New Fly6 CE and Fly12 CE Camera's

[Comedian]

Bear in mind that the Garmin/fly12ce combo from kedge isn’t compatible with the Cycliq cameras due to their weight. The 2 bolts underneath come loose and the camera and Garmin can be ejected out of your reach.

I've had to put locktite on mine. Surely the bolts coming loose is just an assembly issue?

Bit of both. Bolts aren't torqued really high (as they are a small screw with a design purpose in mind) and the mount isn't designed for the weight of both the garmin and heavy cycliq cameras. On rough roads the vibration combined with the extra weight is enough that it slowly breaks down the glue/loctite/whatever they use and the screws slowly make their way loose. As soon as there is movement in the screw they just easily vibrate out of the mount.

Previous generations are unaffected due to the 1 piece design. Newer gen are a 2 piece unit - this is for manufacturing reasons for a faster output IIRC.

Personal experience. 2 mounts with different cameras still good. 3 mounts with cycliq attachments have come off. God knows how many others I have seen come off.

Ok.. so I added loctite and all my three are still all good.

[Shpox]

I had the bolts rattle off (see earlier pages) under vibration.

I have since purchased the rockbros out in front mount and it wins! Works, the mount is incredibly stable although my only annoyance about it is that will angle the garmin mount quite low.

[caneye]

got a teaser email from Cycliq. looks like a new and smaller Fly6 is on the horizon.

[queequeg]

got a teaser email from Cycliq. looks like a new and smaller Fly6 is on the horizon.

Likewise. Looks like one large red light instead of three smaller ones. Hopefully the one will have an "off means off" feature, not an "off means on standby always draining the battery". I'd also like to see a mode that lets it keep recording until the battery runs out, instead of assuming I'd prefer to have the lights keep running at the expense of the camera stopping.

[biker jk]

got a teaser email from Cycliq. looks like a new and smaller Fly6 is on the horizon.

Likewise. Looks like one large red light instead of three smaller ones. Hopefully the one will have an "off means off" feature, not an "off means on standby always draining the battery". I'd also like to see a mode that lets it keep recording until the battery runs out, instead of assuming I'd prefer to have the lights keep running at the expense of the camera stopping.

Agree on that wish list and would add a desire for a replaceable battery, especially since run times are never close to advertised and get noticeably worse within a few years.

[jasonc]

queequeg - I'll take rear light over camera when battery is low thanks. otherwise I'll have to run a second light...

[queequeg]

queequeg - I'll take rear light over camera when battery is low thanks. otherwise I'll have to run a second light...

So would I...at night time, but at 2 in the afternoon in summer, I’ll take the camera. That’s what it’s for. I have dedicated rear lights, but I only have one camera and I need it recording.

[AUbicycles]

Some updates from Cycliq on the software bugs.
First is a confirmation from Cycliq customer support that the Strava connection issues (Mac OS Desktop App) is known. The Cycliq app crashes or stalls... so this is an open topic.

I have noticed that changing the SD Cards name (i.e. camera name is dictated from the micro SD card) doesn't work. This is a minor bug... no big deal.

And an interesting one is that when using a current generation Mac Powerbook - which has no USB ports, only thunderbolt ports - via a hub the Fly12CE mounts / loads but the Fly6CE does not mount/load.

I tested on an older mac with USB ports and both mount. A difference is that you need to turn on the Fly12CE whereas the Fly6CE will turn on when connected.

In short it means that the current Fly6CE is not compatible with current generation Mac Powerbooks... all software and firmware updates were done directly by mounting the micro SD card (over an adapter).

And some good news - following the firmware updates and software updates and reseting cards in both devices, there appears to be better reliability in the cameras in recording. It still frustrates me that there is no obvious recording LED visible while riding. This has been a criticism of mine since the first Fly12 unit... in the original version there was an LED but only on the top. Preferred is mounting up-side-down under the bars. In the current Fly12CE, the tiny LED recording light is on the side and while riding I can't see it... to many cables and too dangerous to try and get a glimpse.

So Cycliq still need to put a visible green recording light on the top and bottom of the Fly12CE units so that can be see while riding. And for the Fly6CE could have lights on the left and right side so when doing a quick glance behind you can see it.

[Comedian]

So Cycliq still need to put a visible green recording light on the top and bottom of the Fly12CE units so that can be see while riding. And for the Fly6CE could have lights on the left and right side so when doing a quick glance behind you can see it.

Having a like on the top and bottom of the fly12 would be great. I a good proportion .. maybe half or more are mounted upside down.

[39x25]

looking at the specs of this new Gen3 Fly6 CE.. Currently my old Gen3 Fly6 starting to struggle with rides more than 2 hrs.
What i dont get is why they down specced the battery for form factor (a bit of weight?)..

Current FLY6 CE G2 officially has battery enough for 6-7hrs camera only
New FLY^ CE G3 officially on the website has only 5hrs camera only.

A bit disappointing to be honest.

[jasonc]

probably the same battery

[caneye]

Current FLY6 CE G2 officially has battery enough for 6-7hrs camera only
New FLY^ CE G3 officially on the website has only 5hrs camera only.

A bit disappointing to be honest.

i was shocked.
5hrs is a big step back. as you described, sacrificed function for form .

[biker jk]

looking at the specs of this new Gen3 Fly6 CE.. Currently my old Gen3 Fly6 starting to struggle with rides more than 2 hrs.
What i dont get is why they down specced the battery for form factor (a bit of weight?)..

Current FLY6 CE G2 officially has battery enough for 6-7hrs camera only
New FLY^ CE G3 officially on the website has only 5hrs camera only.

A bit disappointing to be honest.

Cycliq has been making losses (certainly so in FY18 and FY19). I'm guessing they are trying to increase margins by cutting the production cost via a cheaper battery. They have also jacked the price up. Their products have been very disappointing and they refuse to change them in the direction that consumers desire.

[jasonc]

looking at the specs of this new Gen3 Fly6 CE.. Currently my old Gen3 Fly6 starting to struggle with rides more than 2 hrs.
What i dont get is why they down specced the battery for form factor (a bit of weight?)..

Current FLY6 CE G2 officially has battery enough for 6-7hrs camera only
New FLY^ CE G3 officially on the website has only 5hrs camera only.

A bit disappointing to be honest.

Cycliq has been making losses (certainly so in FY18 and FY19). I'm guessing they are trying to increase margins by cutting the production cost via a cheaper battery. They have also jacked the price up. Their products have been very disappointing and they refuse to change them in the direction that consumers desire.

still no competitor...

[39x25]

probably the same battery

Spec sheet mentions a 2000mAh battery rather than the 3200mAh of the current model.

Video res now locked into 1080p at 30fps and 720p at 60fps. 1080p at 60fps is now removed as an option to save battery.

Spec Sheet
https://cycliq.com/bike-cameras/fly6ce/ ... c98ba2045f

This is not an upgrade at all.. its a downgrade.
Unless they come out with a MAX form of Fly6 with double the battery size.. i see less and less people buying their products even without an adequate competitor on the market. It will just accelerate the losses they have been experiencing.
Might as well sell the business to Garmin/Wahoo while they still can.

[Comedian]

Personally - if it's a "consolidation device" then I think they will do well with it. I don't think we necessarily need more. We just need more durable.

[queequeg]

Wow, backwards step with the battery. as is the loss of 60fps recording.

Personally I wish they did a version with the light because the only thing the light does is reduce the amount of time you can record. The camera is useless for my all day rides because it does not last. It’s perfect for commuting but where I’d like it to go for 10 hours is my Audax rides. I don’t need it to be a great light. I have excellent lights that last all day and can be mounted in lots of places. I’d be ok with a larger unit that just does high quality all day recording and ditches all the fluff. One press recording. Maybe a button to take a photo or save the current file to prevent it being overwritten.
My old Garmin VIRBs were great in this regard, but they had awful battery life (but you could at least take spares with you)

I guess I’ll be staying with the current Fly6CE.

[caneye]

Wow, backwards step with the battery. as is the loss of 60fps recording.

Personally I wish they did a version with the light ..

i guess you meant a version WITHOUT the light?
if so, i totally agree.

as it is, i currently have an extra light switched on when using the Fly6, and do not turn on the Fly6 LEDs (unless it is a short ride < 5 hours). i use the Fly6 strictly as a recording device. i would've preferred longer battery life with existing video quality.

this latest model seems to contradict a lot of their previous design improvements too (again .. video quality, battery life).

[queequeg]

Wow, backwards step with the battery. as is the loss of 60fps recording.

Personally I wish they did a version with the light ..

i guess you meant a version WITHOUT the light?
if so, i totally agree.

as it is, i currently have an extra light switched on when using the Fly6, and do not turn on the Fly6 LEDs (unless it is a short ride < 5 hours). i use the Fly6 strictly as a recording device. i would've preferred longer battery life with existing video quality.

this latest model seems to contradict a lot of their previous design improvements too (again .. video quality, battery life).

Yes, I meant without the light. IMHO there are dozens of small and powerful lights that last all day. I don't absolutely need a camera that is also a light. I want a safety camera that is superb at being a camera with a battery life that lasts all day. I don't even care if that battery life comes from attaching a bigger battery (like the Garmin Charge Pack or the Exposure Lights with the Support Cell), as long as plugging in the extra battery does not compromise the waterproofing. Knog took this approash with their PWR Lights. Imagine a Fly6 with a head unit that you just snap into the battery base of your choice.

Making the battery smaller is stupid. As it is, I have to make a call as to when I run the camera when out on my Audax rides

[Comedian]

Making the battery smaller is stupid. As it is, I have to make a call as to when I run the camera when out on my Audax rides

I do understand the problem - but I wonder how many people actually want that. I'd be pretty sure that a 5-6 hour battery would cover most bike riders needs. It certainly covers what I need - I only once did a night ride that was long enough that I needed to hook up an external battery.

I'm certainly not saying what you want is unreasonable - just that it's uncommon. I think a small unit that runs long enough for the majority of bike riders would get the maximum sales for them. A bigger unit with a big battery might cost more sales than it gains.

I've been critical of cycliq in the past because while their early units started out with excellent battery life they often degraded in a very short time to comically short run times. For me - 3 or 4 hours covers about 99.9% of my riding (plus a commute home) but I seem to remember the gen one could barely make it to work within a year. Fortunately the fly6CE (g1) I have now still seems to be pretty good after two years.

[queequeg]

Making the battery smaller is stupid. As it is, I have to make a call as to when I run the camera when out on my Audax rides

I do understand the problem - but I wonder how many people actually want that. I'd be pretty sure that a 5-6 hour battery would cover most bike riders needs. It certainly covers what I need - I only once did a night ride that was long enough that I needed to hook up an external battery.

I'm certainly not saying what you want is unreasonable - just that it's uncommon. I think a small unit that runs long enough for the majority of bike riders would get the maximum sales for them. A bigger unit with a big battery might cost more sales than it gains.

I've been critical of cycliq in the past because while their early units started out with excellent battery life they often degraded in a very short time to comically short run times. For me - 3 or 4 hours covers about 99.9% of my riding (plus a commute home) but I seem to remember the gen one could barely make it to work within a year. Fortunately the fly6CE (g1) I have now still seems to be pretty good after two years.

That's why I think a design that accommodates bigger capacity batteries or the ability to charge on the go via an external pack is a good idea. I get that most people are unlikely to be out doing rides of that length, and the Fly12/Fly6 at least let me do my daily commute to work and back without recharging (up to 90 minutes elapsed each way). With the light on full in the Winter, I only just get to and from work on one charge, so I use other lights just to keep the camera recording. On my Audax rides I am in daylight and don't need the lights. The current firmware though actually locks me out from using the full battery life for the camera as it assumes I want to get home in the dark, even if I am riding in the middle of the day.

The scenario I am worried about it long solo rides in the middle of nowhere, and ending up in a ditch like Martin Pearson without anyone having a clue what happened. The more puzzling decision is for them to reduce the frame rate from 60fps to 30fps, in the name of saving battery. If they didn't shrink the battery they wouldn't need to be saving it.

[Comedian]

Making the battery smaller is stupid. As it is, I have to make a call as to when I run the camera when out on my Audax rides

I do understand the problem - but I wonder how many people actually want that. I'd be pretty sure that a 5-6 hour battery would cover most bike riders needs. It certainly covers what I need - I only once did a night ride that was long enough that I needed to hook up an external battery.

I'm certainly not saying what you want is unreasonable - just that it's uncommon. I think a small unit that runs long enough for the majority of bike riders would get the maximum sales for them. A bigger unit with a big battery might cost more sales than it gains.

I've been critical of cycliq in the past because while their early units started out with excellent battery life they often degraded in a very short time to comically short run times. For me - 3 or 4 hours covers about 99.9% of my riding (plus a commute home) but I seem to remember the gen one could barely make it to work within a year. Fortunately the fly6CE (g1) I have now still seems to be pretty good after two years.

That's why I think a design that accommodates bigger capacity batteries or the ability to charge on the go via an external pack is a good idea. I get that most people are unlikely to be out doing rides of that length, and the Fly12/Fly6 at least let me do my daily commute to work and back without recharging (up to 90 minutes elapsed each way). With the light on full in the Winter, I only just get to and from work on one charge, so I use other lights just to keep the camera recording. On my Audax rides I am in daylight and don't need the lights. The current firmware though actually locks me out from using the full battery life for the camera as it assumes I want to get home in the dark, even if I am riding in the middle of the day.

The scenario I am worried about it long solo rides in the middle of nowhere, and ending up in a ditch like Martin Pearson without anyone having a clue what happened. The more puzzling decision is for them to reduce the frame rate from 60fps to 30fps, in the name of saving battery. If they didn't shrink the battery they wouldn't need to be saving it.

So my fly6CE can be run with an external battery pack. I used it once.. it worked great. It's not waterproof I know but it worked perfectly. I just tucked a little ext battery pack in my saddle bag. Can the new ones do that? What happens if it rains? I dunno.

And believe me I understand your concerns. I'd never ride on the road without a camera after experiencing QLD CTP system. And the Pearson example which was as we all know the stuff of nightmares. I'm really intrigued by the Garmin Varia Radar. I don't think it would be work around town but on country roads would be intriguing.

[jasonc]

The problem is it's 5 hours new. that's with the light off most likely. with the light on you're down to 3-3.5. as the battery degrades over it's life, I would have to charge it before every commute...

[queequeg]

So my fly6CE can be run with an external battery pack. I used it once.. it worked great. It's not waterproof I know but it worked perfectly. I just tucked a little ext battery pack in my saddle bag. Can the new ones do that? What happens if it rains? I dunno.

And believe me I understand your concerns. I'd never ride on the road without a camera after experiencing QLD CTP system. And the Pearson example which was as we all know the stuff of nightmares. I'm really intrigued by the Garmin Varia Radar. I don't think it would be work around town but on country roads would be intriguing.

The issue with the Fly12CE and Fly6CE design is that opening the cover to plug the USB-C Cable in actually exposes the memory card and allows water in. It's probably not a huge issue on my commuter bike, as I have mudguards front and rear, but it would be a no-go on the road bike (which is the one I am usingon tge long solo rides), and even worse on the gravel. My last ride like that, the camera was encased in mud. Maybe this an argument for a magnetic interface or something, or for a charge port design that does not compromise the innards of the camera when charging on the go.

The Varia is certainly a nice idea. I am not sure how it would work in a practical sense. It would depend on how much notice you get of an approaching vehicle.

[Comedian]

So my fly6CE can be run with an external battery pack. I used it once.. it worked great. It's not waterproof I know but it worked perfectly. I just tucked a little ext battery pack in my saddle bag. Can the new ones do that? What happens if it rains? I dunno.

And believe me I understand your concerns. I'd never ride on the road without a camera after experiencing QLD CTP system. And the Pearson example which was as we all know the stuff of nightmares. I'm really intrigued by the Garmin Varia Radar. I don't think it would be work around town but on country roads would be intriguing.

The issue with the Fly12CE and Fly6CE design is that opening the cover to plug the USB-C Cable in actually exposes the memory card and allows water in. It's probably not a huge issue on my commuter bike, as I have mudguards front and rear, but it would be a no-go on the road bike (which is the one I am usingon tge long solo rides), and even worse on the gravel. My last ride like that, the camera was encased in mud. Maybe this an argument for a magnetic interface or something, or for a charge port design that does not compromise the innards of the camera when charging on the go.

The Varia is certainly a nice idea. I am not sure how it would work in a practical sense. It would depend on how much notice you get of an approaching vehicle.

There are some excellent demonstrations of the Varia in action by GPLama and DCrainmaker on YT. After watching them I think it would be worthwhile. Unfortunately I don't have a head unit new enough to support it which has to be dealt with first.