Ditch the light and make the unit more compact & less expensive, cyclits have usually already got lights on the bike don't need another one thxs. First camera I have seen with somewhat decent battery life at last!
I really appreciate the review of the camera and its capabilities. I have owned some Cycliq products in the past, it's unfortunate that this companies support center it total garbage. Every time I've had a problem with a camera that fails, they tell me to just buy a new one, even if it were under warranty or just slightly out. No repairs, just buy a new one. No trade-in, just buy a new one. Also, to show how poor the support is, they told me I can have a 10% coupon for a new one, even though two days prior I received an email stating a 20% discount. It appears that they do not care about the end user, and just want to up their sales. Yeah, great product idea. It has come a long way over the years from the original, but the company support or lack there of has driven me away from using them. It's a shame. Again, thanks for a really nice review. Top notch.
Just out of interest, when were your interactions with the company support channels? This video is almost 12 months old and at the time Cycliq told me they'd already made significant changes to their customer support model.
Great review as always. One thing though regarding flash... I always use flash during the day, as it definitely makes me more visible in daylight. At dusk I switch over to steady, as flash is annoying not only to other road users, but to me as well.
I'm happy that these products exist! Almost on every ride, a driver (even cyclists and pedestrians!!) is turning without checking. These especially happen on weekends when people are drunk, high or weekends are the only days they sit behind a vehicle.
I don't think I've ever seen a product that gets so many negative reviews from REAL owners about the failure rate and abysmal customer service. I actually ordered one of these mainly based on this review and Shane's statement that Cycliq have improved their customer service. I hope I'm getting in at the start of a new era of good customer service from Cycliq. I film a lot with a GoPro 7 Black and I'm really looking forward to something that can film a whole ride without changing batteries 4 or 5 times. The dashcam feature is also what I'm after as I invariable have my GoPro turned off (to save battery) when a traffic incident occurs.
I've been using it on every road ride for 12 months. Its been reliable and I've had no major problems. Battery life with the light on flash is very good (8 hours easily). Minor problems are: The cover over the ports and sd card is a really nasty piece of rubber that is hard to open and hard to close properly. I get condensation on the inside of the light screen after riding in the rain. It usually clears up a a few rides in dry weather but it doesn't inspire confidence that the product will have a long lifespan. There is also something weird in the software when it is charging - it doesn't properly show the charging status on the screen and when it is full (red light goes out) the charging screen usually shows something well less than full charge. Turn it off then on and the screen displays full charge. There have been no software updates since purchase.
@@davidr1431 I've been using this device for every ride for over 12 months now and its been 100% reliable. The video quality is just acceptable as a "dash cam" but the dji action 4 would be a hell of a lot better IMO. Battery life is the issue for me. The DJI has a much better battery life than the GoPro's I used to use but still not good enough for all day rides. So, if like me you want the ability to capture a traffic incident and want to be sure the camera is always working, then the Cycliq is a no brainer. The fact it has a good light built in is a real plus. If you want to record videos of you screaming down your favourite mountain, then get the DJI.
Cycliq’s technical support default response was always to blame everything else first. Oh its the SD card, its your phone etc etc. Have a first gen Fly 12 that is a paperweight now!!
Hmmm too many comments raising issues with after sales service. Makes me think twice about buying a Cycliq product. After sales is crucial with these increasingly complex devices. Surprisingly Garmin are best in class for after sales and warranty service.
@@CG-99 Cycliq's support is really bad. You can only hope you never need a replacement battery... and those failed often. I'd more or less happily pay the price for the Sport even if its tech is outdated if the service was great. But it's not.
I went through very erratic operation with a Fly12. After many emails to try resets, different SD cards, etc. with no improvement, in frustration I sent it back to them and eventually got a replacement. Then my Fly6 also stopped working, I am not bothering with Fly products any more! Reasonable products in use but not durable.
Good that the Sport now actually turns off and thus (hopefully) doesn't keep draining the battery when it's not in use. The display seems neat, when hidden in the silicone case and with the light turned off, it was hard to tell if the CE was running or not. The CE's front light also was too bright even at low setting, which made me not use it anymore after a while (because I'm not a dick and it felt like it violates German law). In other videos I've seen, image stabilization was much worse than here. Or basically nonexistent - maybe it was actually turned off because HDR was automatically turned on with the resolution set to 1920x1080p30fps? Still, even when it's working, the Fly12's EIS isn't really good. Annoyingly, Cycliq keeps marketing the Sport as 4K capable, probably because the vertical resolution is 2160p. But 4K means at least 3840 horizontally by every definition, so no, not even close. And that's at just 24fps. Action cams like the GoPro already did real 4K@60fps years ago (with higher image quality, granted with lower battery time) and a HERO8 is cheaper today. Yeah, different purpose, still I can't ignore the already outdated tech on a new device. Image quality in general seems to have improved slightly vs the CE, but it's still comparatively grainy and the white balance still sucks. As pointed out in the video, especially when your use case is commuting early or late, you won't be able to read number plates even with extra lighting, which is kind of pointless. Because it's not an action cam, I could ignore other deficiencies, but this is THE ONE THING it should get right. And there's enough room for a sufficiently large chip. Let's not even talk about the app. Overall, also considering Cycliq's awful support, the Fly12 Sport should honestly be $200-250 max. I hope they at least resolved the failing battery issues that plagued the CE - I'll keep mine until it eventually fails. I really wish there was more competition...
Two things: 1. you lost me with not using flashing light mode. Studies have shown that a flashing light catches more attention than a steady light. Car headlights are meant to illuminate the road and day-time running lights just to offer a bit more visibility for other drivers. The difference is that a bike is a much smaller profile and drivers already don't pay attention on the roads, so using a flashing light on your bike enhances the chances of being seen while riding. My experience on the road bears this out. I've approached a side street where a car comes up to pull out and I've seen the drive look my way as they are rolling and pause because they see my light. In contrast, when the battery on my headlight has died I've seen the exact opposite reaction in the same scenario with drivers. They may see me, but they are more often than not ready to try and dart out. 2. Cycliq has some of the worst customer service I've had the pleasure of dealing with, coupled with unreliable hardware. I had a tail light that was just out of warranty, which had been well taken care of, and frankly, not used regularly (b/c of battery life and finicky operation). When the unit seemingly died I contacted the manufacturer and they offer was 20% off a new unit. Other cycling-related manufacturers, when I've had an issue, have gone out of their way to get things figured out for me so I could walk away happy. They can refine these all they want, but between these two things and limited battery life... I'll be staying away. PS- I just want to add that this is in no way a criticism of Shane or his review. I appreciate his take on the camera and appreciate the time he puts into making these videos and reviews for all of us. Likewise, if others have good luck with the Cycliq family of hardware, more power to ya.
Flashing mode is VERY distracting. I love to use DRLs which maps to most light's low level. One thing that you don't want is for a driver to come flying at you because of a well known effect which causes people to migrate to a flashing object.
My wife has used two previous Cycliq front cameras and switched to GoPro when our last Fly12 died. The pulse mode for the light is s US thing - anyone with much experience riding on US roads and US drivers would understand why we cyclists in the US use pulse (or flash).
Flashing lights are fortunately illegal in Germany. Misplaced super bright front lights are bad enough, no need for epileptic seizures on top. Car drivers are so bad, they'd also miss a flashing light as they're not looking left or right at all.
Great video. I have an older Fly 6 rear light/ camera unit. Contrary to your customer service experience with Cycliq I found them to be exemplary replacing the the unit I was having connectivity issues with without question, Great service. Cheers Ian
Great review! I do disagree with you on the flashing mode. As you said it is distracting, I would say it is enough distraction for you to be seen when so many drivers just don't see you as if we are invisible. I hate when I see a motorcycle in the daytime with a flashing head light but ya know, I saw him and that's actual function of it.
Need garmin to come out with this to complement their varia rear camera and I’d be all over it. Too many horror stories of there battery dying outside of warranty and very little customer support has made me not wanting to be bitten also. Nice review Shane
I got mine when it first was released and used for about a month. Would agree with your assessment, Shane. Sadly, the color of electric car license plates here in Korean is not as clearly visible as Australian license plates. For night riding I have a separate 1600lumen light as compliment to the fly 12 sport.
Thanks for posting a thorough review of this new version (DC Rainmaker reviews don't seem to be the newer model). I've been using the original Fly 12 and the Fly 6[v] almost every day for years commuting on roads and recreation rides on weekends including rough MTB terrain. They continue to work great, but I also actively manage the health of my SD cards via my laptop and occasionally factory reset and reload the firmware when there is a problem (very rare). I don't use the app interface, which has never worked without issues. The new hardware definitely has improvements (never needed the brighter light, etc.).
Awesome - looks like I am going to order one but now waiting for their black flyday sale and hopefully getting a deal. I am fine with the lower light as will use this as either a daytime running light or a backup if riding at night
Thanks for the great review, having done a bit of additional reading that’s included reading company Trust Pilot reviews which are concerning, think I will stick with my Go Pro set up and independent front light. Hoping Garmin comes up with an equivalent product.
I ran my previous model fly12ce today. 3 hours no light. Battery down to under 40%. Unit purchased mar 21. Let’s hope the new one outlasts this. Can’t hose $500 every two years.
Sincerely appreciate the marginal upgrades, but for those new to Cycliq, these are my real concerns: MOUNTS: After breaking 4 handlebar mounts and 2 gopro mounts though, hopefully this new handlebar mount doesn't snap as easy. The GoPro mount looks exactly the same though. I highly advice folks to tether it and if traveling, bring a backup mount or duct tape. Flew to Mallorca only to have another mount snap when installing. Had to duct tape it to the bars which was not ideal for your lifetime trip. LONG TERM BATTERY LIFE: The long term battery life lasts a convenient 13 months for me while the warranty is 12. The daily battery life is excellent. The only thing in the same arena to this is the Ghost XL camera. I've had to end up just buying a new one every year as soon as the warranty is up (so convenient haha). I've now owned 3 because I couldn't replace the battery. I understand how keeping it from being replaceable probably saves weight, space and waterproofing capability, but unfortunately I can't afford to have this camera be a $350 yearly subscription service. STILL: This camera is excellent removing those two things. Yes the app is pretty much useless, so don't even worry about it not working. Just consider it there to help you set it up initially, the way you like it and that's it. For footage, taking the card out and getting a card reader is hands down going to make your life better. Don't bother trying to wirelessly upload either haha. I'm not critiquing these though as these features just really don't matter so why knock the camera for it? The image quality is way better than the Ghost XL which is the only camera in the same battery life league of 8-9 hours. If you don't train outside for 9-15 hours a week, the battery may last you longer than my single season use.
I know there have been / are issue with certain mount options and the old mount, but I've mounted the CE on an out front aluminium alloy Garmin mount (from K-Edge) and I think I could do downhill without breaking it.
My fly 6 ce went bad because the controller chip attached to the battery failed. They were unable to provide any replacement parts, only offered me a discount on a new one.
Trully a nice review. Long time Fly 12 CE user and it serves what it supposed to but I always find it's dark area is too dark, Fly 12 Sport seems like solved this issue.
I don't know if this is going to jinx it or not, but I've got the original Fly 6 which is still working well and the battery still lasts for around 4-5 hours. I've had no issues with it, I'm guessing I was given a good one. 😀
I find the Incident Mode on my 2nd gen Fly 12 is so bad that I have to disable it. Maybe the roads here in Florida are extra poor or perhaps I can't ride a bike properly, but the thing turns itself off after almost any bump. Especially the one at the end of my own driveway. However I don't worry about losing footage because I swapped the microSD card for a larger one. If I end up in a ditch and no one finds me for a while the thing will run out of battery before overwriting the video of the accident.
Thanks for posting this, as ever really useful facts and stats. I received mine a couple of weeks ago and have still to use it because I'm waiting for my birthday 😇. But I've read the user guide and one thing I already love is the function that is no longer there, Cycliq appear to have removed the home safe function which is a great improvement, it drives me mad that my Fly 12 and Fly 6 turn the camera off with 12% battery left even though I have all lights disabled, so effectively reducing useful camera battery life by 12%. Like you said the Fly 12 is more of a saftey camera rather than a Go Pro which is superior for footage so it makes sense to lose that feature. Thanks again.
@@JonWrightson ys, I have been riding in the rain several times. They are not waterproof, but they are water resistant. Have not had any trouble with water at all.
I'd love to purchase one, but the thought of it bricking in a year makes me hesitate. I don't want to have to fight with a customer service rep regarding its issues.
Give me a gopro and a separate light. Nice to have a specific unit for the bike but a separate units gives you better output of each and functionality to use elsewhere. I use a gopro session 5 (with battery extender) and hero 7 silver on my bike and they have been great to report close passes, also pretty cheap these days but still give the required output.
Nice Review, but one thing I would add... If you throw your iPhone in the bin, and get a decent Android devce running USB Type-C, you can just connect the Fly12 CE even to the phone using a type-c to type-c cable, download a clip (or just open the clip in gallery), open it in whatever app you have which allows you to take snapshots. I only tried with with the Fly12 CE as I dont own the sport, but my Samsung phone can see the 512Gb SD Card open the video clips play them back and in gallery app (comes with Android) I can take snapshots and even do minor video edits like cropping or exporting just a part of the video. When iPhones finally decide to get with the times and change from the stupid lightning connector to something more universal you might be able to do the same so long as Apple dont block the feature which they 99% will.
I've been pleased (enough) with mine. Battery life seems to track with your tests - and I have used mine on pulse and it does match up to what they claim. I'm using a MacBook Air, M1 2020 (OS Monterey) and I don't have to take out the SD card to access footage. Totally agree with you on the ANT+ - not having it synched to my 830 is a miss
As your recent experience with Cycliq, Shane, and many others (e.g. see comments in DCRainmaker reviews) their products work for perhaps a year before becoming unreliable or failing completely. That then seems small beer when you go through the absolutely appalling customer service. I got through two Fly 6 and two Fly12 units over four years. The final straw was my recent new Fly 12CE failing after just two months. Then two months of emails, questions, answers, photos, hours of my time carrying out multiple failed suggestions, Cycliq finally sent me a replacement. I fired it up.....the video was unusable....I purchased a new unit but they sent me someone else's failed unit. Unbelievable. Never again. Slick marketing, appalling reliability and customer service. Buyer beware.
I had a very similar experience. Emails back and forth with almost useless instructions. Had 2 rear units and a front unit. I got 6 months out of my fly12ce. They blamed my malfunction on the quality of my sd card WTF. anyway probably won't get another despite this review. Gplama should follow up with a 6 month RV
Different experience here. Have 2 of the 1st gen Fly12 still going strong 7 years later. I DIYd a red light lens on one to use as rear light. Both cameras look fairly beatup having fallen off bikes when mounts broke and had a crash on the MTB.
Great product however when you contact support it was not a great experience. The issues I encountered they blamed me for the issues and that their product is flawless. I still use it but when I go to replace it will move on to another solution
14:30 The unit is interfering with the Wahoo compass (orientation), not with its GPS. I believe, as soon as you start riding, the orientation will be good.
I run flashing lights because my experience is that I notice/see cyclists better if their lights are flashing, whether I'm driving or cycling. We have a lot of deep shadows from trees that cyclists disappear into if they don't have lights. The other factor is that a steady light drains a battery much faster than a flashing one. Cycliq sent me data for the Fly 12 Sport: camera + no light = 7 hours, camera + high pulse = 5h 15min (I use high flash, hopefully about the same battery life) camera + high solid = 3h 45min (camera at 1440p@30fps with EIS off, YMMV of course)
I can’t see the rubber battery / usb cover sealing well after several uses, good hardware design is more important than resolution and fps IMHO. Put me off getting one now ☹️
Omg! First ever Cyclic device that has Shane’s tick of approval! I note that there was no mention of Firmware updates. So guessing you either didn’t need to do one, or they’ve finally fixed that bug bear?
It's worth pointing out that the Sport loses a couple of useful features from the CE - there's now no alarm (it goes off if the bike is moved, when set in the app) and it doesn't adjust automatically for orientation.
I still have PTSD from 2018 when I bought the fly 12 and 6. The 12 was soo glitchy and terrible I returned it within 2 weeks, to this day it’s the worst piece of equipment I’ve ever bought in my 48 years of life. Hopefully this one works though.
A comparison of this with the new GoPro 11 mini would be good. No light on the GoPro of course but a comparison of 2.7k performance, battery life, incident detection, etc. As someone who 99% of the time rides in daylight only I'm as curious about recording battery life comparison for the 2 and in particular if the GoPro Mini can compete at e.g 2.7k.
@@paceline Yes, but it also doesn't have always on front and rear screens. Battery life is supposed to be considerably longer than the full GoPro. Just how long in e.g 2.7k / 30 is the key to whether it will perform as a bike camera to replace the old session.
@@stephenbetley9596 not sure if the new GoPros have improved massively recently in the battery life area? But… best I would expect from my couple year old GoPro would be kind of 2-3 hours max? Thinking that’s a super generous number.
@@darrenhaines1 As I mentioned. The mini has no front/rear screens which are a major resource drain. GoPro themselves have said that battery life for the mini would be proportionately better despite smaller battery. I'm still hopeful of 4-6hrs at 2.7k/30 for the mini. No real world testing available due to their optimisation delays.
My main issues with Cyliq are the goddamn awful plastic mounts they use (even on a £300 light) - The desktop editing app is half built and doesn't do much. The battery life is the strong selling point - I can't believe other manufacturers haven't entered the safety camera market - but most focus on a 4k image quality and give you 90 minutes battery life. Fair review though - but I won't be buying until they put a more sturdy bracket on.
Great review.. im ordering me the Cycliq fly 12 Sport and for the rear im going with the TOOO cycling DVR80.. fun fact to flashing light: in germany they are not allowed not just because they are annoying and distracting but also because you cant really pin the speen from a distance with the lights flashing.
Cycliq products have been so unreliable for me any my friends. Plus their customer support to the US sucks. We need to wait a full 2+ for response and their support has been so lackluster.
Do not buy this piece of shit,my rear light lasted a year, my front light doesn’t even take charge anymore.so don’t waste your money..ps my one was the last models..Wait for a year or two see how they last, probably the same as mine
A non flashing light can get lost amongst the car lights. When driving at night the flashing light lets me instantly know it's a bike from further away.
CYCLIQ=Absolute rubbish! Mk 1 - okayish but weighed a ton, battery poor. MK 2 - first one failed within a few weeks. Convoluted warranty process to return to an EU processing centre. Took 4 weeks to get a new unit which promptly failed within 4 months. Battery poor. Lesson learnt: separate lights and GoPro. Just works👍
I find it difficult to switch on & off with gloves on, also I have a commute where I want to turn the light from flashing to constant when entering through a park that has no lighting, however, I tend to press the lock clip button, when trying to do this. The light change and lock clip buttons are too close together.
They flips the side the camera was on! Interesting - I wonder if that aligns to the button changes or it's a usability change. The camera is now closer to the cars in the US but further away in AU.
I have been using the fly12 CE now for almost 2 year's daily. It does what it's supposed to do. But the biggest problem I have with it is that after a few months I could not get the device to connect to the app. Tried everything to get it to work, even after contacting cylicq customer support. The other problem is that I can't get the firmware to update. It always says that it's not connected to my pc when it is. Other than that it's a good device. New one a bit to expensive for me though
As annoying as flashing lights on bikes are when Im driving. I've had way more near misses when in solid mode versus flashing. I might be more distracting, but at the very least if I'm distracting you, it means you noticed I'm there.
Great review. How is the battery quality? I've had the original Fly12 and Fly12CE and both batteries died completely with charge hold dropping rapidly over time. I had the same issue with the Fly6CE and the Fly6[V]. In short, none of my Cycliq cameras are usable at the moment.
Not something I can really test/comment on after only having the unit for a few weeks. We'll only know once these have been on the market for a few months/years.
This is exactly what puts me off buying one. If it had a replaceable battery it wouldn't be a problem, but non replaceable battery makes the unit effectively disposable and for the price I think that's not acceptable.
That would be nice if they could actually connect with the mobile phone that to me would help a lot also to connect to your iPad since everything is wireless
How reassured were you by Cycliq when they stated they have changed “staffing and procedure” with their customer service? Not going to highlight my issues with them, as there are already enough comments by other viewers. Excellent review!
Get a GoPro and real lights. Don't waste your money. Cycliq is by far the worst Company I've ever GIVEN money to. I have both their last gen headlamp and their third gen taillight. The latter fried from getting wet before it was one month old.. That's right. A ride in the rain broke the tail light cam. I seriously doubt they've gotten any better because they ignore customer service requests. The headlight/cam can't last more than an hour before dying. Neither has a user-serviceable battery. Add to that the piss-poor battery life, HORRIBLE excuse for a return policy, substandard lighting modes/brightness and you have a waste of material and your hard earned cash.
My FLY12 CE is great. However i despise the huge gap in battery life between it and their rear cam fly 6 offerings. 7 vs 4 (on a good day). tsk tsk. Thx Shane. -U10
9:21 Please let me know how you managed to get a CE with that kind of picture quality. I don’t know how many CEs with with poor image quality (and no audio) I returned before realizing they wouldn’t be able to send me a good unit. At best it looked like upscaled 240p. I actually took a chance and ordered a Sport, which I’m very happy with so far.
I would like the ability to give a verbal command to either turn on, take a single image or video like GoPro has. Trying to mess with a wifi app takes too much time.
Fly12 Pro soon? Looking at grabbing the Fly6 Pro since it’s been awhile since I have been really captivated by cycliq products. The OG weren’t bad until they were just duds 😔
I have the previous version. I get terrible GPS interference when I mount my OG Bolt with the camera on an undermounted go pro mount. This seems to be a known problem and down to a lack of shielding on both products. Did you notice this on the new unit? (On the old one the GPS accuracy jumped to about 20m rather than its normal 3m). Edit. Just got to that but in the video!
Have to disagree on the flashing lights. My main fear on suburban streets is cars pulling out on me from a side street, so a flashing light is my way of getting their attention.
Hmm the battery life seems fantastic, but the quality, especially at night seems much worse than my Sony X3000. I keep checking every new camera that comes out (like the latest GoPro, etc), but I am so far always disappointed with night time stabilization. Still, if you mostly ride during the day and quality isn't the highest priority, the battery life and set & forget nature of this device might be idea. (I have the Cyclic Fly 6, and I like that it beeps to let me know it's still working without having to stop and check the battery).
I've got the old Fly12 and have gone through a number of Fly6 units. As far as customer support is concerned, I thought it was excellent. I bought a new Fly6, and it failed after a few months. I walked it back into them (they are based in Subiaco) and they swapped it out on the spot. The new unit then died a short time later - I walked that back in and they swapped it straight out.
After two years my Fly6 quit working @ the price it was thought a repair would be available. This is why I won’t buy another Fly as unrepairable unless something has changed.
I have a Cycliq Fly 12 CE and 5 seconds after turning it on it turns back off again. I’ve tried everything including factory reset/default and nada. Battery shows 100% charge too. So…. I’m perplexed. Oh well.
Had the same problem. Swapped card with card that came with new 12 sport bought to replace it.. and now it no longer turns off! Had a 128gb card in it and put the 64gb card in the CE. See if swapping cards works. 🤞🏿
Shane great review, I am new to cycliq and have just recently got one, purely as a bicycle dashcam, I have seen red laser lines in some vids, how do I enable this or is it not an option on the sport?
I believe you are referring to the Tramlines. it is something you can add to a recording after the event. In the CycliqPlus mobile app it is in settings "Tramline" in the desktop App it is in "Create" and "Tramline overlay".
Shane. There's no mention about how accurate the device is at keeping correct time (and date). The Fly12CE loses it's time very quickly and it's necessary to sync the time before every ride which I find a pain. Has this been improved?
I didn’t sync the date and time after daylight savings here in the US. It wouldn’t sync my Strava data because of this on last nights ride. Hoping it works on my next try after syncing to the app.
