# First climb video with a ContourHD helmet camera



## freighttraininguphill

Deleted. Contour.com no longer has a video page and I shut my YouTube channel down several months ago.

Top of climb









City limit style sign at driveway entrance on Starkes Grade Road. I snapped this pic on the way back down the hill.


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## ronderman

Good ride, can you tell me how you got your garmin data on the recording?


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## freighttraininguphill

ronderman said:


> Good ride, can you tell me how you got your garmin data on the recording?


Thank you.  I used DashWare software to overlay the data from the Garmin onto the video. It's a pretty simple process. The tricky part is synchronizing the data to the video.

I don't have the speed/cadence sensor on my bike, so the speed and percent grade numbers jump around quite a bit sometimes. This is due to riding through a heavily forested area. Trees interfere with satellite signals, which my Garmin is totally dependent on without the sensor.


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## TrailViewMount

Very nice video and quality. I use a handlebar mount camcorder. I could never use a helmet cam because I'm constantly looking for photo-ops.


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## freighttraininguphill

TrailViewMount said:


> Very nice video and quality. I use a handlebar mount camcorder. I could never use a helmet cam because I'm constantly looking for photo-ops.


Thank you.  I thought I couldn't use a helmet mount either, due to the fact that I often look down on tough climbs. It wasn't hard to remember to keep my head up, and I love the fact that there isn't any more rattling noise from rough roads. I do move my head around a lot though, especially when I'm looking at the scenery.

Until now I always used a handlebar mount and still do for a second camera that records at the same time as the Contour, just in case the Contour fails. Contours don't have the greatest track record for reliability.


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## ukbloke

Here's a tip for your ContourHD. There is generally a slight wobble between the battery and its compartment. This causes the battery to jiggle around very slightly over bumpy roads. On big bumps it is possible for the battery to momentarily disconnect causing your camera to turn off, and all subsequent footage to be lost. The jiggling can also add an extraneous knocking noise to the audio. You can largely solve this by wedging the thin end of a cable-tie between the battery and its compartment on the narrow side of the battery - cut to length so that you can close the door. This is not too much of an issue with the helmet mount, but I lost footage because of this when using the XL handlebar mount.

You can also improvise a handlebar mount that insulates the camera from the mechanical vibration coming through the regular mount. Basically this uses wrapping material and straps to pad between the camera and the bike. It works surprisingly well - someone sent me a link to a youtube video demonstrating it.


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## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> Here's a tip for your ContourHD. There is generally a slight wobble between the battery and its compartment. This causes the battery to jiggle around very slightly over bumpy roads. On big bumps it is possible for the battery to momentarily disconnect causing your camera to turn off, and all subsequent footage to be lost. The jiggling can also add an extraneous knocking noise to the audio. You can largely solve this by wedging the thin end of a cable-tie between the battery and its compartment on the narrow side of the battery - cut to length so that you can close the door. This is not too much of an issue with the helmet mount, but I lost footage because of this when using the XL handlebar mount.
> 
> You can also improvise a handlebar mount that insulates the camera from the mechanical vibration coming through the regular mount. Basically this uses wrapping material and straps to pad between the camera and the bike. It works surprisingly well - someone sent me a link to a youtube video demonstrating it.


I read about that problem, but I wonder if that only applies to the older models. My battery has a very snug fit, and there is a red lever that swings shut and latches in place over the battery.

I really like the helmet mount because it's so quiet over rough roads, and with the 848 x 480 60 fps resolution I record at, the effects of the rolling shutter (which the Contour supposedly has) are nonexistent.

I did buy the XL handlebar mount and the universal tripod mount, but so far I've only used the universal mount once on my Pedco UltraClamp handlebar mount. The XL mount is still in the package.


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## PoorCyclist

the XL handlebar mount is nice, for road biking provides stable pictures, I don't notice it being jarring but I would probably add a piece of bar tape for it.

I mounted mine below the handlebars and it shoots at other riders below the saddle though and my cable hits it making a chattering Mounting up top would be better I think, but I like it out of the way.


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## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> the XL handlebar mount is nice, for road biking provides stable pictures, I don't notice it being jarring but I would probably add a piece of bar tape for it.
> 
> I mounted mine below the handlebars and it shoots at other riders below the saddle though and my cable hits it making a chattering Mounting up top would be better I think, but I like it out of the way.


I'm reluctant to mount my Contour on the handlebars after talking to a rider on another forum who started having problems with his Contour after using it on the handlebars. Helmet mounting seems to cut way down on the amount of road vibration the camera gets.

Here's an example of what happens to a camera after a few months of handlebar mounting. This is my Kodak Playsport Zx3 that I always mounted on the handlebars with my Pedco UltraClamp
 About a month ago the tripod hole cracked and stripped partially, but I was still able to use it on the handlebar mount if I secured the camera's wrist strap to the bars with a small bungee cord.

On last weekend's ride the camera broke clean off of the handlebar mount while it was recording. It left a good sized chunk of plastic behind in the handlebar mount, but since it was secured with the bungee cord it didn't hit the pavement. 
Here's the piece that was left behind in the handlebar mount.

















Here's what the camera's tripod hole looks like now. Needless to say, this camera is no longer waterproof.

















There is a possibility that this was caused by overtightening the camera in the mount a few times too many, but I always noticed the camera moving when riding over rough roads. I think the plastic tripod hole was stressed over time and finally gave way.

I've also read posts on another forum from GoPro owners whose handlebar mounts broke off suddenly just from normal road vibration.


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## ukbloke

The basic mechanics and physics of that Playsport mounting is always going to be a failure point. I would guess that that camera was simply not designed with that kind of application in mind.

The Contour cameras have a better profile, better mount system with the rails and mounts that are going to be much more stable and less likely to fail in that way. However, in my experience the rails do loosen up over time introducing wobble. I think the damage actually occurs due to repeated insertion/removal of the camera on the rails, plus the attachment of the rail grooves to the camera is not 100% solid either. Eventually one has to compensate with an additional strap or elastic bands to eliminate that wobble. So I think the rails system was a good first generation mounting system for Contour, but now they need to go back to the drawing board and redesign something significantly better.


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## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> The basic mechanics and physics of that Playsport mounting is always going to be a failure point. I would guess that that camera was simply not designed with that kind of application in mind.
> 
> The Contour cameras have a better profile, better mount system with the rails and mounts that are going to be much more stable and less likely to fail in that way. However, in my experience the rails do loosen up over time introducing wobble. I think the damage actually occurs due to repeated insertion/removal of the camera on the rails, plus the attachment of the rail grooves to the camera is not 100% solid either. Eventually one has to compensate with an additional strap or elastic bands to eliminate that wobble. So I think the rails system was a good first generation mounting system for Contour, but now they need to go back to the drawing board and redesign something significantly better.


You're right.  The form factor of the Playsport is too tall for handlebar mounting, so there's more stress on the tripod hole from the camera moving back and forth while riding over rough roads.

I'm thinking this may be a better option for handlebar mounting. I would still need to use the small bungee cord to keep the camera from bouncing out of the mount, but I would be able to use my old camera that still works perfectly. I'm always going to use the Contour as a primary camera, but I like to have a backup recording device in case the Contour fails. The Playsport is perfect for that. I bought another one from a local eBay seller for $79.95 Buy It Now. I tested it on yesterday's ride with the bungee cord through the camera's wrist strap to keep it from rotating in the mount. It worked perfect. Hopefully this one will last longer than the other one as long as I don't overtighten it in the handlebar mount.

I wonder if the plastic rails are a weak point on the Contour. People have mentioned that in reviews of the camera and suggested that metal would be a better choice.


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## PoorCyclist

I can see using some teflon tape or something similar to take out the slop on the contour rail mount, I think it is nice and strong. 

Things have 1 year warranty so why not play with it, try with the contour official mount you've got,
if you are worried about it use the safety string.


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## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> I can see using some teflon tape or something similar to take out the slop on the contour rail mount, I think it is nice and strong.
> 
> Things have 1 year warranty so why not play with it, try with the contour official mount you've got,
> if you are worried about it use the safety string.


I use the safety leash anyway. I consider it cheap insurance, since it came with the mounts. I did use the universal mount once. It worked great on my Pedco UltraClamp handlebar mount. I may play around with the other mount.

I use the official helmet mount. Unlike the Amazon reviewers, I'm not having any problems with it. Then again, I'm not mtb'ing.


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## freighttraininguphill

Got the replacement ContourHD. The power switch on this one has a much more positive "click" feel to it than the other one, which felt mushy. I have a feeling the old one had a bad power switch, which would explain why it wouldn't turn off or on sometimes.


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## ronderman

Since this post inspired me to get a gopro - I hope you don't mind me posting my first video

Ride in New England with a Colnago, Campy and GoPro - YouTube


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## freighttraininguphill

ronderman said:


> Since this post inspired me to get a gopro - I hope you don't mind me posting my first video
> 
> Ride in New England with a Colnago, Campy and GoPro - YouTube


Don't mind at all. That's very good for a first video. :thumbsup: I'm more into raw video with original ride audio, but that was a good remix you had in there. Reminds me of some of the mixes a friend of mine used to get online years ago. As far as I know you couldn't buy them. I have a few of them on my hard drive now. :wink5:


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## PoorCyclist

I mounted my contour with the XL handlebar mount and on the smooth roads it is quite nice, but during descents, or chipseal road it is extremely shaky and not really watchable.. gives me nausea.. but I like the view from the handlebar. 
On of the biggest problem is that there is a slop in the contour mount, there is alot of play when the camera is mounted. I can see the camera moving around on the mount and it is not the ball joint. 
I put some eletrical tape and it helped, but not really solve the problem.

Here is a product that would make the camera higher as I found the view too low on other riders, possibly a bit less jarring when it is right on the steer tube. And also make installing and removing the camera much faster.

Paul Component Engineering - Stem Cap Light Mount


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## ukbloke

PoorCyclist said:


> On of the biggest problem is that there is a slop in the contour mount, there is alot of play when the camera is mounted. I can see the camera moving around on the mount and it is not the ball joint.
> I put some eletrical tape and it helped, but not really solve the problem.


I noticed that too - and it seems to get worse with more insertions. The wobble in the "pitch" direction (rotating on the handlebar axis) is a killer because of the rolling shutter design. It induces the jelly vision effect. My solution is a large rubber/elastic band. One end goes around the lens, and then under the bars, up the other side, and around the back end of the device. I twist the band at each end to get contact with the camera. The first bands I like come with fresh veggies (eg. a bunch of asparagus), and I tie a couple together to get the right length. This pretty much takes out all the play. But I think that Contour need to throw away the current rails mounting and design a new solution without this inherent defect. It needs some kind of fastener to take out the play.

Here's an example - high speed descent of Page Mill Road in Palo Alto with twisty corners, steep grades and variable pavement quality.


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## PoorCyclist

The suction cup mount is made by panavise, it still uses the slot, but it has 2 more set screws to old the camera solid, which is a much better design!

I understand a little bit of slop is needed otherwise the camera won't be able to slide on.
Additional ties would have to do for now.


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## TrailViewMount

I use the Trail View Mount for shooting video. Works perfect every time. Actually a motorcyclist used this mount on a trip and loved it. I watched his video on facebook.


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## ronderman

ukbloke said:


> Here's an example - high speed descent of Page Mill Road in Palo Alto with twisty corners, steep grades and variable pavement quality.


What did you use to get all the garmin info - you even had gear selection?


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## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> The wobble in the "pitch" direction (rotating on the handlebar axis) is a killer because of the rolling shutter design. It induces the jelly vision effect.


Have you tried recording in either "Fast WVGA" 848x480 60fps or "Action HD" 1280x720 60fps? The higher frame rate greatly reduces or eliminates rolling shutter waviness. 

Same thing with my Kodak Playsport at 720p HD 60 fps. The Playsport's rolling shutter effect at 30 fps is even worse than the Contour's, but at 60 fps it's much better.


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## ukbloke

ronderman said:


> What did you use to get all the garmin info - you even had gear selection?


I use the Bike Telemetry service at www.biketelemetry.com. You upload your Garmin file and it generates all the data for you. You just download the generated movie file and add it as an overlay on top of your ride video.


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## ukbloke

freighttraininguphill said:


> Have you tried recording in either "Fast WVGA" 848x480 60fps or "Action HD" 1280x720 60fps? The higher frame rate greatly reduces or eliminates rolling shutter waviness.


Sorry to dredge this older thread, but I got dropped off the subscription and didn't see the last couple of comments.

So I did try at 480p x 60fps previously a long time ago, but didn't notice anything significantly better with image stability. However, at that time I had not really figured out how best to use the camera so pretty much all my video at that time was junk. I'd probably benefit from the 60fps now that I now what I'm doing, though of course I'd be rendering down to 30fps for YouTube. So I've standardized at 720p which I find to be a great compromise between video quality, file size and processing time. 

I would love to try 720p at 60fps, but I went with the previous generation ContourHD when it was on a close-out sale at Amazon. I don't have that mode nor do I have 1080p (which my older PC can't cope with anyway). I think using the 60fps mode and simply throwing away every other frame to bring it down to 30fps is the way to go to avoid rolling shutter, as you have mentioned. Thinking about it, I'm surprised that Contour doesn't simply do this in the camera firmware - it seems like a no brainer to improve video quality. Now that I can get a ContourHD 1080p for about $120 I'm very tempted to buy a new camera.

I'm not particularly impressed with any of their cameras after the ContourHD 1080p either - seems like they are adding features that don't have any value to me, or even removing video modes that I like, and jacking the price up. I think they should concentrate on the feature set of the ContourHD 1080p, add video and audio quality improvements, fix the mounting system, and add the ability to sync/hook-up with ANT+ devices like the Garmin for better integration.


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## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> Sorry to dredge this older thread, but I got dropped off the subscription and didn't see the last couple of comments.
> 
> So I did try at 480p x 60fps previously a long time ago, but didn't notice anything significantly better with image stability. However, at that time I had not really figured out how best to use the camera so pretty much all my video at that time was junk. I'd probably benefit from the 60fps now that I now what I'm doing, though of course I'd be rendering down to 30fps for YouTube. So I've standardized at 720p which I find to be a great compromise between video quality, file size and processing time.
> 
> I would love to try 720p at 60fps, but I went with the previous generation ContourHD when it was on a close-out sale at Amazon. I don't have that mode nor do I have 1080p (which my older PC can't cope with anyway). I think using the 60fps mode and simply throwing away every other frame to bring it down to 30fps is the way to go to avoid rolling shutter, as you have mentioned. Thinking about it, I'm surprised that Contour doesn't simply do this in the camera firmware - it seems like a no brainer to improve video quality. Now that I can get a ContourHD 1080p for about $120 I'm very tempted to buy a new camera.
> 
> I'm not particularly impressed with any of their cameras after the ContourHD 1080p either - seems like they are adding features that don't have any value to me, or even removing video modes that I like, and jacking the price up. I think they should concentrate on the feature set of the ContourHD 1080p, add video and audio quality improvements, fix the mounting system, and add the ability to sync/hook-up with ANT+ devices like the Garmin for better integration.


I have no use for 1080p, or even 720p, since I'm not trying to record license plates of aggressive motorists. My Kodak Playsport at 848x480 30 fps caught a license plate when the driver buzzed me and yelled "Get off the road!" in Placerville back in July (first time I've ever had a problem in the hills). My primary use for the camera is to capture recreational rides and the scenery, which the 480p mode does perfectly. I put the video quality on high in Storyteller so it records at the highest bitrate. I render the final video at the same video and audio settings as the raw file, but I drop the video bitrate down to 3000 kbps, which is a good compromise between video quality and file size. On my 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad machine, it renders very quickly in Windows Live Movie Maker 2011.

My Contour also has the 720p 60 fps mode, but according to the user guide that mode and 1080p reduce battery life. 480p gives you the longest battery life, which is important to me.

I'm not impressed with the new lower-end Contour model either. The ContourHD 1080p was replaced by the ContourROAM, which IMHO is a dumbed-down, crippled version of the ContourHD. It has a built-in, non-removable battery and no 60 fps or WVGA modes.

The ContourGPS and the Contour+ don't have a WVGA mode either, but they do have 720p 60 fps and user-replaceable batteries.

With all that in mind, if I were you I would jump on that $120 ContourHD 1080p, since it is now a discontinued model.


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## freighttraininguphill

Yesterday I discovered another quirk that the ContourHD has. I tested a brand-new, freshly formatted Patriot 32 GB Class 10 memory card, and the memory card status LED was red. Normally that would mean you are almost out of memory, but by doing a search on Contour's support forums I found out that this is normal behavior with 32 GB cards. 

I'm not holding my breath for a firmware update, since this camera is now a discontinued model.


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## davidrgm

Freight,

Can I ask how you got the MPH, grade, etc. to appear on your video? The Contour doesn't come with that capability does it??

** NEVERMIND. I SEE THE THREAD ***


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## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> So I did try at 480p x 60fps previously a long time ago, but didn't notice anything significantly better with image stability. However, at that time I had not really figured out how best to use the camera so pretty much all my video at that time was junk. I'd probably benefit from the 60fps now that I now what I'm doing, though of course I'd be rendering down to 30fps for YouTube. So I've standardized at 720p which I find to be a great compromise between video quality, file size and processing time.
> 
> I would love to try 720p at 60fps, but I went with the previous generation ContourHD when it was on a close-out sale at Amazon. I don't have that mode nor do I have 1080p (which my older PC can't cope with anyway). I think using the 60fps mode and simply throwing away every other frame to bring it down to 30fps is the way to go to avoid rolling shutter, as you have mentioned. Thinking about it, I'm surprised that Contour doesn't simply do this in the camera firmware - it seems like a no brainer to improve video quality. Now that I can get a ContourHD 1080p for about $120 I'm very tempted to buy a new camera.


Well, I made a 60fps video with the camera mounted to the head tube with the new Contour Flex Strap Mount, and I still got rolling shutter on rougher descent sections.

A poster on another forum said he uses RAM mounts to minimize vibration. He gave me the link to a thread on MTBR discussing modified and homemade mounts. He's "WheresWaldo" in that thread.


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## 55x11

Can anyone comment on helmet vs. handlebar mount of the camera? 
I feel that a lot of the helmet mounted footage is too disorienting, the angle changes all the time and makes me almost motion sick to watch (too Blair-Witchy for me). And I am not all that sensitive to this.
I think for MTB trails you have little options but go with helmet mount but for roads handlebar /stem mount works much better.


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## freighttraininguphill

55x11 said:


> Can anyone comment on helmet vs. handlebar mount of the camera?
> I feel that a lot of the helmet mounted footage is too disorienting, the angle changes all the time and makes me almost motion sick to watch (too Blair-Witchy for me). And I am not all that sensitive to this.
> I think for MTB trails you have little options but go with helmet mount but for roads handlebar /stem mount works much better.


I have used both mounting techniques, as can be seen in my video postings on this site. Handlebar mounting is fine, but I have had complaints from people about the camera shake on climbs. This is due to the back-and-forth handlebar movement while climbing. You can see the top of my front tire moving back and forth on climbs in the video I just posted in this thread. The video is smoother due to the camera being mounted on the frame.

As far as helmet mounting, I am guilty of moving my head around too much on climbs. I'm never aware that I'm doing that, but the video footage shows it every time.

I believe that that mounting the camera to the frame is the best option for smoother videos.


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## freighttraininguphill

55x11 said:


> Can anyone comment on helmet vs. handlebar mount of the camera?


I forgot to mention another advantage of helmet mounting-audio quality. When the camera is mounted on the bike, it picks up road noise, which can be annoying on rougher roads. Mounted on the helmet, the audio is very quiet except for wind noise, which is the next thing I'm going to work on.


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## freighttraininguphill

freighttraininguphill said:


> Mounted on the helmet, the audio is very quiet except for wind noise, which is the next thing I'm going to work on.


I think I have that problem solved with these two new cameras. :wink5: I picked these up cheap yesterday at REI. The GoPro HD Hero 960 was $149.95 and the Midland XTC-100 was $63.93. The GoPro's enclosure will handle the wind noise problem on descents. I got the Midland because it's small, stealthy, and takes AAA batteries. The Midland came with a handlebar mount and a vented helmet mount. How convenient! 

I also bought the tripod adapter for the GoPro. I refuse to use the GoPro handlebar mount because I've read posts from other cyclists that mentioned that mount breaking off suddenly and the camera tumbling down the road. No thanks! I'll use that tripod adapter on my Manfrotto Super Clamp or Pedco UltraClamp and mount the camera to the frame for smoother video.


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## freighttraininguphill

Today was the first climbing ride with the new GoPro and Bike Friday Pocket Companion folding bike, which I bought solely for taking on climbing rides when I rent a car or ride in someone else's car, since it will fit in the trunk of a typical sedan.

Unfortunately my mounting location for the GoPro was a fail, due to an obnoxious creaking noise coming from the handlepost or handlebars. It occurred on the steepest parts of all the climbs. Also, the shifter cable was annoyingly close to the lens of the camera. Obviously the creaking isn't an issue on descents, but you can definitely see that damn shifter cable. The good news is that wind noise is greatly reduced, like I figured it would be.

Since the footage from the GoPro was useless due to the creaking noise, I used the footage from the helmet-mounted ContourHD for the climb video.

Here's the GoPro mounted on the bike with a Manfrotto Super Clamp. This is the most stable mount I own.


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## cyclesport45

That's a whole boatload if information, freighttrain(ninguphill). I think I know what I'm getting me for Christmas! Have wanted to make some videos to play for indoor winter rides, think now is the time!
Thanks.


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## ukbloke

Yes, great stuff! You should write a blog with all your videos and hints/tips!

Also check this out - how could anyone not buy a GoPro HD Hero 2 after watching their new ad?


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## freighttraininguphill

cyclesport45 said:


> That's a whole boatload if information, freighttrain(ninguphill). I think I know what I'm getting me for Christmas! Have wanted to make some videos to play for indoor winter rides, think now is the time!
> Thanks.





ukbloke said:


> Yes, great stuff! You should write a blog with all your videos and hints/tips!
> 
> Also check this out - how could anyone not buy a GoPro HD Hero 2 after watching their new ad?


Thanks!  Another thing I forgot to mention is to use a small rubber washer between the GoPro's tripod mount and the brass stud on the Manfrotto Super Clamp. If you don't, the threaded part of the stud bottoms out in the tripod mount. I have to do the same thing on any mount I attach the Midland XTC-100 to, since that camera's tripod hole isn't deep enough.

You can see the rubber washer in the close-up side view I posted of the GoPro mounted on the bike.

That is a cool video for the GoPro! I love my HD Hero 960 so far. I found out that the obnoxious creaking sound that the GoPro picked up on the steepest part of the climbs was definitely coming from the handlepost, not the bars. I had the Midland XTC-100 mounted to the handlebars for testing purposes and it didn't pick up any of that racket.


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## EWT

I just picked up a Contour GPS from Amazon last Friday during a brief sale when it was heavily discounted. What mount are people using for helmets? I mostly got mine for skiing, but it would be fun to try it out on the bike too.


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## freighttraininguphill

EWT said:


> I just picked up a Contour GPS from Amazon last Friday during a brief sale when it was heavily discounted. What mount are people using for helmets? I mostly got mine for skiing, but it would be fun to try it out on the bike too.


I've been using the Contour vented helmet mount. So far it hasn't self-destructed on me or anything, so I'm happy with it. The reviews on Amazon had me a bit concerned at first, but I don't mtb (yet), so I haven't hit any low-hanging branches.


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## velodog

freighttraininguphill said:


> Unfortunately my mounting location for the GoPro was a fail, due to an obnoxious creaking noise coming from the handlepost or handlebars.
> .
> 
> Here's the GoPro mounted on the bike with a Manfrotto Super Clamp. This is the most stable mount I own.[/IMG]


I don't know if you're interested but I was shopping for a mount and came across this. It looks like a solid mount that's not to obtrusive and will get the camera out past the cables.

Amazon.com: K-EDGE GO BIG Pro Handlebar Mount for GoPro Hero (K13-420 Gun Metal Grey): Camera & Photo


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## freighttraininguphill

velodog said:


> I don't know if you're interested but I was shopping for a mount and came across this. It looks like a solid mount that's not to obtrusive and will get the camera out past the cables.
> 
> Amazon.com: K-EDGE GO BIG Pro Handlebar Mount for GoPro Hero (K13-420 Gun Metal Grey): Camera & Photo


That looks nice and light, but a bit pricy for something that requires tools to swap between bikes. I use my GoPro on several bikes, so the next time I used it I mounted it to the handlebars with the Pedco UltraClamp, which is very adjustable. I raised the camera above the cables and tightened it down. It never came loose during the San Francisco steep climb ride, and some of those roads have seen better days.

I will definitely keep that K-EDGE mount in mind if I run into a situation where I don't have enough room on the bars for the UltraClamp.

You can kind of see the camera mounted in this picture from the above ride. Like with the Manfrotto Super Clamp, I had to put a rubber washer between the GoPro tripod adapter and the mount.


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## ukbloke

velodog said:


> I don't know if you're interested but I was shopping for a mount and came across this. It looks like a solid mount that's not to obtrusive and will get the camera out past the cables.


Good find, that looks pretty nice - I don't like the "pro-level" pricing though.


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## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> Good find, that looks pretty nice - I don't like the "pro-level" pricing though.


Me neither. Red and black were even more expensive, at $59.99

Also, for that price I sure hope it comes with shims to keep it from scratching your bars. I would hate to have to cut up an old inner tube to do a ******* fix for something that expensive.


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## ukbloke

freighttraininguphill said:


> Also, for that price I sure hope it comes with shims to keep it from scratching your bars. I would hate to have to cut up an old inner tube to do a ******* fix for something that expensive.


I've used one or two wraps of electrical tape to avoid marring the bars. It doesn't add much thickness, hardly any weight and no additional wobble.


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## PoorCyclist

I am still suffering from the vibration of contour HD on the handlebar. I need to buy more asparagus so I can get those rubber bands.


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## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> I've used one or two wraps of electrical tape to avoid marring the bars. It doesn't add much thickness, hardly any weight and no additional wobble.


Thanks for the tip.  It's more a principle thing with me though. IMHO, for $45 or $60 they should give you a shim with the mount.


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## ukbloke

PoorCyclist said:


> I am still suffering from the vibration of contour HD on the handlebar. I need to buy more asparagus so I can get those rubber bands.


Yes, this tip is tasty and good for you too! I recommend lightly sauteing with olive oil, fresh pepper and garlic. I can't understand why Contour doesn't bundle the asparagus with the cameras though ...


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## john.p

You guys have some pretty good setups! The mount on the first camera definitely wasn't designed with much vibration/ movement in mind. =[


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## freighttraininguphill

john.p said:


> You guys have some pretty good setups! The mount on the first camera definitely wasn't designed with much vibration/ movement in mind. =[


Just curious, which mount are you referring to?


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## freighttraininguphill

Still battling the wind noise issues on the ContourHD. I put a piece of electrical tape over the mic hole, but I still got too much wind noise on descents. It's only slightly improved, so once again I turned the volume way down on the descent clip to compensate.

Next step is to put a piece of clear tape over the front LED, since I've read that wind enters the camera through the gaps between the LED and the camera body. When I look at the LED on mine, I can see that it doesn't fit snugly in the cutout. There are gaps all around.


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## freighttraininguphill

More fun experimenting with cameras and mounts.  This time I mounted the GoPro on the head tube with a Pedco UltraClamp 2.5. The regular size UltraClamp only fits objects up to 1.5" in diameter and didn't fit on the head tube, so I had to buy the 2.5.

Here's a couple pics of the camera on the mount.


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## freighttraininguphill

deleted


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## Fixed

I have the Contour HD. At first, my battery life was about 4 hours, but now it's down to less than half that 6 months later. Same with the second batter I bought. What's your experience? Thanks.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

Fixed said:


> I have the Contour HD. At first, my battery life was about 4 hours, but now it's down to less than half that 6 months later. Same with the second batter I bought. What's your experience? Thanks.


Wow! Four hours is great! I usually get just over 2 hours with mine, and I'm recording at FastWVGA 848x480 60fps, which is supposedly easier on batteries than the other settings, at least according to Contour's site.

Is there a higher capacity battery available, or is there a trick to getting such great life out of the batteries? I have the same camera.

I carry 2 extra batteries because I record the entire ride in case something interesting happens like wildlife sightings (I'm still hoping to see a bobcat in the wild-no luck so far). Also, due to increased motorist hostility in El Dorado County, I figure I'd better keep a camera rolling in case something more serious happens. So far it's been buzzing, honking, and yelling. I don't ride like an idiot and I'm considerate of all road users, so I don't know WTH is going on with these motorists! 

BTW, I absolutely LOVE your signature! :thumbsup: That is The Truth!


----------



## 55x11

freighttraininguphill said:


> Wow! Four hours is great! I usually get just over 2 hours with mine, and I'm recording at FastWVGA 848x480 60fps, which is supposedly easier on batteries than the other settings, at least according to Contour's site.
> 
> Is there a higher capacity battery available, or is there a trick to getting such great life out of the batteries? I have the same camera.
> 
> I carry 2 extra batteries because I record the entire ride in case something interesting happens like wildlife sightings (I'm still hoping to see a bobcat in the wild-no luck so far). Also, due to increased motorist hostility in El Dorado County, I figure I'd better keep a camera rolling in case something more serious happens. So far it's been buzzing, honking, and yelling. I don't ride like an idiot and I'm considerate of all road users, so I don't know WTH is going on with these motorists!
> 
> BTW, I absolutely LOVE your signature! :thumbsup: That is The Truth!


FYI - GoPro with extra battery extension pack (no mid-ride replacement necessary, it just plugs into the main camera body) lasts continuously for 5 hours at full resolution.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

55x11 said:


> FYI - GoPro with extra battery extension pack (no mid-ride replacement necessary, it just plugs into the main camera body) lasts continuously for 5 hours at full resolution.


I have the Battery BacPac, but only for use as a charger for spare batteries. The GoPro HD Hero 960 that I have is the low-end model without the connection on the back for the BacPac accessories.

If I ever upgrade to the newer version of the GoPro I will be ready though. :wink5:


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## freighttraininguphill

deleted


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## medimond

Nice layover of data ... but I was nearly motion sick by 55 seconds.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

medimond said:


> Nice layover of data ... but I was nearly motion sick by 55 seconds.


Well damn! I've been trying to find ways to minimize that effect. I had more complaints like this when I mounted the camera on the handlebars. The helmet mount videos I have scattered throughout this thread have too much head movement, so I don't know what else I can do. Seems like there is no way to make cycling videos pleasant to watch?


----------



## ukbloke

freighttraininguphill said:


> Seems like there is no way to make cycling videos pleasant to watch?


I suspect that not everyone is affected by the motion effects to the same degree. Many of us appreciate the effort you put into riding these hills and posting these video. Often it can seem like a thankless job, but you are appreciated! It is a difficult problem though. One suggestion is to video faster climbs (i.e. less steep). Slow speeds make the problems much worse, while a little speed smooths things out. Another trick is to have other riders in the shot ahead of you and that tricks the viewer into watching a moving object rather than getting nauseous from the seemingly unnatural movement of the scenery. Finally, if you use lower gears and more spinning maybe there will be less side-to-side motion. Hope that helps some!


----------



## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> I suspect that not everyone is affected by the motion effects to the same degree. Many of us appreciate the effort you put into riding these hills and posting these video. Often it can seem like a thankless job, but you are appreciated! It is a difficult problem though. One suggestion is to video faster climbs (i.e. less steep). Slow speeds make the problems much worse, while a little speed smooths things out. Another trick is to have other riders in the shot ahead of you and that tricks the viewer into watching a moving object rather than getting nauseous from the seemingly unnatural movement of the scenery. Finally, if you use lower gears and more spinning maybe there will be less side-to-side motion. Hope that helps some!


Thanks.  I like to record the steep climbs because many people have told me they like seeing the hard climbing because it's inspiring. The other riders in the picture will have to wait, as I like riding solo and I need to get stronger before I attempt any kind of club rides. I really don't want to hold anyone up.

The spinning on steep climbs is definitely doable. I may or may not have been spinning on the steep part at the beginning of the latest video. I don't remember. I did change the colors of the heart rate and distance gauges to make them easier to read. I think the old red and magenta colors were too blurry at YouTube's default 360p resolution.

I have some less steep climbs in mind for future videos, so that should help some.


----------



## Fixed

*mounts*

I have mounted my Contour above and below the handlebars, on my helmet facing forward and rearward, and attached to my seatpost facing rearward.

No one approach seems to work best for all situations. Above all, though, attached to the seatpost facing backwards, showing other riders behind me, is the most stable. It also makes great video, as that is what we have become accustomed to seeing in pro bike races frequently. Also, I think the seatpost is about the most stable element of the entire bike/rider, at least where you could mount the camera. 

Handlebars can get some vibration, but also some twisting when climbing hard. I do like seeing the perspective of the handlebar mount on fast twisty descents, too, as the bike leans much more othan your head does, which gives a sense of speed. All that leaning gets some people queasy, though. Looks cool. The best thing about the handlebar mount is that it is easy to work the camera. I think that mounting the camara as close to the handlebar centerline works best, and under is better than over (less movement).

If you mount on the helmet, you almost need to be conscious of keeping your head still. If you do, it can be pretty stable. 

I do video mountain biking, too, and mounting on the helmet, but facing backwards, makes great video when someone is following. Much more fun to see their face than their butt. 

One problem I found with helmet mounting when mountain biking is getting the camera hung up on low branches. I've about had my head pulled off a few times when I forgot to duck more. 

For city commuting, if you want to capture someone screwing up, forward facing helmet mounting has got to be the best. You can point the camera right at what you want to capture, and it's up high to see over most cars. Plus, you never know, people may see it there and shape up.

One more thing. On my Contour mount that straps on, and I use zip ties to secure it to my helmet, I used some silicone adhesive to firm up the inner mount thingy to the main plate, which cut some movement and vibration. I think this helped. Also, get your helmet on tight. 





freighttraininguphill said:


> Thanks.  I like to record the steep climbs because many people have told me they like seeing the hard climbing because it's inspiring. The other riders in the picture will have to wait, as I like riding solo and I need to get stronger before I attempt any kind of club rides. I really don't want to hold anyone up.
> 
> The spinning on steep climbs is definitely doable. I may or may not have been spinning on the steep part at the beginning of the latest video. I don't remember. I did change the colors of the heart rate and distance gauges to make them easier to read. I think the old red and magenta colors were too blurry at YouTube's default 360p resolution.
> 
> I have some less steep climbs in mind for future videos, so that should help some.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

Fixed said:


> I have mounted my Contour above and below the handlebars, on my helmet facing forward and rearward, and attached to my seatpost facing rearward.
> 
> No one approach seems to work best for all situations. Above all, though, attached to the seatpost facing backwards, showing other riders behind me, is the most stable. It also makes great video, as that is what we have become accustomed to seeing in pro bike races frequently. Also, I think the seatpost is about the most stable element of the entire bike/rider, at least where you could mount the camera.
> 
> Handlebars can get some vibration, but also some twisting when climbing hard. I do like seeing the perspective of the handlebar mount on fast twisty descents, too, as the bike leans much more othan your head does, which gives a sense of speed. All that leaning gets some people queasy, though. Looks cool. The best thing about the handlebar mount is that it is easy to work the camera. I think that mounting the camara as close to the handlebar centerline works best, and under is better than over (less movement).
> 
> If you mount on the helmet, you almost need to be conscious of keeping your head still. If you do, it can be pretty stable.
> 
> I do video mountain biking, too, and mounting on the helmet, but facing backwards, makes great video when someone is following. Much more fun to see their face than their butt.
> 
> One problem I found with helmet mounting when mountain biking is getting the camera hung up on low branches. I've about had my head pulled off a few times when I forgot to duck more.
> 
> For city commuting, if you want to capture someone screwing up, forward facing helmet mounting has got to be the best. You can point the camera right at what you want to capture, and it's up high to see over most cars. Plus, you never know, people may see it there and shape up.
> 
> One more thing. On my Contour mount that straps on, and I use zip ties to secure it to my helmet, I used some silicone adhesive to firm up the inner mount thingy to the main plate, which cut some movement and vibration. I think this helped. Also, get your helmet on tight.


Thanks for the tips.  I really like the head tube mount location I've been using lately, as it eliminates most of the back-and-forth movement of the handlebars on climbs. Like you, I think the helmet mount is best for capturing things that aren't directly in front of the bike.

I can't seem to keep my head still on climbs though. It's hard to control when I'm not even aware that I'm moving my head in the first place. It's a shame, because helmet mounting produces the quietest audio, with zero road noise.

I do like the seatpost mount, but I hardly ever ride with others so there are no suffer faces to capture on video.  Here's a video from an easy-paced group ride where I mounted the ContourHD on the seatpost of my Worksman Port-O-Trike, which I use for slower around-town rides. It was a very stable mount, but the bike sounds were amplified so much that I had to lower the volume some and add music.





<p><a href="http://vimeo.com/35824141">Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen 9-6-11 ride (rear camera view)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user10206236">Fot Oss</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>


----------



## Fixed

Climb to Kaiser 2011 - YouTube


----------



## freighttraininguphill

Fixed said:


> Climb to Kaiser 2011 - YouTube


I remember that video. It's in my "Liked" list of vids I gave a thumbs-up to. :wink5:


----------



## PoorCyclist

What resolution do you recommend for contour HD?
I am currently using 720P 30fps to save battery life and space, I have heard people set it higher to minimize jitter? Is there a jitter post processing software to use it with?


----------



## ukbloke

PoorCyclist said:


> What resolution do you recommend for contour HD?
> I am currently using 720P 30fps to save battery life and space, I have heard people set it higher to minimize jitter? Is there a jitter post processing software to use it with?


You can use 720p 60fps and then render down to 30fps. The idea is that the "faster rolling shutter" of the 60fps mode will make the images less prone to the dreaded jelly-vision effect. The best way to do this would probably be to simply throw away every other frame, but you probably don't get to choose that when setting the render options. Some say this helps significantly. I don't have the 60fps option so I haven't tried it. The first thing to do is to make sure that your camera is mounted as solidly as possible to eliminate any up/down (pitching) motion.


----------



## Fixed

Good point. I may try the 60 fps, too.

Also, but I don't know why, it seems to be better in bright light. Any chance it lowers frame rate when darker?





ukbloke said:


> You can use 720p 60fps and then render down to 30fps. The idea is that the "faster rolling shutter" of the 60fps mode will make the images less prone to the dreaded jelly-vision effect. The best way to do this would probably be to simply throw away every other frame, but you probably don't get to choose that when setting the render options. Some say this helps significantly. I don't have the 60fps option so I haven't tried it. The first thing to do is to make sure that your camera is mounted as solidly as possible to eliminate any up/down (pitching) motion.


----------



## ukbloke

Fixed said:


> Also, but I don't know why, it seems to be better in bright light. Any chance it lowers frame rate when darker?


We know that the file frame rate stays constant. Conceivably it could slow down the scanning frame rate (to get more light onto the sensor), and then do nothing special to match input and output frame rates. It could simply fill the frame buffer on the input side and dump whatever is there on the output side, and let it rip. This would lead to really awful jelly vision effects as you could get the same input line sampled repeated multiple times in the output frame. Maybe that's part of the problem. Interesting.


----------



## Chico2000

medimond said:


> Nice layover of data ... but I was nearly motion sick by 55 seconds.


That's why I minimize the windows now and just listen to the audio.


----------



## Fixed

*and we know why...*



Chico2000 said:


> That's why I minimize the windows now and just listen to the audio.


ok, perv ;-)


----------



## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> You can use 720p 60fps and then render down to 30fps. The idea is that the "faster rolling shutter" of the 60fps mode will make the images less prone to the dreaded jelly-vision effect. The best way to do this would probably be to simply throw away every other frame, but you probably don't get to choose that when setting the render options. Some say this helps significantly. I don't have the 60fps option so I haven't tried it. The first thing to do is to make sure that your camera is mounted as solidly as possible to eliminate any up/down (pitching) motion.


+1, although I render at 60fps too. I try to avoid losing any quality now, so I render the video with the same audio and video settings as the original raw file. Looking at the file properties in the rendered files that DashWare creates, that program renders in even higher quality settings to preserve quality. Of course you're not going to get noticeably more quality by rendering a 6000 kbps file at 10000 kbps like DashWare does but at least you won't lose much, if any.


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## PoorCyclist

I am fed up with mounting on stem/handlebar, this position actually looks pretty good, there is no cables hitting the camera mount and making noises, you see a little of the wheel and you can hear the brake pads.

but I cannot get rid of the vibration, it's just a different kind of bad.!!


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## PoorCyclist

I give up on the bar mount, I am going to get the helmet mount for the contour now.
The bar mount might be fun on my car roof rack..

what do you think of it, does it still have the vibration problem?

And how come the GoPro vids on handlebars look so much better than the contours?


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> I give up on the bar mount, I am going to get the helmet mount for the contour now.
> The bar mount might be fun on my car roof rack..
> 
> what do you think of it, does it still have the vibration problem?
> 
> And how come the GoPro vids on handlebars look so much better than the contours?


The helmet mount has the least amount of vibration and rolling shutter waviness. I've gone back to mounting the camera on the bike for most climb videos because I move my head around too much, especially on climbs. If you can keep your head still, the helmet mount is the best. Also, audio quality is excellent since the camera is isolated from the vibration of rough roads.

I'm probably going to San Francisco tomorrow, and that means the GoPro on the handlebars, since I'll be using my Bike Friday folding bike. I tried mounting the GoPro on the lowest part of the handlepost and I got an obnoxious creaking sound on climbs.


----------



## PoorCyclist

freighttraininguphill said:


> The helmet mount has the least amount of vibration and rolling shutter waviness. I've gone back to mounting the camera on the bike for most climb videos because I move my head around too much, especially on climbs. If you can keep your head still, the helmet mount is the best. Also, audio quality is excellent since the camera is isolated from the vibration of rough roads.
> 
> I'm probably going to San Francisco tomorrow, and that means the GoPro on the handlebars, since I'll be using my Bike Friday folding bike. I tried mounting the GoPro on the lowest part of the handlepost and I got an obnoxious creaking sound on climbs.


Looks like this is a mount that is new, I havn't seen this earlier

Contour Flex Strap Camera Mount - Free Shipping at REI.com


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## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> Looks like this is a mount that is new, I havn't seen this earlier
> 
> Contour Flex Strap Camera Mount - Free Shipping at REI.com


I have that mount. I mounted the camera to the head tube, which eliminated quite a bit of vibration.


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## PoorCyclist

Helmet mount installed, please comment.. it's a pretty rough road but I think the footage is better than anything else I have tried,.

I had to put it at the back of the helmet where it point at an angle, even then it wasn't pointing high enough and I had to add a folded bunch of paper to shim it up... Baically it needs to be pointing almost 40 degrees up.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> Helmet mount installed, please comment.. it's a pretty rough road but I think the footage is better than anything else I have tried,.
> 
> I had to put it at the back of the helmet where it point at an angle, even then it wasn't pointing high enough and I had to add a folded bunch of paper to shim it up... Baically it needs to be pointing almost 40 degrees up.


Looks good! :thumbsup: You have less wind noise than I get with my ContourHD. I do hear an intermittent rattle-maybe the paper shim flapping in the wind?


----------



## PoorCyclist

freighttraininguphill said:


> Looks good! :thumbsup: You have less wind noise than I get with my ContourHD. I do hear an intermittent rattle-maybe the paper shim flapping in the wind?


I think it is the internal cable in the frame rattling, and I didn't notice my helmet is off sided.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> I think it is the internal cable in the frame rattling, and I didn't notice my helmet is off sided.


When I was going through yesterday's ride footage, I noticed the telltale rattle caused by a loose helmet mount. Oops!  Good thing I was riding slowly enough that it didn't affect the final video too much.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

velodog said:


> I don't know if you're interested but I was shopping for a mount and came across this. It looks like a solid mount that's not to obtrusive and will get the camera out past the cables.
> 
> Amazon.com: K-EDGE GO BIG Pro Handlebar Mount for GoPro Hero (K13-420 Gun Metal Grey): Camera & Photo


I am glad you posted this, because even though it doesn't fit my needs, it is working perfectly for some cyclists on another forum. I warned them not to buy the stock GoPro handlebar/seatpost mount because several cyclists have reported that it breaks off suddenly. I told them to buy the K-Edge mount instead, and they did.


----------



## velodog

freighttraininguphill said:


> I am glad you posted this, because even though it doesn't fit my needs, it is working perfectly for some cyclists on another forum. I warned them not to buy the stock GoPro handlebar/seatpost mount because several cyclists have reported that it breaks off suddenly. I told them to buy the K-Edge mount instead, and they did.


I'm tickled to hear that it's been well recieved because I just ordered mine a coupla days ago and am waiting for it to arrive. I've been havin' the camera on my helmet and I just don't like the added weight and imbalance that it brings.
But.....it seems like it being up there for everyone to see brings along a little more respect from the motorists. But I really ain't been havin' it l up there long enough to know if that's true or just my imagination.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

velodog said:


> I'm tickled to hear that it's been well recieved because I just ordered mine a coupla days ago and am waiting for it to arrive. I've been havin' the camera on my helmet and I just don't like the added weight and imbalance that it brings.
> But.....it seems like it being up there for everyone to see brings along a little more respect from the motorists. But I really ain't been havin' it l up there long enough to know if that's true or just my imagination.


So far, every time I've ridden with the ContourHD on my helmet I haven't had any problems with motorists. I usually don't have much trouble with drivers around town anyway. I noticed an increase in motorist hostility in rural El Dorado County, CA. I had two incidents in three months, both caught on video. The cameras were mounted on the bike though, so the motorists probably didn't see them until after their dumbassery.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

deleted


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## freighttraininguphill

deleted


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## PoorCyclist

So what is the verdict?
Is the Go Pro better or the Contour?
My second problem with the contour beside the shaking mounting is that is that condensation gets inside the lens cover and it takes very blurry video after riding early in the morning.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> So what is the verdict?
> Is the Go Pro better or the Contour?
> My second problem with the contour beside the shaking mounting is that is that condensation gets inside the lens cover and it takes very blurry video after riding early in the morning.


Well, it depends on your intended use I guess. For helmet mounting, the Contour is more low profile. After reviewing the video a few times, I noticed it seemed to pick up commentary from spectators and other cyclists better than the GoPro or the Midland that were mounted on the bike. I used to think it was the other way around.

For bike mounting, the GoPro is the best. Wind noise is greatly reduced on descents and fast flat rides.

By the way, I love your videos! :thumbsup: Subscribed!


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## PoorCyclist

freighttraininguphill said:


> By the way, I love your videos! :thumbsup: Subscribed!


I have taken lots of video as the sun rises with steaming ground which in person is incredible but unfortunately they were ruined due to the lense fogging up :cryin:
I start to ride at 6am and there is alot of moisture/fog. Another time I decented from fog and the camera lens did not dry out for the next 3 hours. Also, the footage is fine for high noon but is too dark when it is cloudy or dusk/dawn conditions and I think I need to adjust the exposure setting based on season.

Next time I will zip lock the camera until the weather stablizes. 

It seems you are ride closer to nevada which is much drier.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> I have taken lots of video as the sun rises with steaming ground which in person is incredible but unfortunately they were ruined due to the lense fogging up :cryin:
> I start to ride at 6am and there is alot of moisture/fog. Another time I decented from fog and the camera lens did not dry out for the next 3 hours. Also, the footage is fine for high noon but is too dark when it is cloudy or dusk/dawn conditions and I think I need to adjust the exposure setting based on season.
> 
> Next time I will zip lock the camera until the weather stablizes.
> 
> It seems you are ride closer to nevada which is much drier.


This is why I wish the Contour had automatic exposure adjustment like a digital camera. Many of my rides begin in daylight and end in darkness. Since you need to hook the camera up to your computer to change the settings, this makes it impractical for those rides.

I ride in the Sierra foothills and mountains, with the occasional San Francisco ride thrown in for good measure. Someday I'll have to climb Mix Canyon and Mt. Diablo. I've seen other people's ride videos of Diablo, and it gets foggy up there too. I'll make sure to climb it when it's clear.


----------



## ukbloke

freighttraininguphill said:


> Since you need to hook the camera up to your computer to change the settings, this makes it impractical for those rides.


I think the settings are chosen by a file on the flash card. You could use multiple flash cards with different settings for different conditions, and then simply swap flash cards as required.


----------



## ukbloke

PoorCyclist said:


> Next time I will zip lock the camera until the weather stablizes.


Are you taking a warm camera from the house outside into a cold, moist atmosphere? This would cause condensation immediately. Maybe you can avoid this by "pre-cooling" the camera? e.g. leave it in the garage overnight.


----------



## ukbloke

freighttraininguphill said:


> Well, I got to thinking about Sunday's ride, and I had a bad feeling that I may have screwed up by riding along without saying anything first. I PMed a member of another forum who is also a member of the cycling club that hosted the hill climbing challenge, and he confirmed my fears.


I'm curious - was the concern that you joined in with an event that you had not signed up for, or that you posted video of riders without their permission?


----------



## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> I think the settings are chosen by a file on the flash card. You could use multiple flash cards with different settings for different conditions, and then simply swap flash cards as required.


OK, that will work. Thanks! 


ukbloke said:


> I'm curious - was the concern that you joined in with an event that you had not signed up for, or that you posted video of riders without their permission?


The former. He told me I should have let them know I was there, and they would have had no problem with me riding with them or recording. They post pictures and videos too, but this year nobody shot any video, so I was the only one with video footage.

He also doesn't like being drafted without permission. I told him I never draft strangers, and I think he equated my following on climbs with drafting. Sometimes my pace was equal to that of another rider I slowly caught up to, and I finally was able to pass them. But for a while we rode side-by-side or I was right behind them.

I really had a blast on that ride, and I climbed that hill almost two minutes faster than I do on my solo rides, so I would like to do it again. Next time I will announce myself first to keep everyone happy.


----------



## ukbloke

freighttraininguphill said:


> The former. He told me I should have let them know I was there, and they would have had no problem with me riding with them or recording. They post pictures and videos too, but this year nobody shot any video, so I was the only one with video footage.


It is a reasonable request for you let them know what you're doing (though they have no right to that since this is an open road). But then it seems to me that they should be grateful for the video that you shot, and the effort that you put into shooting and editing it! The comment about drafting sounds like nit-picking to me. It should go better now that they know you. Perhaps you can volunteer to do on-the-bike video coverage of their next sufferfest!


----------



## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> It is a reasonable request for you let them know what you're doing (though they have no right to that since this is an open road). But then it seems to me that they should be grateful for the video that you shot, and the effort that you put into shooting and editing it! The comment about drafting sounds like nit-picking to me. It should go better now that they know you. Perhaps you can volunteer to do on-the-bike video coverage of their next sufferfest!


I agree with you 100%, which is why I figured it would be okay for me to ride on that road. It's not as formal of an event as the Death Ride or a typical century ride, so there aren't any road closures.

I have never been a member of a cycling club, so I didn't know I did something wrong at first. Maybe I'll join their club now that I know I won't get dropped by every single rider. :lol:

I would be more than happy to make a sufferfest vid for them!  I kind of like how this one turned out, although a ContourHD or GoPro would have been better for a rear camera, quality-wise.


----------



## PoorCyclist

ukbloke said:


> Are you taking a warm camera from the house outside into a cold, moist atmosphere? This would cause condensation immediately. Maybe you can avoid this by "pre-cooling" the camera? e.g. leave it in the garage overnight.


It could be the case, however pretty much when there is dense enough fog to put some condesation on the bike and glasses, the lense will also fog up on the inside.. not just water on the outside. I wonder if the GoPro is better in that aspect since it has a waterproof casing.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> It could be the case, however pretty much when there is dense enough fog to put some condesation on the bike and glasses, the lense will also fog up on the inside.. not just water on the outside. I wonder if the GoPro is better in that aspect since it has a waterproof casing.


That's a good question. I use the non-waterproof door for better sound. The sound with the waterproof door is muffled, and you don't hear much.

I haven't ridden in fog with the GoPro or the ContourHD, so I haven't experienced the condensation issue.


----------



## velodog

PoorCyclist said:


> It could be the case, however pretty much when there is dense enough fog to put some condesation on the bike and glasses, the lense will also fog up on the inside.. not just water on the outside. I wonder if the GoPro is better in that aspect since it has a waterproof casing.


I've gone from cold outdoors(mid 30s) into a warm house with a GoPro in the waterproof case and have seen the same condensation that forms on glasses. I don't know if it formed on the inside of the case or the outside of the camera lens as I didn't realize that it was there until I viewed the video. GoPro has those little dehumidifier chips that fit inside the case that should work in removing that moisture. They're like $15 for 6 or 8, and two fit in the case at a time. They can be dryed in an oven after a few uses and should work in knocking down that humidity.
I haven't tried them but they're on my to get list.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

freighttraininguphill said:


> Maybe I'll join their club now that I know I won't get dropped by every single rider. :lol:


Well, I joined their club today. I also let them know I was the one who recorded the sufferfest videos.

Hopefully there will be more good sufferfest videos now. It might be time to upgrade the rear camera, although I want to get a mountain bike first. I miss the singletrack!


----------



## freighttraininguphill

I was doing more testing of the Bike Friday folding bike in the hills yesterday (damn that bike climbs good!), and I made a video of a few climbs and one descent using the GoPro on the handlebars. It was a breezy day, so the GoPro performed much better than the ContourHD. Even on climbs there was much more wind noise on the Contour.


----------



## PoorCyclist

Is this any good?

Replay XD1080 Camera


I wonder if the mount is better
it's somewhat smaller than the contour and supports external mic, finally your audio problems should be solved!


----------



## ukbloke

PoorCyclist said:


> I wonder if the mount is better
> it's somewhat smaller than the contour and supports external mic, finally your audio problems should be solved!


Good find - thanks for posting!

That mount is going to suck on a handlebar (which is my preferred mount point). There is just no way that you can get enough rigidity out of the industrial velcro to stop the rotation. And I would not want to be putting those sticky pads on my frame/fork either. I like the overall tube design and the cam-lock idea, but I would worry about breaking the mount due to over-rotation. I also suspect that the internal electronics on all these cameras is pretty similar - I would not be at all surprised to find out that the GoPro, the Contour, this one and others are all using different versions of the same video chip.

I think the GoPro Hero 2 is probably the best of the new batch of cameras, but it is on the expensive side.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> Is this any good?
> 
> Replay XD1080 Camera
> 
> 
> I wonder if the mount is better
> it's somewhat smaller than the contour and supports external mic, finally your audio problems should be solved!


A poster on another forum linked to a video from a rider who uses that camera. He wasn't too impressed with the quality though. He was considering a Replay XD but he decided on a ContourROAM when his old ContourHD 720p died.

Here's the other rider's Replay XD video.

Park Lane - YouTube





The audio sounded fine. Video quality suffers though. I'm not sure if that's due to any conversions the video author may have done. Some people convert their video to another format, which causes loss of quality.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

freighttraininguphill said:


> A poster on another forum linked to a video from a rider who uses that camera. He wasn't too impressed with the quality though. He was considering a Replay XD but he decided on a ContourROAM when his old ContourHD 720p died.
> 
> Here's the other rider's Replay XD video.
> 
> Park Lane - YouTube


----------



## PoorCyclist

There is a youtube video comparing the Go Pro HD Hero and Hero 2
Wow the Hero 2 optics are much more impressive.

Is it bike ready for $299 and what other mounts do I need to buy yet?

Why is the goPro have much less vibration on the handlebar compared to the contour?


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> There is a youtube video comparing the Go Pro HD Hero and Hero 2
> Wow the Hero 2 optics are much more impressive.
> 
> Is it bike ready for $299 and what other mounts do I need to buy yet?
> 
> Why is the goPro have much less vibration on the handlebar compared to the contour?


It's definitely not bike-ready without additional mounts. I would avoid the plastic handlebar mount for the reasons stated earlier in this thread. Get the K-Edge mount from Amazon and you should be set.

I'm considering taking a ride to REI and picking up the chest mount harness so people can see more of my bike.


----------



## ukbloke

PoorCyclist said:


> Why is the goPro have much less vibration on the handlebar compared to the contour?


I don't think there is any magic for this in the GoPro2. I think this is just setup. You need to get all the fore/aft pitching wobble out of the mount. Admittedly the Contour does not help in that there is inherent wobble in its plastic sliding mount. This is where I deploy my asparagus rubber bands to dampen out that motion. See the Bike Telemetry YouTube channel for videos.


----------



## PoorCyclist

ukbloke said:


> I don't think there is any magic for this in the GoPro2. I think this is just setup. You need to get all the fore/aft pitching wobble out of the mount. Admittedly the Contour does not help in that there is inherent wobble in its plastic sliding mount. This is where I deploy my asparagus rubber bands to dampen out that motion. See the Bike Telemetry YouTube channel for videos.


I did the rubberband, I think it is still not quite good enough. Maybe it is the road that is ridden on. On the chip seal just forget about it.. Actually I look down and see double vision of my stem and steerer vibrating like crazy, so I think there isn't much magical mount for camera to help here.

On smooth asphalt and 32mm tires then I finally see some acceptable handlebar videos.
Climbing steep hills though, doesn't matter for the speed that I climb at.


----------



## ukbloke

PoorCyclist said:


> On smooth asphalt and 32mm tires then I finally see some acceptable handlebar videos. Climbing steep hills though, doesn't matter for the speed that I climb at.


I should mention that I have road tubeless 23mm tires at 90psi on the front, carbon fork, carbon steerer and carbon frame. I think the road tubeless and lower pressure is a big part of it. However, stem and bars are alloy. I ride plenty of crappy roads too, which is almost always the case for these quiet country lanes, climbs and descents that we like to video. Admittedly over really bad road surface the wobble does start to induce the jellyvision effect, but I'd say that is only a few per-cent of the video that I shoot, and doesn't detract from the experience. I found helmet mount to be much worse in terms of distraction.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> I did the rubberband, I think it is still not quite good enough. Maybe it is the road that is ridden on. On the chip seal just forget about it.. Actually I look down and see double vision of my stem and steerer vibrating like crazy, so I think there isn't much magical mount for camera to help here.
> 
> On smooth asphalt and 32mm tires then I finally see some acceptable handlebar videos.
> Climbing steep hills though, doesn't matter for the speed that I climb at.


This is why I'm constantly trying new mounts. I'm hoping the GoPro chest mount will have the advantage of the quiet audio like the helmet mount without the excessive movement from me moving my head around. 

I have a climb in mind for this weekend that isn't too steep, so handlebar or bike movement shouldn't be too bad.


----------



## velodog

The K-EDGE is the way to go for the GoPro. I got the Grey one at Amazon for $45 and I can't believe that there's a better handlebar mount out there. I got the one that put's the camera out in front of the handlebars and it's solid as hell. 

It's made for 31.8 handlebars, I haven't tried to mount it on smaller diameter bars but it shouldn't be too hard. Maybe a piece of dense rubber or some handlebar tape and if that doesn't work I may be able to get some type of metal shims made. Right now it's mounted on the proper sized handlebar and I'm extremely happy with it, mount it and forget it.

Some may balk at the price but for as well as it works I'd say that it's money well spent.

K-Edge Go Big Machined GoPro Mounts In Production, Two More Mount Options Added - Bike Rumor


----------



## freighttraininguphill

velodog said:


> The K-EDGE is the way to go for the GoPro. I got the Grey one at Amazon for $45 and I can't believe that there's a better handlebar mount out there. I got the one that put's the camera out in front of the handlebars and it's solid as hell.
> 
> It's made for 31.8 handlebars, I haven't tried to mount it on smaller diameter bars but it shouldn't be too hard. Maybe a piece of dense rubber or some handlebar tape and if that doesn't work I may be able to get some type of metal shims made. Right now it's mounted on the proper sized handlebar and I'm extremely happy with it, mount it and forget it.
> 
> Some may balk at the price but for as well as it works I'd say that it's money well spent.
> 
> K-Edge Go Big Machined GoPro Mounts In Production, Two More Mount Options Added - Bike Rumor


I am very impressed with the videos I've seen from cyclists who use the K-Edge mount. It looks like the price is back up to $60 though. If you see it anywhere else for less, please post here. :wink5:


----------



## velodog

Looks like Pricepoint has 'em in black for $48.

K-Edge GO BIG Pro Handlebar Mount at Price Point KEDG31&detailName=K-Edge GO BIG Pro Handlebar Mount&dept_id=&deptName=&sub_id=&subName=&lprice=47.98&hprice=47.98


----------



## freighttraininguphill

velodog said:


> Looks like Pricepoint has 'em in black for $48.
> 
> K-Edge GO BIG Pro Handlebar Mount at Price Point KEDG31&detailName=K-Edge GO BIG Pro Handlebar Mount&dept_id=&deptName=&sub_id=&subName=&lprice=47.98&hprice=47.98


That's almost tempting, but I really want a mountain bike so I'll have to hold off for now.


----------



## PoorCyclist

$60 for a mount is pretty spendy! I think I need a different hobby..sub-hobby

how difficult is it to turn around the GoPro to get a shot of yourself?


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> $60 for a mount is pretty spendy! I think I need a different hobby..sub-hobby
> 
> how difficult is it to turn around the GoPro to get a shot of yourself?


Yeah, I'm glad I only have a few hobbies. Every one of them is expensive, and cycling is probably the costliest.

With the mounts I use it would be easy to aim the camera at your face, but not while you're riding unless you want the image to be upside-down.


----------



## velodog

PoorCyclist said:


> $60 for a mount is pretty spendy! I think I need a different hobby..sub-hobby
> 
> how difficult is it to turn around the GoPro to get a shot of yourself?


Look at the K-EDGE mount, all ya need to do is mount it so the camera is above the bars and point the camera back.

As far as an expensive mount, why pay $200 to $300 for a camera and use rubber bands to mount it on a bike? A lost broken camera due to a shody mount is a bigger expense than the cost of a solid mount.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

velodog said:


> As far as an expensive mount, why pay $200 to $300 for a camera and use rubber bands to mount it on a bike? A lost broken camera due to a shody mount is a bigger expense than the cost of a solid mount.


+1. I have spent almost $200 just on mounts alone. I have many different mounts that will hold the camera without any worries of breakage, which is why I am waiting until after I get a mountain bike before purchasing a K-Edge mount. The mounts I already own will work just fine for now.

The GoPro handlebar mount that breaks off suddenly is only $20, and IMHO you get what you pay for with that mount. I refuse to buy it.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

deleted


----------



## ukbloke

Very interesting - thanks for experimenting! You should have your own blog. You could be the DC Rainmaker of cycling video!

The chest mount certainly presents a different experience. The viewer feels much more involved in the action, and the suffering. It definitely adds some interest to the footage. I could see you shooting with multiple cameras and splicing the chest cam video into the rest to increase interest. For me on the road bike, it would be a bit of non-starter. I move around too much on the bike to give any consistent video. It would work really well for mountain biking, of course, and especially for downhill and cross-country, not so much for climbing.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> Very interesting - thanks for experimenting! You should have your own blog. You could be the DC Rainmaker of cycling video!
> 
> The chest mount certainly presents a different experience. The viewer feels much more involved in the action, and the suffering. It definitely adds some interest to the footage. I could see you shooting with multiple cameras and splicing the chest cam video into the rest to increase interest. For me on the road bike, it would be a bit of non-starter. I move around too much on the bike to give any consistent video. It would work really well for mountain biking, of course, and especially for downhill and cross-country, not so much for climbing.


That's a great idea! Since I always ride with at least two cameras mounted at different locations, that would work well.

I will be getting a mountain bike sometime in the next two months, so the "Chesty" will work perfect for mtb rides. I've seen a lot of mtb ride videos made with this mount, so it's probably pretty popular.

I will try tightening the straps a little more. I do like the different POV for the reasons you mentioned. I also move my head around too much sometimes, so the chest strap mount would have an advantage over the helmet mount if I can find a way to reduce the jiggling. 

Another thing I like about the chest strap is that I can read some of the data on my Garmin if the lighting is right.


----------



## PoorCyclist

freighttraininguphill said:


> Yesterday was the first ride with my new GoPro "Chesty" chest strap mount. As the first 3:18 of the video shows, it's probably not the best mount for a road ride. Either that, or it's not the best mount for a female cyclist. :wink5:
> 
> The rest of the footage is from the ContourHD on the helmet mount. It would have been a shame to have all that beautiful scenery cut off by the lower POV of the chest mount. This was a ride between Colfax and Gold Run in Placer County, CA, so there's lots of mountain scenery.
> 
> Colfax to Gold Run via Norton Grade 1-14-12 - YouTube


Your video look pretty good to me, the helmet mount for me seems too tall and slow moving and look like pushing a shopping cart. Plus mine is always tilted to one side, it's really hard to make sure the helmet is on straight perfectly all the time.

Does the chest mount have a pivot to it so it points straight forward when you are in a more aggressive position?


----------



## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> Your video look pretty good to me, the helmet mount for me seems too tall and slow moving and look like pushing a shopping cart. Plus mine is always tilted to one side, it's really hard to make sure the helmet is on straight perfectly all the time.
> 
> Does the chest mount have a pivot to it so it points straight forward when you are in a more aggressive position?


Thank you.  You're right, it does look faster with the chest mount.

The camera can pivot on the mount. I adjusted it so it looked like it was pointing straight ahead when I was riding on the hoods. I only ride in the drops on descents since I don't do hammerfest group rides and almost all my rides are solo.


----------



## velodog

freighttraininguphill said:


> Thank you.  You're right, it does look faster with the chest mount.
> 
> The camera can pivot on the mount. I adjusted it so it looked like it was pointing straight ahead when I was riding on the hoods. I only ride in the drops on descents since I don't do hammerfest group rides and almost all my rides are solo.


The lower it's mounted the faster it looks, kinda like ridin' in a GoKart.

The thing I like is seeing the handlebars. Even with my handlebar mount The cameras wide angle is enough to catch my fingers and brake lever on the right side. I'm still finding my way around the workings of all this so I don't know if I'll be able to center the camera well enough to get both sides in but that'd please me.
Even when I had it mounted on the helmet I enjoyed what I was watching more if there was a bit of the helmet in the frame. It kinda keeps me grounded to the fact of it being a video of a bicycle ride.

All that aside, both my wife and myself enjoy your videos. You might not hammerfest but you are dishing out plenty of V.:thumbsup:


----------



## velodog

freighttraininguphill said:


> so the chest strap mount would have an advantage over the helmet mount if I can find a way to reduce the jiggling.


Sports bra

I'll shut up now.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

velodog said:


> The lower it's mounted the faster it looks, kinda like ridin' in a GoKart.
> 
> The thing I like is seeing the handlebars. Even with my handlebar mount The cameras wide angle is enough to catch my fingers and brake lever on the right side. I'm still finding my way around the workings of all this so I don't know if I'll be able to center the camera well enough to get both sides in but that'd please me.
> Even when I had it mounted on the helmet I enjoyed what I was watching more if there was a bit of the helmet in the frame. It kinda keeps me grounded to the fact of it being a video of a bicycle ride.
> 
> All that aside, both my wife and myself enjoy your videos. You might not hammerfest but you are dishing out plenty of V.:thumbsup:


+1. I have noticed that too, and it's probably why so many motorsports videos are recorded with the camera very low on the car's chassis.

I like seeing the handlebars and my arms too. I can see as well as hear when I shift gears.

I'm glad you and your wife like my videos.  I like to keep them as realistic as possible, and the chest mount helps me achieve that goal. That's why I love the videos I've seen from RBR posters in this subforum. They are an excellent documentary of some beautiful rides, and they give me ideas for future places to ride.

On another forum, a poster suggested I lay music over my heavy breathing. I refuse to doctor up my videos to make my rides look easier than they really are. My videos document my rides exactly as they happen. That includes how much effort I put into the climbs and how much I was hurting. Sometimes I will make it less "in-your-face" by mounting the camera on the head tube or helmet so the breathing isn't as loud, but then other problems arise, like excessive movement or wind noise. So now I balance the footage between climbs, descents, and different mounting locations in an attempt to avoid "information overload". 

I have to admit ignorance here.  What is "V"?



velodog said:


> Sports bra
> 
> I'll shut up now.


:lol: Yeah I know!  I was snickering every time I looked down and saw the camera bouncing up and down.


----------



## velodog

freighttraininguphill;3735605
I have to admit ignorance here. :o What is "V"?[/QUOTE said:


> V as in Roman numeral 5, as in "Rule 5", which is one of a myriad of rules on a Racercentric blog.
> So when you're "Laying down the V", you're riding hard and to your limits or putting the hurt on others. And I'd say, from watching your videos, that you ain't backin' down from no challenge.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

velodog said:


> V as in Roman numeral 5, as in "Rule 5", which is one of a myriad of rules on a Racercentric blog.
> So when you're "Laying down the V", you're riding hard and to your limits or putting the hurt on others. And I'd say, from watching your videos, that you ain't backin' down from no challenge.


Cool! Rule #5, the HTFU rule! I do _love_ to suffer! 

I am still "in training", so to speak. I joined a local cycling club, but I looked at their ride listing and they are all either too fast for me or very slow almost flat beginner rides. No happy medium. I'm not giving up though. Eventually they might have a ride that is more appropriate for my intermediate abilities.

Meanwhile, hopefully I will lose the rest of this weight and get strong enough to ride with the faster groups.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

Someone on another forum suggested that I mount the ContourHD on the side of the helmet. I considered that when I first bought it, but didn't do it for two reasons. One, I thought the view might be obstructed by the helmet itself. Two, I thought the weight of the camera might make the helmet tilt to one side.

Has anyone on here tried mounting a ContourHD on the side of their helmet? If so, how did it work out?


----------



## ukbloke

freighttraininguphill said:


> Has anyone on here tried mounting a ContourHD on the side of their helmet? If so, how did it work out?


That's why I did originally. I mounted on the left and angled slightly away from the helmet. This angling gets more of the road anyway since one is usually cycling on the far right edge. I got a little of the helmet on the right-hand-side in the bottom corner but it was fine, especially when composed with my Bike Telemetry. This was in 135 degree mode - with 170 degrees it would be much more in the picture. The lop-sidedness is definitely apparent, and a heavier helmet in general, but I got used to it. I think the videos in my signature were shot that way. Now, I've moved to handlerbar mount exclusively so that I don't have to worry about where I look.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> That's why I did originally. I mounted on the left and angled slightly away from the helmet. This angling gets more of the road anyway since one is usually cycling on the far right edge. I got a little of the helmet on the right-hand-side in the bottom corner but it was fine, especially when composed with my Bike Telemetry. This was in 135 degree mode - with 170 degrees it would be much more in the picture. The lop-sidedness is definitely apparent, and a heavier helmet in general, but I got used to it. I think the videos in my signature were shot that way. Now, I've moved to handlerbar mount exclusively so that I don't have to worry about where I look.


I will try that mounting location the next time I do a climbing ride. Unfortunately, as you're probably aware, we are going to be punished severely for our unusually warm and sunny winter.  Starting Wednesday, we're supposed to get day after day of Seattle-esque garbage. Not exactly cycling-friendly weather. I forsee a lot of hibernation in my future.


----------



## ukbloke

freighttraininguphill said:


> Not exactly cycling-friendly weather. I forsee a lot of hibernation in my future.


How about shooting some skiing or snowboarding footage? The weather has been ridiculously dry the last 2 months. We need biblical amounts of rain over the next 40 days to catch up.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

ukbloke said:


> How about shooting some skiing or snowboarding footage? The weather has been ridiculously dry the last 2 months. We need biblical amounts of rain over the next 40 days to catch up.


I have exactly zero experience with either sport, unfortunately. I'd probably end up breaking bones and hibernating much longer if I tried that! 

I'd be happy with a desert climate, but we have way too many people in this state to support that.


----------



## PoorCyclist

I might get this bar, anyone know if it is stable enough?

Pro Carbon Double Wide Computer, Light, GPS, and Accessory Mount Kit<br>With Carbon Mounting Tube: Pro CARBON Accessory Mounts • Aspire VeloTech - Chris King World's Largest Dealer

The main reason is to mount my light more center forward on my commuter, but I could also mount the contourHD below the handlebar height which should increase the sense of speed, and when you swing the bike, since the pivot point is lower so it might not be as nauseous.


----------



## vipergts

New to the video group! My GF got me a GoPro HD HERO 2 for my birthday this past saturday with the mounting options. But after reading online about the GoPro brand failing i have gone on the look for a more robust mount. 

I see the kedge is offered in this thread. Has anyone use a RAM mount. Im looking at the site right now to build my own and it looks pretty good:

Camera Mounts - Video Camera Mounts - RAM Mount

Any thoughts?

Also has anyone figured out a good Fork mount for the gopro as well? Im trying to find one with little success.


----------



## cyclesport45

I bought a Ram mount for my new Drift Innovations Stealth camera. It's a zillion times more stable/sturdy than the plastic bar mount bits that came with camera. Video to follow.

I give Ram mounts a 9.5 out of 10, taking off a point 5 for not light.


----------



## vipergts

cyclesport45 said:


> I bought a Ram mount for my new Drift Innovations Stealth camera. It's a zillion times more stable/sturdy than the plastic bar mount bits that came with camera. Video to follow.
> 
> I give Ram mounts a 9.5 out of 10, taking off a point 5 for not light.


Thanks for the input! Looks like will be going with a RAM mount for the handlebar and pickthis up to use on the fork:

RAM V-Shape Base with 1" Ball for Rails and Yokes


----------



## cyclesport45

Yeah, I got Threaded Camera Base - 1" Ball with 1/4-20 Stud - RAM Mount , RAM Double Socket Arm for 1" Ball Bases , RAM Rail Base with Zinc Coated U-Bolt, ATV/UTV Strap & 1" Ball for Rails to 3.15" in Diameter. The third one handles big carbon fiber tubes. I can pretty much mount the camera anywhere on either of my bikes.

I liked using their "wizard" to pick out what I needed. A great website!


----------



## vipergts

cyclesport45 said:


> Yeah, I got Threaded Camera Base - 1" Ball with 1/4-20 Stud - RAM Mount , RAM Double Socket Arm for 1" Ball Bases , RAM Rail Base with Zinc Coated U-Bolt, ATV/UTV Strap & 1" Ball for Rails to 3.15" in Diameter. The third one handles big carbon fiber tubes. I can pretty much mount the camera anywhere on either of my bikes.
> 
> I liked using their "wizard" to pick out what I needed. A great website!


Sweet man! I was looking for a wider mount! Do you use that one on your handlebar as well? Excellent info. Ill add that one to the cart!


----------



## freighttraininguphill

Two more issues have cropped up.  

A poster on another forum accused me of faking my videos to make the climbs look harder than they really are. He said that the Garmin data in the links to my Garmin pages doesn't match up with the readout on my videos. He even went so far as to say I exaggerated my breathing!

I tried to explain that I have to edit my videos for time. Since some people enjoy seeing the sufferfests, I edit out a lot of the easier parts. Sometimes I even have to edit out parts of the steeper climbs for time. I do *not* do this to make the climb look harder than it really is.

I also explained that the Garmin data is for the entire ride, not just the climb I made a video of. For example, if I do a 2-mile climb in the middle of a 24 mile ride, the readout on the video will show the climb starting at 12 miles instead of mile 0.

He thought that the reason I edited my videos that way was to attempt to fool the viewer into believing the climb was harder than it really was. Nothing I could say would convince him otherwise.

As far as the breathing, I explained that I like to push hard on climbs because it's fun and it's good training. Obviously that causes heavier breathing.

Since I make my videos to document my rides exactly as they happen and I like to keep them real, the last thing I need is people thinking I'm lying and trying to make myself look big and bad when I'm not.

I could probably dismiss all this as trolling except for one thing. The poster in question is a prominent poster who seems well-respected. He also posts ride videos.

I would like to know if I need to do anything different, or is this just a case of "sour grapes"? 

The second issue is regarding copyrighted music. This concerns me because I had a few videos that I put music on due to crappy original audio or no audio due to it being muted when the video was sped-up in the editing software. 

The person mentioned earlier had almost 250 videos at one point. YouTube dinged his account with two copyright strikes. If you get a third strike they will terminate your account, so he deleted the majority of his videos. Now he only has 40 videos.

The scary thing is that the second copyright strike happened to him over a year after the video was uploaded. YouTube has an automated "Content ID" system that identifies uploaded music immediately and either blocks it or allows it with title and artist ads under the video.

At first I thought that as long as Content ID allowed the video to be uploaded in its entirety without muting audio or completely blocking the video, you were good to go. After reading the above poster's blog I decided to read YouTube's copyright policies a little closer and found this: *"Automated identifications made through our Content ID system are separate from the copyright infringement notification process. This means that any content you do not have permission to use—whether or not identified by Content ID—may be subject to strikes in the future, should a content owner choose to notify YouTube of infringement."
*

I promptly deleted the few videos I had that had music on them. It really sucks, because I lost a badass descent down Donner Pass Road, but I'd rather lose that than my entire account. I have never had a copyright strike and I don't need to start now. I have a feeling these record companies are cracking down on people again. 

All this makes me damn glad I prefer raw footage, otherwise I'd probably have to delete all my videos, or I would have copyright strikes on my account by now.

I'm just going to stick with adjusting the volume on descent clips to mute the wind noise somewhat rather than putting music over them. After all, a descent should probably have at least a little wind noise for realism.


----------



## velodog

It seems like this "well respected" poster is going to an awful lot of trouble to discredit you. Is this the only person that doesn't like what you do? I see you've got a pile of green dots under your name, so it seems that quite a few people enjoy your work, so why worry about one complaint.

And shux, I've known "well respected" people that I wouldn't pee on if they were on fire.

As far as copywrite infringement, I don't know nuthin' 'bout that.


----------



## freighttraininguphill

velodog said:


> It seems like this "well respected" poster is going to an awful lot of trouble to discredit you. Is this the only person that doesn't like what you do? I see you've got a pile of green dots under your name, so it seems that quite a few people enjoy your work, so why worry about one complaint.
> 
> And shux, I've known "well respected" people that I wouldn't pee on if they were on fire.
> 
> As far as copywrite infringement, I don't know nuthin' 'bout that.


He is the only one who has made these claims. Occasionally I have had other posters complain about the heavy breathing on the climbs, but that happened more in the days of the Kodak Playsport on the handlebars. I've never had that problem while using the ContourHD, since the microphone in that camera isn't as sensitive. 

This happened on another forum without the rep feature. It's a forum I've been a member of since 2006, and my main worry is my reputation on that forum being damaged because people may take his word over mine. Hopefully I'm wrong.

There was one woman who accused me of exaggerating my breathing on my video of steep climbs on a *single-speed* Dahon Da Bike folding bike with steel-rimmed 16" wheels. Maximum grade that day was 25% and I only had one too-high gear, so WTH was I supposed to do??


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## vipergts

Screw that guy and who cares what he says. Obviously he feels that your taking his thunder some how and wants to troll. Brush it off and keep doing what you are doing. If someone is going through all that trouble to discredit you it only means you are doing something really well. Keep doing it man!


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## freighttraininguphill

vipergts said:


> Screw that guy and who cares what he says. Obviously he feels that your taking his thunder some how and wants to troll. Brush it off and keep doing what you are doing. If someone is going through all that trouble to discredit you it only means you are doing something really well. Keep doing it man!


Thanks.  I was suspecting that may be the case. He used to be very friendly towards me, in fact he was the one who talked me into making my first sufferfest video almost a year ago. He was very supportive back then, but as time went on he became less and less friendly. It finally came to a head a few days ago.


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## freighttraininguphill

Vipergts and velodog, thank you for setting me straight. You guys are right.  What made the whole thing hard to accept was the fact that this guy was so friendly and supportive in the beginning. If it weren't for his influence last year, I may not have started making sufferfest videos. But it's time to move on now, and I'll just avoid posting them in his favorite subforum. Let him have all the fun he wants in there. I've never had a problem in other forums or subforums, including this part of RBR, so I'll continue to post them here and on other forums that guy doesn't inhabit.


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## cyclesport45

cyclesport45 said:


> I bought a Ram mount for my new Drift Innovations Stealth camera. It's a zillion times more stable/sturdy than the plastic bar mount bits that came with camera. Video to follow..


Winter Cycling Training Ride and Test of Drift Innovation HD 170 Camera - YouTube


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## vipergts

Good video Freight. It def gets bouncy. Where is my pepto :lol:


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## vipergts

cyclesport45 said:


> Winter Cycling Training Ride and Test of Drift Innovation HD 170 Camera - YouTube


That is PERFECT. I will be ordering a RAM mount this week


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## freighttraininguphill

vipergts said:


> Good video Freight. It def gets bouncy. Where is my pepto :lol:


:lol: Thanks.  It was worse on the Colfax to Gold Run via Norton Grade video that I posted a couple weeks ago. That was my first ride with the chest strap mount and I didn't have the straps tightened down enough.


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## freighttraininguphill

I think I found a solution to the copyright issue with videos that have music. I moved my two descent videos and the rear camera trike ride video over to Vimeo and edited past posts that included those videos when they were originally on YouTube.


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## ibeamcarver

*Perry Creek Road*



freighttraininguphill said:


> This is Slug Gulch Road in El Dorado County, CA. It's about 5 miles long with plenty of steep sections in the teens, but some brief downhills and flat sections to recover on.


 Hi freighttraininguphill - looks like your ride started on Perry Creek Road. Do you live there? My mother in law grew up on the ranch at the top of what is now called Klare Rd.


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## freighttraininguphill

ibeamcarver said:


> Hi freighttraininguphill - looks like your ride started on Perry Creek Road. Do you live there? My mother in law grew up on the ranch at the top of what is now called Klare Rd.


No, I live in the valley and drive up to the hills to do climbing rides in the foothills and mountains. I've been trying to ride every hard climb in the area.


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## PoorCyclist

Hi all, what kind of software do I need in order to merge multiple clips into a 1 movie?


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## freighttraininguphill

PoorCyclist said:


> Hi all, what kind of software do I need in order to merge multiple clips into a 1 movie?


I just use the free Windows Movie Maker 2011, which edits the .mov files created by the Contour cameras, as well as the .mp4 files created by the GoPro and other cameras. It also edits other file types such as .avi, MJPEG, etc.

If you are on a Mac you can use iMovie, which will also edit .mov and .mp4 files.


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## ankaka

Obviously he feels that your taking his thunder some how and wants to troll.


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## freighttraininguphill

Got a ContourGPS yesterday on clearance at REI for $199.93 ($100 off). I took a ride in the hills today with it and I am very pleased with it so far. I recorded at 720p 60fps, so there was minimal rolling shutter. Wind noise on descents is much improved over the ContourHD. Audio is better because the mic is more sensitive.

I finally found a use for the still brand-new Contour XL handlebar mount that I bought last year and couldn't use on my road bike because the bars are too narrow and have those secondary brake levers, which I need to remove some day. I only use the real brakes.

When I imported the video files into DashWare, that software automatically extracted the data from the camera's GPS, which is very nice! No tricky synchronizing like when I import the data from my Garmin.


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## freighttraininguphill

Here's the ContourGPS mounted on the bike. Notice how I secured the camera leash with a velcro strap. This was done to prevent the plastic leash clasps from rattling against the bars or anything else, which would have made the audio sound like crap.


ContourGPS on XL handlebar mount by kittyz202, on Flickr

Here's the rest of the bike.


Specialized Rockhopper at top of Beatty Drive 6-9-12 by kittyz202, on Flickr


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## evankuhl

awesome, keep it up!


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## ukbloke

freighttraininguphill said:


> A member of the cycling club I belong to recently uploaded a video of one of the tough climbs in the area.


That's awesome - I approve of this message!

Thanks for sharing.


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## PoorCyclist

I had to look up where that was, you guys sure have alot of fun climbs near the foothills


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## freighttraininguphill

For those who have a GoPro HD Hero2, AVOID the v198 ProTune firmware update unless you want to live with crappy sound. People have also reported other issues such as freezing and the camera recording for only a few seconds at a time.

I started a thread in the Videos and POV Cameras section of MTBR with more details, including a link to a sample of the crappy audio from last weekend's road ride. There's also a link to a how-to video for downgrading your firmware to the previous version (v124). That version still supports the WiFi BacPac like the current version.


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## freighttraininguphill

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## freighttraininguphill

Unfortunately Contour has gone out of business, so all the links to videos I posted on Contour's site are now dead. I guess I'll have to re-upload those somewhere else.

I finally got a K-Edge Go Big handlebar mount at the LBS. I got the black one like you see in the link. They only had one and they haven't restocked since I bought it, so it must have been ordered for someone who decided not to buy it. There is another LBS near the foothills (Bicycles Plus in Folsom) that keeps that mount and other K-Edge mounts in stock, but I got mine for cheaper at my favorite LBS.

On my first ride with this mount I tried mounting the camera below the bars, but the shifter cables are in the way.

Last weekend I mounted the camera above the bars. I used my existing GoPro thumbscrew instead of the provided Allen screw because I read reports from other cyclists that the Allen screw wears out easily. This was much better, but on my next ride I need to tighten the mount with a Phillips screwdriver instead of simply hand-tightening the screw. The camera moved out of position several times during this 40-mile ride.

The clip on the case failed..

broken latch on GoPro case by freighttraininguphill, on Flickr

..which I discovered when I got home after the ride. I bought a replacement case just in case something like this happened, so that one is now in use and I've ordered another one. I wish you could buy the latch by itself, since that's the only part that broke. I kept the old case because the case itself and the lens are still good.

I really like how my shifting is more audible with the handlebar mount. My loud breathing is a little quieter, and I've been working on controlling that too. The results were immediate. Stacks of PRs on every ride, and comments from riding partners about my improved climbing.


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## freighttraininguphill

I now use a GoPro Hero3+ Silver Edition. This camera doesn't have the issues that other users complained about with the original Hero3 line such as freezing and poor battery life. In fact I get better battery life than I do with any other camera I own. I get between 2:30-2:50 per charge. The original Hero 1 is a close second at 2:20-2:30, followed by the ContourHD. I haven't used my Contour in a while, but I believe it gets about 2:20 of battery life per charge.

The Hero3+ has better video and audio quality than the Hero 1 and 2. The low-bitrate aliasing sound is gone. It records video at a higher bitrate than the Hero 1 and 2 (15000kbps at 720p 60fps). It also takes SDXC cards, so I now use a 64 GB card and record all my videos at 720p resolution with a 60fps frame rate.

I also upgraded DashWare to the current version. The version I was using previously was several years old. The new version has many more default gauges to choose from. It also supports the 15000kbps bitrate that the Hero3+ records at. The old version only encoded up to 10000kbps. I know this doesn't matter much for YouTube since they dumb down the quality but it does improve the quality of the copy I keep on my hard drive, especially after editing.


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