I may not be that great on the flats, but sometimes I'm good enough to catch a back wheel. Please, "wheel sucking" has such a negative connotation. Let's call it "tagging along."
It's only wheel sucking if you never pull :) I got shouted at a few months ago ("I'm not asking for much, but pull at least 50 meters!") because the guys let me slide up to the front after an intersection, probably just to have a laugh because I trust even though we don't know each other, at least some of them must have seen me often enough to recognize me, and as a wheelsucker. Then again, when they're really going, I have my hands full simply drafting and since that particular group ride would be a little over 90 km for me, I try to always keep a little in the tank.
Anyway, shame the group fell apart so quickly. Is the date in the video correct?
Yup, that's video from August 2nd. I have a backlog of video to go through. I'm telling you, the Tour de France, Tour of Utah, and Tour of Colorado wrecked my eyeball time.
Hat off to you for keeping up with the racing world. The only thing that catches my attention is the technical stuff, a spell usually lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes, then my brain switches off again. I can't even get to the bottom of the highlights.
Ironically, I just reasoned myself out of wanting to get an action cam by telling myself "but think of all the time it takes to edit and do stuff"
PPS: There was a "shakes fist" at the end of that post scriptum, I guess the angled brackets made it vanish.
*shakes fists at brackets* These longer videos are actually less work for me as an editor, and even the time lapse stuff was less work than putting together these 10 second gifs. Mind you, the encoding takes longer, but the set-up is so much quicker. It also takes longer to upload these large files, but having good upload speed and a reliable connection leaves that as a background process.
I use a Garmin VIRB, the standard one. Its big brother, the VIRB Elite, has GPS, which I didn't want to spend an extra 100 bucks on, plus is compatible with some of the Garmin apps to turn your iPhone or Android device into a remote control. I mount the camera directly to my handlebars with Garmin's large tube mount accessory kit. Bike computer on the left, camera on the right. What takes the bike totally outside of the viewable area are two settings for video: 1) lens correction to straighten out the fishbowl effect, and 2) image stabilization. Both settings take out the ability to record in 1080p because the camera needs all the extra space to run its algorithms, and then crop it to 720p.
In some of my earliest videos you can see my right brake hood, in a really bumpy ride.
Thanks for the explanation Joe, very interesting. I like the VIRB a lot, it's got a nicer mount and shape than the GoPros and their clones. Plus, it comes with software which makes it easy to superimpose the data from a Garmin computer, so you can see speed, heart rate, cadence, even power if you have it.
The only pitfall ...I can't really justify spending the money on what would be basically a toy for me :)
I've been thinking about helmet mounting for a while, then I was looking up stuff about riding in a group (it upsets me when people passing push back in and get closer than some to my front) and I came across this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1pfeD-KLGw
If it works in a race, it would work outside a race, whatcha think?
There are definitely pros and cons to helmet mounting. You don't really need image stabilization, although it can't hurt, and a higher point of view too. But the camera points where your head points, so that might not make for the best recording, depending on how often you look around. Wind noise is worse on a helmet too, so Contour or Garmin type cameras are better than GoPros. I'm leery of how the mount might mess up my helmet. Most of the helmet mounts prefer some kind of adhesive pad, but my helmet doesn't have a lot of real estate for that. And the strappy type mounts might compromise the integrity of those light helmets most cyclists wear these days. If that guy in the video doesn't mind strapping a camera to his helmet, it should be okay. In a race situation too, he's going to keep his face forward most of the time, which makes the scenery look like mine.
My train of thought took off wondering how you might want to show things that are not directly ahead of you: after all, the road is samey, and the most interesting stuff is bound be on the sides, right? Actually this was the spot (only with better light and way nicer a sky) http://goo.gl/yGnQO7
I'm doubtful that most ventilated cycling helmets have enough (flat) surface to accomodate pads, in fact I only have seen the 'strappy' mounts. What do you mean by 'compromise the integrity'? I'd assume the mount (let alone the camera...) would explode if it hit the road with any amount of force. Like cutting into the liner?
PS: fun read, bit long-winded, but fun: http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2009/06/training-how-not-to-do-group-ride.html
What I mean by compromise the integrity of the helmet is that the straps might squeeze or pinch the styrofoam in a way that cracks it or weakens it. Then when you hit the road in a crash, the helmet might not protect you as well as it could. If you crash, you'd be lucky if the camera isn't totally destroyed, but having an intact head should be the first priority, right? Wide velcro straps should be fine for the helmet, but I don't know how tight you can get those things to make sure the camera doesn't jiggle. I like the solidity of using a wrench on my handlebars, and I can always unhook the camera from its mount in a safe area and point the camera at something. The pros seem to prefer mounting on the bikes too, but then they can afford having many cameras and point them in different directions. If I had 3 cameras, I'd mount one looking back and one looking to the side, but that's a bit much.
It's something worth looking into, although my first reaction was simply an implicit assumption that those mounts would be fairly safe, because otherwise the manufacturers would be exposed to potentially very expensive legal consequences - especially on your side of the pond.
Mind you, I'm not trying to get YOU to try helmet mounting - simply thinking about it and abusing your patience and expertise on the subject - hopefully not too much :)
It's only wheel sucking if you never pull :) I got shouted at a few months ago ("I'm not asking for much, but pull at least 50 meters!") because the guys let me slide up to the front after an intersection, probably just to have a laugh because I trust even though we don't know each other, at least some of them must have seen me often enough to recognize me, and as a wheelsucker. Then again, when they're really going, I have my hands full simply drafting and since that particular group ride would be a little over 90 km for me, I try to always keep a little in the tank.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, shame the group fell apart so quickly. Is the date in the video correct?
PS: stop making me want buy an action cam!
Yup, that's video from August 2nd. I have a backlog of video to go through. I'm telling you, the Tour de France, Tour of Utah, and Tour of Colorado wrecked my eyeball time.
DeleteHat off to you for keeping up with the racing world. The only thing that catches my attention is the technical stuff, a spell usually lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes, then my brain switches off again. I can't even get to the bottom of the highlights.
ReplyDeleteIronically, I just reasoned myself out of wanting to get an action cam by telling myself "but think of all the time it takes to edit and do stuff"
PPS: There was a "shakes fist" at the end of that post scriptum, I guess the angled brackets made it vanish.
*shakes fists at brackets* These longer videos are actually less work for me as an editor, and even the time lapse stuff was less work than putting together these 10 second gifs. Mind you, the encoding takes longer, but the set-up is so much quicker. It also takes longer to upload these large files, but having good upload speed and a reliable connection leaves that as a background process.
DeleteI see what you're doing there :P
ReplyDeleteWhat camera and mount are you using again? Your videos really stand out for showing only the road and scenery.
I use a Garmin VIRB, the standard one. Its big brother, the VIRB Elite, has GPS, which I didn't want to spend an extra 100 bucks on, plus is compatible with some of the Garmin apps to turn your iPhone or Android device into a remote control. I mount the camera directly to my handlebars with Garmin's large tube mount accessory kit. Bike computer on the left, camera on the right. What takes the bike totally outside of the viewable area are two settings for video: 1) lens correction to straighten out the fishbowl effect, and 2) image stabilization. Both settings take out the ability to record in 1080p because the camera needs all the extra space to run its algorithms, and then crop it to 720p.
DeleteIn some of my earliest videos you can see my right brake hood, in a really bumpy ride.
Thanks for the explanation Joe, very interesting. I like the VIRB a lot, it's got a nicer mount and shape than the GoPros and their clones. Plus, it comes with software which makes it easy to superimpose the data from a Garmin computer, so you can see speed, heart rate, cadence, even power if you have it.
ReplyDeleteThe only pitfall ...I can't really justify spending the money on what would be basically a toy for me :)
I've been thinking about helmet mounting for a while, then I was looking up stuff about riding in a group (it upsets me when people passing push back in and get closer than some to my front) and I came across this video:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1pfeD-KLGw
If it works in a race, it would work outside a race, whatcha think?
There are definitely pros and cons to helmet mounting. You don't really need image stabilization, although it can't hurt, and a higher point of view too. But the camera points where your head points, so that might not make for the best recording, depending on how often you look around. Wind noise is worse on a helmet too, so Contour or Garmin type cameras are better than GoPros. I'm leery of how the mount might mess up my helmet. Most of the helmet mounts prefer some kind of adhesive pad, but my helmet doesn't have a lot of real estate for that. And the strappy type mounts might compromise the integrity of those light helmets most cyclists wear these days. If that guy in the video doesn't mind strapping a camera to his helmet, it should be okay. In a race situation too, he's going to keep his face forward most of the time, which makes the scenery look like mine.
DeleteMy train of thought took off wondering how you might want to show things that are not directly ahead of you: after all, the road is samey, and the most interesting stuff is bound be on the sides, right? Actually this was the spot (only with better light and way nicer a sky) http://goo.gl/yGnQO7
ReplyDeleteI'm doubtful that most ventilated cycling helmets have enough (flat) surface to accomodate pads, in fact I only have seen the 'strappy' mounts. What do you mean by 'compromise the integrity'? I'd assume the mount (let alone the camera...) would explode if it hit the road with any amount of force. Like cutting into the liner?
PS: fun read, bit long-winded, but fun: http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2009/06/training-how-not-to-do-group-ride.html
What I mean by compromise the integrity of the helmet is that the straps might squeeze or pinch the styrofoam in a way that cracks it or weakens it. Then when you hit the road in a crash, the helmet might not protect you as well as it could. If you crash, you'd be lucky if the camera isn't totally destroyed, but having an intact head should be the first priority, right? Wide velcro straps should be fine for the helmet, but I don't know how tight you can get those things to make sure the camera doesn't jiggle. I like the solidity of using a wrench on my handlebars, and I can always unhook the camera from its mount in a safe area and point the camera at something. The pros seem to prefer mounting on the bikes too, but then they can afford having many cameras and point them in different directions. If I had 3 cameras, I'd mount one looking back and one looking to the side, but that's a bit much.
DeleteIt's something worth looking into, although my first reaction was simply an implicit assumption that those mounts would be fairly safe, because otherwise the manufacturers would be exposed to potentially very expensive legal consequences - especially on your side of the pond.
ReplyDeleteMind you, I'm not trying to get YOU to try helmet mounting - simply thinking about it and abusing your patience and expertise on the subject - hopefully not too much :)