BUCDC 2014 video...by me!

Here's a video that I finally finished from the BUCDC footage that I had.  This is the first time that I've really done some serious video editing... I probably had over an hour and a half of footage to try to pare down to under 3 minutes.  The GoPro died somewhere close to the end of our journey, so I just lumped the images together.  Enjoy!

BUSC 2013 On-Bike Race Footage

Here is my race footage from the 2013 Brompton US Championship.  The GoPro was mounted on the front luggage block as I've written about before here.  Enjoy!

Update:  When I posted this video earlier I had Youtube apply some sort of image stabilization.  The final result looked unnatural so I reverted it back to the original footage.

Gopro Hero 3 Low Light Test

I decided to take a training ride out on the bike path at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.  It was just about sunset, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to see how the new Gopro handles low-light situations.  I also mounted it on front luggage block with a hack I posted about here.  The field of view had a very high contrast, so it was unrealistic to expect miracles here.  But I think it looked OK for what it is, and the mounting hack worked a lot better with the smaller mass of the new Gopro.  I'll be testing this out a little more to see if it'll work for the Brompton US Championship.

New GoPro Hero 3, aka How I spent my REI 20% off coupon and dividend

On Friday I went ahead and spent my annual REI 20% off coupon and dividend on one of the new GoPro Hero 3's, black edition (which is the flagship model).

I won't get into too many detail with the specs and such since there are practically an infinite number of sources online that showcase the new features and performance of the Hero 3.  

I will say that the smaller size and lighter weight makes a HUGE difference in the usability of the video I can record.  The following two clips are from GoPros mounted on top of my helmet.  The first video is of the new Hero 3.  The first part of the clip is of me going under a bridge to show how it transitions from light to dark.  The second part of the clip is of me riding on a bumpy road. 

The clip below is of me riding in El Tour on a bumpy road (watching a unicyclist) with the Hero 2.  While not exactly apples to apples with the first clip (different roads), the two roads are similarly bumpy.   You can see and hear the excessive movement of the Hero 2 inside the case in the second clip.  I think the lighter weight and smaller size really helped reduce the rattling.

I am really happy in the improvement in footage I can get with the GoPro Hero 3.  I plan on using it at the Brompton US Championships in Minneapolis this summer!

111 miles on the B, aka El Tour de Tucson

El Tour de Tucson is the biggest cycling event around these parts, attracting cyclists from all over. The main event is the 111 mile race that runs around the perimeter of town. I've done this ride twice before on a road bike, but of course this year I had to do it on the B!

Let me rewind a couple of days... I was getting flats on both tires a few days before the event (even though I had Flat Attack in the tubes).  I took the rear tire off and for the life of me I couldn't get it back on.  Had to go to the LBS to get it back on with a new tube and sealant.  The front tire went back on just fine.  I also snugged up my headset at BICAS since I could feel it coming loose.

Back to race day...

First of all, the weather could not have been better!  It was overcast all day, and the morning wasn't very cold.  As usual, all the participants were cheery and ready to roll.  I arrived to the starting area around 6:00, about an hour before the start.  I chatted up with a couple of guys who flew in from Kansas City.  I was able to park the B with the rear folded until just before the start.

Parked!

The B ready and waiting and getting some stares.

Riders getting anxious.

The dudes from KC checking their phones.

Testing out Apple's new panoramic feature

Let's go already!

Before I knew it we were off and running. I didn't see any other folding bikes... I did see an unicyclist and three elliptiGO-type bikes, along with a hand full of recumbents and hand-powered cycles.  It was relatively uneventful 100 miles in... I did spontaneously find my soccer teammate about 40 miles in, then we parted ways soon after, then met up again with about 15 miles to go.

Me passing the unicyclist

I was beginning to struggle at about 10 miles from the finish.  I ran out of water in my Camelback hydration pack with about 7 miles to go.  I stopped about 5 miles to go and ate another gel, which in hindsight was a mistake because I didn't have any water to wash it down with.  Another 2 miles down the road my body (and especially my arms) were getting severely tingly and numb...I had to pull over again.  A couple of minutes later a bike patroller stopped, gave me some water, made sure I was ok, and escorted me to the finish.

Crossing the finish line

Many thanks to Bike Patrol #11133, who gave me water and escorted me to the finish.  I made Silver status (under 9 hours) by less than 3 minutes thanks to him.

I was hoping to get some cool acquisition data using the GPS from the iPhone, but it didn't work out... the battery ran out before the finish and my external battery kinda malfunctioned.  Oh well.  Luckily the GoPro just barely hung on long enough to get the finish.

One lesson I learned was to keep eating and drinking!  I ate 3 Clif Bars, 3 Larabars, 2 half-bananas, 7 gels and a handful of pretzels, along with 3.5 Camelback's worth of water and it wasn't enough.  And I know that amount was way more than I had last year.

Healthy post-race meal!

GoPro mounting hack - FAIL

I tried shooting with the GoPro while coming down Independence Pass.  The camera was mounted using the hack I had posted about here and here.  Unfortunately, I forget one thing... a band that helps the mount stay in place in the luggage block.  You can see in the video that I had to stop a few times to re-secure the mount, and eventually it fell off the block.  The GoPro case landed in such a way that it really scratched up the lens, so no more video from the rest of the trip.  Here is what I have of the video for your enjoyment / constructive criticism / laughter. 

GoPro Luggage Block Test Video

In my previous post, I gave a sneak preview of my hack for the GoPro to mount onto the luggage block.  I was able to go for a ride for a few minutes today and try it out.

What do you think (watch in HD)? I know it's a little shaky... I hope to reduce that with some super glue or epoxy.  What do you think of the perspective?  It should be similar to the video below by another rider (hint: hit mute).

And while I was out, I might as well take a pic or two...

Gopro Hero 2 Front Luggage Carrier Block Mounting Hack - Sneak Preview

I got a Gopro Hero 2 action video camera a couple of weeks before the Brommie, so I've been trying to think of ways to mount the Gopro... which was hard to do without being in possession of the bike.  Now that I've got it in my grubby hands, I took some measurements, looked for something around the house that I could fabricate or hack to fit, and came up with something.

Sneak preview of Gopro mounting hack (Hint: it will involve destroying something).

I want to try it out first and make sure it works well before writing a how-to post.  I'm hoping to do the write up and/or sample video this weekend.  Cheers!