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GoPro Hero3
by underinspection
When I was looking into the GoPro Hero 3, I was obsessed with getting the camera at the cheapest possible price. So much so that I was almost willing to start sacrificing the idea of getting the 12MP Black edition. Now that it has been tested in the French Alps skiing, I can confirm it's worth every penny!
I can see why it ... may seem like a lot of money for a camera you can take anywhere but, that's simply the point. This camera can be taken ANYWHERE! Strap it to yourself using one of the many attachments to get a point-of-view experience of nearly anything! The camera has many different setting to capture time-lapses, 120fps allowing amazing slow mo quality and amazing 12MP photos.
The quality of the Black edition is simply outstanding. So much so that my laptop near has a meltdown whenever I download any super high quality video clips. It's small enough to take anywhere although maybe not quite pocket size (yet?).
The one downfall the camera has, like I mentioned, is that you need a pretty high spec computer to be able to play clips straight off the bat. Otherwise you may find yourself de-compressing videos and very quickly filling up all your laptops storage space!
I can't praise this camera enough, the quality is everything you would want and more. It's expensive, but as long as your comfortable paying for the quality, I would urge you to do just that!
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Blackburn Voyager 2.0 Front Light
by askmeanything
See and be seen:
Lights are essential for riding ant dusk and in through the night. I believe most fatalities, whilst riding, are at night. You must be safe on the road and having lights on your bike is another way of improving your safety.
The basic facts:
The Blackburn Voyager is great for sight and ... safety on the road. The light has two LED bulbs making it nice and bright. The batteries are included. It has one strap to attach to the bike. The rubber on the back helps makes it a secure fit onto the handlebars. Underneath the rubber is where the batteries are housed. You have to unscrew it, which is a little fiddly, but worth the effort.
You can set the light to flash or to be a continuous light. This is very easily operated by touching a switch to change the setting and a click will indicate that this has been done successfully (though don't expect to hear that in traffic).
The weather test:
It has not suffered in bad weather conditions but I should warn you that the only negative, for me, is that it is not weatherproof, just resistant, which seems a bit of a school child error, in design, because cyclists will be out in the rain! And one other problem for other people is that the slightest touch can put the light on so I wouldn't carry it around in a bag where you risk the batteries draining. I leave mine on the bike most of the time. I think if someone wants to steal they'll go for the whole bicycle not just the light.
Battery durability:
I have used this all winter and the battery is still going strong. The last battery change was after the previous winter as I use it infrequently in lighter seasons. It was a little fiddly but not too hard to change.
The best bits:
The quality of the light is really impressive. I cannot fault it. I have needed to give my tyres an emergency inflation after going through a ridiculously huge pothole. This was on a dark, wet; evening and this light gave me the visibility required. I also find that both flashing and static mode provides the equivalent light quality.
I use the flashing mode in busy areas and drivers do seem to be aware of me because of the light. The light has a wide beam across the road lane or cycle path. On darker roads I keep the light to static and it provides a surprisingly excellent light for something so small. There is no glare coming back to haunt the cyclist which has happened to me with other lights. However, I once tried on a pitch black rural lane, as my friends live in the middle of no-where. The light was not enough for me to see far ahead in this situation. Also the light dulls if there is a large amount of artificial light from other vehicles but they compensate so this is not an issue.
The light fixture is compact and clamps solidly onto the handlebars without shifting around. You can unclick the light from the holding and use it in your hand before replacing it on the handlebar fixture.
It is easy to switch in and off, even with thick gloves. This is an important fact when choosing a light. It's no good fumbling around whilst on the move. I find this easy to use whether stationary or on the move.
Value for money:
I feel this is well worth the twelve pounds that I paid for it. The light is bright, not super bright, but strong and reliable. There is no reason to spend a fortune on the top range brands. Do not pay more as this light is ideal and is even better than experiences I've had with top price brands. The negatives, for me, are minor and not a bother.
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Polaris RBS Back Pack Cover
by carlz2001uk
Being a keen cyclist I have a million and one different accessories to go with my bike but one of the essential items for me is the backpack cover. In an attempt to get fit I cycle to work at least once a week. I have seen people cycling to work in their work clothes but for me this just couldn't happen, I for one would be filthy from ... the spay of the road, but secondly I would stink! This means I need to carry my work clothes and shoes with me and change when I'm at work, therefore a backpack is essential. One thing I hadn't even thought of when I first started cycling though was a protective cover for the backpack for when the weather is poor. I soon realisised my mistake though and opted for the Respro Hump Hi-Vis cover.
With two main advantages (supposedly!), the bag is high visibility which only increases your safety, and its meant to be waterproof. The high Vis aspect of the cover is excellent, with the two tone colours it provides more visibility as opposed to just fluorescent yellow or orange. The bag screams 'look at me'!
Th mesh pocket at the front is handy to store items that are needed for quick access, however the only things I need quick access to on my bike are my water bottle which is attached to a cage on the bike, or my keys for work which I would be nervous to place in this quite exposed part of the bag for fear they would fall out, so unfortunately I don't use this part of the bag but its a nice idea nonetheless.
The description of the cover says it covers between 15-30 litres, however I would say this was slightly optimistic and I would say that it would only cover a bag with a maximum 25 litres.
The cover obviously gets quite a lot of splashes on it from the weather, and I've found that these are here to stay unfortunately. It is machine washable but this won't get it back to looking new again and the mud splashes almost stain the material. It does save your backpack from such a fate though!
Now for the main downside of this cover, it's not actually waterproof! I have made the mistake off trusting the cover, getting to work and finding my work clothes completely sodden inside. The cover does come with a waterproof valuables bag which is probably meant for phones etc. This is quite small so I've found myself using a heavy duty carrier bag to store my clothes in, and putting the cover over my backpack too. This does ensure my clothes stay dry but when I've bought a waterproof backpack it's not something I should have to do.
The elasticated edging means it stays securely gripped to the backpack so you don't need to worry about it coming off.
The £20 RRP seems fair, but do shop around, I picked mine up on Amazon for around £15.
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