And here's what he has: [url=http://www.tachyoninc.com/XCMicro.html]Camera[/url]. I'm getting one ASAP. I've always wanted one for [u]this exact reason[/u]. Didn't know they were ~$150ish. However, around mid vid when he was shooting through parking lots, across lanes, that's kind of a d-bag move.

It's on my X-mas list already :)

The cam is cool and a good idea but that guy needs to be a little more careful.

Yeah, dude is a definite d-bag.

First clip, he barrels through an intersection where cars are making left turns. You can see the black car makes a left turn just a second before he enters the intersection. He needs to be way more careful, even if he has the 'right of way.' Second clip, a car is backing up at night. Doesn't seem to me like its going to even enter his path, but he confronts and kicks the car anyway. Third clip, he runs through lanes in a parking lot, into the flow of traffic, and is surprised when a car starts a left turn. The truck on the 2 lane seems to give him ample room as he passes.

These are the closest encounters he has had in a year, and he seems to me to be partially or mostly at fault for all instances.

I agree that cams are a good idea. But this video for me, as a daily bike commuter and cyclist, gives us a bad name.

[quote=krazyfranco]But this video for me, as a daily bike commuter and cyclist, gives us a bad name. [/quote]

There a lot of 'riders' out there that give the rest of us a bad name. My fav are the ones who ride against traffic or on sidewalks. If while driving, I hit a cyclist going wrong way or on sidewalk, I'd be the first to jump out say, "WTF, [u]vehicle?"[/u] Ride your bike as if it were a car.

This first one, yes, he has a point.
[IMG=400X300]http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x158/endurasports/cnn5.png[/IMG]

If he gets upset about this, come visit me in Dallas. The trucks are much bigger.
[IMG=400X300]http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x158/endurasports/cnn3.png[/IMG]

Dude, you're riding at night. In the snow. With a freakin' pen light. And the car was backing up. So maybe you were about to rear-end him?
[IMG=400X300]http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x158/endurasports/cnn4.png[/IMG]

But this one is just silly. He's not even close to being in the right.
[IMG=400X300]http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x158/endurasports/cnn2.png[/IMG]

And finally . . . "Slippy...slappy...swammy...swan...swanson...swanson?"
[IMG=400X300]http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x158/endurasports/cnn1.png[/IMG]

i hear sooner runs a mean powerpoint...
;)

CNN should run sooner's post as follow up.

I may be a tri newbie but I've been using helmet cams for a while. Just be advised this is a low-res camera (VGA only) and uses lithium AAA batteries, which aren't cheap. I've got a different, HD helmet camera (which also has mounts for bikes, rollbars, windsurfer booms, etc) that I love. PM me if you're interested - I don't want to get flagged for a commercial posting. My blog tag for it is here:
http://rotorheadsblog.blogspot.com/search/label/gopro
-RH

I have a really different philosophy here... This kid seems to have a real chip on his shoulder about feeling some greater purpose in exposing "bad drivers" publicly with this contraption and maybe get some limelight in the name of educating people. Me, I don't expect drivers to be cyclist friendly or even cyclist-aware. I pretend to be a chihuahua navigating on a busy dance floor. When I ride, I don't just look at cars, I look at the drivers, see where they're looking. You can develop a sense of whether they've seen you or if whether you should watch out for their next move and be proactive in creating your own safety cushion. A camera won't do me a damn bit of good if all it does is record the manner in which I die on the road.

Truck - it was a narrow road with 1 lane of traffic in each direction with no clear lane markings. I think the truck would have endangered oncoming traffic in this case by moving further left. That's a factor I would have taken into account when I bike somewhere with traffic. City planners didn't make that road bike friendly but what are you going to do, expect all traffic to stay behind you the whole time?

+1 DeepBlueX and others. I'm pretty sure this is the case for everything: Keep your eyes open and expect that other people are stupid. If you're driving a car and someone turns out in front of you, do you stop or hit them head on? Sure it was their fault but you still have a banged up car and probably are injured. The guy in the video kinda sucks, maybe as ignorant as the people he's complaining about.

+1 DeepBlueX and others. I'm pretty sure this is the case for everything: Keep your eyes open and expect that other people are stupid. If you're driving a car and someone turns out in front of you, do you stop or hit them head on? Sure it was their fault but you still have a banged up car and probably are injured. The guy in the video kinda sucks, maybe as ignorant as the people he's complaining about.
That's not to say the helmet cam is not a great idea.

lol, the one in the mall parking lot (Sooner's second last slide!) is stupid on his part. Hopefully it makes drivers more aware of cyclists, but I completely agree with what everyone is saying. It was filmed in St. John's Newfoundland, 4 hours from me. The drivers there are completely unaware of cyclists, worse than anywhere else in the province. They need a wake up call. Whenever I ride there, I am hyper-careful (unlike dude who does seem to have a chip) but I can see why you would get a camera and try to catch people doing dumb crap. Hopefully more drivers are realising the issues in light of the tragedies we have seen this year.

Geez, I live 250yds (yes I'm lucky) from a heavily bike traveled 5 mile bike loop (probably 3 dozen cyclist a day at least) and still get idiots that pass me as close as what he's complaining about. It's not right but by no means abnormal. It really is annoying when somebody passes me when there is an oncoming vehicle but noone behind that vehicle. I mean.....couldn't you wait for 5 freaking seconds. It seems like it's always a guy in Hemi powered pickup truck driving back from his office job. The truck beds look completely clean and probably haven't hauled anything since the day it was purchased. Nice use of gas, d-bag.

[quote=Amphibious Triton]from a heavily bike traveled 5 mile bike loop (probably 3 dozen cyclist a day at least)[/quote]

That's sad that 36 bikes a day is heavy :(

[quote=TonisTri]CNN should run sooner's post as follow up.[/quote]

James Earl Jones. "This. Is CNN."
Wolf Blitzer: "For counterpoint, the resident curmudgeon from some website . . . TriSooner."
Me: "This guy's a d-bag. Back to you, Wolf."
Wolf Blitzer: "Next up, chocolate is now good for."

[quote=tri-ac]i hear sooner runs a mean powerpoint...
;)[/quote]

As you can see from slide 87, the forecast for corn futures in the Asian market is protjected to rise 2% in the fourth quarter. Next, on slide 88, the corn futures in the European market are expected . . ."

zzzzzz

[quote=TriSooner][quote=Amphibious Triton]from a heavily bike traveled 5 mile bike loop (probably 3 dozen cyclist a day at least)[/quote]

That's sad that 36 bikes a day is heavy :(

[/quote]

It's all relative. Check out our current population. :) It's the boondocks mon ami. For this size town on a measly 5 mile loop at a MINIMUM, that's enough for locals to know better. Our LBS has 50+ groups on long rides twice a week. I'm proud of our "village".

http://www.clemmons.org/

TriSooner +10 - ha ha, you crazy-meng!

[quote=TriSooner]
If he gets upset about this, come visit me in Dallas. The trucks are much bigger.
[IMG=400X300]http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x158/endurasports/cnn3.png[/IMG]
[/quote]
Texas or not, that truck is TOO CLOSE. I'll wager his state has a 3-foot rule. That looks like a mirror smack to the back of the head to me.

Edit: I've been mirror'ed on the elbow on a similar road. I ended up on my azz in the gravel.

[quote=ChadTM]I've been mirror'ed on the elbow on a similar road. I ended up on my azz in the gravel. [/quote]

It is too close. That gets a finger and a chase, with me praying for him to get stuck at a red light so I can ask him if he has any Grey Poupon?

Sooner, I'm going to hire you to be my defense attorney when I get arrested for beating the windows out the next car that runs me off the road. Honestly though I think it is sad that of all of the cyclists out there this kid got a spot on CNN. His cases were not that bad (except getting passed by that truck) and he does bike like a jackass. It's dangerous out there and I think a helmet camera might be a good thing to show these motorists exactly what we are up against and how inconsiderate they are. That being said I do get off the road when cars are coming and it is going to be a tight pass and I don't run/ride on roads that have no shoulder and high traffic.

I used to throw up the finger until I had a instance with a car that thought my finger was SO offensive that they would then run me off the road two more times (I was running at the time), throw garbage at me and yes actually flash a gun. At that point I called the cops. Of course they never found the car despite having 3/4 of the plate number, description of the passenger and and the car. I'm still looking for a newer white Honda with blue lights under it, MT plates, driven by a couple of "gang sta's" so I can give it four flat tires in the parking lot. You've got to love tolerant people.

Yeah, I agree. My first reaction to the video was that the guy on the bike was a dumbass looking to create situations good for the video concept. Even in the first clip in the video, from the cycler's perspective, right of way or not, it looked sketchy to bomb through the changing of the light.

Sooner, you rock.

Love to see the exposure to our cause, and love the idea of riding with the camera.

Also love the chihuahua on a dance floor comment. I'm in league with that.