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Related information about cameras and mounts, can be found here:
>>>Camera Listings<<<
>>>Camera FAQ's Here<<<
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Part One
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Mounting FAQ’s
1) Q: Is there a preferred place to mount a camera on the rear of a bike?
A: It’s just a matter of finding the right place, so it is not obstructed by a bag or light etc. You also need to have the camera mounted so your leg doesn’t knock it while pedalling. I find its better to mount it down low on the rear seat stay. I feel this gives a better view of number plates. You would need to have the camera in a case though, just in case any debris or water is thrown up by the wheel.
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2) Q: I have a GoPro and used one of the stick on mounts. I put it in the wrong place though and want to remove it. Is there an easy way to get them off?
A: Yep, been there, done that. When they stick, they are stuck. Use a blow dryer on hot and medium flow. Warm it up for approx 3 or 4 minutes, then pull on one side...slowly. Once it starts to pull away use the blow dryer for approx another 30 seconds. Then pull and repeat until it comes off. If the sticky 3M stays on just pull it very slowly off. Then by touching it as little as possible put it back on the mount. Now you can remount it and it will be just as strong. As an added security I always use a lanyard.
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3) Q: I notice with my video footage, things tend to look to further away than they actually are?
A: Calibration will depend on a lot of things. Something you would have to take into consideration are, the height of the bike, width of the bike, size of camera, where the camera is positioned on the bike, resolution of recording and lens angle etc.
The simplest thing I have found is to mount the camera so that part of the front or rear wheel is in the footage, this will give a better indication of how far away a car is.
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Calibration
Credit: Marto
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Forum member Marto has done a very good calibration, you may be able to use this information to come up with your own calibration four your particular bike and camera.
Calibration of video cameras on bicycles for car passing distance
It is hard to know or even guess how close a car passes a bike, even with a camera recording the incident. It has been stated in this forum that calibration of bike videos is needed to be more certain how close a car passed. I couldn't find any calibration description, so I made one up.
I recorded with a handlebar mounted video camera whilst passing a stationary car at marked distances. These distances were: 0.25m, 0.4m, 0.5m, 1m, 1.5m and 2m. These were marked out with sticky notes (photo below shows markings for 0.5m, 1m, 1.5m, and 2m).
I did all this on a street looping through a property development at early stages. The camera was an Otek 126, mounted on the handlebars 6cm right of the midpoint of the handlebars, 89cm from the ground. The videos were not cropped or zoomed, but they were resized.
I took snapshots from the videos at the point where the rear wheel of the car is lined up with the right hand edge of the video frame. A few features may be used as a measure of distance to the car. These ones immediately apparent are: where the bottom right corner of the video frame passes on the car (i.e. wheel arch height/half way up the car wheel); and the proportion of the right hand edge of the video frame is filled up with the car. The most consistent dimension among cars is the wheel+tyre size. Most car wheels are 15-16 inches with 60 aspect ratio tyres. The car in these pictures has 16 inch wheels, and 55 aspect ratio tyres (lucky me!). The wheel+tyre height is 62cm, and the wheel arch is 68cm at its highest point.
To compare with calibrated images, the video camera has to be in the same position and angle as it was when making the calibrated images, and the resulting video shouldn't be cropped in any way.
My hope is that cyclist may use these photos (where appropriate), or make up a set for their own camera or other vehicles (ie: Commodores, utes, or trucks). Then in our day in court, or in a police report, we can make a good estimate of passing distance based on a calibration of the video system. This gives more credibility (I hope).
I want to put videos up of each calibration distance (running forwards and reverse), but I need to learn to remove (ie blur) the number plate of the vehicle used...
You can see in the following snapshots where the bottom right corner of the video passes on the car.
25cm pass (handlebars touched mirror (very slowly!)
40cm pass:
50cm pass
1 metre pass
1.5 metre pass
2 metre pass
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4) Q: I have tightened my mount as much as I can, but the footage still seems shaky, like the mount is loose.
A: Make sure you only use a THIN piece of rubber, between the bike and the mount. If it is too thick it tends to allow the mount to move or flex. You could always use some electrical tape to protect the paint and small strips of rubber from an old tube to help with grip/dampening. Also check the connection between the camera and mount. If you are using normal Velcro, try using some 3M Dual Lock instead.
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5) Q: Does it matter if the mount sticks out a bit?
A: if you are using something like a Ram Mount, it should be fine. If you are not, then you need to keep the mount short, having any type of long arm etc on the mount will introduce vibrations because it will flex too much. Another thing to keep in mind is the position of the mount. If it sticks out and is too close to your leg, you will knock the camera when pedalling.
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6) Q: I have a Carradice bag on my bike, so I can't mount it to the seat post.
A: You could always use a Ram Mount, these things are really sturdy even when they are completely straight. You could attach it to the V section near the seat post at top of the rear seat stays. This will allow the camera to go under the bag. It will also be tucked in quite nicely, so you wouldn’t be knocking it when pedalling.
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7) Q: Is there anything other than rubber I can use to protect the paint when mounting the camera?
A: You could use some electrical tape or insulation tape instead of rubber. This will protect the paint work on your bike.
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Q: I have GoPro mounts and I find the little dome nuts keep falling out and I am worried I will lose them.A: Put a small dab of super glue on one edge of the nut or hole, and pop it back in, let it set, it will hold the nut firmly but will still allow you to take it out if needed. I also do the same for the bolts, take the bolt out of its plastic casing, then apply a dab on the head of the bolt, put the bolt back in and let it set.
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9) Q: I have a rack on my bike, is it ok to mount the camera to that?
A: If the rack is one that is fixed properly to the bike then it should be fine. If you have one that attaches to the seatpost, then I wouldn’t recommend it, because it will probable flex too much.
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10) Q: I have a Jumbo 808, what mounts are there for it.?
A: There are a few DIY mounts for the Jumbo and also the MD80 in the DIY and Third Party Mounts section. I suggest you have a look there for ideas.
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11) Q: If I have the camera mounted low down on the rear, won’t it get caught on things.
A: No it will be fine. I have mine down low and haven’t caught it on anything as yet. It also needs to be a short type of mount and not something that sticks out on an arm.
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12) Q: Which is best, helmet mount, bar mount or rear mount?
A: It depends. I find that having the camera mounted on the helmet allows me to record where I am looking. But I find that the footage is too jerky because of all the sudden head movements.
Having it mounted to the helmet may have its advantages. Things like capturing your head checks, hand signals and possibly braking. It can be a little harder to line the camera up properly if you don't have a preview screen or are using a camera with a narrow field of view. Especially if you ride a road bike and move into the drops, you might find you are only recording the road directly in front of the wheel.
As for bars or rear, both are good options. Before I had two cameras, I mainly used it on the rear, because I figured I could see what was ahead of me, but didn't always know what was going on behind me and in the event of an accident it may at least be caught on camera.
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13) Q: I have a cheap camera that has no case, I want to try and weather proof it. Is there anything I can do?
A: There is a DIY and third Party Mount section. I suggest you have a look at that for ideas.
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14) Q: The Velcro I am using on my mount does not stick very well and the camera still seems to be a bit wobbly.
A: Use 3M Dual Lock. It is far superior to normal Velcro. It will hold the camera really securely and there is no movement. It does not fray like other Velcro does after you have been using it for awhile. When you snap the two together, it holds extremely well with no movement.
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15)Q: I bought one of those external battery packs to use with my camera. How do you mount it?
A: Take a look in the DIY and third Party Mount section for some ideas.
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16) Q: I have a GoPro and can’t see anywhere to attach a lanyard to the case.
A: The GoPro comes with two back doors, one is water proof and the other has small section cut out of it. if you want to try and capture audio, use the one with the sections cut out. BUT remember to change the doors is you intend using the camera where it might get wet.
The back door can be a pain to try and figure out, it does come off quite easily, but it can be tricky the first time.
• This shows the locking lugs that are on the main case, this is where the back door bar snaps into. To remove the back door, hold the main body so the lens of the case is facing down open the door so it is straight up and down, gently apply pressure pulling away from the main body and it will pop off.
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• Attach your lanyard to the metal bar on the back door, make sure you centre it and keep it away from the lugs on the main body. Put the back door on the same way you took it off.
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• This is what it should look like once you have it back together.
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17) Q: Do I have to mount the camera facing the right way up?
A: Well most people seem to think it needs to be the right way up. But if you can’t get the camera into a decent position, you can have it on its side or upside down. Some cameras will have a setting that will allow you to have the camera on its side or upside down. If it doesn’t, then you just need to rotate it inside your editing program.
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18) Q: I have a GoPro and can’t seem to get rid of that rattling sound.
A: That rattling can be caused by different things. It maybe the camera is moving slightly inside the case, it maybe the quick release mounts or the little screws on some of the quick release mounts might be loose.
To stop the rattle when using the Chest Mount, start by making sure the screws are tight, slide the bracket off the chest mount and tighten the screws.
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• The buckle on the chest plate rubs against the plate and this can cause it make a little bit of noise. Adding some padding will stop this, make sure you add the padding under the buckle and also along the outer edge.
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• You should also have a Quick-Release/Vibration Plug. Use this on all of your quick release mounts. It stops the two parts rattling against each other.
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• Slide the ring over the thumb bolt.
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• It should look like this when it's installed correctly.
• [img]http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq10 ... el_photo/G