So my friend Kim sends me a link to a site where this guy shows you how to mount your camera to your bike. Great I've been checking out small cameras and helmet cams so I'm excited to check this out. I've taken my camera with me and video taped while riding but I thought with the camera mounted to my bike it would be hands free!!! Well let me tell you what happened...
First I followed the directions of the guy on the website, 2 inch bolt, rubber washers, metal washer, wingnut and one nut. I assembled everything and attached my camera. Off I went for a spin through the neighborhood. I cruised to Lake Phalen, around the lake to Round Lake, then onto the Gateway Trail. Everything seemed to be working fine except the camera was bouncing around quite a lot. I return home downloaded my video it was pretty good but kind of boring. I then decided a shorter bolt is in order.
I made my adjustments, shorter bolt and thicker rubber washer, skipped the wingnut and attached my camera to the bike. This time I decide to do a little off road riding. On Tuesday head out on my mountain bike, catch the Gateway trail heading East and grabbed the dirt trail at around the 694 underpass. I'm cruising along having a great time. Catching lots of video, at least I thought I was. I rode out to Pine Point and instead of heading South on hiway 55 as I had planned to do I decided it was so much fun riding in the dirt I would turn around and ride back along the same trail. Again turning on the camera at different times throughout the ride. What I discovered is that having a camera mounted on your handlebars leads you to be watching the camera and fiddling with it instead of paying attention to the road ahead. And as expected when riding a mountain bike off road if you don't pay attention something unexpected will happen; like a big ass pile of gravel shows up just as you take your right hand off the handlebar to make a camera adjustment. If you've ever ridden in gravel you know what happens next you lose traction and steering becomes difficult. Now imagine what that means when you only have one hand on the handlebars. You guessed it! YOU CRASH. I took a nice spill in a pile of gravel and asphalt, OUCH! And as the cartoons say #$@W*! Of course I could not crash when there is no one around to witness it, NO, I need to have an audience. I hit super hard, seeing stars and everything and these two older women, I can say older because I'm old and I'm sure they were older than me are all like "are you OK?" I say "yes, absolutely, I'm fine" as I'm seeing stars and have blood running down my left leg. And you know what really sucks??? It's not on video! Of all things, if I have to crash the least that could happen is that somehow the camera catches it, but nope, nothing on tape. I take a moment, collect myself, adjust my seat and the camera, check out my bike, get on and ride home. I get home, immediately jump in the shower and wash the gravel out of my knee, eat, have a recovery drink, and ice both of my knees. My little brother came down and put a bandaid on my boo boo.
I would say a camera mounted to your handlebars will work while riding on a paved surface but it is way too bouncy for off road riding. Plus if your anything like me it's distracting. So I'm back to searching for a helmet cam. I do think I will attach the camera for some road riding, I think it will be fun to travel through traffic on a busy afternoon.
One word of advice: keep both hands inside the ride at all times :)
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