Cycliq Fly12 a bright idea for an action cam
This successful Kickstarter project combines a full HD video camera with a powerful LED light to help cyclists stay safe while capturing their rides.
- More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
Think of the Fly12 as a dashcam for your bike -- with a headlight.
Instead of delivering just another action cam, Cycliq, the company behind the Fly12, is targeting cyclists with a combination of a full HD camera, a bright 400-lumen LED light and a 5,200mAh battery, all wrapped up in a strong weather-proof body.
Like a dashcam, you can set it to loop record, so that you never have to worry about running out of space on your microSD card. Once your card is filled, the camera will start overwriting the oldest video. Should you capture some amazing scenery or a spectacular wreck that you want to share with your friends, family or the authorities, the Fly12 has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to connect wirelessly to your smartphone.
With the accompanying Cycliq app, you'll be able to view and transfer recordings, save 15-second clips for easy sharing, control the camera and settings, synch the time and date and add a time stamp in case of an accident, and overlay 3-foot (1-meter) tramlines to show if a vehicle breaks a 3-feet safety law. For Strava users, you can add your ride metrics to your recordings, too.
The whole package isn't much bigger than a similarly powerful standalone light, but its high-power battery can run the camera alone for up to 10 hours. You can have the light and camera running together full-time for 2 hours or switch the light to flash while recording and get 6 hours of run time.
The Fly12 is designed to be mounted either above or below your handlebars. The early build I saw was designed to be used with a K-Edge handlebar mount for Garmin devices, but the current version uses a two-prong mount that can be used with GoPro mounts. However, Cycliq is including a double-duty adapter working with both Garmin mounts and 1/4-20 standard tripod mounts.
If you're ready to buy, you can put your money down on one or more right now on Cycliq's Kickstarter for the Fly12. The current price for one is AU$329; the final retail price is expected to be AU$499. In the US and UK those prices convert to about $259 and £169, respectively. The project is fully funded, more than doubling its goal of AU$245,000, but unfortunately won't ship until November.
While you wait, the company's first camera, the Fly6, is available. That one is a 720p camera built into a red light and reflector, designed to be mounted on your seat post to capture all the action happening behind you. There's a highlight reel of crashes captured with the the Fly6 posted up on the Kickstarter page if you want to see the video quality first.