Interesting Bike Stuff

Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,590
625
I liked the penny farthing and the action camera.

Are you still using your spy glasses?

I thought they did a pretty good job for the money.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AndyBike

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,812
3,150
Telford
I liked the penny farthing and the action camera.

Are you still using your spy glasses?

I thought they did a pretty good job for the money.
I have nothing/no one to spy on yet. They're not so good on my main bike because I'm in a leaning forward position and the glasses point slightly downwards, so it hurts my neck to point them high enough; however, I've started using my other bike now, which has a more upright riding position, so I'll try them again.
 

Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,590
625
I have nothing/no one to spy on yet. They're not so good on my main bike because I'm in a leaning forward position and the glasses point slightly downwards, so it hurts my neck to point them high enough; however, I've started using my other bike now, which has a more upright riding position, so I'll try them again.
In that video you put up of the ride from the top of Station Road, down to the shops, the video quality was good enough to easily read business signs and other stuff. There was a huge amount of information in the clip.

I think the tiny camera in the glasses was pretty good for the money, if you could power it longer than the button cells will last.

I feel a project coming on for the use of another disposable vape battery I salvaged from the pavement last week-end. This one is only 350 mAhrs not 500 like the one i picked up last year and put in my LED pocket torch, but it would run the spy glass camera for a while longer than the tiny cells it must have inside the frames. It would need to be cannibalised though to get the camera and fit it into a better package. I'm assuming the spy glass electrics would run at the voltage of a single Lithium cell.

The waste of good lithium cells in those single use vapes is a crying shame. Millions are thrown away all the time after one charge cycle. Big Clive on youtube, did a video on them and the one he was examining was rated for 300 charge discharge cycles.

 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,390
3,234
I wouldn't buy a GoPro 8, because lens cover replacement is fiddly - with GoPro 7 and others, you simply turn to replace a scratched or broken lens cover, rather than an inset:


 

AndyBike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2020
1,391
592

Az.

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2022
2,045
903
Plymouth
I'd say these are your best value brakes currently on the market for price and stopping power in a range of conditions
Shimano MT501/MT520
  • Brakes are set up EU-style with front brake on the left, rear on the right. These can easily be swapped using a 8mm spanner.
Is bleed kit is also required?
 

AndyBike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2020
1,391
592
Naw you should be ok. more often than not just swopping the levers over doesnt require a bleed.

Probably the reason I prefer Hope. Bleeding them requires a spanner and 12" of plastic tubing/small coke bottle, and thats it.
 

Az.

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2022
2,045
903
Plymouth
Naw you should be ok. more often than not just swopping the levers over doesnt require a bleed.

Probably the reason I prefer Hope. Bleeding them requires a spanner and 12" of plastic tubing/small coke bottle, and thats it.
I have old gen Deore XT brakes on my MTB. Probably not worth upgrading to new XT or XTR, but it would be nice to upgrade brakes on my sons bike. On another hand it might make more sense to buy entire new bike.
 

AndyBike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2020
1,391
592
Black Friday getting closer and shops like Merlin cycles are very good for deals on things like brakes. Might find them cheaper still.
 
Last edited:

Waspy

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 8, 2012
431
170
The rear view camera is a great idea, but obviously needs improvement. I would possibly be in the market for a such a product.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,390
3,234
The rear view camera is a great idea, but obviously needs improvement. I would possibly be in the market for a such a product.
Many of the cheapos will do a reasonable job of recording important details such as number plates, my circa £35 Crosstour Action 4K did... but most will fail that task in low light conditions. If you use manual settings on a GoPro 7 Hero Black, it is capable of capturing close passing number plates at night too - if there's a cheaper camera which can do that, I haven't seen it but hope to.

https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail?id=0818279023077B&categoryName=CAMCORDERS&superCatName=ELECTRONICS&title=

I'd skip version 8, because lens cover replacement is much trickier. Here's a secondhand V9 Hero Black from the Cex shop, which has a newer sensor and should do a better job in low light... but it's also larger and heavier:

https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail?id=818279025057B&categoryName=CAMCORDERS&superCatName=ELECTRONICS&title=&queryID=00D0D8D2C59C830C770DC4E608C17F80&position=1


Many cheapos use GoPro style mounts, and you could attach to the saddle rails, or the pannier rack, or elsewhere, choosing from the large variety of GoPro adapters available. For me, it's more important to have a good front facing camera. The only reason I might bring my old Crosstour Action 4K back into service, is to show how effective my handlebar mounted Oxford lollipop is at repulsing drivers, because there's nothing much to show from the front camera anymore. Here's one fleeing at the sight of my 15 inch orange lollipop waggling about alarmingly.


 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Waspy

AndyBike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2020
1,391
592
Garmin make a radar rear light thingy, that alerts you when orcs are close.

Pricey though.