There is a wide YouTube community of cyclists who use an action camera to capture their commute and at times where they may have negative interactions with other road users.  I’m sure most cyclists have been overtaken a bit closely or had other problems when on the road.  An action camera can be a good way to capture evidence, should anything happen to you and there be no witnesses.

I use my ATC2000 for this purpose.  I bought it because I had a few scary experiences with buses and when I went to the bus companies (and Police) to complain I got mucked around and wasn’t taken seriously.  Since getting the camera, I think there are times when the ATC’s size comes into play.  It’s quite noticeable, so hopefully makes people think twice.  In other situations, when people don’t realise, it can help when making a complaint.  Before I had the camera, the odd complaint I did make fell on deaf ears.  I emailed both companies copies of the footage below and within 24 hours I had an apology.  The video on the left does have a bit of bad language!

Thankfully, these were near misses, but had they not been and I had been hurt they would of been fantastic evidence with both the Police and for insurance companies.

Other Uses?

Don’t feel you have to use your ATC camera just to capture bad driving, you could also use it to capture rides and it can be fun to capture fast down hill descents on film – or use it to film parts of your holiday when abroad.

How can you attach an ATC to your bike?

When cycling there are two main options for how to attach it to your bike.  These are on the handlebars or on your helmet.  You do get a collection of straps, so you could in theory find new and imaginative places to stick it (such as your seat post, or forks).

Helmet Method

If your attaching your camera to your helmet, the best way I found is to put it on the side like this:

This uses the larger strap to go around the air vents in my helmet.  You may wonder if it’s uncomfortable, and having the straps there isn’t.  I can’t actually notice them being there, so it is okay.  You may notice the weight from the camera after a few hours though, but for the amount of time you can record on any of the ATC cameras at a higher quality you shouldn’t start getting big neck muscles because of it.

The other location on your helmet, which Oregon suggest, is on the top like this:

I did this to begin with, but found that I got too much sky, so I moved it down and it was okay when going forward….but if you looked left or right it would point back up to the sky.  By having it on the side you do get a better perspective.

Handlebar Method

The other popular way to use an ATC when on a bike is to attach it to your handlebars.  You get a clamp to do this and it does secure it well.

The upside of this is you can a smooth video and you won’t get motion sickness if you turn your head a lot….however, you also loose some of the side of the video (and if using it for commuting may miss close overtakes and people pulling into you from the side).

Fancy one?

Check out the rest of the site to see what action cameras there are in the ATC range.  Feel free to email me with any questions.