CVE member Matt Haber shares his ten year cycling camera journey using GoPro, Cycliq and TOOO cameras.
I’ve ridden with a camera for about 10 years.
I started with a GoPro Hero 3. At that time, my goal was mostly to be able to record and share video of my rides, but safety was also in the back of my head. The GoPro was easy to mount, solid, and came in a case that was waterproof also protected the lens. However, the battery would only last less than two hours, and therefore had to be changed at least once during most of my rides.
In 2016 or so I acquired my first Cycliq camera, the Fly 6CE.
This was a combination rear facing camera and light. It lasted up to around 6 hours, and produced good quality video—better than the GoPro. Moreover, the Fly 6 mounted to my seat post with a quarter turn mount, so I was able to mount and unmount it more quickly (the GoPro mount is quite solid, but takes longer to install or remove a camera). And the fact that it also had the added safety feature of a light was a plus. However, the device was a bit finicky. I was never clear what were hardware issues vs software issues, but I had two occasions where it simply would not turn on. To Cycliq’s credit, they replaced it twice. Once it was clearly under warranty, while the second time it was not. Cycliq, for some good and some bad reasons, has a terrible customer service reputation. However, in my case, they stood behind their product.
Two other things worth noting about the Cycliq products. First, their firmware is upgradable. The process initially was quite fussy, but over time, they improved the companion application, making it more seamless. Second, the devices are ANT+ connected, which means that they can be controlled by compatible bike computers. Because, unlike the GoPro, the Cycliq does not come in a case, build quality was a bit more important. Generally, my impression was that build quality was good, but could have been improved. For example, the charging port (which was USB-C, yay) was on the top of the device, which protected it from water sprayed from the rear wheel, but was still a possible ingress point. Also, the door covering the micro-SD card port and the reset button was a rubber plug, which seemed to work, but was more fussy than the Fly 12 CE solution, which I will get to momentarily. Lastly, the plastic of the “wings” (the male part of the quarter turn mount) that made up the mounting surface on the device wore over time. That meant that the device moved within the mount, which caused the video to be more shaky than it was when the device was new.
A couple of years later, Cycliq offered bike clubs a discount for group purchases, so I replaced the GoPro, which had been a front camera, with the Fly 12 CE. Like the Fly 6, it mounted with a quarter turn, and the battery lasted about 6 hours. Unlike the Fly 6, it had a physical door covering the access for charging and the SD card, which was, in my view, much easier to use and more protective. The Fly 12 was very reliable, and never required any replacements by Cycliq (I still have it as of this writing, and the operation is still solid). However, like the Fly 6, the Fly 12 mount became loose over time, and the video quality deteriorated.
In 2022, I replaced the Fly 12 CE with the Fly 12 Sport. The Sport was a bit smaller and lighter, and offered improved video resolution and stabilization. However, the reduced size and weight was at the price of reduced run time.
The Sport will run less than 4 hours on a charge. I have addressed that problem through the use of an external battery pack, which I use to charge it during rest stops. It works, but is an annoying hassle. I also expect that the mount will become unreliable at some point. Lastly, the initial unit failed during the warranty period. Cycliq replaced it, but required me to ship it to them in Australia at my cost (which had not been the case with the Fly 6 failures). For a company with such a poor customer service reputation, it seems like the wrong direction to go.
At about the same time I changed my front light, I replaced the buggy Fly 6. This time, I went outside the Cycliq ecosystem. My new camera/light was the TOOO DVR80. Compared to the Fly 6, the TOOO has better resolution, better stabilization, and a simpler design. It has no connectivity, no upgradable firmware, and only one flashing mode. However, it may be that simplicity wins out, as I have never had any issue with the functioning of the device (the one exception is that I must manually delete videos to make room for new ones; I think it was designed to auto-delete the oldest ones when it ran out of space, similar to the operation of the Cycliq devices). Its one mechanical problem is that, in a similar manner to the Cycliq devices, the mounting system wears, because it’s plastic. I discovered this when my TOOO fell off during a ride. I have since replaced the company supplied mount with a 3-D printed design that seems to account for the wearing of the plastic in the mounting area.
What would I recommend as safety devices to others? That’s hard to say. The TOOO has been the most reliable and high quality. However, the company seems to have gone out of business—they stopped answering emails at least six months ago, and their main website has disappeared. That’s too bad, because I had heard that they were developing a front camera/light, and I was looking forward to seeing that, given the quality and reliability of the rear light. (Update July, 2024. Their website is still gone, but several sources seem to have the device in stock, including several in the UK for about $200, and Amazon for about $150. We’ll see if that’s real) The TOOO was also a bit less expensive than the parallel Cycliq.
Cycliq’s current offerings include the Fly 12 Sport, which I discuss above, and two rear lights. They offer a Fly 6 Sport, which is lighter, and I believe has better video quality than the Fly 6 CE, but like the Fly 12 Sport, has reduced runtime compared to its predecessor. They also announced, in early April, 2024, a new rear light, the Fly 6 Pro, that promises 4K resolution and runtime at least equal to the Fly 6 CE. I look forward to seeing reviews of the new device. However, there is no reason to think that Cycliq has solved the problem with the wearing of the mount surfaces, so I would expect that these newer devices, like their brethren, would begin to perform worse, due to increased vibration at the mount.
Due to the wear issues I mentioned above, even with the 3D printed mount, my TOOO camera fell off a few times recently. The person who made the mount kindly made a modified version of the mount that will solve that problem for the foreseeable future. However, the repeated falls seem to have killed the recording function. I have ordered, and recently received a new one (over the Cycliq Fly 6 Pro). In search for a retailer [1] for the TOOO, I discovered that TOOO seems to be on the verge of releasing a front camera light (the DVF 100—see at their newly reopened website [2]). It has some interesting features that may make it more durable. It has only internal memory, and no charge port. This sealed design eliminates one of the failure points. It also has a metal exterior body, but seems to have the same plastic connectors (a GoPro mount and a Garmin adapter. The GoPro is pretty bombproof, but the Garmin will wear).
[1] The TOOO website, see below, Amazon in the U.S., and a number of UK websites.
[2] https://tooocycling.us/blogs/tooocycling-blog/introducing-the-tooo-cycling-dvf100-camera-front-light-the-ultimate-companion-for-cyclists
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I swore I would never get another Cycliq paperweight, but when my Fly 12 died I decided to look and see what Cycliq had. Their Fly 6 Gen 3 was on sale at the time for significantly less than their Fly 12. I never used the light function on any of the Cycliq cameras I have had. So, I bought a Fly 6 Gen 3. I turned the mounting thing on my handle bars 90 degrees. Then I turned off the light feature through the app. Saved $100.
Wow, interesting. I have owned all of the Fly6 versions except the most recent Pro model. They mostly performed ok with the exception of the one with top charging port, which caused many failures, including mine.
I recently found a new rear camera, Ripoon Q100, from B&H Photo for only $79 (pink) but I see they now cost $149 for pink and black and $109 for yellow. They also make a front light Ripoon Q101 for $159. These cameras work fine but they are more primitive than Cycliq. They are like the original Fly6 in that they require you to edit a file to change the time (no app). They also use rubber bands to attach to the seat post, like original Fly6. I actually like this. There is also no audible feedback. Instead, it vibrates. You also have to manually walk thru 3 modes every time you use it to get camera only. The feedback that it is on is a tiny LED that is hard to see. Maybe video quality (1080p) is not quite as good but generally can capture license plates if close enough to be a problem. I have been using mine for 4 months are so w/o incident. They claim much longer battery life (9hrs) but I am not able to definitively say because my test did not work for some reason. I feel it will last around 6 hrs. It has a larger batter than the Fly6.
Bruce, thanks for alerting me to the Ripoon cameras. The rear camera looks a lot like the TOOO. But there are some reviews that give pause about quality–one says that it “lost charge” sitting, while another has this to say about battery life: ” the 9 hr run time is a little miss leading this is 9 hours of video without the light running, per my experience the best I have gotten with video and light running is 2.5-3.”
I got 6 hrs of battery with camera only today. This camera has a brake light feature so the light flashes frequently when going over rough terrain. It is a pretty bright flash. Maybe next time I will try with the regular flash. Anyway, I figured it was worth at least 5 hrs based upon previous experience.
I just got the Fly6Pro (the new 4k one mentioned above), and I’ve owned the previous versions. It’s a huge upgrade for battery life — the fly6 gen 3 sucked for battery and would die after 2.5 hrs. This lasts probably around 8 hours of 4k video and lights. I’ve never had an issue with the cycliq mounts on the rear cameras, but I’ve had the mount adapter break several times on the Fly 12 front (possibly made worse because I have it mounted under the garmin on an extension mount?). Zero problems with the actual hardware, however. I had a memory card go bad and I had to reset the unit following the factory reset instructions, but that was it. The mount adapter breaking is the biggest issue, but I haven’t found anything better than these for bike security. If they made a mount option made from spring steel that would fix the problem, but good luck getting them to do that instead of cheap injection molded plastic.
Update on the TOOO DVR80. I just got a replacement unit (mostly to deal with the wear in the plastic I note above). I discovered that the replacement did not properly read the settings file, and inquired of TOOO, via their US website. Their response was that they only provide customer support for purchases directly from them. That takes a couple stars off my review of their devices–my view is that the manufacturer should support any device of theirs that gets sold. I’ll update if I have more info.
I ultimately convinced the US website ppl that it made sense to help me. And the fix was simple–I had not edited the settings file correctly.
My review notes that the achilles heel of these devices is the wear of the plastic body, which is the main reason my Cycliq devices stopped being as effective as they were new. I just discovered a company that 3D prints a variety of parts for cycling devices, including the Cycliq (but not TOOO). They make a part that will effectively repair the device connector. See https://www.3ddesigncentre.com/product-page/cycliq-repair-tab-carbon-fibre-filament
Unfortunately, they are in GB, so I imagine shipping cost may make it less than ideal for those of us in the US.
Very helpful review Matt – thank you. I see the comment about the Ripoon Q100 from Bruce and this looks appealing to me. I’ve avoided the Cycliq due to concerns about reliability. I want something like the Cycliq that records video all the time and I only need to look at video or download it when I need the evidence so the Ripoon makes sense. I plan to buy one to test and see if it works for me.
My question for you and other readers is whether to get the front or rear unit for my first purchase? I assume rear-facing would be the better choice. If it tests well and I don’t find using it too frustrating (I hate spending a lot of time downloading data, etc) I would then by the companion front-facing camera. Any thoughts/comments?
Hi Alex,
Over 90% of incidents happen from behind so we strongly recommend starting with a rear camera.
Didn’t realize that it was that high. Thanks for your help.
Hello Alex, great question on front or rear? If you only have 1 camera, I would prioritize rear since that is where most of the problems occur. However, many cars do not have front plates so then you need a front camera. However, since front cameras are generally more expensive, you might consider prioritizing the front for Ripoon since I think they are the same price. I have a Fly12 in front and the Ripoon in back on my regular recreational bike. I am still using a fake GoPro on front of my grocery bike with Fly6 in rear. The GoPro requires aux battery which is real pain. The Ripoon is more privative than the Fly6 because it requires you to edit a file to change time/date, for example. It is not as easy to use as Fly6 but much better than GoPro. It is still single button operation but no sound for feedback. Instead, feedback is by vibration. My battery seems to last a little longer on the Ripoon so that is a plus. Give it a try. Front or rear is tough question. I tried to “jury rig” the rear for the front but never came up with anything clever. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Thanks Bruce – I appreciate the thoughtful feedback. I think I will buy the rear camera and get comfortable with it before buying a front camera.
Road.cc has reviewed the TOOO DVF 100. They didn’t like it much.
https://road.cc/content/review/tooo-cycling-front-camera-light-combo-dvf100-310717
Unfortunately, the review doesn’t address one selling point of this device–they claim that the fact that it’s sealed, with no ports, improves its ability to last in wet weather. I know that some of the Fly 6 devices, with a USB port on top, died from water ingress (even though Cycliq claimed a level of water sealing for the innards).
My TOOO DVR80 seemed to have failed, but it turned out it needs SD card format of FAT32, whereas most ship now formatted as ExFAT.
So I reformatted it – just hold the button with camera off I think – and now it’s working fine again.