GoPro, worth it? [Archive] - The Paceline Forum

MattTuck

03-12-2013, 02:38 PM

I enjoy the videos of people riding with their GoPro cameras, and I have to admit a certain desire to get one and record my rides with the goal of sharing them, and/or preserving them to watch during the winter (?).

Unfortunately, I don't think I'd ever create anything better than this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8whTWQ-RHkk) and question if it would lose its novelty after a few rides.

Does anyone have some real experience using the GoPro? Worth it? still fun?

I could see it being fun especially for races, riding in new areas (vacations, etc.) and down hills. I can't imagine there being much interest in watching me grind up a hill for 15 minutes at 8mph. Especially when it is a hill I've ridden up 20+ times before.

maxn

03-12-2013, 02:46 PM

Never regretted buying either of my gopros. The 3 is a vast improvement over the 1

liray

03-12-2013, 03:29 PM

If you wipe out with a GoPro, you'll be guaranteed many Youtube hits. :banana:

tiretrax

03-12-2013, 04:12 PM

I might break down and get one this year. I've used a small point and shoot mounted on my handlebars with a gorillapod a few times on more scenic rides. They're fun to watch from time to time, but the quality wasn't great.

Watching a grind session on the same hill repeatedly is not intresting, but something might be captured - a deer may run across the street, a zombie may chase you, etc.

Tony T

03-12-2013, 04:15 PM

Another option:
http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/camcorders/contour/Oct2012/colors.jpg

rice rocket

03-12-2013, 04:29 PM

The ContourROAM was ~99 from Target for a long while, I picked up one when it went on sale.

It does 720p@60fps, but it's not shy about eating up your storage at full res. I think I average ~4GB/hour?

It's a fun toy I guess, I know some people like to record their commutes in the event of a militant motorist. I usually just record my MTB rides so I can watch them again later and learn. Maybe I'll make a sweet highlight video once I get better, but the 170 deg FOV makes it look like you're riding at 5 mph when you're doing 20, it's not terribly exciting.

vqdriver

03-12-2013, 05:18 PM

I'm of the exact same opinion as the op. interested in the responses as well.

If anything I think it may be fun to record some summertime MTb runs at mammoth. And crash vids are always fun.

Vientomas

03-12-2013, 05:30 PM

vqdriver

03-12-2013, 05:56 PM

I'll be the voice of dissent here.

I don't get it. I have seen what the camera records so why would I want to see it all again? I can understand a still image that is composed to record a moment in time, but a stream of recorded moments, the most of which are boring? What's the point?

A friend of mine has a hero cam upon which he records all of his sporting activities. To watch his videos, even if I happen to be in a segment, is one of the most boring activities I have ever engaged in. I now tactfully try to avoid watching them.

Maybe I'm just an old retro grouch.

what about home videos of your children? tape of them doing the same thing over and over again can get stale. but every once in a while you get magic.

not everything is gold. i wouldn't watch everything recorded, that would be torture. gotta edit this stuff if you're going to share it.

Vientomas

03-12-2013, 06:04 PM

No kids. Just spoiled me.

MattTuck

03-12-2013, 06:15 PM

but something might be captured - a deer may run across the street, a zombie may chase you, etc.

Guess I'll need to get 2 cams then, one front facing, one rear facing ;)

carpediemracing

03-12-2013, 06:21 PM

During a training ride:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TbmplkIYLx8/TDuB-GoJ1pI/AAAAAAAAC7U/fIgeoUjCQZk/s640/Cape+Cod+Close+Call.jpg
Truck was going about 35-40 mph, we were going about 20 mph.

This guy started pulling out when I was literally in front of his car. Only when I screamed did he slam on his brakes. I stopped at my stop sign (3 way stop, 3 way intersection) and he started going as I crossed his bow.
Stopped, doing a track stand. THe white pick up ran the stop sign:
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/312099_10150393407378824_1942078361_n.jpg

I start to cross and he starts to go:
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/313470_10150393400223824_402547330_n.jpg

Blurry because I was turning my head wondering why he was accelerating:
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/307429_10150393407448824_111773467_n.jpg

Say something happened in those two instances, meaning contact instead of a near miss. Who is a cop going to believe? Now introduce video evidence. I stand by everything I do on the bike - I stop at stop signs, red lights, even stop when it's a no turn on red. Everything I do I stand by and I will share the video with any cop that asks. I don't want to be blamed for something I didn't do (and I'll take responsibility for something I did).

You also get weird/cool sitings. I happen to save all my rides for whatever reason but I think it's reasonable to erase them after each ride or after a week or a month. I did do some fraud investigation on my own - a guy that steals, cheats, lies, drinks on the job (he's a driver), takes advantage of welfare, doesn't report income, etc, claimed that a tree glanced off his house. He put in for a bunch of stuff. I figured he was lying, looked at a group ride clip where we happened to ride by his house. His house was fine so his claims were legit. I never would have believed it had I not had a clip of his house from a month prior.

In races it can be extremely educational. It's amazing how much energy a racer can waste during a race. For example in a Cat 3-4 race two Sundays ago I was cramping so unable to exert much power. My normally low power (I typically avg 160-180w in a race) was even lower - I could only average 139 watts yet I stayed in for about an hour. Last Sunday I was 13th and averaged just 155 watts. On a solo ride those wattages would be something like 12-14 mph speeds but I could turn that power level into a 24-25 mph average speed, with a short hill every mile, for an hour. It's all about positioning and riding smart. Analysis by camera can be absolutely brutal when you review your errors/mistakes.

I happen to use a ContourHD and it does go through about 4 GB an hour. I have an assortment of 8, 16, and 32 GB cards for my 3 Contours.

In related stuff I use a similar cam for my car. It's a 1080p camera that powers on when the USB cable has power, powers off when the USB cable has no power. It loops in increments you decide - I set it to record in 1 minute increments and it loops when it runs out of memory, so typically 2-4-8 hours of driving before it loops. It points out the back window. It's amazing how few people tailgate me with the camera in place (I got it when my wife was pregnant and I was feeling really protective).

This guy was about 10-15 feet away at about 60-65 mph when traffic came to a stop. From my point of view I couldn't see his lights or most of his hood, just windshield and roof.
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/268366_10151154395258824_1385315060_n.jpg

This is a normal gap at 35 mph, just a bit under 2 seconds. I purposely checked this one so I could save a screenshot as a reference. It gives you an idea of how close the blue car was to me.
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/418617_10151177559883824_2082882988_n.jpg

cat6

03-12-2013, 06:22 PM

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carpediemracing

03-12-2013, 06:38 PM

I've gotten about 5 hours of 720@60fps on a long ride with the ContourHD but that's the limit. 2-3-4 hours is not a problem.

I don't know how the newer Contours do over long periods of time.

Steevo

03-12-2013, 07:51 PM

My Go Pro 2 is a fun device to have, and an improvement over the video mode of my point and shoot. That said, the true trick to producing watchable video is the editing, which is a time consuming task. If you don't edit, you don't get many viewers.

I shoot a lot of video of my daughter and my friends skiing - I'll capture 30 - 60 minutes of footage plus some stills, and edit that down to a 3 - 4 minute video, with background music. I try to keep the videos upbeat, fun and short. Anything longer, and you lose your audience. I receive a lot of good feedback for the videos I produce. It's fun, but time consuming.

MattTuck

03-12-2013, 07:53 PM

rice rocket

03-12-2013, 10:48 PM

In related stuff I use a similar cam for my car. It's a 1080p camera that powers on when the USB cable has power, powers off when the USB cable has no power. It loops in increments you decide - I set it to record in 1 minute increments and it loops when it runs out of memory, so typically 2-4-8 hours of driving before it loops. It points out the back window. It's amazing how few people tailgate me with the camera in place (I got it when my wife was pregnant and I was feeling really protective).

More about this? Apparently everyone has one in Russia because of the high accident rate there. If you have some time to burn...

http://www.youtube.com/user/vellikin

I've been wondering if people have made custom firmwares or something for these cheap POV cameras to perform such a function, I haven't come across any though.

carpediemracing

03-13-2013, 07:13 AM

More about this? Apparently everyone has one in Russia because of the high accident rate there. If you have some time to burn...

http://www.youtube.com/user/vellikin

I've been wondering if people have made custom firmwares or something for these cheap POV cameras to perform such a function, I haven't come across any though.

I think the camera I use is something that was marketed towards the Russian market. The accidents there just make me shake my head. I told the Missus that we're never going on a public road in Russia.

Link to the product. I reviewed it as "CDR". Creative name, I know.

http://www.amazon.com/CarProCam-Dashboard-Camera-Accident-RECORDING/product-reviews/B006P8MG6M/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Tony

03-13-2013, 08:20 AM

We just shot this video with the Oregon Scientific ATC9K.
It has worked better for us than the Contou or the GoPro, and its completely water proof!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzONVAIlHJw&feature=youtu.be

Tony

shovelhd

03-13-2013, 09:45 AM

I have a Contour Roam. I use it for post-race analysis with my coach and for recording commutes.

Steevo

03-13-2013, 10:26 AM

I use iMovie to edit the videos. It works great, and I'm getting pretty good at it.

onekgguy

03-13-2013, 10:56 AM

I've been making videos of my rides for a few years. I used to use my cellphone but upgraded to a GoPro a little over a year ago. I want to have something to be able to look back on years from now when I'm reminiscing about days gone by.

I was thinking how if only this technology was available back in the '70s when I first got into road riding in San Diego and how I'd love to be able to see videos now from all those years ago. That would be so cool. Anyway, should I live another 30 years I think it will be nice to have these videos to look back on.

I agree...it's all in the editing. I typically edit mine down to 5 minutes (https://vimeo.com/58844420) of video for a ride. Background music also helps. I've used both Adobe and iMovie to edit mine.

Kevin g