to be on slow roads or slow moving traffic but the local cycle club have taken this to mean they can cycle where they like as they now own the roads and they are exempt from red traffic lights

[Sin_Tiger]

This dual helmet cam is being sold by the same mob that are often seen at the shows. It's not too expensive for what it is but it's still quite a large object. I suppose the benefit is that it's always available, unless you swap helmets.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Techalogic-Camera-Motorcycle-Advanced-Records-Black/dp/B07Y5HL152/ref=sr_1_11?keywords=Motorcycle+Helmet+Camera&qid=1643991899&sr=8-11

I picked up some slightly older Veho K2's that work very well, the only real downside is they don't have stability control built in, so can be a bit shaky mounted on the bike but might be OK on a helmet. I'd really like the Sena Tube but they have peculiar sales strategies now.

[ghulst]

they are exempt from red traffic lights

Really? Well, that's a great idea then, isn't it?
Honestly, I have ridden a bike around the UK for a bit, and drivers do seem to cut it dangerously close when they are passing you, overtaking you or turning in front of you. But to make cyclist exempt from traffic lights is not going to be much help in their safety, is it? 

[Lee337]

Cyclists in many UK cities ignore traffic signals, many just mount the pavement rather than wait at a red light. This is not uncommon. As far as some are concerned the rules of the road don't apply to them.

Cyclists are not really exempt from stopping at red lights, but many believe they are. 

[Sin_Tiger]

Cyclists are not really exempt from stopping at red lights, but many believe they are. 

Even pedestrians are expected to adhere to red lights 

When is a cyclist not a cyclist? When they are riding across a pedestrian crossing, often with a phone in one hand and a food delivery bag on their back 

[Lee337]

Another few hours to spare, another short 70 mile run. This time exploring the Fens south of Peterborough , including a ride along what is argueably the lowest road in the UK,

Holme Fen is reported to be 9ft below sea level at its lowest, although the road doesn't do lower than 5'4" (1.6m).

[Sin_Tiger]

Glad you got out, still too breezy up here 

[ghulst]

That road is almost at Dutch level then.

But nice to be out and about!

[Lee337]

I did think about that when I was out - that I was probably eye level to many Dutch riders 

[Lee337]

Before I went out the other day, I, while I had Tallulah on the drive, I thought I'd just check the tyre pressures, pretty much where they should have been, despite sitting ding nothing for a while, but I also thought it was high time I checked the tread depth - Oh dear!

While not exactly illegal, they're not too far off, expecially the front one. I'd hreard that Metzeler Tourance wear quickly but to be fair, I've had 7,800 miles out of them.

I thought I'd go for something a little different this time, instead of a 80/20 Ive ordered a set of tyres that are 100% road biased. I'm now awaiting delivery of a pair of Michelin Road 5 Trails.

While the Tourance are a nice tyre - I've heard bad reports about the Tourance Next, that wasn't the reason for changing type. I actually like the Tourance, I've only had one real slide since I put them on and that was a drain cover. After 1500 miles I could feel the tyres moving underneath me but only under 30mph. above that I founfd them to be stable, with losads of grip in both wet and dry conditions and i was tempted to order another set. But the chances of me riding on anything other than tarmac is unlikely, mainly because I'm afraid of dropping her & not being able to pick her up. So, I've decided this time I wanted to try a road tyre. Maybe I'll go back to a 80/20 tyre in the future after I've had a crack at road biased ones.

I'm sure there are some of us who have already gone down this route and probably even used the Road 5's but it's first for me.

Sad as this sounds, I'm quite looking forward to trying them out.   

[London_Phil]

I've just fitted the Newish Anakee Adventure to the rear on the Xc Looks more off road than it is ( Its 80/20 I think). The Anakee 3 on the front has been fine, so I expect the Adventure to be at least as good. I had what may have been the oem Metzler on the back, and it was fine, just old and worn.