Sometimes You Need A Bullet

I no longer use my bullet-cam when cycle commuting. The are several reasons for this but primarily it was because it made me rather bitter. Instead of being a cathartic experience it was beginning to dominate my commuting. I never made a concious decision to stop using it but just found I enjoyed my cycling more without filming and reliving all the crap driving I see on a daily basis. On the other hand I love using it to film my cycle touring.

This does not mean that sometimes I don't wish I had it with me on the commute. Take last night for example. I was approaching a small contraflow along Bury Old Road. The temporary lights were red and there were several cars queuing. I was passing them on the inside in the cycle lane. When I was about six or seven cars from the front the lights turned green and the vehicles began to move. I glanced my right shoulder and pulled into a large space between two cars towards the front which were just starting to move off. The lane began to narrow and I moved from the inside to primary position to stop any cars squeezing past me along the 20-30m stretch of roadworks. 

Could he really not have waited to pass me?

So far so good? Well I thought so but the driver of a flash, white Merc' coupe behind me did not agree. He accelerated hard past me, jinking in at the last moment (just by the keep left sign) and forcing me into the kerbside. I obviously gave off some kind of instinctive non-verbal signal of my irritation with his driving style because he started to brake and swerve around the road in front of me in an angry, upset kind of manner. It was a pretty obvious signal I suppose as it consisted of a closed fist, held vertically and moved up and down from the wrist in a rhythmic manner. Childish I know but very satisfying all the same. He obviously thought better of it after a few seconds and carried on up the road a quarter mile or so to the red traffic lights without further trying to hinder my progress. 

When I caught up with him, he was in lane 2 and had decided to wait beyond the stop line in the 'cycle box'. There were several other cars in lane 1 and most of these drivers had been behind me at the contraflow and a few would no doubt have witnessed the incident. Anyway, he didn't notice me as I pulled alongside him. He didn't notice me because he too busy...texting. I gave a phone signal and mouthed at him to "put the phone away" - no swearing or anything rude. Well the reaction! His window came down, he started swearing and waving his fist around, calling me all kind of names under the Sun he was. Terrible language I do not intend to repeat. I made sure I had a few possible escape routes if things turned nasty but decided just to calmly ignore his rant and not sink to his gutter level.

The lights turned green and I set off. He shot past and braked hard in front of me as he went from lane 2 to a full stop up against the kerb. I easily cycled past him as he started to get out of the car. I had no plans to hang around and debate his or my behaviour. I did hear him shouting I had no right being "in the middle of the road". So then. It was my fault for blocking his progress for 4-5 seconds and not allowing him to get to the red lights just that little bit sooner. I now see the error of my ways!

I was soon up to 24 mph and he was back in his car and following behind me but there were now several cars now between us. After a half mile or so I turned off the main road into a side street as per normal on my commute. He was about to catch up and obviously saw where I went but did not choose to continue the chase. Drama over. 

Now, just think how exciting all that would have been relived via bullet cam?

Wet And Windy Mini Cycle Tour

Recently returned from a two day mini cycle tour to Merseyside. I planned a route to collect all six British Cycle Quest checkpoints for the region. I also wanted to try out my new Super-i-Cable (SIC) charging unit. The weather forecast wasn't great but it was accurate - The Wet and Windy Mini Cycle Tour!

Anyway, I got all the checkpoints, gave the SIC a good trial, cycled 119 miles, broke 1 bottle cage, had my first puncture running Schwalbe tyres in over 3200 miles, failed to rendevous with Lorenza who was doing the Manchester-Liverpool cycle ride on her Pashley, got condensation in the bullet cam, gave up trying to find somewhere to wild camp and used the credit card instead, found Haribo Super Mix is a great energy boost and, to cap it all, decided to get the train the last 20 odd miles back to Manchester because I really couldn't face any more miles of suburban uniformity, heavy traffic and crap cycling infrastructure in the cold and wet.

Still, I had a good time. The Vimeo effort really reflects the lack of filming and photography I did. It was either too wet, too windy or I was too cold. Well, Plato did suggest necessity is the mother of invention!

Pedal Power!

To go with my new SON hub I need to get a super dooper front light. I intend to go for a Schmidt Edelux in black. Here is a video someone shot cycling with this light and if that is not enough to impress you I don't know what will. I think it looks great; there are no batteries to change/recharge, it's always on the bike and ready to go, it's got German build quality (same maker as the hub) and it has mega lumens! However, there is a slight fly in the ointment. As the new hub and wheel has set me back a tidy sum and I have no real need of the light until autumn I will be waiting until until September to purchase it. I do have another use for the hub in the meantime though - gizmo recharging while touring.

Anyone who just likes cycling as a simple pleasure, an escape from the hurly burly of busy life might wish to stop reading now as I intend to talk about GPS units, mobile phones, digital cameras, bullet cams and netbooks and keeping them charged while cycling and camping. If however you like this kind of thing then stick with me while I  review the PedalPower+ (PP+) Super-i-Cable (SIC) I took delivery of last week.

Most hub dynamos produce AC current. I think most or all electronic gizmos need DC current to recharge. Something has to convert the fluctuating raw power to a friendlier steady version at the right voltage. There are a number of cycling related gadgets that do this. The main three are the: Busch and Muller eWerk, the Dahon/Biologic ReeCharge and the PedalPower+ range of cables and batteries. I opted for a PP+ SIC because it provided what I wanted at the price I was willing to fork out. The other two units I thought were better in some regards but I either didn't need what was being offered (variable voltage on the eWerk) or I could overcome the shortfalls of the SIC (limited mounting options).

The SIC is new product from PedalPower+ and essentially is a current converter that includes a rechargeable 2200mAh cache battery. The eWerk does not include a battery but offers one as an additional extra at a significant cost while the ReeCharge battery is rated at 1600mAh only. The use of a battery in the circuit is not essential for charging on the go but is useful for some items that get a bit touchy if the current stops. Using a battery means an item can carry on taking power even if you stop for a while (assuming the battery has some juice of course). It is also possible to charge the battery from the mains or a USB connection as well as an AC hub. So it can be used as charging unit in the pub/cafe plugged into a handy mains outlet or you can just charge the battery by whatever means and then recharge a gizmo in the comfort/security of your tent.

The electronic items I take touring are: a SatMap Active10 GPS, a Contour HD bullet cam, a mobile phone (a SonyEricsson at present but soon a smartphone ?model), a Nikon D5000 dSLR, a cheap battery radio and perhaps a little netbook. The dSLR has a great battery life and can go for 2-4 days of shooting stills/video before needing recharging. It requires more than the 5V the SIC battery will provide so I will have to use mains for this. Not a problem or concern as the battery charges very quickly (courtesy of the higher voltage) and I can easily keep this topped up using pub/cafe stops. A radio will give me a weeks worth of life on a couple of NiMh batteries and can run on alkalines if I need to buy any. I haven't toured with a netbook before and not sure I will yet. If I do it will be for updating the blog and storing and editing photos/video. I would be doing this mainly from the comfort of a cafe with a large coffee, free WiFi and mains access too (I have never been refused access to a mains outlet when I am buying something to eat/drink).

The GPS and bullet cam are the power hungry things I need to charge everyday. The GPS can run on alkaline or rechargeable batteries but requires three new ones every day using it conservatively and I don't like using disposable batteries if I can avoid it. The bullet cam runs for 2 hrs which is enough for a days filming but uses a propietary rechargeble battery only. The phone needs charging every 3-4 days at home but when touring needs a charge every second day. When I get a smartphone I would probably need to charge it daily. So I plan to use the SIC to keep the GPS topped up during the day and use the cache battery to charge the bullet cam and/or phone in the evening. 

The SIC unit comes in a simple box and, for UK customers, is sent from Germany. It is nicely finished with the one on/off button and LED lights on the front and an adequate little leaflet. The hub/AC cable is permanently attached underneath and from the top comes the DC cable to attach to your chosen gizmo. Included are a large number of attachable generic jacks, USB and propietary connectors for a range of items plus a cable with a bare end you could attach your own connector to. I was disappointed with the mounting option/s which sees a piddly little handlbar mount and some corresponing rails on the rear of the unit. The eWerk and ReeCharge are much better designed in this regard and also have detachable cables making it very quick and easy to remove these units while leaving the cabling in place. 

I knew I would not be using this option as my bars are as busy as I want them to be and it is just too exposed to being knocked off IMHO. Instead I moulded some Sugru over the rails on the rear of the unit and shaped this to the head tube where I can then strap it. From this position the DC connector cable comes up very nicely to my bar bag where I keep the GPS and phone amongst other things and it is also out of harms way. I shortened the AC cable and crimped some new connectors on. As I will need to disconnect these from the hub everytime I remove the SIC, I also applied some Sugru to the crimped connectors making them extra secure, water resistant and the whole end section more ergononic to handle. I wind this cable around the fork once and secure with a velcro strap top and bottom. All very quick and easy.

I have only had a couple of small journeys with it so far but it is working very well. From a fitting aspect it is very secure and does not foul any other cabling. From a weather aspect it looks well sealed but in heavy rain I would detach it from the head tube and put it and any attached gizmo into my front pannier where it can continue to charge. From a charging aspect I can keep the GPS running in high power mode (i.e. screen on all the time and updating every second rather than every four seconds) even with a flat internal battery and flat cache battery. If I use the low power mode I can begin to charge the GPS internal battery as well. I need a longer trip to really test the effectiveness of the charging and so this will have to wait till 29-30 May when I have a little 2 day excursion planned. I will post some more details again after that. Any questions in the meantime feel free to ask.

Super-i-Cable attached to head tube and DC cable going to bar bag

Super-i-Cable attached to GPS unit in bar bag

Super-i-Cable attached to head tube

AC cable attached to SON hub. Curved black end is moulded Sugru

Messing About On Bikes

I happily present the following film short - Messing About On Bikes.

Happy because I have finally found some easy to use, free editing software, that handles the MOV files my helmetcam uses and processes really quickly. Thanks VideoPad.

Any film reviews welcome but please remember it is my first attempt! 

Using A Cycle Cam

First of all I want to make clear I think cycling with a 'video' camera (AKA 'bulletcams', 'cyclecams', 'helmetcams' and 'headcams') is just a tad geeky and maybe even a little sad. However, I am also sometimes a little geeky (although rarely sad) so it kind of fits.

I have been prompted to write this post after a question from Andrew about my cam' as well as reading a  few recent blog posts by Nigel at 4 Wheels Good 2 Wheels Better, Tlatet and cyclingjim at The Low Fidelity Bicycle Club and a recent BBC news article all on the general theme of cyclecams.

I first thought of getting a helmetcam while preparing for the Pennine Cycleway ride in 2010. I had visions of making a great little web movie to demonstrate what I wonderful time I'd had and some Point of View (POV) footage would constitute just one element of my movie masterpiece. I also knew some cyclists were using cams' in the battle with other traffic and after a few close calls I'd decided to join them. The final justification for the purchase was my brother and I could use it while skiing (hence calling it a helmet rather than cycle-cam). While I did have a great time on the Pennine ride I didn't even take the cam', never mind made a movie and I haven't been skiing since I got it. I do use it while cycling locally and find it cathartic to replay and post some of the crap driving I came across. Such are the plans of men!

My ContourHD cam

So I bought a secondhand ContourHD bullet cam from eBay for about £160.00. I chose this one as it has good reviews, is self contained, robust, weatherproof and has a variety of mounting attachments. I didn't use it on the Pennine ride mainly because I found the charging and memory issues too much of a bind. With an 8Gb card I can record for about 120mins and the battery gives a similar length of time before it gives out. So on a 6 day trip I would obviously need to download the footage and recharge the battery frequently. Both things done via the same USB lead which requires a laptop or similar device plus regular mains electricity access - something I was not prepared to countenance. 

Using it locally is not too problematic as I am able to recharge it at home, save any files I want to hard drive and then format the card. It records files in the MOV format and I have found these very cumbersome to edit. I've tried the Contour edit software (very basic), Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere Elements and AVS Video Editor and struggled with them all. It is not my computer or the software but I think related to the codecs the MOV files utilize. I have hit upon a nice piece of free software called MPEG Streamclip from Squared5 which allows speedy viewing of a file as well as trimming and saving the required section but have given up trying to edit sections together for the time being. 

The mounts advertised for the cam' look impressive but not all come as standard. I got a vented helmet mount as an extra and it wasn't very good. While the mount could be secured tightly to the helmet, the camera moved on the mount and so picked up any vibrations. The mount and camera also stood quite proud of the helmet and so I ended feeling a bit like a Borg while I was cycling the streets of Manchester. Not a good look! The mount was also easily broken which is what happened in the end. I found with my current helmet I could achieve a much sleeker look with no vibration by strapping the camera directly to the helmet and so this is how I use it at the moment.

The camera does capture some good wide angle footage, is simple to use and quite weatherproof. I am generally happy with it. Would I recommend getting a cyclecam far all cyclists? Not at all. Would I recommend the ContourHD? It's good but there are a growing number of devices available and it really depends on what you plan to use it for. Horses for courses I believe is an appropriate expression!

So the main ups and downs of cycling with a cam' as I see it are:

The ups

• illustrate the generally atrocious conditions on the roads i.e crap cycle lanes, facilities, potholes, etc
• show nice scenery and great cycling to amaze your friends, colleagues, family and blog readers
• capture idiotic driving behaviour to amaze your friends, colleagues, family and blog readers
• secure video evidence to potentially enable prosecution of some of the above said behaviour

The downs

• You look like a geek
• Time consuming (charging camera, editing footage, uploading to web, mounting cam' adequately)
• £££ outlay (varies)
• Something extra to remember when cycling
• Limited power and memory for longer journeys

That kind of covers it really. If you want to ask questions feel free to do so. Thanks for reading.

Two Weeks Tomorrow!

As I write it is only two weeks until I will be packing my panniers (and no doubt unpacking various bits again) and checking the bike over in readiness for the next morning and a shortish train journey to Derby and from there the start of the Pennine Cycleway.

The preparation has been going well and I have been able to easily complete at least one 35-50 mile ride per week with full panniers + my normal commuting miles. I know the minimum daily distance I plan (50 miles) is eminently achievable and the kit is more than up to it. The only thing I won't know is how I will feel after 3 or 4 days consecutive riding? Only experience will answer that one I suppose.

The kit list is (almost) finalised. 2 Ortlieb Front Roller and 2 Back Roller Panniers will carry most of it and a an Ortlieb bar bag will carry some small/valuable/frequent use items. Here's the breakdown.

Left Front Pannier
A washing/utility line, Ortieb 3L water/shower bag (empty), Trangia stove, matches, wash cloth, fuel bottle, cutlery, bowl, cup, Swiss Army Knife and rain/wind jacket.

Right Front Pannier
Food for the next day. This will likely be weetabix for brekkie, bananas/flap jacks for snacking and noodles/risotto/pasta for tea. Tea bags and dried milk also included for morning and evening cuppas (lunch will be bought along the way). A cable lock, maps, paperback and electrical stuff completes this bag.

This balances the weight nicely and keeps the fuel and potentially wet coat away from the food, electrical kit and sleeping sac. 

Left Rear Pannier
A Vango Micro II tent (an old friend no longer in production) which although a little bigger/heavier than I would have bought just for cycling it is still more than adequate for the job. This pannier will also will house my head torch, sleeping bag and...ahem...a compressible pillow! I make no apology for this item as gone are the days when I will just roll up my sweaty clothes and make do - I am a middle age cyclist after all.

Right Rear Pannier
Various clothes (split into daytime cycling and evening camping/pubbing attire), a pair of lightweight trekking sandals, wash bag, wet wipes, small towel, toilet roll, small first aid kit, chamois cream, various plastic bags (multiple uses) and bike repair stuff including: a small foot pump and gauge, puncture repair kit, spare inner tube, cycling multi tool, electrical tape, cable ties, rubber gloves and chain lube.

Bar Bag
Notepad and pen, Nikon Coolpix 8400 camera with 4 Gb card, "Gorilla" pod, GPS, iPod/Sennheiser PMX680 sport headphones, Oakleys (if not wearing them), small sun cream, mobile, wallet and keys. On the top of the bag (in a waterproof sleeve) will be the current map. I may also have the Contour HD bullet cam in the bag but am not sure if I will take it yet. I am reluctant to wear a helmet all the time and would need to put this on to film 'on the go', the battery would need daily charging and the card would be full after 2-3 hrs recording with no option to download the data. Is it worth it? I can video with the Coolpix after all. I may just take the bullet cam, use it sparingly for sections I cannot do with the camera and when it is full it is full. Decisions, decisions!

Electrical

I have decided to take mains chargers whereas I was hoping to be reliant on a solar charger. Tests on the solar charger were not good as even on a sunny day it took 8 hrs to charge the battery and this would only then just about fully charge the mobile/iPod or instead could only make very small inroads into the GPS battery. So I have decided to take 3 chargers for the phone, iPod and camera and will use these at cafes, pubs and the like en route. I had no problem doing similar with a laptop when I travelled before and none of these items require daily charging or a huge amount of 'mains' time.

The GPS (a SatMap Active 10) is a different beast entirely. The rechargeable battery I have for this is normally good enough for a several hrs moderate to heavy use when hill walking. I found though even in low power mode when cycling (minimal map viewing, low backlight, screen off after 30 secs, position update every 4 seconds instead of 1) I could not reliably expect it to last more than 2 days and so would need to charge it each evening. As I plan to camp/wildcamp this is not really doable and so have gone with the 3 alkalines per day option instead. Even when these will no longer power the GPS they are never completely drained even so I will then further use them for a small radio.

Cycling clothing
I will be wearing something along the lines of an orange or yellow breathable short sleeve top and, if cold, a long sleeve Merino wool top under it, a pair of padded lycra under shorts and a pair baggies over them, some breathable/waterproof socks, multi activity shoes, pair of fingerless cycling gloves, a microfibre buff on wrist to wipe the sweat which can double as a headband (God forbid) if I am really leaking.

Bike
A Cateye trip computer, 3 bottles/cages and a great little "dinger" with built in compass that came with the bike and is surprisingly useful. I will also have front and rear LEDs I don't plan to use. I will bungee the helmet on the rack and use it for any technical or high traffic sections.

Now I just need to decide on some new music to take. Any suggestions for good cycling tunes?

Oncoming Cyclist

Went for a pleasure ride today. Did about 12 miles - half on tracks and half on road - and very nice too. Was able to try the camera out for the first time in daylight and came across this numpty along the way. I could see him before he is visible on the camera and there is also a car coming up behind me. What was he thinking of?

No wonder some drivers don't like cyclists. A sweeping opinion I know but it only takes a handful of bad apples to tar with a brush so to speak!

Do They Not Look?

This little clip was done 30 seconds into my first ride with a mounted video camera. I wasn't exactly hiding in the shadows - hi viz Altura "Night Vision" jacket, twin front and rear flashing LEDs + reflective strips on the bike. Didn't want to give me my right of way? Didn't see me until the last second? Tosser? What do you think?

On the plus side I am enjoying my new toy (A Contour HD camera) and quite happy with the quality of the clip considering the low light conditions. Going to play with some of the settings to see if I can get it a little better for future clips. Any tips welcomed.

Moped Menace

Bring Back Birching!

(squeaks the angry voice inside my head)

I was assaulted last week.

On my bike, cycling home from work at about 21.00hrs I was passed by two moped riders - the first quite close and the second who punched/slapped me on the helmet as he went buzzing by. I stopped and rang through the registration number to the police in case a patrol car was further up the road. When I got home I was still a bit shaken as I could easily been knocked off and injured.

Just finished making a statement to the Police and they will be off to arrest the registered keeper shortly. He will spend some hours in a cell, have his day disrupted, could be charged with or cautioned for assault, will have his driving details checked (insurance/licence/tax) and action taken on that front if needed. Quite satisfied with that really. What a tosser!

This has resulted in me getting a new toy - a bullet (point of view) camera to attach to my bike/person. After the recent incidents of almost being run of the road and now this, it could well prove extremely useful in the future. Will also be great for my bike tour in the summer and for skiing in the winter. Look out for some video coming to Middle Age Cyclist soon.