So my findings so far:
Good points:
It's a much better looking unit than the older version.
The light output is a light brighter, considerably so actually.
The view of the camera angle has also been increased.
The mounting system is also much improved and is much more user friendly.
The footage is very good and very clear.
I've had a quick response from my dealings with Cycliq so far but disappointed that they will not commit to any sort of time frames regarding sorting the app out and the connection issues.
The Ant+ connection between the camera and my Garmin is at best very hit and miss. But in fairness I'm not to fussed about that.
You can now mount it on a rack, see also bad points.
The response to the issues that I have raised to Cycliq has been very quick but see also bad points.
The editing software from Cycliq is superb, very quick and very user friendly.
The recording is on a continuous loop, so once the SD card is full it will then start to overwrite the oldest files. From experience so far, with the recording level set to the highest setting of 1080P and full HD and using a 32GB SD card it will store about two hours’ worth of riding (I have mine set at five minutes segments) before it starts to over write the oldest files. So, on a four hour ride for example, it would only have the last two hours of the ride stored on the SD card, so for arguments sake if you had had an incident in the first half an hour of riding then potentially it would be erased. However, if at the time of the incident by pressing the “Q” button it will save that current recording segment plus the preceding one as well. This effectively locks those two segments and avoids the possibility of them being overwritten and lost.
The bad points:
It no longer comes with a SD card.
Mine refuses to connect to the app via Bluetooth but you can plug it into a PC to make changes to the setting etc. But that's not the point, the feature is sold as a function and it doesn't work and it should! Plus I think there are more control options via the app than via the plugging it in a PC?
The SD slot does not have a positive engagement feel to it when you insert the SD card in so doesn't fill you with confidence.
The rubber cover that seals the charging socket and also the SD card is fiddly to get into position so that it provides a watertight seal. This rubber cover also holds the SD card in place so it's important to get it fitted correctly.
Apparently, there were issues with the battery duration but Cycliq released a firmware update at the beginning of November that has apparently rectified that problem. I’m still playing around with mine trying out the many diifent options to pass comment on that just yet.
Even with the 'stabilisation' mode turned on, there is still a lot of shake on the footage on certain types of road surface.
The speaker is now at the top of the unit, which is better in terms of being more user friendly but worse if you don't have mudguards I would imagine.
To mount the light on a pannier rack it's another £15 for the little plastic bracket.
Plus the £25 for the 32GB high speed SD card, so that's another £40 on top of the £135 you've already spent.
The two operating buttons are on either side of the unit and directly opposite each other so it's very easy to press both buttons at the same time which does a master reset.
The operation of the on/off switch is very ackward when wearing gloves because it is a very 'heavy' feeling switch if that makes sense?
Personally, I would have preferred the SD card aperture to have had its own protective rubber cover, and not share it with the charging lead. There have been reports of water ingress problems on many reviews, but its early days for me to comment. But the rubber cover isn’t the easiest to seal down so maybe the water ingress has been caused by users not fully engaging the rubber seal correctly? I would imagine that using the camera on a bike with no mudguards is just asking for trouble to be honest.
While the response from Cycliq has been very good and prompt, no one from Cycliq has been prepared to give me any idea of a time scale as to when the connectivity issues with the app will be sorted.
So, in summary, it’s fair to say that it’s the best looking rear camera/light unit from Cycliq so far, but given the silly little firmware niggles it would appear that maybe the light has been released to production to early. Which given that this is the third incarnation of this camera/light is quite surprising.
To be honest, l would return mine for a refund but I'm in to deep now with the SD card and pannier bracket purchase, all the items were purchased from different outlets hence the problem. Had I bought it all from
Wiggle for example, the lot would have been returned by now until they sort of the silly niggles. I don’t mind paying top dollar for a product providing that it performs as it should, and as advertised. But as I said to Cycliq, I am not happy paying full price and to be a test pilot for your product.
That said, I do like the look of camera/light and the footage is very clear, but I can't help but feel that Cycliq are taking the mickey with the pricing structure and the cost of the options because there are no equivalent products in the market place right now.