My Cycliq Fly6 G3 just quit on me and is out of warranty so all I’m being offered is a discount on a refurbished model.
My experience with it (and the CE that it replaced - under warranty) is typical. Really glad to have a product like it but I just wish someone would make a decent one.
I like the idea of a Radar + Camera but the reviews of the current Varia RCT715 are even worse than Cycliq products.
None of the Cycliq or RCT threads have been updated in over a year though so I’m wondering if this space has moved on at all. Can something like Insta360 or the GoPro mini do a similar dashcam mode or are those still the wrong tool for the job?
(I’d consider switching to just-radar but in Scotland I think the camera is probably more important because our roads are narrow enough that there’s very rarely enough space for me to move over to allow a safe pass - it either has to be clear enough to cross the centre line entirely or it’s not safe to attempt at all, so I mostly just hold the primary lane position by default. I see the value in radar when I visit America where the roads are wider, but I think here it would just be helpful rather than a game changer. So priority on dashcam functionality for me.)
Haven’t got a number on the cost of the refurb unit from Cycliq yet but unless there are other options out there I have a feeling I may be best just waiting for whatever their Black Friday deal is going to be…
‘Safety’ cam vs action cam are two different categories with little overlap, imo.
RCT715 is still the best option out there. The optics aren’t the best and Garmin haven’t done much (anything?) with the app since launch. The unit I have is now showing a ton of pitting of the lens… But… as a radar it’s brilliant, and as a camera it’ll likely capture enough of an incident to be useful.
I’ve been using the Magicshine / SeeMe DV (AU$200) over the last week. The optics on that are next level bad. The app… for a start it’s called “Car_DVR” and scanning the footage shows “Front Camera”. Nope, they really didn’t even try. The one saving grace is that with whatever stabilization they’re using, number plates are relatively clear in good conditions. Even at $AU200 it’s twice the price it should be.
Cycliq - The recent update to their front camera was solid. I hope they have something up their sleeve with the Fly6. Their apps have always been pretty clunky and iirc they pulled ANT+ Light support in newer units. That’s not ideal when wanting to monitor the battery level of a rear light.
Thanks for the update - really helpful (even if not particularly positive)!
Seems like this might be as good a time as any to jump ship from Cycliq and get on the Varia train. No notable pricing offers for RCT at the moment so I might wait til November and see what sales reveal themselves.
That is, unless Cycliq give me a price on their offer of a refurb unit that’s good enough to make it worth going another round with them.
You have safety, a radar and a light (I recommend Varia), then you have a camera. A camera is not providing any safety, but rather documentation to the police and insurance after you’ve been hit.
When you try to combine two completely separate functions, you tend to get poor results. If you want/need a camera I’d suggest getting a separate device for that sole purpose.
I concur. I’m running a Varia + GoPro for that very reason. In a perfect world, they’d combine function and have a battery life of 12 hours, but then again in a perfect world, I’d be giving Sepp Kuss a run for his money as the fastest American on two wheels.
While the features of the Fly cameras are decent, the build quality is terrible. I had one Fly12 replaced under warranty because it was generating enough RF interference to kill the GPS signal on my Garmin. The replacement has been OK, but the microphone is all but useless.
My first Fly6 was replaced under warranty when it died after a brief downpour on a ride. That replacement died after getting wet from road spray after rain that I did not encounter (I was dry). So far the third has survived, but I don’t think it’s been wet yet.
A friend’s Fly6 died after one rainy ride, but was out of warranty. Their reply to his complaint was to offer a refurb, at refurb pricing.
Clearly their IP raining claims are bogus.
To my mind Cycliq had a good idea they can’t execute. I’d love for someone to do better. It wouldn’t even have to be all that much better. I’m hoping the ones I have survive until someone does.
Yep, that’s about the size of it. Sums up the state of the market for this product category exactly (and sounds very similar to most owner stories I’ve encountered)!
The Chilli cam has been on my radar (figuratively ). I don’t know many who use it but I’m pretty sure one of the few I do know has had his for 5+ years without issue. Seems simple and single-function enough that I could see it being reliable.
Anyone know if it can do continuous loop recording? And is there any kind of incident protection mode?
As long as none of the offerings integrate properly with each other or their apps, a Garmin RCT rear with a Chilli front might be about as good a setup as one can get for now.
I keep looking at the Chilli cam as well…be interesting to hear from users!
The current PRO II BULLET says run time of 2 hours, so I guess it’s actually less than that in reality? But then for £19 more you can get a second external battery but that looks like a PITA to me personally
Promotional Launch Deal
£107 – with no additional Battery (2hr Record Time and use your own portable charger for longer record time)
This is the one used by quite a few I know locally. £47ea for 1x or £41ea for 2x
4hr run time on the bullet - I assume its not as high quality as the ‘pro II’ , but I do know there have been at least 2 successful prosecutions for dangerous driving/road rage using the cheaper camera in the last few years.
I’m still using an original Fly12, albeit after changing the battery. I am very tempted by the “Sport”. Given they’re really the only player in the market for day long use (notwithstanding the Bullet mentioned in this thread), it’s hard to know whether they’re genuinely unreliable or just have all the noise.
I have had the sport for 12 months, no issues with the camera but for some reason it interferes with my gradients on the wahoo roam. Normally one of my local hills max’s at 14% but when camera is on says 22% which is ridiculous,
For my model V I think it is. I managed to get a replacement battery. The replacement is much larger capacity so it was a tight squeeze, but a straight plug in replacement. Second or third year on the replacement now and it’s going great.
I have the original Fly 6. It was replaced once under warranty as it stopped working. I’ve used it winter and summer alike. I upgraded to the latest gen Fly 6 as the rubber backing fell off the original and getting it to fasten to the seat post became difficult. There was also the benefit of setting the date and time via an app. With the light off I get 4-5 hours of battery life and recording time. I also run a Varia radar next to it on a 3D Design Centre mount. I use the Varia as a light too because it has a longer battery life.
My mate bought the original Fly 12, it keeps snapping mounts due to its bulk.
Since then I’ve also bought the Fly 12 Sport. It’s going back under warranty as it keeps producing locked files, reducing the available free space on the SD card. Even with the light on flashing mode and recording it has loads of battery life left after a 5 hour ride.
Another mate bought the ETC Watchman, but it stopped working fairly quickly.
There is the TOOO rear light camera on the market. I’ve not used it but it’s from Freewheel whose support is normally quite good. Battery life reads well at 9.5hours.
I’ve been using Cycliq products for the past 6 years, starting with their Kickstarter models.
My last Fly6 CE died last year and even after replacing the battery myself, it did not hold the charge. It would just switch off intermittently, even at full charge. That was probably my 4th and last Cycliq device.
Since December, I’ve been using the RCT715.
Love it. The radar feature is amazing. Like another set of eyes. Not much to say about the radar that had not already been said. I do most of my cycling on quiet roads away from the city, so this suits me perfectly. Riding in the city, the radar gives quite a lot of false notifications.
The camera on the 715 is woeful. But it’s more for peace of mind should I ever need it.
Having said that, the RCT715 does have some confusing controls.
My camera was switched off when the RCT715 went into power saving mode (towards the end of an audax ride). The camera remained switched off even after it was fully charge. I wasn’t aware of that till many weeks later when I came across the video files by chance.
). I don’t know many who use it but I’m pretty sure one of the few I do know has had his for 5+ years without issue. Seems simple and single-function enough that I could see it being reliable.