Update – Jan 2021: Just for clarity, this hands-on post was from 2017, and about an older version of the product. It is not the latest ‘Gen 3’ variant that was announced mid-2020. They are substantially different products with substantially different features. However, what is not different is the underlying company. While their devices do work well for many people (including myself), one common strand is that if/when a device stops working, Cycliq customer service is often very slow to respond. While there are realistically no other similiar products on the market, do consider that customer service aspect.
Today Cycliq announced their two latest products – the Fly6 CE and Fly12 CE (CE = Connected Edition). For those unfamiliar with the company’s past products, both of these units are combination bike lights and cameras. The Fly6 is the rear-facing unit, while the Fly12 is the front-facing unit. The name ‘Fly6’ originally came from the phrase ‘on your 6’, as in, behind you. Oh, and their ‘Duo Mount’ is their own custom mount designed for holding heavier objects with a Garmin atop it.
Since announcing their first product almost four years ago, the company has iterated with a bunch of minor enhancements, but this year they’ve pretty much totally overhauled the units inside and out. It’s cool to see this finally come to fruition, as it’s been something they’ve been working on for the better part of two years. The company first showed it more widely to journalists back at Interbike, though it’s not until today that things are being unwrapped. The unit meanwhile is set to start shipping in about 3-4 weeks.
Yesterday one of their staff swung by to drop off both units to try out. Given that just two days prior I had an unboxing of a different type, I haven’t been able to spend a ton of time with these yet. So this is a pretty limited first look, and then down the road, once all the software finalizes, I’ll dig into a deeper in-depth review. With that, let’s dive into this quick look.
The Tech Details:
Each of the units has had both minor and major changes to them since their previous generations. However, let’s start with the most common pieces first. These are changes/updates applicable to both units:
– Both units now have ANT+ Lighting profile support (so Garmin and other bike computers can control them)
– Both units can now connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth Smart (so you can configure settings)
– Both units now use USB-C for fast charging (woot!)
– Both units can support constant-on battery power packs for super-long adventures
– Both units now use a new 1/8th turn locking mechanism so no tools are required to add/remove from bike
– Both units had their respective mounts re-done (each slightly differently)
– Both units have had an overhaul on the exterior look
– Both units can now record at 1080p at 60FPS
– Both units now have electronic image stabilization
– [Update] Neither unit includes WiFi anymore, meaning you can’t transfer footage to your phone, only via computer.
Phew, got all that? Good.
Now, there are some specific unique items for the front and rear pieces, primarily around battery life and such. Starting with the Fly6 CE:
– Fly6 CE Battery Life: This has been increased slightly from 6 hours to 7 hours of riding time. The battery has gone from 2600mAh to 3200mAh.
– Fly6 CE Weight: This has been decreased slightly, going from 127g to 110g
– Fly6 CE Lumens (Brightness): This has been increased from 60 lumens to 100 lumens. Note there are multiple dimming settings
– Fly 6CE Camera Angle: Increased from 100° to 135° of recording angle
And here’s the Fly12 CE changes:
– Fly12 CE Battery Life: This has been decreased slightly, going from 10 hours to 8 hours. The battery went from 4400mAh to 4200mAh.
– Fly12 CE Weight: This has been decreased significantly, going from 244g to 195g.
– Fly12 CE Lumens (Brightness): This has been increased from 400 lumens to 600 lumens. Note there are multiple dimming settings.
– Fly12 CE Camera Angle: Remains the same at 135° of recording angle
You may be wondering why increase the battery life on the Fly6, but decrease it on the Fly12? Well, the company said they heard from their current customers that they valued a smaller size/package over the larger battery life. They said that 8 hours still seemed like the sweet spot, which allowed them to shrink the unit a fair bit in both size and weight. I can’t say I’d disagree with that. For me, if I was commuting each day, I’d probably charge it mid-week and on weekends anyway, so the extra 2 hours wouldn’t likely mean much to most people.
As noted up above, the unit automatically starts recording video as soon as it’s powered on. The light portion can be adjusted/enabled/disabled separately however. From a video standpoint, the two units standardize on 1080p60, but they also support 1080p30 and 720p60. In addition, the Fly12 CE can now do 1080p30 HDR, which should give things a bit more clarity in mixed light situations. All of these settings can be adjusted via the connected phone apps:
Next is probably the most interesting new feature – which is the addition of the ANT+ Lighting Control device profile. This is the same lighting control profile that Garmin, Bontrager, and now See Sense are supporting. This, in turn, allows head units and wearables to control the lights on your bike. At first this may sound silly, but the general idea here is such that it automatically does this. When I turn on my Garmin head unit, it’ll automatically turn on my lights. And inversely, when I turn off my head unit it’ll do the same for my lights.
In addition, you can quickly control settings like whether the unit is set for flashing or solid lights, and see battery levels on your Garmin itself too. Note that basic ANT+ lighting control is available even on Garmin’s least expensive bike computers these days, which is kinda neat. The more expensive units have additional options like seen below.
Still, even aside from the standard options, Cycliq says they’ll be releasing a Garmin Connect IQ app to allow even further control of the lights. This would mirror what Bontrager did as well, and lets them tap into areas like camera settings that aren’t natively supported by the ANT+ Lighting profile.
Previously the Fly6 didn’t have the ability to transfer footage to your smartphone, whereas the Fly12 did. Now both cameras do, and you can do overlays of data atop it. For example, you can connect to your Strava account, and then pull in your GPS data and overlay it atop your actual ride video.
Note that neither the Fly6 or Fly12 has GPS within it, instead, it uses the GPS track and data from within activities uploaded to Strava. Said differently: If you’re not using Strava, you won’t get data overlays. You will however get time/date stamp overlays.
Image Quality:
So, the big question is what about image quality. After all – that was one of the main complaints that people had about previous units – but really the Fly6 in particular. Well, keeping in mind that while we see a bump from 720p to 1080p for the Fly6 CE, the Fly12 CE doesn’t actually see an image quality bump in terms of straight resolution. Instead, it sees image stabilization as well as HDR mode (High Dynamic Range), which helps in under and over-exposed areas.
With image stabilization being done via EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization), it’s essentially using a larger sensor size and cropping a portion of the image to keep it nice and level. That’s why cameras like the GoPro Hero6 can shoot in 4K, but can’t provide image stabilization at the full 4K resolution. Instead, they leverage that 4K resolution and crop in slightly to keep the image stable.
So first, let’s look at the resolution itself. First up we’ve got the forward-facing Fly12 CE. Below are some screen captures from it (don’t worry, the full videos are below too). I’ve picked some random places in traffic where you can see both directly next to me, as well as a car a lane or two away. As you can see, there’s no issues picking up license plate numbers here:
This was an overcast day, about 90 minutes or so before sunset. So not exactly ideal conditions for license plate pickups, but not exactly super hard either. Overall, that looks good.
Next, we’ve got the rear-facing Fly6 CE. You can see that because the rear light ring is around the actual camera lens, you get a bit of a reddish tone to it. Not ideal, but not horrible. As far as license plate readout, it’s still perfectly fine (again, none of these photos are edited, straight out of file), but it’s clear that it’s not as sharp as the Fly12 CE. I’d have a tough time saying this is on par with a GoPro at 1080p though, it’s just not as crisp. Readable yes, but super crisp no.
This difference in sharpness doesn’t surprise me, since the two units are clearly using different image sensors or processors.
So what about stabilization? Well, it didn’t seem to work on my unit. I suspect that even though the beta/prototype app I was using said it was enabled, it would often flash to showing it wasn’t enabled – and you can definitely see that in the sample (that it’s not super smooth). Additionally, the mount I had appeared to be 3D printed, and there was a tiny bit of play in there, making matters even worse. In any case, within the below video you’ll find everything:
Once I get a final unit I’ll upload more samples. I think that once they enable the image stabilization things should be significantly different. And additionally, once they get a final mount, that should help a fair bit too (since there won’t be any wobble like I saw).
Summary:
Overall I think these products are well thought through, and hit home the features that they needed to remain competitive in this market. The redesigned external looks make the units, especially the Fly12 CE, no longer look fugly, which is great. And the rear taillight’s newly tweaked rubberized strap + quick lock system seems to finally land on a design that looks like it might last (previous straps had longevity issues). And if nothing else, it’s at least quick to take on and off. Plus, the pricing for them is fairly competitive – $179USD for the Fly6 CE, and $279USD for the Fly12 CE (I’d say perhaps the Fly12 is a bit high in price, but not incredibly high).
When it comes to image quality, I’d say the jury is still out. Diving that into two pieces you have image resolution – which is clearly superior to their past attempts. The Fly12 CE being the most clear, with the Fly6 CE being good, but not as crispy. Then when it comes to stabilization, the settings options didn’t seem to be applying on my prototype/beta unit, since it clearly wasn’t stabilized. Thus, I’ll defer judgement there until they’ve had a chance to sort out those minor bugs with the app.
[Update/clarification] Note that while the app shows ‘review footage’, you can’t actually download that footage to your mobile phone like you could with the Fly12 unit, which means you need to download it to a computer. Cycliq says they did this to save costs, but that’s a pretty odd decision. Certainly the Fly12 wifi transfer was never all that awesome in terms of how well it worked (often finicky), but at least it was there. Now you need a computer to transfer the footage. Unfortunately, that app isn’t yet available.
While at present only Garmin on the head-unit side (to my knowledge) supports the ANT+ lighting standard, now that we have four different lighting vendors (Garmin, Bontrager, See Sense, Cycliq), perhaps we’ll see other companies start to support the lighting standard (cough, Wahoo, or, cough). But certainly companies like Sigma or Lezyne could also add support easily too.
Given the short timeframe between now and shipping (which is slated for about 3 weeks away at the start of December), some of these could make a pretty good present under the tree, especially as people have settled into largely dark commutes. Note, I will try and add some night time photography with these. It’s a bit tricky though because any photography of bike lights is really more of a function of camera technique than the light itself. Still, I’ll try.
Thanks for reading!
Found this post useful? Or just want to save 10%? Here’s how:
Hopefully you found this post useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
I have partnered with the retailers on the left, and any shopping you do through those links or the ones below, helps support this website. Thanks!
For European/Australian/New Zealand readers, you can also pickup the unit via Wiggle at the links below, which helps support the site too! With Wiggle new customers get 10GBP (or equivalent in other currencies) off their first order for anything over 50GBP by using code NEWGB at check-out after clicking the links below.
Or, anything else you pick up on Amazon helps support the site as well (socks, laundry detergent, cowbells). If you’re outside the US, I’ve got links to all of the major individual country Amazon stores on the sidebar towards the top.
Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible.
I am really disappointed by the customer service with Cycliq. You send an email, you get a ticket, then a week later you get an instruction. It usually asks you to format your SD card. Then you email back, then a week later they suggest trying a different SD card, or check that its on the approved list etc (of course most of us tech savvy fold have already done that!). Then they want you to send a video file of turning it on and off (or not as as is the case with my faulty unit which just stopped working!). So terrible delays, but now the support@cycliq.com email address is dead- bounces back all emails. I’ve tried from different computers, and by raising a new query with a new email- nothing. Zilch. I am therefore not able to continue my request to resolve my faulty Fly 6CE, or communicate with them! I can’t send the video file via the wetransfer process they ask, as it bounces back as undeliverable. I really would like DC Rainmaker to try, and give them a message that their customer service sucks. Or HAVE THEY GONE BANKRUPT???
Ben Hammond, our normal contact person with Cycliq, has stopped answering e-mails. Two of the four tabs on the back of my Fly 6 CE have broken off, making secured attachment to the mount impossible. So I wrote to Ben. After an initial response from Mr. Hammond I have not heard back from him, nada, zilch, crickets! I have tossed my Cycliq Fly 6 in a box with the rest of other useless gadgets. Can’t attach it to the mount-bike so it is essentially useless. The Fly 6 and Fly 12 were devices that showed a lot of promise. But a rushed launch and bad customer service have ruined the customer experience. Too bad.
Hi Ernesto – apologies – I have been away. I will get back to you shortly. Anyone else awaiting a response I will make sure I get back to you this week. Many apologies, and we’ll make sure we get a new device out to you given the issue with the mount breaking. I’ll be in touch.
If anyone else needs to reach out directly to me, please do.
No need to apologize, you and Cycliq have always been extremely responsive; that’s why the silence was disappointing.
As I have stated here, and elsewhere, the Fly6 CE is a great product, full of potential for making all of our rides safer. Some of the early issues, however, made many consumers shy away.
Once the FW issues were sorted out, my Fly6 ran flawlessly and as advertised…until the tabs broke off.
In any event, thank you for looking into this. It shows that you and Cycliq read DCR and pay attention. Now if only Garmin would follow your example.
I have not received much response to two tickets submitted and a promised reimbursement for shipping costs (Veronica). I received a FLY6CE that did not work and went through all of the recommended fixes listed. Then repeated the same steps after initial contact with customer support (Glen). However, all of this effort was for not. Once reporting back to customer support, I had two emails kicked back and then total silence for a week. The next reply asked me to try a different SD card which I don’t have . . . just more work on my end. I work enough as it is so I submitted a ticket to return the product and receive a refund. That ticket was ignored and then outright closed with no response or resolution. I just want a refund at this point. The experience has been awful. Ball is in your court. Please help fix this situation.
This is a reply to a very old comment from Ben Hammond, CMO at Cycliq. I have been following all of the recent comments about the Cycliq Fly 6 (I don’t use the forward camera). I understand the level of frustration experienced by many users. Initially, I too was frustrated by the device’s short battery life and other related issues. Unlike other users, however, my experience with Cycliq’s tech support in general, and with Ben Hammond in particular, has been very positive. That is not to say that the Cycliq Fly 6 is 100% “there” yet. For example, the small plastic tabs that hold the unit to the mounting surface have broken off (twice). And I wish that Cycliq would make a camera-only device and thus extend the battery life for even longer rides. BUT, those of us who use Garmin products must be used by now to dealing with products that are not fully fleshed out before their release to the public. So, to make a long story short (I know, too late now) I have decided to take a leap of faith and just ordered the Gen3 Fly 6. I am strong believer that a rear facing camera, with long battery life, greatly enhances my safety…or at least provides a video record for my family to use in case something bad happens to me. Now I am waiting for my new Gen3 to arrive so I can put it to the test. Ride safely. Have fun!
@Ernesto, Did you get the Gen3 FLY6? If yes, how is it working out. I fear it is still very much in BETA mode and anyone who got it recently is simply a tester for many of the features that are not working / active.
Had been watching Cycliq for a while (to include the weekly videos I’d get from being on the mailing list), saw a sale and was excited to pick up my first Fly6CE.
When it finally came (much longer than expected, even paying double got expedited shipping), reviewed the manual and plugged it into a wall charger.
No Q charging indicator light.
Tried 3 wall chargers and 2 USB-C cords.
Battery came at 28% — firmware is 2019 / immediate prior version. And of course firmware instructions recommend having 50%+ battery life. Doesn’t matter either way, since trying to turn on and off a few times and connecting via CycliqPlus app has apparently drained it to 0% (per app and beeps).
Submitted a support ticket; we’ll see how long it takes for a response….and resolution.
Was really looking forward to being able to capture my rides (especially since on the last commute a Tacoma came so close I could touch its side).
But now I’m sorely disappointed with what was supposed to be an awesome Father’s Day present.
2019.06.16 2013 EDT — Submitted a trouble ticket; forwarded it to Ben Hammond.
2019.06.17 0348 EDT — Cycliq responds…with links to support article about the Fly6 not turning on. But, the device (would) turn on … it’s the battery that won’t charge. Nothing in the support response addresses the battery not charging. But, I did all the troubleshooting steps that were possible with a 0% battery.
2019.06.17 0420 EDT — Responded to Cycliq support email with results, and restating that battery won’t charge
2019.06.18 0057 EDT — had not received another response from Cycliq support partway through another Perth business day, so sent a follow up email.
2019.06.18 1030 EDT — still nothing back from Ben here or via email. And no further response (yet) from Cycliq support.
Like Eric K (below), I rarely ever make public posts. I broke from that trend to provide another anecdote to those being gathered here. The good news about today’s post is that there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel, and I want to be sure to share that side of the story, too.
2019.06.20 0851 EDT — (Facebook) Sent a private message to Cycliq’s page on Facebook, noting the ticket number and asking how you go about getting customer service.
2019.06.20 1652 EDT — (Facebook) Generic reply, but at least a same-day response!
2019.06.20 1959 EDT — (Support Email) Apologized for the delay and stated that the unit would need to be inspected. Provide RMA# and shipping directions. *Note* Unlike something I saw in prior comments, I had to ship domestically to an address in Oregon. Support email indicated they would (1) reimburse RMA shipping (up to certain value) and (2) send a replacement unit as soon as they received proof I had shipped my defective unit.
2019.06.20 2005 EDT — (Facebook) Sent a follow-up apology and said to reply to the support email
2019.06.20 2113 EDT — (Support email) In response to my question about tracking tickets online, I learned that *only retailer accounts* are able to log into the support website to track tickets. End users should just reply to the support email(s).
2019.06.21 1114 EDT — (I emailed Support) Provided a tracking number for the defective device I’m returning.
Apologies for the delay in getting in touch with you. I agree that it’s been a poor experience for you to date – both with the product and with your support related enquiries.
If you wouldn’t mind reaching out to me directly, I’d appreciate the opportunity to follow this up directly myself.
Hi Ben — thanks for reaching out, but I’ve been CC’ing you on various communications since 16 JUN 19. Maybe you’re tracking and just haven’t responded?
And the saga continues … quite the roller coaster (they responded, yay! no progress, back to ground zero)
Ticket 40430
2019.06.24 0950 PDT (My action) Defective unit was delivered to the Oregon-based RMA address. Supposed to trigger a Cycliq action to send a replacement unit.
2019.06.24 1941 EDT (I emailed Support) Emailed Cycliq to state that unit had been returned and to request a status update on the replacement.
2019.06.24 2049 EDT (Support Email) Stated that replacement had been ordered and provided an order number. Told to expect processing of the order to take 24-48 hours. Then the item would be shipped and a tracking number provided. Shipping expected to take 3-5 business days.
2019.06.24 2109 EDT (I emailed Support) Thanked Support for the update, but expressed concern that while my RMA return took 2-3 calendar days to get back to them, the replacement might take 4-7 business days overall. Asked if the replacement unit would be coming straight from the China warehouse again.
2019.06.25 0257 EDT (Cycliq Order Email) Your recent order has been processed. You should receive a tracking number within two business days.
2019.06.26 0151 EDT (Paypal) Cycliq *did* reimburse the shipping for the RMA return of the defective device.
2019.06.28 2238 EDT (I emailed Cycliq Orders) It has been 3 business days since this notification was sent and I have not seen any shipping information. Please provide tracking information or a status update on this replacement.
2019.06.30 1000 EDT (waiting…) Waiting for business hours in Australia to resume to see … if … any … progress … has … been … made. (Like actually shipping the replacement unit)
If the replacement doesn’t ship soon, rapidly coming up on month since opening the gift (45 days since ordered) and not having a functional unit. So here’s hoping the replacement unit works as advertised… if/when it gets here.
2019.06.28 1003 EDT (emailed Ben Hammond) — Forwarded Ben the order confirmation and brief recap of “support” to date. Asked for an update on the shipping for an order, since the stated 2 days had passed.
2019.06.28 1039 EDT (email from Ben Hammond) — Apologies, with a note that shipping might be affeced by Cycliq being in the middle of a warehousing supplier change.
2019.07.02 2342 EDT (emailed Ben Hammond) — It’s been more than a week since the order was processed and still no shipping information…. please provide an update.
2019.07.03 2118 EDT (email from Veronica, Cycliq Logistics) — I hope this email finds you well and apologies as well for the inconvenience that this delay has caused you. Upon checking, it is in transit already. We just had a delay in updating the tracking # in our system due to our recent warehouse movement. We will keep you posted for the tracking #.
2019.07.04 0709 EDT (text from DHL) — Package info provided, delivery estimate next day (2019.07.05 by end of day).
2019.07.04 2240 EDT (email from Cycliq orders) — Provided a tracking number. Coming from Hong Kong (same as last time).
2019.07.05 End of Day EDT (waiting…) — no further contact from DHL, and no updates on the DHL tracking website.
2019.07.06 1530 EDT (waiting…) — DHL tracking updated; package made it to the USA and cleared customs … but I’m not expecting any further updates until Monday, because DHL doesn’t do weekend deliveries* … so best case scenario is that it gets delivered *2 weeks* after the order was (re)processed.
N.B. The Fly6CE is *in stock* on Amazon through a 3rd party (fulfilled by Amazon) and my Prime membership says if I order in the next 8 hours it’ll be delivered for free on Monday (2019.07.08). Current reviews there put it solidly 1-star. Why doesn’t Cycliq leverage this logistics infrastructure in the U.S.? (2) Does Cycliq support/RMA still apply through Amazon-based purchases? Or do you deal with Amazon returns instead of Cycliq?
*I think you can pay for Saturday delivery in the U.S., but I doubt that option was selected
I don’t normally make public posts. I’m am so disappointed with this company. They want to sell globally, but they have no customer support. ZERO. There is no telephone number, you open a ticket online, and play email pingpong for days/weeks.
On 6/8/2019 I ordered direct both the fly12ce & fly6ce. The fly6ce is DOA. It doesn’t work, period. I shouldn’t have to wait weeks for a replacement. I was hoping to use these on RAGBRAI this year, and recommend them to people. Not now. Anyone who asks me I will say to STAY AWAY from this company and products.
Yes I charged it.
Yes I upgraded the firmware.
No I cannot discharge it (it won’t turn on unless plugged into USB-C power)
Why do I need to send you a picture of the SD card that I ordered FROM YOU.
I also cannot check the status of the ticket online, your site is broken.
Thanks for taking the time to share your (poor) experience with Cycliq – that’s definitely not good enough from us.
I’d like to extend my personal apologies for the delay that you’ve experienced in getting this resolved.
I’ve requested the information from our support team with regard to your case with the intention of getting this resolved to your satisfaction as soon as possible.
I’ll be in touch directly, but in the meantime if you would like to get in touch with me, please feel free to email me on ben.hammond@cycliq.com
I want to echo the OPs experience with Cycliq. Customer service is woeful. I have been corresponding with Cycliq for seven (7) months concerning my Fly 6 and Fly 12 CE units — neither of which are operable. Both units were bricked when I attempted to update firmware months ago.
Cycliq support keeps asking me for photos and information, then offers the same troubleshooting and firmware updating instructions over and over again. I spent untold hours working through Cycliq’s (terrible) instructions, and finally gave up in disgust.
Now I’m sitting on over $500 of useless equipment.
Gutted to hear this. I just purchased the FLY6CE and I’m having the same experience. That is a lot of money to just throw out the window. It makes me sick to my stomach.
I hope for our sake and Cycliq’s they get their act together but to this point . . . this has been one of the worst purchasing decisions I have ever experienced. Just egregious behavior like I have rarely seen.
Hi AmyVS – really disappointed to hear this, and my sincere personal apologies that you’ve had such a poor experience with the product and the subsequent interactions with the support team.
We want to make sure that all of our customers get on the road and feel safer with cameras they can rely on.
If you could please reach out to me at ben.hammond@cycliq.com with your details, I will make sure I follow up this case personally and we get things working for you to your satisfaction or arrange a refund (not our preference as we’d prefer to have you out there feeling safer on the roads).
I had working units, and yes I have felt the Support woes in the past, but over the last few months the units have been ace. I had a silly issue, ie the rubber cover on the fly6 came off and I could not get it back on so I contacted the support… Then came alls the normal questions:
photos of the four sides of the unit
purchase receipt
firmware number etc
I did this and explained I was not trying to claim on the warranty I just wanted advice on refitting the rubber cover. Since I sent this in I have heard nothing…
then….
stupid me….
I received an email about the new improved firmware process, so I had a couple hours to bury so I did it on both devices. Since then the Fly12 is fine but the Fly6 turns itself off after 30 secs, no longer records and no longer is accessible from the iphone app
so far this week, 2x tickets in and the questions came back were mad…
Copy of your Purchase Receipt – they had this twice already in the past seven days
Photo of the SD Card that you are using – I had already told them make and model previously
Screenshot of your “About Device” when connected to the CycliqPlus App or by using an SD Card reader to access your card with your CycliqPlus Desktop App
bearing in mind I am not trying to claim on a warrenty just get one question answered and get advice how to reverse the firmware mess I am in due to their email/new and improved firmware process.
Great products, scary bad support…. and you will need it!
Terrible customer service. Having requested support as my Fly6CE stopped working, a month ago I have had zero progress in the month! First I had the issue that their contact support email address blocked everything, and all contact failed. They suggested the fault might be with the memory card and asked me to try another which I did. That didn’t work. So they decided to send me a new memory card anyway, to try. That came last week and of course hasn’t miraculously worked as anyone could have reasonably predicted. So here I am 4-weeks down the line with the faulty product just waiting waiting waiting for a response. It’s really diabolical and contrary to the warranty standard you would expect.
Appreciate you sharing your comments here, and my personal apologies that you’ve had such a poor experience in getting your concerns resolved.
I’d like to follow this up directly with the support team so please email me directly as we want to make sure you’re back on the road with you Fly camera ASAP (hopefully we can resolve any outstanding issues, and although we are happy to refund you, we would much prefer to have you able to use the product).
I am not impressed. I submitted a support ticket a week ago for my Fly 6CE that stopped functioning. I had hoped to have some response by now, and have a new unit at least on route to me. The Cycliq website for the last week has indicated that my ticket remains under review. How long does it take to decide to send me a replacement unit and a return label for the old one?
My 6 is an inert lump of plastic and electronics. The 6 will almost never turn on and when it does, if I stop riding for a while, it shuts off and stays off. Sometimes I can wake it through the otherwise useless app, sometimes not. Or it mysteriously loses its charge when I haven’t used it.
The 12 isn’t much better, although it seems to work somewhat consistently. Also, because of the way it’s designed, the mount can’t be adjusted while the 12 is on it, which seems to me to be a really bad idea.
At the moment,the 6 is bricks, charged but unresponsive.
Mine too. I left it for three days. Then it turned on, but died less than 10 minutes into a ride. I got an e-mail asking me to shoot videos of it powering on with and without the SD card and was asked to provide the serial number and proof of purchase. I purchased it directly from Cycliq. I can’t turn it on to pair it with my phone to see the serial no. I don’t have time for this nonsense. Cycliq needs to step up and support it’s products. It took a week for it to get back to my first request for support. How long to I have to wait this time? If Cycliq intends to do business in the US, it needs a US Distributor that can provide support and process returns from within the US on a timely basis.
This site needs a long-term review of the Cycliq products. 0ver 690 comments and not very many are positive.
Hi Doug – I’ll keep it brief here suffice to say please accept my sincere apologies for the poor experience you’ve had / are having with the support team. I am chasing this up internally and will make sure your enquiry is attended to as quickly as possible.
The most important thing that I can offer is that we get you back out on the road with a product that meets your needs. I hope that we can turn this experience around as we believe that having a Fly camera on your bike will give you the peace of mind you’re looking for.
If we can’t we will be happy to refund you. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me directly on ben.hammond@cycliq.com and I’d be happy to help with any other issues.
Perhaps my experience with Cycliq support is unusual, but on both occasions I’ve contacted them I’ve had a quick response. Most recently I logged a ticket this morning (UK) and got a response half an hour later. I have been very happy with my Cycliq Fly 6 CE until I dropped it on the floor breaking the lens cover. I am hoping to get a spare part for it as I don’t really want to buy a new Fly 6 CE. I still think it’s a good camera and light and has done the job I wanted it to until I broke it!
I pre-ordered the Fly12CE and the Fly6CE in November 2017 after I got hit by a car. I have used both units a handful of times (due to health and schedule constraints.) Last time I used them was summer 2018. I went for a a ride a few weeks ago and found that there is an issue with my Fly12CE. I fully charged the unit the night before (green LED) but I couldn’t keep the unit on. After turning it on the unit would chime but no beeps to indicate the power level, then after a few seconds it would chime and turn off. I tried (master) resetting it, reformat the SD card, etc but no luck.
I contacted customer service and got a ticket (#41132) with the same instruction to do master reset and I was asked to send pictures of my receipt, SD card, an unit S/N (on 7/5) but it didn’t resolve the issue. The CSR contacted me on 7/10 said that they are having a lot of support tickets and asked me to be patient then I haven’t heard from them since.
I realized that I might be SOL because the unit has passed its warranty period and I likely has a $300 brick now. It is very disappointing to say the least. The Fly6CE is still working fine but I probably will go back to a cheap front light plus a GoPro type camera.
Update: After a few months and lost shipment, I received my replacement Fly12CE. So, compliments to the Cycliq customer Service to follow through. I hope the unit will provide good long term service.
I bought a FLY6 CE from Clever Training in September 2018. I never did anything fancy with it. Just turned it on before every ride, turned it off after and occasionally put myself into a coma by watching footage it captured. As Ray pointed out in his review—”It just works.” Until it doesn’t.
Eight days ago it lost the ability to read its micro-SD card (SanDisk Extreme PLUS 32GB)—the same card it had been writing to for months. Stranger, it would format that card but would not recognize its existence for any other function. When I turned the FLY6 on, it would flash to indicate no memory card present for 60 seconds and then turn itself off. Before contacting Cycliq, I tried another card I had on hand (64GB SanDisk Extreme) with the same result.
I filed a case with Cycliq on August 11 and got a robo-response and case number the next day. Two days later a real response landed in my inbox. It pointed out that neither of the two cards I was trying to use were on their recommended list and offered to send me a card. I responded that one of the two cards had worked just fine for 11 months and still worked fine when plugged into my computer. I also told them that I had already ordered two new cards which were on their recommended list. They replied that I needed to try those cards before my case could be advanced. The cards came. Both 32 GB cards they are a Lexar 633x and a SanDisk Pixtor. I reported the fact that neither worked to Cycliq on August 15 and requested either a time and date for a live support dialog or an RMA#. What I have gotten is a whole lot of silence.
We’ve chatted via email since this post but I just wanted to close it out and also let anyone know that if you are experiencing an issue with your SD card and you are using the recommended cards then please get in touch with me if you have any issues getting a response from our support team.
We want to make sure that we look after our customers and give you the service and products you deserve after getting on board and using Cycliq to record your ride.
The good news is that I finally got a replacement FLY6 in yesterday’s mail. The other good news is that it was a complete, new package with cables, mounts … the works and it is fully functional. I have also been reimbursed, via paypal, the cost of shipping the broken unit back. As many other’s have discovered, things did not start moving ahead until I reached out to Ben Hammond, Cycliq’s CMO. This is a pivotal week for the company. I wish them well.
Like others before, I have a Fly6CE that no longer accepts any SD card.
ai purchased mine on May 29, 2019, it worked until the end of June and like others, first would switch itself off mid-ride and then wouldn’t turn on, indicating an SD card fault.
I contacted Cycliq on July 1st and received the standard auto response and then a few days later a series of suggested resets, all of which I had already tried after consulting the website. I also supplied the requested information about my SD cards and Fly6 details.
I have heard nothing since despite writing to ask for updates 2 weeks after the first contact and again on August 1st.
I have written again today to request they simply replace the faulty Fly6 and received another support reference number.
Firstly – apologies for the delayed response and apologies for the poor experience to date both with the product and the customer support delay. You are 100% right re: the SD card issue and we will replace this absolutely. Our first priority is making sure that you got what you paid for – a product that will give you peace of mind on the roads.
I have escalated this internally but if you would like to reach out to me directly you can get me on ben.hammond@cycliq.com and I would be happy to assist you personally.
I got my cameras yesterday, and was able to get them up and running for this morning’s commute using some old 16GB SD cards I salvaged from a Garmin and a Contour camera.
I got great footage from both front and rear devices. I was even able to capture a capsized rower in the Potomac River on the way in. See screen grab. Hoping to smoothly get the Garmin user interface working tonight.
Just wanted to share my experience on the devices. I’ve been using the Fly 6CE and 12CE for over a year. I bike commute almost everyday and have these lights for every commute and long weekend ride. After some initial hiccups with firmware affecting battery life and a faulty unit which was replaced I’ve had no problems with them. I’ve had many close calls with aggressive drivers and was finally hit last year when the driver turned into a driveway but didn’t see me. The insurance claim process would’ve been a lot easier if I had the fly 12 (only had the 6). Needless to say, I bought the 12 immediately after. It gives a me huge peace of mind to know that I have evidence if anything ever happens again. I now have a video library of close calls.
I have a few minor criticisms.
1) The video quality could be better. I can only make out about 70% of the license plates it captures.
2) The 1/8 turn mount is very loose after about a year of use. This affects the image quality and this past weekend I lost my fly 6CE in the bushes when it completely disengaged when I hit a bump.
Despite my issues and others that people commented about below, I still think this is an indispensable piece of equipment for anyone who rides on the open road.
I completely agree. I haven’t had any more issues with my Fly CE units than I do my garmin and I’ve been using them for over a year. Not perfect but have been super helpful with close passes and I feel naked on the road without them.
Mind-boggling how bad the customer service is and how buggy the units are. I’ve been trying to buy a replacement 6CE unit from Amazon for a month and for the second time a new out of the box unit is a brick and after all the usual tweaks and reboots goes back to Amazon. I’d rather keep trying my luck with Amazon than deal with the customer service. Out of 6 CE units I had, only three were operational after a few days of rebooting and battery draining.
Well, I didn’t expect I’d be commenting on this (long) thread again, but it looks like my Fly 6CE has bitten the dust AGAIN.
This is the THIRD unit I have had, and the SECOND to fail due to condensation in the unit.
I’ve opened a ticket with Cycliq, and have submitted photos showing evidence of water ingress.
Considering I’m in Australia, and their address is in Western Australia, I’d expect a rapid response to my issue.
Let’s wait and see…
UPDATE,
Just received an e mail confirming a replacement will be sent out to me.
Now THATS a fast turn around. 3 days from raising the original ticket to confirming replacement adress.
I have been using my Fly 6CE and 12CE for 2 summers now without any issues.
I only use the video feature on the 12CE (no flasher, BT, advanced features, etc), I do use the rear flasher on the 6CE, but again none of the advanced features to save battery life on long rides.
Battery life has been excellent, video quality is very good with the possible exception of the video stabilization during standing climbs. If I am being aggressive on the bike while standing the video will twitch a bit in the “roll axis”. Other than that I am happy with both.
Thus far I have turned 2 video clips over to the local Sheriff, one which was an extremely close pass, the other a road rage incident. In both cases I had very clear recordings of the license plates.
So what is everyone using for video resolution and setup? My battery life is terrible and this is my second (after warranty replacement) Fly6. I thought setting it for lowest setting, 720p 30 fps, would get me the best resolution but it didn’t even last an hour. Cycliq’s web site suggested doing bench test at 1080p 30 fps, by basically turning off the stabilization and incident & idle modes. Yeah, it worked great there but who wants a five-hour recording of my desk phone? I’m not overly concerned with video resolution or even using the lights, but if the image stabilization is going to need to be turned off to get any kind of decent battery life then that would suck. Curious as to what others have experienced.
After only a couple of months use the plastic 1/8 turn mount has broken on my fly12. Has anyone found a good alternative? In my mind this ought to be a metal part as there’s not that much material to give the required strength as it transitions from the 1/8 turn into the go-pro style splines.
Thought I would relay my experience so far with Cycliq.
I ordered both a Fly12 CE and a Fly6 CE. The Fly12 CE appears to work fine. However, after installing a microSD card in the Fly6 CE, connecting to the app and formatting the card, everything seemed to stop working. The app stopped connecting to the product. The product showed up as “online” but when trying to connect, the spinning wheel never stops in the app and the red bezel light flashes. I tried reformatting the card several times through both the Windows app and also just generally through Windows Explorer. Also, when the card is in the product and the product is connected via USB to the computer, the Windows app does not recognize the device. When I put the card in the product and try to power it on, it plays the power on sound, beeps 4 times and then the lights flash some random number of times and then the power seems to shut off, except it doesn’t play the shut down tone. When I put the card in the adapter and insert it into my computer and open the Windows app, the app recognizes a Fly6 CE and I can see all the settings. It also informs me there is a firmware update even though the Firmware has a green checkmark and says 1.26. However, the BLE FW says 1..000 and has a red x next to it. I can’t seem to update the firmware though because my computer is not recognizing the product (with card inserted) when it is plugged into my computer via USB. Neither the Windows app recognizes it, nor does it show up in Windows Explorer.
I submitted this service request to Cycliq and they got back to me shortly requesting additional information and pictures and videos, which I sent that following day because their entire domain was down and I couldn’t access the website or send them emails. 5 days later they finally responded and said “thank you for your patience – we are experiencing an unusually high demand for our support services at the moment and we know you’ve been waiting for some time for a response.” An “unusually high demand for support services” is not confidence inspiring. 8 days after that response I asked them for a return authorization number. 2 days after requesting the return authorization number and I still haven’t received either a response to my customer service issue or a return authorization number.
Are these guys all on vacation? Does this company even still exist? Truly disappointing customer service experience, which is why I’m attempting to return the products. I have absolutely zero confidence that Cycliq will either address my issue with the Fly6 or issue me a RAN so that I can return the product.
It really is a case of a nearly perfect idea let down by tiny details – probably the expense of testing is beyond the small startup and we’re used to products from big companies like Cateye that just work. My Fly6ce filled up with water when I rode for 4 hours in a storm. The rubber flap had come open somehow… I see a lot of comments elsewhere that this seems to happen from water spray off the rear wheel, maybe riding downhill fast caused a high pressure spray, but certainly not to their claimed IP rating I would think? I worked out that a tight rubber band around the camera will solve this issue in the future. As for fixing it: I pulled it apart, dried it out and replaced the battery with a higher capacity one. I found that there is a piece of cardboard as insulation between the battery and the battery voltage control circuit. I think this cardboard is responsible for intermittent flakey-ness of some users’ cameras. Used in a humid environment, this cardboard would get moist and short out the power control circuit. I removed the cardboard and insulated the circuit using electrical tape. If you’re not experienced with electronics, you can actually buy a replacement battery complete with a control circuit and correct wiring and plug. They are available from the large internet bay that starts with “e-“. While not as cheap as full DIY, this means you only have to undo the four screws and plug in the new battery.
I think it’s still the best / ONLY option that I’m aware of. Other cameras get even worse reviews and aren’t designed with consideration for cyclists’ needs.
Is it really strange and surprising that there are no other options. Having a video camera is an essential part of riding given all the issues cyclists face with drivers on the road. Anyone knows what the pro peloton uses to capture those Velon videos? Given that GoPro only last 2 hrs, are they using GoPro and only turning on the device for certain sections?
They use GoPro’s (there’s is or was a sponsorship there with GoPro and Velon). The riders are mostly given freedom to turn them on and off as they see fit. To a large degree, it’s mostly dumb-luck that the things that get captured, actually get captured.
On a given day there’s roughly a dozen units in the peloton.
It’s almost all internal. The changes are, according to them, listed below. They noted they’ve actually quietly shifted production to this a few months back to test it, and have seen significant leaps in reliability.
///////////////
The refreshed product line features improvements to overall durability and performance including:
• Improved weatherproofing: redesign of the SD card and charging port flap, improving water
ingression performance and reinforcing overall IP56 dust and water ingression rating.
• Hardware durability: reconfiguration of internal componentry to improve durability and
battery performance.
• Manufacturing improvements: post-production testing has been ramped up including
individual pressure and vacuum testing on every product that comes off the production line.
• Automatic firmware updates: an auto-updater for new firmware releases is now available;
users just plug in their device to their desktop computer when connected to Wi-Fi and the
auto-updater detects if the user is running the most up to date firmware, and updates
automatically.
For stuff that is supposed to get wet, what is the typical IP code range for gear you test? link to dsmt.com
Were Cycliq products in the past rated fine for their intended use, but the manufacturing process failed to meet the spec?
Typically almost everything in the cycling industry is IPX7 (so 30 minutes at 1-meter deep), with the exception being some power meters/drive train bits will occasionally have slightly higher water pressure standards around ingest, mainly driven by pro teams using high pressure water cleaning the bikes.
I’m not super familiar with all the failures, but the Cycliq devices actually were well above IPX7 in that they were also nano-coated too. That’s been a big thing for them since the very first one, and I actually showed that way back when – filling it up with water, and then emptying it out and after it dryed out it was fine again. Super cool.
How all these bits pull together it’s yet totally clear to me either.
There is an issue with the Cycliq Fly12ce and Garmin 735xt units. I have verified this with 2 of each unit and the behaviour is the same. The Fly and Garmin form a light network and pair without any user input or permission. This happens as soon as the Garmin unit is powered on near the Cycliq – even if the Cycliq is powered off. It has the effect that anyone wearing a Garmin Forerunner 735xt coming close to a Fly12 can unwittingly pair to it – and power it on, at which point it will light up and start recording. This is annoying as when my girlfriend comes home from work with her watch on my fully charged Fly12 unit springs to life and depletes its battery while illuminating and recording whatever it is pointed at. I’ve contacted both companies who point the finger at each other. I’ve suggested they talk to each other about this security flaw. DC if you can spare the time to investigate and put this to both companies it would have a lot more weight than coming from me! Thanks for all the great reviews.
FURTHER DETAILS
– Power on 735xt near powered off fly12 = fly12 comes on with a light (even if all light modes had been disabled in fly12 settings) and starts recording
– already powered on 735xt comes into range of fly12 = as above whenever watch face mode is left on the forerunner by pressing top right button to select an activity, although in this case just camera not light.
– The only workaround is to power off the fly by pressing both buttons which also puts it into airplane mode. However, once powered back on it exits airplane mode and will start the unauthorised pairing behaviour again.
I’ve heard what you’re saying every once in a long while on the FR735XT specifically (like, once every 6-9 months) where someone’s seems to get into the Tinder-everything mode. It wants to hookup with every device it walks by.
I don’t know why it does this, it’s not by design/on purpose. People that got into this state seem to just reset their watch and then it’s fine again – leaving the world alone.
The other tip you can use though, is now that you’re wife’s unit has established that relationship already, you can actually just go into the sensors menu on your watch and set it to disabled. That means it won’t try and hook-up with it again, nor will it try and turn it on.
Thank you for the reply! I like the Tinder analogy, although so far as I know the Forerunner units only has the hots for my Fly12. (both my own and my girlfriend’s 735xt devices display the behaviour)
I have tried to go into the sensor menu on the 735xt and disconnect the fly12 – but it immediately starts to re-form a light network a few seconds later. I’m not aware of a way to disable it as such but will have a look around the settings.
I’ve this exact issue with my Garmin Vivoactive HR. I can’t ride with it on my wrist because it’ll turn my lights on and off as well as those of my friends. I’m told a firmware fix is coming. I expect nothing. I filed for a return, but nothing ever came of that.
Hi, my led light has stopped working on my fly12. I wrote an email to cycliq support and they wanted me to send them a screenshot of the light settings. I did this and am waiting for further response since 2 days now. Hope someone will contact me soon. “Enable light off mode” is disabled.
I noticed if I activate the Alarm function the led flashes. So actually it should work. Anyone else had this issue?
Well trying out all kind of things (Rest, FW Update, changing all kind of light settings) pressing both buttons for appox 5 seconds seems to solve the problem. Happy again :-)
Best regards
Oliver
Can anyone tell me whether the fly12CE will charge from a battery pack while the light and camera are operating? I’ve been able to borrow a Fly12 (the older model) from a friend to test, and the light turns off the instant it’s plugged into a wall or battery pack.
8 hours battery life is proabably good enough; I’m concerned about whether it will still be good enough 18 months after purchase when the battery is diminished from use.
I’ve been having an issue with my FLy6CE lately. I’ve let it sit after a ride for several weeks to the point that the battery is to low to power the unit. I’ve then attempted to charge it (red light comes on) over night only to still not get the unit to power on. The first time it happened I did eventually get it charge and power on but last night I was not so lucky. Charged overnight, still wouldn’t turn on. But now when I attempted to charge it again the light would show red and then a few moments later it would turn green for a few seconds and then go back to red for a minute or so. Like a really slow flash. I’ve never seen it do this before.
My new Fly 12 CE charges and works fine but I can’t attach it to the bike as the mount broke the first time I tried to attach it – and NO, I didn’t overtighten it!!
I have my Garmin Edge 1030 out front with a spare mount underneath. Can I adapt this for the Fly 12 CE?? The Cycliq duo mounts are not available from anywhere!!
I use the K-Edge Garmin combo too. Do note that it explicitly states that it’s not suitable for large devices like Fly 12CE so I use it without a bike computer.
My Fly 12CE has died. No idea why. Ive gone throuigh the advice on the Cycliq website but no improvement. I’ve submitted a ticket asking for help on how to get my camera to power up but nothing now for a week. Reading other comments here and elsewhere, this isn’t a surprise!.
Anyone else had their fly12CE die on them but been able to bring it back to life?
Any (constructive) suggestions very welcome.
I have had the issue where mine have sat after a ride long enough for the unit to die. I’ve then struggled with it to actually take a charge. What I have found is that using different wall charger and cord combinations along with checking the unit via the app tends to get them back to life for me. I would trying using a wall charger with a high output and then test different cables. While charging see if you can wake the unit up with the Cycliq app. It may take a few hours and a couple of tries to get it to respond.
What is the expected shelf battery life of a Fly 6 CE? I received Fly 6 CE and Fly 12 CE 3 or 4 weeks ago and charged them. The Fly 12 is fine, now about 40% battery. The Fly 6, turned OFF consumes it’s battery in less than 24h. If I uninstall the CycliqPlus app from my Android phone then it’s battery will last a whopping 3 days. Is this expected, typical? I have been trying to get support from Cycliq and after multiple “we’re busy” and “send us another video” messages I was able to determine the issue with their app but really no substantive answers. I sorely regret purchasing these cameras – seemed like a good idea at the time.
similar issue — battery draining even though it’s not on…
my routine is to charge my regular lights when I come home from a ride and once charged they sit in my bike gear drawer until I need the next, and I’ve never had to worry if they’ll work on the next ride.
feels like with my Fly6CE need to just keep on the charger. now with my unit, I’ve tried different wall chargers and cords to revive it but after sitting unused for a few months (weather, holidays, baby) I can’t get it to charge and turn back on… *sigh*
Hey Sorely, ya sounds like what I am facing too. I don’t want to leave it on the charger as that could end up killing the battery too. They say to put it in airplane mode by pressing both buttons but that just makes a sound like taking a picture. I have not even been on a ride with it yet (winter here) and I hate this thing. I should have gone with my original plan to get a gopro clone and an external battery.
yeah .. i’ve tried airplane mode with mixed success. if you read the 6CE manual, there are like 4 different things that require hitting the Power/Q buttons …
1. manual override bike alarm
2. capturing still images
3. Master Reset
4. Airplane Mode
i’ve reaallly wanted this to work and be as cool as the kangaroo and other videos I see on the blog ;) but the whole experience has been extremely underwhelming. Can’t add tramlines to the 6CE (rear) footage, had battery issues with first unit, second/replacement has been used <5 times and I can't get it to power on again. Ugh.
I had a Fly6CE last summer briefly and that was my main issue as well. The battery would just die sitting on the shelf in a few days and I didn’t want to leave it on the charger constantly. I ended up returning mine because support couldn’t really explain if it was considered normal or something they were fixing.
Since this seems to be one of the best places online to find and share information on these devices I’m sharing my recent experience with the Fly 6 CE.
I’ve owned every Cycliq product except the Kickstarter edition. Everything was either replaced under warranty or replaced at a discount out of warranty for one reason or another. Once I got a working unit I’ve had decent luck with them, but I’ve had to lean on Cycliq support multiple times and I’ve generally been pleased with their response, although the time zone difference to the U.S. makes for a slow process. I now have two Fly 6 (v) units, a Fly 12, and Fly 12 CE, and a Fly 6 CE. This post is about the 6 CE.
My first one had condensation under the lens which was the result of a manufacturing defect in early units. It was replaced. That replacement recently failed out of warranty. This was just after I (tried to) put it in airplane mode for a trip and on both the outbound and return legs the battery completely ran down when it should have been completely powered down in airplane mode. Two full discharges may have just been more than the old battery could take. It intermittently showed some signs of life, but mostly would not turn on nor would the charging light illuminate when it was plugged in. After a bunch of emails back and forth Cycliq support agreed to send me a refurbished unit for free if I shipped back the faulty one.
When I got the refurbished Fly 6, a Gen 2, I noticed that the middle of the 3 main LEDs glowed constantly. After I charged it up the battery fully self-discharged. They had me send it back and they sent me another refurbished Gen 2. I was a bit dismayed to find that one had the top of the 3 main LEDs glowing constantly. It also self-discharged in a day after I charged it up.
So I finally decided I’d just see if they’d give me a discount on a new one since two refurbished ones in a row had the same problem (almost… different glowing LEDs). They agreed to do that, but I continued to play with the one that I had and I finally stumbled on how to keep the Fly 6 CE from self-discharging.
I decided to track the self-discharge rate so I charged the light up and then unplugged it. A few hours later I checked the battery and it was still at 99%. However each time I checked the battery via the app after that it had lost a significant amount of charge. Within 18 hours it was dead.
In continuing to play with it I noticed something else. When I disconnected the app from the unit the one red LED in the ring continued to flash but at a different rate than when I was connected. It was about 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off… but then it seemed to stop. Then I noticed that it hadn’t stopped… it had just slowed down… about 2 seconds on and 20 / 30 / 40 seconds off. At that rate it was easy to miss that the light was still flashing at all and it definitely could have been doing this the whole time when it had self-discharged.
I tried force-stopping the app. No change to the light. Then the Eureka! moment… if I turned on my phone screen, the light went back to 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off. If I turned off my phone screen the light went back to 2 seconds on, 20+ seconds off. I could reproduce this every time. The phone being awake changed the light flash rate. The phone was still connected to the Fly 6. Finally I tried turning off the bluetooth on my phone for a moment and the light stopped flashing.
This explains why when I charged the light and then started checking the battery level it was still at 99% the first time I checked it. It was the act of connecting via the app that started the self-discharge. I’ve now had the unit off the charger for 3 or 4 days. I periodically check the battery level, being sure to kill the bluetooth connection after each check. Even with the one slightly glowing LED the battery has only dropped from 100% to 93%. Considering that the unit always has Bluetooth running that seems to be a reasonable self-discharge rate to me. Since it may very well make a difference, I am using a Google Pixel 3a.
I’ve informed Cycliq support of all of these observations. Hopefully they can do something with the firmware to fix this, or at least let customers know that they may need to turn off their phone’s Bluetooth after using the app if they are having issues. Even with all the issues I don’t know of any other solution for a bike safety camera that equals the Fly 6 CE and I hope they continue to develop newer and better devices.
Funny thing is I have had in the past, and am having hell with their support team (as I did a successful firmware update and buggered my Fly6), now today I had a some good news.
Last Friday on my way home from Wimbledon I caught a driver with my rear camera up on the pavement driving behind me like a loon. Long story short, just got a letter from the Rozzers and he is being prosecuted
Hay anyone out there got a old fly6 firmware files lying about?
I have updated to the latest firmware and a once great unit (over the past 9 months) has died. Its a couple years old now so have replaced it, as I do actually like it :-)
Okay its can be a pain in the ar$e but generally I like riding through London with a front and rear camera.
In the meantime I want to try and roll back to an earlier FW just for the hell of it, can anyone help?
This is a really disappointing comment thread. A couple years ago after a close call with a car I bought both a Fly6 and a Fly12 (non-CE), but didn’t use either much. I just never fine-tuned the workflow of charging and setting them up. Now with people allegedly staying home I’ve actually had worse problems with drivers, so I pulled them both out of the bin.
The battery life on both is pretty bad at this point; a couple hours at best, I use them for weekend rides, so 4-5 hours would get me through a ride. I’d also forgotten how bad the video quality on the original units was. I saw the new models and was very interested as both issues appear to be addressed. The lighting profile for Garmin is a nice feature as well.
But unfortunately after reading these comments there’s simply no way I could justify spending the $500 on a new set. To any company struggling with quality control issues a good customer service experience is paramount. Customers will forgive a lot of mistakes if replies are prompt and replacements are provided. Unfortunately from the experiences shared in this thread neither is true. One could be mistaken for thinking that Cycliq support is sub-contracted to Comcast.
My recommendation for Cycliq: this is not going to be cheap but it is essential. Commit internally to a 4-hour response time for customer service requests. Track this. If it’s not met, fire whomever is in charge of your support. Until you get your shiz together, commit internally that all responses will be written by a human to address the specific question. Don’t point someone to a generic support document. Track this internally. If it’s not met, fire whomever is in charge of your support. If the issue cannot be resolved with a single round of emails (initial email, response) then immediately send a replacement unit with a pre-paid label to return the old unit. I told you it wasn’t going to be cheap. Keep a database of the root-cause for the failures and track these. Work with your manufacturing partner to drive the failures to zero. You’ll never hit that, of course. But right now from what I’m reading you’re so far away that you aren’t even trying. If you don’t see rapid improvement, fire whomever is in charge of your manufacturing.
This is all so obvious that the fact that it hasn’t been done yet is a pretty good indication that Cycliq is focusing on attractive financials to make itself an acquisition target. Which also is disappointing.
The end result is that, based on this thread alone, you’ve likely lost a bunch of customers. Myself included :(
I bit the bullet and bought a new rear camera, after the new firmware nailed the 18m old same version (previous model to the now new). I spent months working with the tech support, in the end found the CEO’s email address in this thread and mailed him. I still have the old unit, and am hoping one day a new firmware will resurrect it.
The camera’s early days were buggy as hell, but there is no other alternative that comes close I feel. I recently got the news that a driver I reported to the Met got a £750 fine for his actions…
I’m sure many on this comment trail have received the opportunity to be on the notification for the June 1st announcement regarding the Fly6 gen 3. I eagerly opened the email today only to find minimal information to purchase a product that will only be available in Aug. The Gen 3 looks smaller but the battery life is less. Cycliq makes a much needed product and I never go on any ride without the 12 and 6 but I’m truly baffled by this company and it’s processes.
I’m with you on this one. Smaller, maybe lighter, but no hard data on either. Can’t take larger memory card, same or less battery life. Where’s the “improved” part of “new & improved?” And not until August??? Why even bother with a “launch” email etc.? Wish they would just focus on QC which would be a huge step up. Have a brand-new Fly6 CE that seems to just randomly shut itself off for no obvious reason. I don’t even bother trying their customer “support” any more based on past experience. They really need a viable competitor in this space (GoPros don’t have near the needed battery life, sadly). Also would love a Fly12 that was JUST a camera. The light just adds weight and size and there are better & lighter options out there for a front light.
I never had an issue with my Fly6 CE and it’s still the best option for recording rides out there apparently. But they are not even telling me why I, as an existing customer, should “upgrade” to this new version. It literally has all the same features. At least give me some nominal upgrades, like 4K recording or low light mode. Maybe even better battery life or a better theft prevention (drains the battery real quick). But lighter and smaller, that’s it? I see no need to buy, not to mention pre-order it months in advance.
If there are some reviews out and it’s perceived as good or better as my model, I will surely recommend it to others, but I’m clearly not the target group here. Very odd.
I was also looking forward to the announcement of the new unit even though my Fly 6 CE is a Gen 2 (refurbished) that I just got in an exchange this year (long post about that above). If the Gen 3 took a larger memory card I’d be first in line to get one. I don’t know if that would be a big deal to many current Fly 6 CE owners, but other than quality control it’s the only issue I have with the current batch of CEs. I also clicked on the link for the pre-order and then went “Meh, nothing I see makes me want to get a Gen 3 right now”.
I really want Cycliq to succeed as they are still the only and best option I’ve seen for a decent camera with enough battery life for most rides. Here’s my hope… first that the 4 to 5 hours they are quoting is what’s expected AFTER the light is 12 to 18 months old, not right out of the box. I’m hoping they have learned to manage expectations. Second I’m hoping it actually can take a larger memory card. The site said it comes with a 32GB card, but I didn’t see any technical specs that actually listed the maximum card size. I’ve been successfully running a 64GB card in my Fly 12 CE for as long as I’ve had it even though that is out of spec, but every time I try a big card in the 6 CE it just shuts down within a few minutes of being turned on.
Ideally the camera would be capable of taking a card that wouldn’t loop on most rides, and for me that means 3 to 4 hours of recording time before looping. For now I’ve taken to carrying a small USB C / USB A memory card reader and a spare 32 GB SD card with me so I can review video on my phone (USB C connection) and swap out the card part way through a ride if something significant happens in the first half.
Unlike a lot of others in this thread I’ve actually been generally pleased with Cycliq support. I just go into it with the understanding that if I send them a message mid-day Friday (US Eastern Time zone) then I’m not going to see a reply until late Sunday local time when they return to the office on Monday in Australia. While the QC is disappointing, they’ve replaced many units for me over the years, some more than once, and often out of warranty. When in-warranty they even have paid me for the return shipping. Just give me a bigger battery and memory card and stable firmware… that doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.
good idea about trying to swap cards during the ride…
Same experience here with the high-capacity SD cards. Freshly formatted, it will turn on, begin recording, then shut down a few seconds in.
I emailed support to find out if high-capacity SD support was a hardware or a firmware issue.
Here’s how the conversation went:
// Cycliq
As for the card, we would like to thank you for testing but for now, we can only recommend up to 32 GB as we are a safety-first camera and we cannot guarantee 100% that all larger capacity cards will work without any issues such as what you may be experiencing right now.
You can lock the footage manually on your Fly6 CE, just please press the Q button, It will not be overwritten but you can only delete manually or formatting the device.
// Me
Thanks – but that doesn’t really answer the question.
Is it a software issue (engineers can include an update in a future firmware release) or is a hardware issue (the Fly6CE isn’t designed to handle modern high-capacity SD cards) ??
// Cycliq
The unit is designed to only take a maximum of 32GB. However, we are working to increase this capacity on the next generation Fly6 CE models.
// What I wanted to say
What?!??! The next, next generation? Because the GEN3 you’re pushing on me still only has 32GB card…
// What I finally replied
Thanks for the clarification.
Please pass this information along to the product team:
For a safety-focused camera, it seems like there’s a struggle to get the features that rides like me want. On a long ride, with multiple close passes through the ride, I don’t want to have to worry about reaching back to force a “lock” on the footage. Rather, I’d like the device to be able to handle high-capacity memory cards. It’s disappointing that the Fly6CE can’t do that. What’s even more disappointing is that the new Fly6 that is on pre-order appears to (1) have less battery life and (2) still suffer from the same 32GB limit. Why do I need to want for another generation of devices?
Relatedly — for a safety-focused device, it’s insanely frustrating that the Fly6 and Fly6CE doesn’t have the ability to add tramlines in the Desktop app. Trying to use the ones designed for the Fly12 really don’t cut it, and for documenting close passes it’s really critical. Why on earth hasn’t this feature been added to the desktop app? Seems like the second most basic feature after the ability to merge together video segments…
1. Get your device quality in order. I had to replace my original unit, and I know many others who have had issues.
2. Stop trying to push a Gen3 device on me that has “upgrades” that I can’t even figure out from the website. I see no reason to upgrade to a Gen3. Let me know when you have a device that runs long and accepts high-capacity SD cards.
3. Build your devices with the ability to take high-capacity memory cards. Smart looping doesn’t cut it, I want to record — without overwriting — for the whole time the battery lasts.
4. Speaking of battery, work on increasing battery life (a) in real world conditions and (b) over time. Too many posts about decreasing battery life. I personally am not counting the grams to care if it weighs more to last longer…
5. Also speaking of battery life, add a feature to the device that allows you to decide on which “home safe” mode you’d like: (a) stop the video and keep the lights running, or (b) stop the lights and keep the video running. Why? In order to maximize battery life, and because I prefer a smaller, lighter, brighter, and longer lasting rear light, I run my preferred light and keep the Fly6CE on camera-only mode. But if “home safe” gets triggered, my video will stop even though I’m not wanting to use the lights…
6. Add the basic, critical, missing features to the desktop app. If you want us to upload all these things to UpRide and report close passes — why aren’t there tramlines available for every device?
I really, really love what you guys are trying to do. I really, really want you to be successful. I really, really don’t understand some of the decisions coming out of the company right now, nor do I comprehend the gaps in the product features.
I have recently purchased a Fly 6 CE Gen3 & Fly 12 CE.
My credit card HAS been charged.
I was under the impression that the card would not be charged until the unit shipped, and I thought that my payments were to be in 5 installments.
I also noticed that the Suite Number was NOT listed on my order confirmation, as it was listed when I placed the order.
I have contacted customer service at least three times over the last couple of weeks. No one from Cycliq has responded.
I know the rear units were not going to be shipped until August. But, I was under the impression that my credit card would not be charged until they shipped.
Since Cycliq does not respond, should I have my credit card company issue a refund?
And since Cycliq does not respond to any of my inquiries, is this an indicator of their customer service, and should I look at other options for bike cameras?
I’m a long time user of the Fly 6 and 12 and unfortunately their customer service leaves much to be desired. If you read through the comments above you’ll see the range of experiences. I’ve had a few faulty units that were ultimately replaced so I can’t really complain. When you do have a faulty unit, it works the way it’s supposed to. I haven’t experienced battery drain or other issues. I’ve wondered the same about other options in the market and there really isn’t a competitor in this space. GoPro’s battery life just isn’t sufficient without modifications and additional battery packs. On you question about credit card refund, I’ve tried that with other similar situations and it’s been mixed. If it’s not fraud then you need to work it out with the merchant.
Unfortunately, your experience so far is a typical example of their customer service. It seems that at one point, making a fuss in the comments here would get their attention, but that does not seem to even do anything anymore.
I was sent a replacement unit to replace my Fly6CE which was dead out of the box. The replacement lasted about a month. I now use a GoPro Session. Unfortunately combining a light and a camera seems to result in a device that is good at neither task. If this was a viable concept, another company would have put Cycliq out of business by now.
Pretty much par for the course in terms of Cycliq’s “customer service.” I really wish someone would come out with a competing product or just buy them out and invest in some QC and support staff.
FWIW, In some jurisdictions, it is illegal to charge for a product that has not been shipped, so you might inquire with your local state attorney general or consumer protection bureau.
I don’t know how Cycliq is still in business. They don’t honor their warranty.
The cameras are great … until they stop working. It took less than a year for my Fly12CE to turn into an expensive paperweight.
Cycliq’s Customer Support team must have gotten sucked into a black hole. After the master reset they prescribed didn’t work, they stopped responding to me. I’d send them an email reminding them about my ticket every 10 days or so. It’s been over 5 WEEKS AND NO RESPONSE!
The LBS where I purchased them told me I’m not the first to complain about the non-existent customer support from Cycliq. In fact, because of Cycliq’s pattern of non-support, the LBS stopped carrying Cycliq products.
If you buy a Cycliq product, CAVEAT EMPTOR!
Today was to be an exciting day! It would be the first time my bike was off the trainer and I could try the fly6 out on the road. All charged and ready to go … but it won’t turn on! Any known tricks to get these things working? This thing is less than a year old but based on previous comments it is unlikely to get resolved by Cycliq. Is there any similar product or would I just be relegated to a GoPro type thing and an external battery?
I’ve had luck with removing and reinserting the SD card when my Fly 6 will not power up. In those cases when I connect to it via the app it says that I need to insert an SD card. If you don’t see the bluetooth signal and can’t connect via the app I don’t think this will help.
Thanks Alan, I did try removing, formatting and replacing the SD card, no joy. The unit is not responding to the phone app so I guess that BT is not working nor does it seem to be there when plugged into the computer with USB. Oddly enough though I can plug in a formatted SD card and hold the Q button for 30 seconds and it will write a config to it but beyond that the fly6ce is pretty much unresponsive. And this has never even made it outside!
Mike H, while the Cycliq customer service is slow and leaves much to be desired they have come through for me every time. If you’ve had this for less than a year I’m sure they will get you sorted out eventually. Good luck.
Hi Mike E, yes, I do have a ticket open but no great hope. They really did nothing to solve the problem about it being almost out of charge by morning after charging it the night before nor it’s feeble 4hr+ runtime so my guess is that I will be looking about for a GoPro type of camera. Ideally I’d like cameras that could run for up to 12hr on a charge and be able to accept a SD card big enough to save it.
1.
how is it possible that fly 12 ce stops recording after i switch off my garmin 830?
when i switch my garmin 830 on he searches for connected lightnetworks and starts to record.
2.
with idle mode the unit still records 15min?!?! until it shuts off. this should be reduced to 10sec!
Ordered the new Fly6 + Fly12 + SD card bundle months ago. On June 10 got confirmation of order and that I should look for shipment notification. None came. No cameras arrived either. Emails / webforms submitted, but no response whatsoever from Cycliq. But Cycliq does keep emailing me paranoia-inducing, “the HORROR! the HORROR!” spam about motorists running over cyclists… I don’t appreciate Cycliq taking my money and ghosting me, and even less the entirely FUD-based sales tactics. Should I just go to the credit card company and try to cancel the transaction?..
Well, I’ve had the fly6 (rubber band version) and a fly6 ce. Both lasted about a year and a half of daily use. First one the case cracked at the mount and camera fell off at high speed and was too scratched and cracked to repair. Second one, filled up with water during a storm, I dried it out, replaced the battery, then it lasted a few more months before the on/off button stopped working. Was fairly fed up with the whole experience and whilst looking for an alternative, I found the techmoan website, where he reviews dash cams and the like. He says that you shouldn’t expect a bike or car dash cam to last more than 18 months due to various reasons. See the bottom few paragraphs on this page: link to techmoan.com
So, I bit the bullet and ordered my third fly6. Mainly as any other cameras have no neat way to mount to a seatpost and lack decent battery life and / or incident detection. I managed to find one of the last available ‘gen 2’ fly6 ce. Supposedly slightly better waterproofing, but I will stick a rubber band around it to make sure the charging flap stays closed. The new, as yet unavailable gen 3 looks to be better made, with the flap on the side, but the battery life is shorter, rendering it useful only for commuting. The price is higher too.
A Dutchie here who commutes a lot and lis ooking for a rear facing camera on my bikes. Do you expect any updates on the fly 6 anytime soon since it is already 3 years old?
It would be hard for Ray to review the next gen Fly6 CE. That’s because it has not shipped out yet. Months ago I pre-ordered and pre-paid for one. It will be a cold day in Oz Land before I see a next gen CE. And the thing is, I feel really, really stupid for having ordered one; especially about all the negative comments here, and elsewhere, about poor hardware and software quality and non-existent customer support. Shame on me for being so foolish with my “bike money.”
Purchased the Fly6CE and Fly12CE after previously having the FLY6 (the battery died). I enjoyed the FLY6, the FLY6CE is terrible. The camera basically stops responding, it requires a reset. If the battery gets low where it shuts off, a reset is needed for it to stat charging again. Turn the camera off at a rest stop, it’s 50/50 if it turns back on without a reset. First they blamed it on the sd card, replaced the sd card same results. The response time and request for pictures is insane, it’s like they don’t want you to buy anymore of their products. It’s at the point that they’ve extended an offer to get the next generation which cost even more than the previous. Completely disappointed in the latest version, doubt why I would take a chance on anymore versions.
I have used fly6ce and fly6ce Gen 2. As I live in Singapore where there are thunderstorms during the year, and I was caught in down pouring rains during rides despite my best effort to ride. And in such situations, both units were spoilt once the rain seeped into the lens, and it’s graded IP56 which baffled me. The same issue happens to my friends (5 of us).
When it works, it is a fantastic device. However at such pricing, I expect it to be able to withstand the tests of rainfalls.
I hope DCrainmaker will test its resistance to rain falls in next round of review.
Has anyone already paid for and received the next gen Fly6? Seems like Cycliq is up to its old shenanigans, accepting payment for the new device and NOT delivering (or even giving an ETA for delivery). They are using the old pandemic excuse as a reason, but does not fly too well anymore. I recently ordered a replacement tank for my WaterRower machine. They kept me informed of the shipping status and, I am happy to say, the new tank will ship this week—two weeks after I ordered it. That’s how to do business right and keep customers satisfied.
Cycliq have displayed “Shipping November 2020” on their website for a while now – at least since early September, but judging by the comments above this hasn’t always been the case. If it’s any consolation, I’ve been waiting for over 2 months for a proprietary out front mount from Synchros and a friend of mine had to wait several weeks, with continuous delays for some wheels from Hunt. My LBS says this is happening a lot across the industry.
Re the new Fly6, I’m in two minds about getting one. It’s a lot of money and the negative reviews put me off, but you would hope Cycliq would learn from previous issues and improve each model as they go along. Or perhaps I’m being naive.
Either way, the main problem is that I can’t find anything better on the market and as Calum Chalmers noted, techmoan states we shouldn’t expect these cameras to last more than 18 months due to various reasons. I’ve found this to be a common problem with bike lights as well (Lezyne, CatEye etc.). That’s small comfort when it costs so much money, but I’ll try and keep it dry and cover the ports as best I can.
I’m also hoping that there are many happy Fly6 owners who we don’t hear from (people who have had bad experiences tend to shout loudest), but again I might be being naive!
Hi Ray, I just wondered if you have any plans to review the Fly6 CE gen 3 model soon? It would be great to see how the picture quality measures up to the gen 2 version.
It would be hard for Ray to review the next gen Fly6 CE. That’s because it has not shipped out yet. Months ago I pre-ordered and pre-paid for one. It will be a cold day in Oz Land before I see a next gen CE. And the thing is, I feel really, really stupid for having ordered one; especially about all the negative comments here, and elsewhere, about poor hardware and software quality and non-existent customer support. Shame on me for being so foolish with my “bike money.”
Thats right, but Ray often seems to get units sent to him early – sometimes pre-production units.
Are you able to cancel the pre-order?
Alternatively, let’s just hope the next model addresses many of the problems with the existing one. The fact that it’s lighter is good and people have commented on things like the ports looking better protected, so it will hopefully fair better in wet conditions.
There is a newer firmware update (ver 1.1.26.084) that I did not see mentioned in these comments. I couldn’t find any information about the issues it fixes.
No way will I buy from Cycliq again. Terrible quality and customer service. My second gen unit stopped recording within the warranty peroid. Multiple emails to the company and posting it back at my cost to be reviewed have determined it’s defective. All they will offer is a 10 percent discount on the new gen3 unit. I’m currently taking this to the Australian Consumer Affairs Tribunal
Initially, I had a fly6 v2… Was happy with this unit. It seemed to do what I wanted it to do… record video, light me up at night… No additional complications, like being able to talk to my garmin. That’s just one more thing that can go wrong.
For other reasons, I replaced the fly6v2 with a CE. That was not the wisest of choices. The only way I could change settings was to use some app to do so. First, that little tab that covers the connections broke off. . Eventually, on that unit, the bluetooth seemed to quit working, and then, to put it out of its misery, it fell off on a rougher descent. I didn’t even put that much effort into finding it, because to me, it was a piece of garbage
anyway. I tried replacing it with something different, but two different brands video quality didn’t compare to what I had with the fly6v2. So, eventually, for far less, I purchased another fly6v2 No problems since.
Now, with the fly12 CE, I have a different problem…. It… works… fine…. I don’t believe that the life of battery matches what they advertise…. I don’t any companies promises ever match what they pontificate in their boasting that they’re the best thing since sliced bread. It’s the universal adapter, which slowly degrades, by losing pieces of what is supposed to hold on this $250 unit. After it fell off for the first time, I investigated it, thinking it was something else…. I also started hooking it on with the included strap, so it wouldn’t hit the pavement again. It dropped off a few more times (not to the ground, however— it’s pretty durable), before finally realizing it was this cheap crap universal adapter that is probably mfg’d in China, and of course, will break apart after 6 months of use, that you can buy (at least try to, if it’s in “stock”, lol.
Eventually, the adapter got to be in such bad shape that the unit wouldn’t hold in anymore, so about 6 months ago, I shelved it… Something that I don’t appreciate having to do, spending as much as I did for it in the first place.
So, I ask two questions:
1) Has anyone else in this forum found a workaround to mount their fly12CE without having to use “cycliq’s” , POS, Universal Adapter?
2) has cycliq gotten a new stock of Universal Adapters.
I don’t think I’m going to be spending my money on any future cycliq products in the future.. Yes, the C/S is awful… the details about sending pictures from all four sides, a video of it “falling off”, the proof of purchase (what if it was a gift???), the slow turnaround time to get a response, etc etc. All that leaves a bad taste in my mouth, when, at first, I was a fan of your products. I felt safer, and secure on the carcentric roads here in US.
Cycliq is now shipping the Fly 6 Gen 3. I preordered and paid for the Fly 6/Fly 12 combo in July with the promise that the 6 would ship in August and the 12 would follow a month later. So now that it
looks like I’ll be getting the new Fly 6 in a couple weeks, 4 ½ months late and just in time for New England winter, Cycliq is offering a Black Friday sale for $100 less than what I paid. After reading all the comments about poor customer service from Cycliq, its good to see that they have placed a priority on building a loyal customer base. Not. Hopefully the new 6 and 12 will be so wonderful that I’ll forget about the sweet deal offered to new customers while they held on to my money and gave me promises and excuses.
Could you possibly cancel/return the preorder and purchase the black Friday offer instead?
I saw their announcement back then and when I saw it was a preorder which you also had to prepay, it immediately felt fishy to me. Like, they shouldn’t need to do this if they were a properly run company and not a kickstarter project. I was actually worried they might be on the brink of bankruptcy.
All the risk would be on me and they have a horrible track record of customer service. No way i send them money for a promise.
Dan, like you, I placed my order for the Fly6 wayyyy back. After ALL the broken promises regarding delivery I cancelled my order. To their credit, Cycliq fully refunded my credit card for the full amount, less interest for the amount of time that they held and used my money. Then I saw the BF sale and I figured why. At worst I will end with an expensive paperweight and at best Cycliq will finally deliver on its promise for the Fly6. Only time will tell. ?
After a bike crash, I ordered the safety combo on 10/28 for peace of mind in the future. When I worried about their ship date promise, I found this ongoing thread. Unfortunately too late to cancel the order.
Their site today shows nothing about a pre-order for purchases and still have their Black Friday prices up. Are they just taking orders with no regard to delivery now?
Cycliq, I invite you to prove us wrong and deliver on your promises.
I ordered the safety combo on 10/28. I became suspicious of their delays when I found this ongoing thread. Unfortunately too late to cancel the order.
I checked their website last week and it shows nothing about a pre-order for purchases and still had their Black Friday prices up. Are they just taking orders with no regard to delivery now?
I fear that they’re doing a fund-raiser now, and it won’t be for my benefit.
Florian, I cancelled my order a couple days ago. I’m in Maine, USA, and probably won’t be riding until April. They said they’ll refund my card in 5-7 business days. My fingers are crossed…
Piling on here – I just want a refund. Been going in circles with Jason H at Cycliq. My Gen2 broke down after 4 months, they want me to wait til they manufacture more Gen2s to get a replacement (@!?) or pay $100 to upgrade to the Gen3 that probably also does not work.
@Ray can you please raise the alarm these guys make faulty tech and have terrible customer service!
I ordered the fly6 gen3 and fly12 on the 4th October 2020. Yesterday I received an expected shipping date of 8th February 2021. Be prepared for a long wait. The UK website says shipping for the fly12 is now June 21. At the time I ordered thee expected wait was 3 months.
Fingers crossed the units work because there isn’t really anything else on the market like it. Although I am worried about the comments here. Perhaps it would be nice if garmin bought cycliq or gave some competition.
I have opened a ticket with Cycliq September 2020 complaining about the quality of the recordings and after making some recordings available to their team I was requested to send my camera to an address here in US. My Cycliq was sent to them on Sep 1st and delivered Sep 4th.
Since then I got some e-mails from Aron N. stating it would take some time to send the camera due COVID and some issues with taxes in the country the cameras are shipped from.
I completely understand 2020 was a complicated year but at least what I was expecting from Cycliq was some sort of update every 15 days or worst case scenario once a month.
Anyway, I sent 5 e-mails this year asking for updates on my ticket (Jan 7th, Jan 11th, Jan 13h and more) and I did not get a single response with the status of my ticket.
I feel like I’ve been stolen as they got the camera and suddenly stopped caring about my case.
Cycliq has been using Covid to justify their poor business practices, lack of customer support and generally horrible user experience. Other companies, such as WaterRower, Garmin and Wahoo, to name a few, have managed to work through Covid. Why can’t Cycliq? They are out to take your money (and in your case your device) and don’t give a D… about you, or anyone else. Perhaps a class action lawsuit will fix them up.
In his review Ray should include a statement publicly noting all the complaints, issues and other problems involving Cycliq and its products. Ray would do his readers a great service by including such a statement. His failure to discuss Cycliq’s monumental customer fail is not helpful.
For everyone’s info, I finally received (late Jan 2021) a Gen3 unit after pre-ordering in July 2020. The battery life is TERRIBLE. A ride that would only drain 50% of the battery on my Gen2 completely drained my Gen3 only 75% of the way through. PLEASE can someone come out with a competing unit!
Cycliq over promises and under delivers. I am beginning that Cycliq is an Aussie Scam. How else can you explain their lousy product development, their non-existent customer support and the underwhelming performance if their products. Ray, I implore you, please say SOMETHING about this crappy company and its product line. Man, you are tarnishing your reputation by remaining silent.
“I finally received (late Jan 2021) a Gen3 unit after pre-ordering in July 2020”
Just to be clear, this review isn’t about the current Gen 3 version, but rather, previous versions. I’ve never tested the latest version of this product.
I’ve added a disclaimer to the top of the post. Cheers!
I just wondered if you have any plans to review the new Fly6? You wrote this in a reply to my comment in October:
> I don’t have a unit at this time. I might circle back with them and see about getting one.
It would be great to read your impressions, as like many (I assume), I’m not going to order one until I’ve seen some reviews.
Having said that, I did order one originally in September, but cancelled it after further delays and reading reviews of some of their other products. To be fair to Cycliq, they refunded me in full, so my experience of their customer service has been ok.
It would be helpful to see a detailed review of Cycliq’s new models, with discussions of the common problems experienced by consumers posting here and on the Facebook Cycliq Fly Users Group such as water ingress, fragility of mounting clips, battery life issues, general non-functionality, and customer support and service experiences that have been mixed, etc. This comment page has become the de facto customer support page for Cycliq and, in my experience, the best way to contact the company to address issues with Cycliq products. That is telling and unfortunate. I’d like to see Cycliq asked about these problems, and the steps the company is taking, if any, to remedy issues with fulfillment and customer service. Answers to these questions would certainly influence my decision as to whether to consider giving Cycliq a second chance.
Fly12CE ordered 26 November 2020 with a shipping date of ‘January 2021’. The website has quietly changed that to June 2021. Nobody bothered to send me an email to tell me. I’ve given up on this company. Refund requested.
Just have in mind that people who have no issues usually don’t care about going online and writing about it. I found this to be true of myself as well, without even being aware of it. Now if things go wrong, then of course people will be everywhere shouting about it. Bad customer service is not a good sign though.
Every time you go on Trustpilot, there are always a ton of bad reviews on there, no matter which store. Even the good ones have a lot of bad reviews.
That doesn’t mean Cycliq is great though, for me it remains to be seen. I have ordered in June and only got my Fly6 in december, and I got an email saying I would be getting the Fly12 on 10th february.
I haven’t tried the 6 yet though since I haven’t started cycling yet, but I’ll be back with a review once I’ve used them for a while.
It is true that, generally speaking, only customers who are unhappy take the time and make the effort to go online. That, however, is not the case with me. I was an early advocate of the Fly 6 and gave it positive reviews here and on Amazon. Since then I have grown increasingly disappointed with the device’s many problems, with the bad customer service experience and with Cycliq’s failure to deliver a consistently working device. For your sake, I hope that you have amore positive user experience. But don’t lump every reviewer here in the “disgruntled user” category. That is demeaning to the many thoughtful and considered, albeit unhappy, users who have taken the time to write here.
I’m not trying to lump everyone together on here. I’m sure their claims are legitimate. Just generally speaking of how people tend to behave when it comes to reviews on any product. Just saying that people should have that in mind and not automatically believe that this represents most of their customer base. Some people hesitate to try for themselves as soon as they see a few bad reviews.
My experience is that every time I read bad reviews on something, then when I buy the product myself, most of the times I have no issues.
I chose to have an open mind and try for myself, especially as there really isn’t much else in terms of bike specific cameras. I had a near death experience last year, which is why I decided to buy cameras.
I posted a detailed account of my experience with Cycliq and their devices earlier in this thread, but I can sum it up as: I’ve had a > 50% failure rate, but generally good customer service that eventually got me a working device.
I received this email from Cycliq about two weeks ago. I ordered on November 28th and I think this is the first contact I’ve had from them since:
—————-
We’re pleased to let you know that your Fly12 is scheduled for delivery in the week commencing 15th of February. You will receive the tracking number to this email address.
We had also planned to ship your Fly6 Gen 3 this month, however very strong demand over Black Friday and Cyber Weekend – combined with COVID-related production interruptions – has meant that shipping has unfortunately been delayed.
Your Fly6 will now be shipped in the week ending 30th of April. We know this is disappointing news, but please take comfort in knowing that you have secured a significant discount which will not be repeated until Christmas 2021.
As a sincere thanks for your understanding, we will also be providing you with a complimentary SD Card upgrade (from 32 GB to 128 GB) and an additional Fly6 accessory pack, with a total value of $50 USD.
We appreciate your support and look forward to getting your products to you as soon as possible.
—————
I noticed that BikeTiresDirect.com has been listing the Fly 6 Gen 3 as ‘in stock’ and ready to ship for a couple of weeks now, so Cycliq clearly has produced and shipped some of these to retailers. They list it for $229, the same price as on the Cycliq site (altough if you have an account and log in it is listed a few $$ cheaper, plus you get 10% back in points for a future order and free shipping). Meanwhile the Cycliq site is back to ‘pre-order now’ for $229 plus $20 shipping, and says it will be shipping in May. So you can buy one today from a retailer and get it right away for less than if you pre-order on Cycliq’s site.
I ordered the new devices even though I currently have a working Fly 12 CE and Fly 6 CE gen 2 because I figured they’ll eventually fail or their battery life will diminish and I’d like to have the new ones on hand. So while I’d like to get the new cameras, I’m in a position where I don’t really mind the delay. I’m actually happy to wait in return for the larger SD card and the extra mounts, but I wouldn’t be very happy about it if I didn’t already have working cameras.
I’m concerned about the one report in this thread about poor battery life. Until we get more reports from other users of the Gen 3 it’s hard to know if this is a defective unit or the way they will all perform. According to the web site the Gen 3 only does 1080P @ 30fps and 720P @ 60fps. Can someone who has a Gen 3 confirm if those are the only two recording modes? If so, I wonder if they eliminated 1080P at 60fps to increase runtime, improve reliability, or both (or none of the above).
The gen 3 doesn’t have 1080p 60fps anymore according to above and the battery is 2000mah as opposed to gen2 which had 3200mah. But the runtime is supposed to be the same.
How much did you pay on Black Friday? I also wouldn’t mind waiting that long if I got the deal you got with all the extras. And that’s very cool of them to do that.
I got a barfly mount so I will be putting my Bolt on top and the Fly 12 under it. The barfly is a really good product in my mind. For my other bike I will just use their regular bar mount.
Gen3 Fly6 is a big comedown in many respects. .Video modes, battery life, and as I discovered yesterday, water-proofness. Pre-ordered one in July, received in December, Did a 25 mile ride on roads wet from snow-melt, and came home with a bricked Gen3. Yes, the charging “door” was well-closed/sealed. It beeps and chirps, but no light and no video. Over $300 is a lot for a month or two of use. I’ll file a claim, but have no illusions anything will happen.
It took me a while to work this out, but my Cycliq Fly12 is causing interference with my Garmin 1030 GPS. I spent a lot of time working with Garmin, who were fantastic, they replace the unit twice, but the issue persisted. I then discovered I had no problem when I did not use my Fly12. I did a raft of tests, and the final one was to wrap the Fly12 in foil, which provided the added shielding necessary; this is not a practical solution long term.
When I contacted Cycliq, they said that because they had certificates, my Fly12 was ok and they did not believe there was an issue. They then said that there were many threads on the internet that Garmins had problems with other devices. If I sight threads on the internet as proof my device was faulty, they will not accept that.
I’m not sure if I’m happy to see your post or dismayed… but I have some additional data that might be interesting. I already had a Fly 12 CE and Fly 6 CE but decided to purchase a second set on the Black Friday deal for a couple of reasons including that my Fly 12 original that my wife uses had recently died and I expected that eventually the battery life on my Fly 6 CE gen 2 would decline to where I’d need to replace it.
I was able to find the GPS interference problem fairly quickly. On the first ride with the new Fly 12 CE I thought my Garmin was having issues because I had a second headlight sitting above and to the rear of the Garmin which is on a Cycliq duo mount above the Fly 12. On the second ride with the new camera I didn’t have the extra headlight and realized my issue wasn’t coming from that.
Cycliq’s placing the blame on the Garmin is pure BS. I’m currently going back and forth support, but their first response tried to say it was due to Bluetooth sharing the same frequency band as GPS and they also gave me the line about Garmin devices having issues with other electronics.
I’m pretty sure the problem isn’t the Bluetooth. I downloaded a GPS status app for my Google Pixel phone which makes it much easier to tell when the interference is happening. It shows the signal strength and number of satellites the phone GPS is receiving.
When I put the phone above the new Fly 12 CE there is no interference if the unit is off (even though the Bluetooth is still on when the camera and light are off). When I open the Cycliq app and connect to the light, there is still no interference (even thought the Bluetooth is then actively communicating with the app). However when I turn on the Fly 12 CE and start recording, the interference shows up. Whether the light is on, off, or flashing seems to make no difference. This has nothing to do with Bluetooth. The spurious RF emissions are coming from something in the recording circuitry.
I’ll note again that my older Fly 12 CE does not do this at all. It isn’t inherent in the design. There is something wrong with these units.
I tried swapping the SD cards between my old and new Fly 12s to rule out any emissions from the SD card and the problem stayed with the new Fly 12 CE.
I really want Cycliq to succeed, but it’s getting really hard to not give up on them. I’ve posted here before that I’ve had multiple devices that I’ve bought from them replaced under warranty, some more than once. Their quality control stinks, but in the past their support has been responsive enough to keep me happy. The fact that they’re telling two of us that their defective units are somehow Garmin’s fault may put me over the edge.
Garmin already makes a radar. Can someone get them to make a decent set of front & rear safety cameras?
At this point, I don’t know why anyone bothers with Cycliq or its products. They make an inferior product that continually under performs. They cannot even deliver on their promises to ship the crap they make. I don’t understand why Ray does not address these issues in a definitive post. It is a shame.
I’ve had a warning of sorts at the top of this post for a while now about my concerns about the company.
But given I haven’t tried their newest products, I’m not sure why I’d write a random new post that says ‘While I haven’t actually tried this new product, you shouldn’t use it because other people say so.’
I get that Ernesto you’ve had a lot of troubles with them over the years, and others have had troubles as well. But I also don’t think that’s everywhere. Else frankly, we’d have far more complaints here. Don’t get me wrong, customer service seems poor at best lately, but I don’t necessarily think that represents the underlying product for everyone.
Either way, I write product reviews about products I’ve tested. Doing anything else isn’t a review, it’s simply a hit piece (even if rightly deserved). And that’s not my jam. The warning at the top seems to cover it fairly well.
Ernesto, you’re starting to sound like a broken record. Like I said, people who haven’t had issues are pretty much invisible on the internet because they tend to not bother to talk about the product unless they have had problems. So of course you are going to see pretty much only bad reviews.
You don’t have to keep repeating the same thing, and asking Ray to write negatively about something he hasn’t encountered himself.
I received another response from Cycliq support. They are simply standing by their explanation that this is a Garmin problem despite the fact that it is a problem with only one of my two Fly 12 CE units and affects both my Garmin and my phone.
This is my first failure with Cycliq support after a long string of successes. I really feel bad for them as a company as they are trying to make a product the cycling community needs and they are I believe they are struggling financially yet they can’t seem to catch a break with the quality control at the factories producing their products.
This is a known problem. See link to youtu.be. I got a refund on a Fly12CE because of this. I had to send Cycliq photos of my 510 showing the GPS accuracy field with the light on and off and screenshots of rides on Strava showing me riding through buildings, etc.
Cycliq just flat out denied the issue at first, quoting their compliance with some standards. Standards that don’t seem to cover being mounted within cm of a GPS.
Ray, your reputation is taking a hit. The Cycliq Fly 6 is a piece of junk. The company engages in fraudulent practices by promising devices that it cannot deliver while, at the same time, taking money from consumers. While Cycliq keeps blaming the pandemic for their supply woes, EVERY other company out there has been able to manage just fine. For example, Garmin and WaterRower, two companies that I have done business with during the times of Covid, have had no problem at all consumer demands, so don’t blame Covid for your ineptitude. Incidentally, I was an early adapter, and I wrote positive reviews of the product, here and in Amazon. But short battery life, water ingress (even in Southern California where it rarely rains), defective rubber door, and broken plastic attachment clips soured me on this company and its less than mediocre offerings. And, I am not the only one who is unhappy with this piece of junk. Ray, you can deflect all you want, but at the end of the day your readers, who have come to trust your reviews, will all be left wondering why you haven’t called out this company. BTW, if Cycliq was based in California they would have been long drummed out of business for engaging in what, by any measure, can only described as consumer fraud.
Rider8, I don’t make it a habit to respond to people who don’t use their real name and, instead, hide behind a screen name. In your case, however, I will make an exception. If you read my posts you will note that all I am asking Ray to do is to alert people to the myriad of problems that users have with this company and its products. Also, had you bothered to read through my posts you will have realized that I gave positive reviews to the Cycliq 6 (thank God I didn’t waste money on the Cycliq 12). It was only after this piece of junk began to fall apart that I changed my tune. Until Cycliq solves its problems and delivers on its promises I will continue to be, as you so cutely put it, a “broken record.” Perhaps you are 100% happy with your Cycliq, in which case more power to you. Or perhaps you have come to accept mediocrity as the standard by which all products are measured. I am not, however, ready to jump with you into that bandwagon.
Hi Rider8, I have had a Fly 6 CE and a Fly 12 since the Fly 6 shipped. From the start the 6 would not hold a charge I tracked it down to having the Cycliq app on my phone. If I installed the app and configured the devices then closed the app and turned off the 6 it would kill the battery in less than it’s proclaimed run time. After almost a year of sending pictures doing tests, again and again and again Cyclic said they would replace it but they suggested that I buy the new 6. I said no, just make what I have work and since then it is like the phone line was cut, just silence so I have given up. I can’t use the thing outside anyway since the little rubber door fell off during one of the many many tests they had me run.
Ernesto, the Fly 12 seems to work well, holds a charge and operates like you think it should. Needless to say I don’t mount it near my 520, but then I don’t bother with either for anything other than a short “fun” outing as the battery life in the 6 is only a couple of hours and any real ride I would be gone all day.
Has anyone opened these up? I am wondering if they could be wired to an external battery for a decent run time? But then they only take a 32G card. I truly wish that Garmin would come out with a similar product with an all-day runtime and capability for a large memory card. If they had a good synchronized on/off when you start/stop the 520 that would be superb.
“Ray, your reputation is taking a hit….Ray, you can deflect all you want, but at the end of the day your readers, who have come to trust your reviews, will all be left wondering why you haven’t called out this company.”
Ernesto – I’ve placed a big chunk of text at the top of this page, a review from years ago, about the issues. If you don’t think that’s enough – then frankly, I’m not sure what to say. Again, you’re asking me to write a hit-piece on something I haven’t tested because what amounts to a handful of people are having issues. No doubt, those issues are real. But if they were hugely widespread, frankly, there would be more comments here. As others have said, happy people generally don’t post on forums/comments sections.
Ray’s right. My experience of Cycliq has been fine – they gave me a full refund after I cancelled my order. I’m sure many others have experienced good service, but don’t broadcast it. Unfortunately quite a few people haven’t had such a good experience and have understandably made their feelings known. Not just on here, but several online stores (many poor reviews). That’s mainly why I decided to cancel my order, which if many people do, will ultimately hurt Cycliq more than anything.
Ernesto – I don’t think you can expect Ray to say anymore unless he has reliable customer satisfaction statistics in front of him. Let’s not forget that his remit is to review products and, like he said, he hasn’t reviewed the Fly 6 Gen 3 yet.
We get that you’ve had a bad experience and anyone coming across these comments and customer reviews will think twice about buying products from Cycliq, but there comes a point when you have to let it go.
Ray, I am going to buy a Gen 3 Cycliq 6. When, or if, I ever get it, I will ship it to you, free of charge, so you can do a proper, long-term review. We will then see how their new offering holds up in real life, honest to goodness use. The proof will be, as they say, in the pudding.
Hey DC – FYI – I’ve had Cycliq cameras on my bikes since I got into a tiff with a dump truck about 6 years ago. Customer service was marginal for a while, but lately has disappeared completely. My 12 isn’t working at all – which is unfortunate indeed as i ride in big diesel pickup truck territory. Cycliq hasn’t responded in 8 days to a request – which is a lot longer than their promised 48 hour response.
be careful out there.
Joe
March 2021,
Received Fly12CE recently, worked a few times perfectly but now, when trying to charge battery (from two pips) no light at all on plugging in to wall socket.
Help?
Graham
My experience with the new Fly6 Gen 3 has been awful.
Simply doesn’t work: no light, no charging, no camera. It’s a mini-brick. I was excited and was a pre-order, for which I waited six months. Simply not worth it.
Customer service is utterly non-existent and their warranty process is woeful, as described below. Don’t waste your time or money on this company. As others point out – pity because no one else is doing anything like this.
Update on my comment above. Cycliq finally got back to me 10 days after my first email. I also tweeted at them – no response. The recommended solution did work. Since then Cycliq has been fairly responsive, has followed up. In re the poor service, this is what they said:
We also understand your frustration and we apologise for the delays as we are experiencing a sudden increase in ticket volume as of late. Rest assured that we are putting more resources to address this.
I’m skeptical. Please keep this thread going so others are aware of Cycliq’s support status.
I got this from Cycliq yesterday about the Fly 6 gen 3 that I ordered during the Black Friday sale. Fortunately I still have a working Fly 6 gen 2. I’d like to believe this delay is due to them fixing quality control issues with the units that have been produced. Call me an optimist. I appear to have reached a dead-end with customer service on the GPS interference from the Fly 12 CE I received a while ago that was part of the same purchase.
“Firstly, our sincere thanks for your support and continued patience in waiting for your new Fly6 Gen 3.
Your order scheduled to be shipped in April has been unexpectedly delayed. Your order will now be shipped in the week commencing the 7th of June. You will receive a tracking number to this email address confirming your order has been shipped.
We understand the delay in shipping your order is frustrating news and we apologise for the inconvenience. Please be assured we are doing everything in our power to bring your shipment forward.”
Alan, you are an optimist. But that’s OK we need optimists in this world, to go along with doubters like me.
You all know how I feel about Cycliq, their products, the company and its alleged customer service. So I won’t rehash those opinions here.
By contrast, however, I recently ordered an Ergatta upgrade to my 15 year old WaterRower. The Upgrade consists of a beautiful, hand made wooden bracket and a tablet. The upgrade arrived last week, wayyy ahead of scheduled. After the initial set-up I had a couple of technical questions. The Ergatta customer support team got back to me within hours, not days, weeks or months. Their response time was amazing and their answers right on target. Ergatta is a small, American company. Their products, together with the WaterRower are fast gaining cult status for their beauty, quality and commitment to customer service.
This is not meant to be an Ergatta/WaterRower review, it is merely a compare and contrast to demonstrate what can be done when a company is truly committed to delivering a great, nay FANTASTIC, customer experience.
I am on my 4th FLY12 – First FLY12 failed, then FLY12CE failed, next FLY12CE had focus issues and now my latest FLY12CE has locked up. This unit has worked for about 18 months, so it seems I am one of the lucky ones. Raised a support ticket, but customer service has really dropped off, so dont know when I will get a response. I follow all the forums so know all the tricks to get it running again but none of these work. This is so frustrating, this should be a great product, but I will end up buying a seperate light and camera now. Could be worse, I might have “invested” in IQ2 power meter pedals on kickstarter – oh I did!!! I thought Cycliq would really make this work, but there are so many problems now – link to facebook.com
Love the cameras. Love the features. Hate the customer service. After my first Fly6 (Gen2) stopped working due to a slight bit of water damage, the replacement camera they sent me basically caught on fire on the inside. Completely burned out and wouldn’t turn on. They told me “sorry… it’s out of warranty now. Here’s a coupon for our new Gen 3 camera.” I didn’t cash in that coupon.
Hey Sir Rainmaker!
There is a new player that wants to rule the camera market for cycling dashcams.
“Dashbike”
Started like cycling via pre-orders and seem to start shipping now. Would be interesting if a professional thing-tester would take a closer look at this thing. ;)
I personally think the mount is not good, the mounting position isn’t good too and the design.. mmh.
Interesting design. Right now it doesn’t look like they’ve made anything other than a 3D printed version (based on the photos).
Setting aside all the software aspects for a second, my primary concern is that design will insta-snap, when someone grabs it wrong or such. I’ve been around enough mounts over my life to know that. Far too much weight is outbound. It’s also likely to suffer from extreme bounce in the camera itself due to road bumps and the back leverage, which means they’ll have to compensate in software, as the off the shelf chipsets they’ll be using as a startup aren’t super great in that area.
Big companies like DJI/GoPro/whatever have teams of folks focused on algorithms for stability – which as consumers we take for granted until we see off the shelf image processing pipelines and don’t realize how much work goes into getting silky smooth usable footage.
Still, I’m excited for more options. For those curious, the page: link to dashbike.de
I’m very confused by Cycliq. I really want a Fly12, and it looks like their site has the Fly12 CE ready to ship in June… But the specs and actual device look identical to the one in this review, is it the same thing? Is the whole shipping and pre-order just a re-launch of the exact same Fly12 CE?
I cannot find an announcement about a new Fly12. I read your piece at the top about this being an article about the old model, but I’m assuming that’s only relevant to the Fly 6, which was replaced already?
Unlike most of the other commenters, I have had a good experience with my kit and am willing to try another (despite the rubber band snapping issue)! The fuss I have now with lights and cameras for my rush hour commutes will vanish overnight with this purchase :)
I don’t think that’s the same Fly12 either, but I’m not entirely sure to be honest. It’s tremendously confusing from a naming standpoint, but I’m pretty sure the new Fly12 doesn’t have ANT+ connectivity like the old Fly12 did.
It does list it in the specs, and to be fair, it’ll be a deal breaker (since it’ll be sitting under my Garmin), I guess I could take a punt and return it if they change the spec!
Got a reply from Cycliq (I think I’d rather skip the card in favour of my own):-
Your contact details have been passed on to me in regards to some questions you had around the Fly12 CE.
The current product listed on our website is the same device as the was launched in 2018.
There has been some minor changes by way or new improved mounts and the devices now also come with a 32GB SD Card pre-installed.
Don’t hesitate to reach out should you have any further questions.
Hello,
Having posted earlier this year whilst waiting for delivery here is my experience now of using both the Fly6 and Fly12 units.
ORDERING:
– I was immensely frustrated with the delay between ordering (Jul20) and receiving the device (Feb21). I was also annoyed that Cycliq were offering the products at a discounted price on black Friday (Nov20) before having even shipped orders they had taken earlier in the year. I was able to contact the support team at Cycliq without a problem, yes it took a few days for them to reply but I wasn’t expecting a same day reply anyway. Initially when I complained about the wait and the reduced pricing for other customers I was told that I was higher up the queue and nothing could be done. But then a few days later without my prompting, I received an email offering to reduce the price I paid to the same price offered on Black Friday. I was pleased with that outcome and thought that was good service even though the wait was still frustrating. Be nice to the support team and they may respond nicely to you.
It seems as though Cycliq take customers money and then place an order with the manufacturers. Not a good set up if true but not sure how else to explain the delay in production. Hopefully with their refinancing earlier this year the issue will be addressed.
PURPOSE OF USE:
– I bought these for my commute. 1 hour each way so battery life for an all day ride was not high on my priority list. I did want a device to record footage in the event of an incident that I could rely on to provide evidence.
UNBOXING:
– First impressions were positive. The units looked solidly built and the packaging was of the same quality as anything from top end mobile phone manufacturers and Garmin. The product certainly didn’t feel like a cheap bit of undeveloped kit.
FLY6:
– I have this attached to my pannier rack with the cycliq panier mount.
– it provides a stable good/excellent quality picture and the microphone picks up sound very well.
– The rubber seal to the charging point is flimsily attached but I don’t see it being a problem long term if handled gently. Of course, it could be better designed.
– I have not had any waterproofing issues in the time I have had the device (5 months use so far)
– I was told by Cycliq support that only 32gb cards can be used for the fly6 and fly12. Not ideal but not an issue for my purpose of use.
– I use the fly6 for the camera only and use another light. That way I get extended battery life out of the fly6 and also have back up lighting if needed.
– I get 4 hours charge on the medium video quality setting. That gives me two days use before needing a charge. For my purposes this is ok as I would expect to need to charge any device at least twice a week.
– The 32gb card doesn’t save 4 hours of footage so footage gets overwritten before the battery runs out. Something to be mindful of if wanting to record a long bike ride.
– Overall I think the fly6 does a good job for my requirements.
FLY12:
– The cover for the charging port is a solid flap which is more robust than the Fly6. No issues found.
– I use this with the light and camera on.
– Battery life is longer than the Fly6 but I expect only around 5 hours (more if just using the camera) so I charge this every two days like the fly6.
– Video quality is good/excellent.
– The light is very bright and makes me confident that motorists can see me.
– Overall I think the fly12 does a good job for my requirements.
SOFTWARE:
– The phone app works simply enough and allows basic settings to be changed. I set the light up once and haven’t really used the app since.
– The PC software is simple but works well enough.
– Watching videos and editing them to a short sequence is actually very straightforward and good to use. Again I am just viewing short traffic incidents not looking to have scenic tour footage.
– When I first started using my fly12 I noticed that it would randomly switch on and off when I started my garmin 735xt watch. I disabled the pairing feature in my watch and now it is not affected. I just switch on the fly12 as and ride! Too much technology can be a distraction. I don’t need my kettle connected to wifi and I don’t need my bike lights connected to my bike computer 😊
CONCLUSON:
– If you are looking for cameras for safety purposes on rides of up to 4 hours then the fly6 and fly12 are good units albeit expensive. I would recommend them although I have only had mine for 5 months and can’t comment on longevity. Support response to queries has been satisfactory for me.
– The shame is that there isn’t anyone out there doing something similar to keep cycliq on their toes. Let’s see how dashbike fare but they are also expensive. I don’t understand why Garmin don’t step into the market, after all they produce so many different watches that all do much the same thing but the safety camera market would be a game changer like GPS bike computers were when launched back in the day.
That’s a very helpful review. I’m still tempted to order the new Fly6. I previously ordered a Fly12, but sent it back because it was heavier and larger than I wanted, and (worst of all) didn’t have a sturdy enough mount to support it. In fact it seemed very flimsy.
How have you found the mount on the Fly12? I’ve been wondering if Cycliq have improved it, as I know I’m not alone here. Many reviews on online stores have criticised it, saying it broke very easily (sometimes leading to a badly damaged unit which Cycliq have refused to replace under warranty).
I have both an older Fly 12 handlebar mount and a newer one. Despite other issues with the new camera that Cycliq wouldn’t address (GPS interference), the new mount looks much sturdier than the old one that people had issues with. In any case I’d recommend using the elastic leash that comes with the unit to attach it to the stem or handlebars in case the mount breaks.
The fly12 mount is fine but there is only one in the box and it screws onto the handlebar so cannot easily swap to different bikes.k edge do some good duo mounts that are advertised specifically to be strong enough for the cycliq AND a bike computer. I may buy one of those but they are expensive. I have agonized over the weight of bike lights when attached to my lightweight road bike but having experienced bad driving I think it is better to be seen and have evidence than worry about whether 200g is going to affect my ride speed. At least for training rides!
I put some grease on the mount lugs to make them easier to engage with the mount. Makes the connection smoother and I don’t see an issue. I only have Garmin 705 as experience rather than more recent models to compare to.
I had a Cycliq Duo Mount snap at the bracket, luckily I had safety tethers on both my Wahoo Elemnt and Cycliq Fly12CE otherwise they would have hit the deck and likely been squashed by traffic. The design is too lightweight. I subsequently bought an older, beefier K-Edge mount and that has been fine for well over a year now.
Hi I have just received the v3 Fly6 , the mount just wont click into the 1/8 turn into the seatpost mount, anyone else had issues with getting the mount to engage, is it proprietary ?
I struggle to attach the fly6 to the seat post mount unless i have already put the mount on the bike first .putting a small amount of grease on the lugs helps.
hello dc rainmaker, I have a Fly6 Generation 3 camera, my question is it possible to have this camera become a webcam?
I have the OBS program and I would like to do live broadcasts
Cycliq finally has some real competition, at least for a rear camera/light. I recently purchased the TOOO DVR80, and did a side by side comparison of the two. TLDR: for all the areas I assessed or tested, the DVR80 is better, and in some cases vastly superior. Video here: link to vimeo.com
I think I might give this ago. Thanks for the link. My second Fly6 has just died (I think), and I dont think I have the will to live to answer the same questions over and over for their support team. This Fly 6 made over two years old so I guess I should be happy enough.
FYI I went out for a ride and when I came back the rear light was on full blast and will not switch off until the battery runs flat.
Support have answered my initial response and asked the same questions as I put in the ticket. Life is too short I am going to try a Tooo as now Madison are importing them. What the hell….
Would be interesting to hear how it goes. It doesn’t seem to have any sort of mobile app downloading, which is a bummer. Same as the Gen3 Fly6, which inexplicably ditched that feature.
I will if I do. I have stripped the Fly6 down to find it full of moisture, and am in the process of drying it out in my bag of silica bags :-) If its dead after I will buy a Tooo.
I didnt know that the latest gen Fly6 had binned the app. Tbh I never use it or the Garmin controls, so no big deal and quite like the controls in a text file of the Tooo, so no worries there.
Back to the water ingress… I was thinking I used my Fly once or twice a week in the winter no issues, but then realised I had always used it in the wet on my Winter mud-guarded bike. I ‘think’ I left the flap open and then got caught in heavy summer rain on my summer bike so not blaming the light. Fingers crossed it will work again.
Yeah, the Gen3 units can’t download footage from the camera. Which is mind-bogglingly stupid. Like, I don’t even understand how someone could decide that was a good idea.
The app itself however, does still connect to the camera via Bluetooth and control the options/settings, but you just can’t view footage anymore.
I bought one recently and have been playing with it. Sigh.
Any initial impressions, I already shipped my 715 back on account of no image stabilization. I was thinking of trying to either mount a 315 horizontal, or get my hands on a synapse unit ( I’m pretty sure the same exact radar, just a light bar attached to the synapse) . The fly 6 gen 3 with a 315 should be a good combo. As long as the footage is stable. I also have a drift ghost XL pro, but even though the app says image stabilization is on, it most definitely is not. Also the ghost go pro type adapter is horrible, I had to file it to fit the k edge mount, and now it’s too loose , so I’m sure that adds to the poor image.
Any input you have on the fly 6 gen 3 .
I gave up on the Fly6 and put a Fly12 (found on sale) on the back with the light off and video only (longer and better videos), and combined it with the Varia RTL510.
I vowed never again to buy a Cycliq product after two Fly6 and one Fly12 failures – not to mention the snapped Duo Mount and the Cycliq safety tether that simply fell apart.
But, having waited over a year for someone else to bring out a similar (front light-camera) product, I gave in and purchased another Fly12CE. That was just two months ago and today the unit went totally erratic and unresponsive. I tried every trick and fix that I have used (frequently) over the past four years, but I cannot even begin to clearly list all the issues because sometimes a feature worked then five minutes later it did not.
Ticket submitted to Cycliq, but – reading again all the very, very many awful reports of poor customer service on here – I fear weeks of frustrating correspondence, and that’s if I am lucky.
Just don’t do it, don’t buy Cycliq. I did and regretted it – yet again.
so my Tooo has shown up and I have set it up and given it its first go. So far on MP4 the night time quality is pretty good. I guess only time will tell.
A lanyard would be good, I will figure out a way of fitting and its prett long so you need some space on your seat post. I will report back in a few weeks
Will you be reviewing the newest release of the Fly 12? As opposed to the Fly 6CE, which (in my experience) was of mixed reliability (I got 2 replacements under warranty, and the third was starting to get flaky at the time I switched to a TOOO camera/light), my Fly 12CE has been rock solid, other than decreasing battery life and a broken mount (which I got a 3D printed replacement for). They claim to have improved battery life, better image stabilization and less weight. If that’s true, it might be worth it. And the front light still really has no competition.
On April 4h they released a new Fly6 Pro with 7hr battery life (that looks like the one i was waiting for as 5hr battery life was way too short). Any plans for review?
Yup, been riding with it for about a month now and working on a review. Not exactly sure on timeline though. Just once it finds it’s way to the top of the stack.
I can give you the 10-second review, having pre-ordered one and used it a bit. I just used it on a century ride and got about 7 hours of recording time at 1440p resolution. I think it had 3% battery left after the ride. The image quality is pretty good. I can read tags that weren’t legible with my earlier models. I’ve been running 4K but turned it down for the century, assuming the battery would go longer at lower res. It is much bigger and heavier than the previous model, but I guess that’s expected with a bigger battery. It now uses a metal door like the Fly 12 to seal the memory card and charge port. Most settings can be done without using the app, which is nice. The LEDs are very bright. You can view and transfer files to the phone/app via direct WiFi connection and that seems to work reliably with my Pixel phone. Given how many defective Cycliiq products I’ve had in the past, I’m just happy the first one I got seems to be working without any issues. I hope they’ve improved their QC/QA process, but only time will tell.
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
You'll support the site, and get ad-free DCR! Plus, you'll be more awesome. Click above for all the details. Oh, and you can sign-up for the newsletter here!
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!
Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!
Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Check out
my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
I am really disappointed by the customer service with Cycliq. You send an email, you get a ticket, then a week later you get an instruction. It usually asks you to format your SD card. Then you email back, then a week later they suggest trying a different SD card, or check that its on the approved list etc (of course most of us tech savvy fold have already done that!). Then they want you to send a video file of turning it on and off (or not as as is the case with my faulty unit which just stopped working!). So terrible delays, but now the support@cycliq.com email address is dead- bounces back all emails. I’ve tried from different computers, and by raising a new query with a new email- nothing. Zilch. I am therefore not able to continue my request to resolve my faulty Fly 6CE, or communicate with them! I can’t send the video file via the wetransfer process they ask, as it bounces back as undeliverable. I really would like DC Rainmaker to try, and give them a message that their customer service sucks. Or HAVE THEY GONE BANKRUPT???
sorry to hear about your issues. not sure what’s up with smtp for them but they have answered my tweets before — @cycliq
try that
Ben Hammond, our normal contact person with Cycliq, has stopped answering e-mails. Two of the four tabs on the back of my Fly 6 CE have broken off, making secured attachment to the mount impossible. So I wrote to Ben. After an initial response from Mr. Hammond I have not heard back from him, nada, zilch, crickets! I have tossed my Cycliq Fly 6 in a box with the rest of other useless gadgets. Can’t attach it to the mount-bike so it is essentially useless. The Fly 6 and Fly 12 were devices that showed a lot of promise. But a rushed launch and bad customer service have ruined the customer experience. Too bad.
Hi Ernesto – apologies – I have been away. I will get back to you shortly. Anyone else awaiting a response I will make sure I get back to you this week. Many apologies, and we’ll make sure we get a new device out to you given the issue with the mount breaking. I’ll be in touch.
If anyone else needs to reach out directly to me, please do.
Kind regards
Ben
_
Ben Hammond
CMO
Cycliq
ben.hammond@cycliq.com
Good morning Ben,
Roger Samson from Cycliq already contacted me.
No need to apologize, you and Cycliq have always been extremely responsive; that’s why the silence was disappointing.
As I have stated here, and elsewhere, the Fly6 CE is a great product, full of potential for making all of our rides safer. Some of the early issues, however, made many consumers shy away.
Once the FW issues were sorted out, my Fly6 ran flawlessly and as advertised…until the tabs broke off.
In any event, thank you for looking into this. It shows that you and Cycliq read DCR and pay attention. Now if only Garmin would follow your example.
Regards,
Ernesto
Hi Ben,
I have not received much response to two tickets submitted and a promised reimbursement for shipping costs (Veronica). I received a FLY6CE that did not work and went through all of the recommended fixes listed. Then repeated the same steps after initial contact with customer support (Glen). However, all of this effort was for not. Once reporting back to customer support, I had two emails kicked back and then total silence for a week. The next reply asked me to try a different SD card which I don’t have . . . just more work on my end. I work enough as it is so I submitted a ticket to return the product and receive a refund. That ticket was ignored and then outright closed with no response or resolution. I just want a refund at this point. The experience has been awful. Ball is in your court. Please help fix this situation.
Thank you,
Steve
Ticket #40308
This is a reply to a very old comment from Ben Hammond, CMO at Cycliq. I have been following all of the recent comments about the Cycliq Fly 6 (I don’t use the forward camera). I understand the level of frustration experienced by many users. Initially, I too was frustrated by the device’s short battery life and other related issues. Unlike other users, however, my experience with Cycliq’s tech support in general, and with Ben Hammond in particular, has been very positive. That is not to say that the Cycliq Fly 6 is 100% “there” yet. For example, the small plastic tabs that hold the unit to the mounting surface have broken off (twice). And I wish that Cycliq would make a camera-only device and thus extend the battery life for even longer rides. BUT, those of us who use Garmin products must be used by now to dealing with products that are not fully fleshed out before their release to the public. So, to make a long story short (I know, too late now) I have decided to take a leap of faith and just ordered the Gen3 Fly 6. I am strong believer that a rear facing camera, with long battery life, greatly enhances my safety…or at least provides a video record for my family to use in case something bad happens to me. Now I am waiting for my new Gen3 to arrive so I can put it to the test. Ride safely. Have fun!
@Ernesto, Did you get the Gen3 FLY6? If yes, how is it working out. I fear it is still very much in BETA mode and anyone who got it recently is simply a tester for many of the features that are not working / active.
Had been watching Cycliq for a while (to include the weekly videos I’d get from being on the mailing list), saw a sale and was excited to pick up my first Fly6CE.
When it finally came (much longer than expected, even paying double got expedited shipping), reviewed the manual and plugged it into a wall charger.
No Q charging indicator light.
Tried 3 wall chargers and 2 USB-C cords.
Battery came at 28% — firmware is 2019 / immediate prior version. And of course firmware instructions recommend having 50%+ battery life. Doesn’t matter either way, since trying to turn on and off a few times and connecting via CycliqPlus app has apparently drained it to 0% (per app and beeps).
Submitted a support ticket; we’ll see how long it takes for a response….and resolution.
Was really looking forward to being able to capture my rides (especially since on the last commute a Tacoma came so close I could touch its side).
But now I’m sorely disappointed with what was supposed to be an awesome Father’s Day present.
Wish I would have seen this thread earlier.
2019.06.16 2013 EDT — Submitted a trouble ticket; forwarded it to Ben Hammond.
2019.06.17 0348 EDT — Cycliq responds…with links to support article about the Fly6 not turning on. But, the device (would) turn on … it’s the battery that won’t charge. Nothing in the support response addresses the battery not charging. But, I did all the troubleshooting steps that were possible with a 0% battery.
2019.06.17 0420 EDT — Responded to Cycliq support email with results, and restating that battery won’t charge
2019.06.18 0057 EDT — had not received another response from Cycliq support partway through another Perth business day, so sent a follow up email.
2019.06.18 1030 EDT — still nothing back from Ben here or via email. And no further response (yet) from Cycliq support.
Like Eric K (below), I rarely ever make public posts. I broke from that trend to provide another anecdote to those being gathered here. The good news about today’s post is that there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel, and I want to be sure to share that side of the story, too.
2019.06.20 0851 EDT — (Facebook) Sent a private message to Cycliq’s page on Facebook, noting the ticket number and asking how you go about getting customer service.
2019.06.20 1652 EDT — (Facebook) Generic reply, but at least a same-day response!
2019.06.20 1959 EDT — (Support Email) Apologized for the delay and stated that the unit would need to be inspected. Provide RMA# and shipping directions. *Note* Unlike something I saw in prior comments, I had to ship domestically to an address in Oregon. Support email indicated they would (1) reimburse RMA shipping (up to certain value) and (2) send a replacement unit as soon as they received proof I had shipped my defective unit.
2019.06.20 2005 EDT — (Facebook) Sent a follow-up apology and said to reply to the support email
2019.06.20 2113 EDT — (Support email) In response to my question about tracking tickets online, I learned that *only retailer accounts* are able to log into the support website to track tickets. End users should just reply to the support email(s).
2019.06.21 1114 EDT — (I emailed Support) Provided a tracking number for the defective device I’m returning.
Fingers crossed!
Hi Sorely
Apologies for the delay in getting in touch with you. I agree that it’s been a poor experience for you to date – both with the product and with your support related enquiries.
If you wouldn’t mind reaching out to me directly, I’d appreciate the opportunity to follow this up directly myself.
You can reach me on ben.hammond@cycliq.com
Kind regards
Ben
–
Ben Hammond
CMO
Cycliq
ben.hammond@cycliq.com
Hi Ben — thanks for reaching out, but I’ve been CC’ing you on various communications since 16 JUN 19. Maybe you’re tracking and just haven’t responded?
And the saga continues … quite the roller coaster (they responded, yay! no progress, back to ground zero)
Ticket 40430
2019.06.24 0950 PDT (My action) Defective unit was delivered to the Oregon-based RMA address. Supposed to trigger a Cycliq action to send a replacement unit.
2019.06.24 1941 EDT (I emailed Support) Emailed Cycliq to state that unit had been returned and to request a status update on the replacement.
2019.06.24 2049 EDT (Support Email) Stated that replacement had been ordered and provided an order number. Told to expect processing of the order to take 24-48 hours. Then the item would be shipped and a tracking number provided. Shipping expected to take 3-5 business days.
2019.06.24 2109 EDT (I emailed Support) Thanked Support for the update, but expressed concern that while my RMA return took 2-3 calendar days to get back to them, the replacement might take 4-7 business days overall. Asked if the replacement unit would be coming straight from the China warehouse again.
2019.06.25 0257 EDT (Cycliq Order Email) Your recent order has been processed. You should receive a tracking number within two business days.
2019.06.26 0151 EDT (Paypal) Cycliq *did* reimburse the shipping for the RMA return of the defective device.
2019.06.28 2238 EDT (I emailed Cycliq Orders) It has been 3 business days since this notification was sent and I have not seen any shipping information. Please provide tracking information or a status update on this replacement.
2019.06.30 1000 EDT (waiting…) Waiting for business hours in Australia to resume to see … if … any … progress … has … been … made. (Like actually shipping the replacement unit)
If the replacement doesn’t ship soon, rapidly coming up on month since opening the gift (45 days since ordered) and not having a functional unit. So here’s hoping the replacement unit works as advertised… if/when it gets here.
2019.06.28 1003 EDT (emailed Ben Hammond) — Forwarded Ben the order confirmation and brief recap of “support” to date. Asked for an update on the shipping for an order, since the stated 2 days had passed.
2019.06.28 1039 EDT (email from Ben Hammond) — Apologies, with a note that shipping might be affeced by Cycliq being in the middle of a warehousing supplier change.
2019.07.02 2342 EDT (emailed Ben Hammond) — It’s been more than a week since the order was processed and still no shipping information…. please provide an update.
2019.07.03 2118 EDT (email from Veronica, Cycliq Logistics) — I hope this email finds you well and apologies as well for the inconvenience that this delay has caused you. Upon checking, it is in transit already. We just had a delay in updating the tracking # in our system due to our recent warehouse movement. We will keep you posted for the tracking #.
2019.07.04 0709 EDT (text from DHL) — Package info provided, delivery estimate next day (2019.07.05 by end of day).
2019.07.04 2240 EDT (email from Cycliq orders) — Provided a tracking number. Coming from Hong Kong (same as last time).
2019.07.05 End of Day EDT (waiting…) — no further contact from DHL, and no updates on the DHL tracking website.
2019.07.06 1530 EDT (waiting…) — DHL tracking updated; package made it to the USA and cleared customs … but I’m not expecting any further updates until Monday, because DHL doesn’t do weekend deliveries* … so best case scenario is that it gets delivered *2 weeks* after the order was (re)processed.
N.B. The Fly6CE is *in stock* on Amazon through a 3rd party (fulfilled by Amazon) and my Prime membership says if I order in the next 8 hours it’ll be delivered for free on Monday (2019.07.08). Current reviews there put it solidly 1-star. Why doesn’t Cycliq leverage this logistics infrastructure in the U.S.? (2) Does Cycliq support/RMA still apply through Amazon-based purchases? Or do you deal with Amazon returns instead of Cycliq?
*I think you can pay for Saturday delivery in the U.S., but I doubt that option was selected
I don’t normally make public posts. I’m am so disappointed with this company. They want to sell globally, but they have no customer support. ZERO. There is no telephone number, you open a ticket online, and play email pingpong for days/weeks.
On 6/8/2019 I ordered direct both the fly12ce & fly6ce. The fly6ce is DOA. It doesn’t work, period. I shouldn’t have to wait weeks for a replacement. I was hoping to use these on RAGBRAI this year, and recommend them to people. Not now. Anyone who asks me I will say to STAY AWAY from this company and products.
Ticket #40394
Yes I charged it.
Yes I upgraded the firmware.
No I cannot discharge it (it won’t turn on unless plugged into USB-C power)
Why do I need to send you a picture of the SD card that I ordered FROM YOU.
I also cannot check the status of the ticket online, your site is broken.
Hi Eric
Thanks for taking the time to share your (poor) experience with Cycliq – that’s definitely not good enough from us.
I’d like to extend my personal apologies for the delay that you’ve experienced in getting this resolved.
I’ve requested the information from our support team with regard to your case with the intention of getting this resolved to your satisfaction as soon as possible.
I’ll be in touch directly, but in the meantime if you would like to get in touch with me, please feel free to email me on ben.hammond@cycliq.com
Kind regards
Ben
I want to echo the OPs experience with Cycliq. Customer service is woeful. I have been corresponding with Cycliq for seven (7) months concerning my Fly 6 and Fly 12 CE units — neither of which are operable. Both units were bricked when I attempted to update firmware months ago.
Cycliq support keeps asking me for photos and information, then offers the same troubleshooting and firmware updating instructions over and over again. I spent untold hours working through Cycliq’s (terrible) instructions, and finally gave up in disgust.
Now I’m sitting on over $500 of useless equipment.
Argh Amy,
Gutted to hear this. I just purchased the FLY6CE and I’m having the same experience. That is a lot of money to just throw out the window. It makes me sick to my stomach.
I hope for our sake and Cycliq’s they get their act together but to this point . . . this has been one of the worst purchasing decisions I have ever experienced. Just egregious behavior like I have rarely seen.
Commiserating,
Steve
Hi AmyVS – really disappointed to hear this, and my sincere personal apologies that you’ve had such a poor experience with the product and the subsequent interactions with the support team.
We want to make sure that all of our customers get on the road and feel safer with cameras they can rely on.
If you could please reach out to me at ben.hammond@cycliq.com with your details, I will make sure I follow up this case personally and we get things working for you to your satisfaction or arrange a refund (not our preference as we’d prefer to have you out there feeling safer on the roads).
Please get in touch.
Kind regards
Ben
–
Ben Hammond
CMO
Cycliq
ben.hammond@cycliq.com
why do they keep asking for photos?
I had working units, and yes I have felt the Support woes in the past, but over the last few months the units have been ace. I had a silly issue, ie the rubber cover on the fly6 came off and I could not get it back on so I contacted the support… Then came alls the normal questions:
photos of the four sides of the unit
purchase receipt
firmware number etc
I did this and explained I was not trying to claim on the warranty I just wanted advice on refitting the rubber cover. Since I sent this in I have heard nothing…
then….
stupid me….
I received an email about the new improved firmware process, so I had a couple hours to bury so I did it on both devices. Since then the Fly12 is fine but the Fly6 turns itself off after 30 secs, no longer records and no longer is accessible from the iphone app
so far this week, 2x tickets in and the questions came back were mad…
Copy of your Purchase Receipt – they had this twice already in the past seven days
Photo of the SD Card that you are using – I had already told them make and model previously
Screenshot of your “About Device” when connected to the CycliqPlus App or by using an SD Card reader to access your card with your CycliqPlus Desktop App
bearing in mind I am not trying to claim on a warrenty just get one question answered and get advice how to reverse the firmware mess I am in due to their email/new and improved firmware process.
Great products, scary bad support…. and you will need it!
Terrible customer service. Having requested support as my Fly6CE stopped working, a month ago I have had zero progress in the month! First I had the issue that their contact support email address blocked everything, and all contact failed. They suggested the fault might be with the memory card and asked me to try another which I did. That didn’t work. So they decided to send me a new memory card anyway, to try. That came last week and of course hasn’t miraculously worked as anyone could have reasonably predicted. So here I am 4-weeks down the line with the faulty product just waiting waiting waiting for a response. It’s really diabolical and contrary to the warranty standard you would expect.
HI Philip
Appreciate you sharing your comments here, and my personal apologies that you’ve had such a poor experience in getting your concerns resolved.
I’d like to follow this up directly with the support team so please email me directly as we want to make sure you’re back on the road with you Fly camera ASAP (hopefully we can resolve any outstanding issues, and although we are happy to refund you, we would much prefer to have you able to use the product).
Again, my apologies. Please get in touch on ben.hammond@cycliq.com
Kind regards
Ben
—
Ben Hammond
CMO
Cycliq
ben.hammond@cycliq.com
I am not impressed. I submitted a support ticket a week ago for my Fly 6CE that stopped functioning. I had hoped to have some response by now, and have a new unit at least on route to me. The Cycliq website for the last week has indicated that my ticket remains under review. How long does it take to decide to send me a replacement unit and a return label for the old one?
My 6 is an inert lump of plastic and electronics. The 6 will almost never turn on and when it does, if I stop riding for a while, it shuts off and stays off. Sometimes I can wake it through the otherwise useless app, sometimes not. Or it mysteriously loses its charge when I haven’t used it.
The 12 isn’t much better, although it seems to work somewhat consistently. Also, because of the way it’s designed, the mount can’t be adjusted while the 12 is on it, which seems to me to be a really bad idea.
At the moment,the 6 is bricks, charged but unresponsive.
Mine too. I left it for three days. Then it turned on, but died less than 10 minutes into a ride. I got an e-mail asking me to shoot videos of it powering on with and without the SD card and was asked to provide the serial number and proof of purchase. I purchased it directly from Cycliq. I can’t turn it on to pair it with my phone to see the serial no. I don’t have time for this nonsense. Cycliq needs to step up and support it’s products. It took a week for it to get back to my first request for support. How long to I have to wait this time? If Cycliq intends to do business in the US, it needs a US Distributor that can provide support and process returns from within the US on a timely basis.
This site needs a long-term review of the Cycliq products. 0ver 690 comments and not very many are positive.
I’m still waiting. It’s been over a week since I submitted the videos to Cycliq and not a word. My Fly6 CE is a paperweight.
Hi Doug – I’ll keep it brief here suffice to say please accept my sincere apologies for the poor experience you’ve had / are having with the support team. I am chasing this up internally and will make sure your enquiry is attended to as quickly as possible.
The most important thing that I can offer is that we get you back out on the road with a product that meets your needs. I hope that we can turn this experience around as we believe that having a Fly camera on your bike will give you the peace of mind you’re looking for.
If we can’t we will be happy to refund you. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me directly on ben.hammond@cycliq.com and I’d be happy to help with any other issues.
Kind regards
Ben
–
Ben Hammond
CMO
Cycliq
ben.hammond@cycliq.com
Perhaps my experience with Cycliq support is unusual, but on both occasions I’ve contacted them I’ve had a quick response. Most recently I logged a ticket this morning (UK) and got a response half an hour later. I have been very happy with my Cycliq Fly 6 CE until I dropped it on the floor breaking the lens cover. I am hoping to get a spare part for it as I don’t really want to buy a new Fly 6 CE. I still think it’s a good camera and light and has done the job I wanted it to until I broke it!
I pre-ordered the Fly12CE and the Fly6CE in November 2017 after I got hit by a car. I have used both units a handful of times (due to health and schedule constraints.) Last time I used them was summer 2018. I went for a a ride a few weeks ago and found that there is an issue with my Fly12CE. I fully charged the unit the night before (green LED) but I couldn’t keep the unit on. After turning it on the unit would chime but no beeps to indicate the power level, then after a few seconds it would chime and turn off. I tried (master) resetting it, reformat the SD card, etc but no luck.
I contacted customer service and got a ticket (#41132) with the same instruction to do master reset and I was asked to send pictures of my receipt, SD card, an unit S/N (on 7/5) but it didn’t resolve the issue. The CSR contacted me on 7/10 said that they are having a lot of support tickets and asked me to be patient then I haven’t heard from them since.
I realized that I might be SOL because the unit has passed its warranty period and I likely has a $300 brick now. It is very disappointing to say the least. The Fly6CE is still working fine but I probably will go back to a cheap front light plus a GoPro type camera.
M. C. Lee
Update: After a few months and lost shipment, I received my replacement Fly12CE. So, compliments to the Cycliq customer Service to follow through. I hope the unit will provide good long term service.
I bought a FLY6 CE from Clever Training in September 2018. I never did anything fancy with it. Just turned it on before every ride, turned it off after and occasionally put myself into a coma by watching footage it captured. As Ray pointed out in his review—”It just works.” Until it doesn’t.
Eight days ago it lost the ability to read its micro-SD card (SanDisk Extreme PLUS 32GB)—the same card it had been writing to for months. Stranger, it would format that card but would not recognize its existence for any other function. When I turned the FLY6 on, it would flash to indicate no memory card present for 60 seconds and then turn itself off. Before contacting Cycliq, I tried another card I had on hand (64GB SanDisk Extreme) with the same result.
I filed a case with Cycliq on August 11 and got a robo-response and case number the next day. Two days later a real response landed in my inbox. It pointed out that neither of the two cards I was trying to use were on their recommended list and offered to send me a card. I responded that one of the two cards had worked just fine for 11 months and still worked fine when plugged into my computer. I also told them that I had already ordered two new cards which were on their recommended list. They replied that I needed to try those cards before my case could be advanced. The cards came. Both 32 GB cards they are a Lexar 633x and a SanDisk Pixtor. I reported the fact that neither worked to Cycliq on August 15 and requested either a time and date for a live support dialog or an RMA#. What I have gotten is a whole lot of silence.
Hi Frank
We’ve chatted via email since this post but I just wanted to close it out and also let anyone know that if you are experiencing an issue with your SD card and you are using the recommended cards then please get in touch with me if you have any issues getting a response from our support team.
We want to make sure that we look after our customers and give you the service and products you deserve after getting on board and using Cycliq to record your ride.
Kind regards
Ben
—
Ben Hammond
Cycliq
ben.hammond@cycliq.com
The good news is that I finally got a replacement FLY6 in yesterday’s mail. The other good news is that it was a complete, new package with cables, mounts … the works and it is fully functional. I have also been reimbursed, via paypal, the cost of shipping the broken unit back. As many other’s have discovered, things did not start moving ahead until I reached out to Ben Hammond, Cycliq’s CMO. This is a pivotal week for the company. I wish them well.
Like others before, I have a Fly6CE that no longer accepts any SD card.
ai purchased mine on May 29, 2019, it worked until the end of June and like others, first would switch itself off mid-ride and then wouldn’t turn on, indicating an SD card fault.
I contacted Cycliq on July 1st and received the standard auto response and then a few days later a series of suggested resets, all of which I had already tried after consulting the website. I also supplied the requested information about my SD cards and Fly6 details.
I have heard nothing since despite writing to ask for updates 2 weeks after the first contact and again on August 1st.
I have written again today to request they simply replace the faulty Fly6 and received another support reference number.
This unacceptable customer support.
Tim.
Hi Frank
Firstly – apologies for the delayed response and apologies for the poor experience to date both with the product and the customer support delay. You are 100% right re: the SD card issue and we will replace this absolutely. Our first priority is making sure that you got what you paid for – a product that will give you peace of mind on the roads.
I have escalated this internally but if you would like to reach out to me directly you can get me on ben.hammond@cycliq.com and I would be happy to assist you personally.
Kind regards
Ben
—
Ben Hammond
Cycliq
ben.hammond@cycliq.com
I got my cameras yesterday, and was able to get them up and running for this morning’s commute using some old 16GB SD cards I salvaged from a Garmin and a Contour camera.
I got great footage from both front and rear devices. I was even able to capture a capsized rower in the Potomac River on the way in. See screen grab. Hoping to smoothly get the Garmin user interface working tonight.
Just wanted to share my experience on the devices. I’ve been using the Fly 6CE and 12CE for over a year. I bike commute almost everyday and have these lights for every commute and long weekend ride. After some initial hiccups with firmware affecting battery life and a faulty unit which was replaced I’ve had no problems with them. I’ve had many close calls with aggressive drivers and was finally hit last year when the driver turned into a driveway but didn’t see me. The insurance claim process would’ve been a lot easier if I had the fly 12 (only had the 6). Needless to say, I bought the 12 immediately after. It gives a me huge peace of mind to know that I have evidence if anything ever happens again. I now have a video library of close calls.
I have a few minor criticisms.
1) The video quality could be better. I can only make out about 70% of the license plates it captures.
2) The 1/8 turn mount is very loose after about a year of use. This affects the image quality and this past weekend I lost my fly 6CE in the bushes when it completely disengaged when I hit a bump.
Despite my issues and others that people commented about below, I still think this is an indispensable piece of equipment for anyone who rides on the open road.
I completely agree. I haven’t had any more issues with my Fly CE units than I do my garmin and I’ve been using them for over a year. Not perfect but have been super helpful with close passes and I feel naked on the road without them.
Mind-boggling how bad the customer service is and how buggy the units are. I’ve been trying to buy a replacement 6CE unit from Amazon for a month and for the second time a new out of the box unit is a brick and after all the usual tweaks and reboots goes back to Amazon. I’d rather keep trying my luck with Amazon than deal with the customer service. Out of 6 CE units I had, only three were operational after a few days of rebooting and battery draining.
Well, I didn’t expect I’d be commenting on this (long) thread again, but it looks like my Fly 6CE has bitten the dust AGAIN.
This is the THIRD unit I have had, and the SECOND to fail due to condensation in the unit.
I’ve opened a ticket with Cycliq, and have submitted photos showing evidence of water ingress.
Considering I’m in Australia, and their address is in Western Australia, I’d expect a rapid response to my issue.
Let’s wait and see…
UPDATE,
Just received an e mail confirming a replacement will be sent out to me.
Now THATS a fast turn around. 3 days from raising the original ticket to confirming replacement adress.
I have been using my Fly 6CE and 12CE for 2 summers now without any issues.
I only use the video feature on the 12CE (no flasher, BT, advanced features, etc), I do use the rear flasher on the 6CE, but again none of the advanced features to save battery life on long rides.
Battery life has been excellent, video quality is very good with the possible exception of the video stabilization during standing climbs. If I am being aggressive on the bike while standing the video will twitch a bit in the “roll axis”. Other than that I am happy with both.
Thus far I have turned 2 video clips over to the local Sheriff, one which was an extremely close pass, the other a road rage incident. In both cases I had very clear recordings of the license plates.
So what is everyone using for video resolution and setup? My battery life is terrible and this is my second (after warranty replacement) Fly6. I thought setting it for lowest setting, 720p 30 fps, would get me the best resolution but it didn’t even last an hour. Cycliq’s web site suggested doing bench test at 1080p 30 fps, by basically turning off the stabilization and incident & idle modes. Yeah, it worked great there but who wants a five-hour recording of my desk phone? I’m not overly concerned with video resolution or even using the lights, but if the image stabilization is going to need to be turned off to get any kind of decent battery life then that would suck. Curious as to what others have experienced.
After only a couple of months use the plastic 1/8 turn mount has broken on my fly12. Has anyone found a good alternative? In my mind this ought to be a metal part as there’s not that much material to give the required strength as it transitions from the 1/8 turn into the go-pro style splines.
Thought I would relay my experience so far with Cycliq.
I ordered both a Fly12 CE and a Fly6 CE. The Fly12 CE appears to work fine. However, after installing a microSD card in the Fly6 CE, connecting to the app and formatting the card, everything seemed to stop working. The app stopped connecting to the product. The product showed up as “online” but when trying to connect, the spinning wheel never stops in the app and the red bezel light flashes. I tried reformatting the card several times through both the Windows app and also just generally through Windows Explorer. Also, when the card is in the product and the product is connected via USB to the computer, the Windows app does not recognize the device. When I put the card in the product and try to power it on, it plays the power on sound, beeps 4 times and then the lights flash some random number of times and then the power seems to shut off, except it doesn’t play the shut down tone. When I put the card in the adapter and insert it into my computer and open the Windows app, the app recognizes a Fly6 CE and I can see all the settings. It also informs me there is a firmware update even though the Firmware has a green checkmark and says 1.26. However, the BLE FW says 1..000 and has a red x next to it. I can’t seem to update the firmware though because my computer is not recognizing the product (with card inserted) when it is plugged into my computer via USB. Neither the Windows app recognizes it, nor does it show up in Windows Explorer.
I submitted this service request to Cycliq and they got back to me shortly requesting additional information and pictures and videos, which I sent that following day because their entire domain was down and I couldn’t access the website or send them emails. 5 days later they finally responded and said “thank you for your patience – we are experiencing an unusually high demand for our support services at the moment and we know you’ve been waiting for some time for a response.” An “unusually high demand for support services” is not confidence inspiring. 8 days after that response I asked them for a return authorization number. 2 days after requesting the return authorization number and I still haven’t received either a response to my customer service issue or a return authorization number.
Are these guys all on vacation? Does this company even still exist? Truly disappointing customer service experience, which is why I’m attempting to return the products. I have absolutely zero confidence that Cycliq will either address my issue with the Fly6 or issue me a RAN so that I can return the product.
It really is a case of a nearly perfect idea let down by tiny details – probably the expense of testing is beyond the small startup and we’re used to products from big companies like Cateye that just work. My Fly6ce filled up with water when I rode for 4 hours in a storm. The rubber flap had come open somehow… I see a lot of comments elsewhere that this seems to happen from water spray off the rear wheel, maybe riding downhill fast caused a high pressure spray, but certainly not to their claimed IP rating I would think? I worked out that a tight rubber band around the camera will solve this issue in the future. As for fixing it: I pulled it apart, dried it out and replaced the battery with a higher capacity one. I found that there is a piece of cardboard as insulation between the battery and the battery voltage control circuit. I think this cardboard is responsible for intermittent flakey-ness of some users’ cameras. Used in a humid environment, this cardboard would get moist and short out the power control circuit. I removed the cardboard and insulated the circuit using electrical tape. If you’re not experienced with electronics, you can actually buy a replacement battery complete with a control circuit and correct wiring and plug. They are available from the large internet bay that starts with “e-“. While not as cheap as full DIY, this means you only have to undo the four screws and plug in the new battery.
Been reading here and really convinced not to buy a fly12 and fly6 combo.
Any recomendations for similar devices ?
I think it’s still the best / ONLY option that I’m aware of. Other cameras get even worse reviews and aren’t designed with consideration for cyclists’ needs.
Is it really strange and surprising that there are no other options. Having a video camera is an essential part of riding given all the issues cyclists face with drivers on the road. Anyone knows what the pro peloton uses to capture those Velon videos? Given that GoPro only last 2 hrs, are they using GoPro and only turning on the device for certain sections?
They use GoPro’s (there’s is or was a sponsorship there with GoPro and Velon). The riders are mostly given freedom to turn them on and off as they see fit. To a large degree, it’s mostly dumb-luck that the things that get captured, actually get captured.
On a given day there’s roughly a dozen units in the peloton.
I’ve had an email saying that there is a new Fly6 CE “generation 2” set to be released which is going to be better-er.
link to cycliq.com
I do not seem to find the differences between the Fly6 CE and Fly6 CE gen2 (besides usb-c)
Yup I don’t see the difference too. Btw, gen 1 is also usb-c
It’s almost all internal. The changes are, according to them, listed below. They noted they’ve actually quietly shifted production to this a few months back to test it, and have seen significant leaps in reliability.
///////////////
The refreshed product line features improvements to overall durability and performance including:
• Improved weatherproofing: redesign of the SD card and charging port flap, improving water
ingression performance and reinforcing overall IP56 dust and water ingression rating.
• Hardware durability: reconfiguration of internal componentry to improve durability and
battery performance.
• Manufacturing improvements: post-production testing has been ramped up including
individual pressure and vacuum testing on every product that comes off the production line.
• Automatic firmware updates: an auto-updater for new firmware releases is now available;
users just plug in their device to their desktop computer when connected to Wi-Fi and the
auto-updater detects if the user is running the most up to date firmware, and updates
automatically.
//////////////////
For stuff that is supposed to get wet, what is the typical IP code range for gear you test?
link to dsmt.com
Were Cycliq products in the past rated fine for their intended use, but the manufacturing process failed to meet the spec?
Typically almost everything in the cycling industry is IPX7 (so 30 minutes at 1-meter deep), with the exception being some power meters/drive train bits will occasionally have slightly higher water pressure standards around ingest, mainly driven by pro teams using high pressure water cleaning the bikes.
I’m not super familiar with all the failures, but the Cycliq devices actually were well above IPX7 in that they were also nano-coated too. That’s been a big thing for them since the very first one, and I actually showed that way back when – filling it up with water, and then emptying it out and after it dryed out it was fine again. Super cool.
How all these bits pull together it’s yet totally clear to me either.
Hi! Do you know if a new generation of Fly12 is going to be released in a few months? Thanks a lot.
SECURITY ISSUE
There is an issue with the Cycliq Fly12ce and Garmin 735xt units. I have verified this with 2 of each unit and the behaviour is the same. The Fly and Garmin form a light network and pair without any user input or permission. This happens as soon as the Garmin unit is powered on near the Cycliq – even if the Cycliq is powered off. It has the effect that anyone wearing a Garmin Forerunner 735xt coming close to a Fly12 can unwittingly pair to it – and power it on, at which point it will light up and start recording. This is annoying as when my girlfriend comes home from work with her watch on my fully charged Fly12 unit springs to life and depletes its battery while illuminating and recording whatever it is pointed at. I’ve contacted both companies who point the finger at each other. I’ve suggested they talk to each other about this security flaw. DC if you can spare the time to investigate and put this to both companies it would have a lot more weight than coming from me! Thanks for all the great reviews.
FURTHER DETAILS
– Power on 735xt near powered off fly12 = fly12 comes on with a light (even if all light modes had been disabled in fly12 settings) and starts recording
– already powered on 735xt comes into range of fly12 = as above whenever watch face mode is left on the forerunner by pressing top right button to select an activity, although in this case just camera not light.
– The only workaround is to power off the fly by pressing both buttons which also puts it into airplane mode. However, once powered back on it exits airplane mode and will start the unauthorised pairing behaviour again.
I’ve heard what you’re saying every once in a long while on the FR735XT specifically (like, once every 6-9 months) where someone’s seems to get into the Tinder-everything mode. It wants to hookup with every device it walks by.
I don’t know why it does this, it’s not by design/on purpose. People that got into this state seem to just reset their watch and then it’s fine again – leaving the world alone.
The other tip you can use though, is now that you’re wife’s unit has established that relationship already, you can actually just go into the sensors menu on your watch and set it to disabled. That means it won’t try and hook-up with it again, nor will it try and turn it on.
Thank you for the reply! I like the Tinder analogy, although so far as I know the Forerunner units only has the hots for my Fly12. (both my own and my girlfriend’s 735xt devices display the behaviour)
I have tried to go into the sensor menu on the 735xt and disconnect the fly12 – but it immediately starts to re-form a light network a few seconds later. I’m not aware of a way to disable it as such but will have a look around the settings.
Kind regards,
Brian
I’ve this exact issue with my Garmin Vivoactive HR. I can’t ride with it on my wrist because it’ll turn my lights on and off as well as those of my friends. I’m told a firmware fix is coming. I expect nothing. I filed for a return, but nothing ever came of that.
Hi, my led light has stopped working on my fly12. I wrote an email to cycliq support and they wanted me to send them a screenshot of the light settings. I did this and am waiting for further response since 2 days now. Hope someone will contact me soon. “Enable light off mode” is disabled.
I noticed if I activate the Alarm function the led flashes. So actually it should work. Anyone else had this issue?
Best regards
Well trying out all kind of things (Rest, FW Update, changing all kind of light settings) pressing both buttons for appox 5 seconds seems to solve the problem. Happy again :-)
Best regards
Oliver
Can anyone tell me whether the fly12CE will charge from a battery pack while the light and camera are operating? I’ve been able to borrow a Fly12 (the older model) from a friend to test, and the light turns off the instant it’s plugged into a wall or battery pack.
8 hours battery life is proabably good enough; I’m concerned about whether it will still be good enough 18 months after purchase when the battery is diminished from use.
DCrainmaker, thanks for this thorough review.
Yes, it works when plugged to a battery pack.
I’ve been having an issue with my FLy6CE lately. I’ve let it sit after a ride for several weeks to the point that the battery is to low to power the unit. I’ve then attempted to charge it (red light comes on) over night only to still not get the unit to power on. The first time it happened I did eventually get it charge and power on but last night I was not so lucky. Charged overnight, still wouldn’t turn on. But now when I attempted to charge it again the light would show red and then a few moments later it would turn green for a few seconds and then go back to red for a minute or so. Like a really slow flash. I’ve never seen it do this before.
My new Fly 12 CE charges and works fine but I can’t attach it to the bike as the mount broke the first time I tried to attach it – and NO, I didn’t overtighten it!!
I have my Garmin Edge 1030 out front with a spare mount underneath. Can I adapt this for the Fly 12 CE?? The Cycliq duo mounts are not available from anywhere!!
I use a K-Edge mount that uses a gopro mount for the 1/4 turn Cycliq quick mount.
I use the K-Edge Garmin combo too. Do note that it explicitly states that it’s not suitable for large devices like Fly 12CE so I use it without a bike computer.
My Fly 12CE has died. No idea why. Ive gone throuigh the advice on the Cycliq website but no improvement. I’ve submitted a ticket asking for help on how to get my camera to power up but nothing now for a week. Reading other comments here and elsewhere, this isn’t a surprise!.
Anyone else had their fly12CE die on them but been able to bring it back to life?
Any (constructive) suggestions very welcome.
Thanks
I have had the issue where mine have sat after a ride long enough for the unit to die. I’ve then struggled with it to actually take a charge. What I have found is that using different wall charger and cord combinations along with checking the unit via the app tends to get them back to life for me. I would trying using a wall charger with a high output and then test different cables. While charging see if you can wake the unit up with the Cycliq app. It may take a few hours and a couple of tries to get it to respond.
Cheers MATT. I’ll give your suggestions a go.
What is the expected shelf battery life of a Fly 6 CE? I received Fly 6 CE and Fly 12 CE 3 or 4 weeks ago and charged them. The Fly 12 is fine, now about 40% battery. The Fly 6, turned OFF consumes it’s battery in less than 24h. If I uninstall the CycliqPlus app from my Android phone then it’s battery will last a whopping 3 days. Is this expected, typical? I have been trying to get support from Cycliq and after multiple “we’re busy” and “send us another video” messages I was able to determine the issue with their app but really no substantive answers. I sorely regret purchasing these cameras – seemed like a good idea at the time.
at the start they were terrible, now with a lot of daily use they are both okay, I would estimate at about three or four hours
similar issue — battery draining even though it’s not on…
my routine is to charge my regular lights when I come home from a ride and once charged they sit in my bike gear drawer until I need the next, and I’ve never had to worry if they’ll work on the next ride.
feels like with my Fly6CE need to just keep on the charger. now with my unit, I’ve tried different wall chargers and cords to revive it but after sitting unused for a few months (weather, holidays, baby) I can’t get it to charge and turn back on… *sigh*
Still (yet again?) sorely disappointed
Hey Sorely, ya sounds like what I am facing too. I don’t want to leave it on the charger as that could end up killing the battery too. They say to put it in airplane mode by pressing both buttons but that just makes a sound like taking a picture. I have not even been on a ride with it yet (winter here) and I hate this thing. I should have gone with my original plan to get a gopro clone and an external battery.
yeah .. i’ve tried airplane mode with mixed success. if you read the 6CE manual, there are like 4 different things that require hitting the Power/Q buttons …
1. manual override bike alarm
2. capturing still images
3. Master Reset
4. Airplane Mode
i’ve reaallly wanted this to work and be as cool as the kangaroo and other videos I see on the blog ;) but the whole experience has been extremely underwhelming. Can’t add tramlines to the 6CE (rear) footage, had battery issues with first unit, second/replacement has been used <5 times and I can't get it to power on again. Ugh.
I had a Fly6CE last summer briefly and that was my main issue as well. The battery would just die sitting on the shelf in a few days and I didn’t want to leave it on the charger constantly. I ended up returning mine because support couldn’t really explain if it was considered normal or something they were fixing.
Since this seems to be one of the best places online to find and share information on these devices I’m sharing my recent experience with the Fly 6 CE.
I’ve owned every Cycliq product except the Kickstarter edition. Everything was either replaced under warranty or replaced at a discount out of warranty for one reason or another. Once I got a working unit I’ve had decent luck with them, but I’ve had to lean on Cycliq support multiple times and I’ve generally been pleased with their response, although the time zone difference to the U.S. makes for a slow process. I now have two Fly 6 (v) units, a Fly 12, and Fly 12 CE, and a Fly 6 CE. This post is about the 6 CE.
My first one had condensation under the lens which was the result of a manufacturing defect in early units. It was replaced. That replacement recently failed out of warranty. This was just after I (tried to) put it in airplane mode for a trip and on both the outbound and return legs the battery completely ran down when it should have been completely powered down in airplane mode. Two full discharges may have just been more than the old battery could take. It intermittently showed some signs of life, but mostly would not turn on nor would the charging light illuminate when it was plugged in. After a bunch of emails back and forth Cycliq support agreed to send me a refurbished unit for free if I shipped back the faulty one.
When I got the refurbished Fly 6, a Gen 2, I noticed that the middle of the 3 main LEDs glowed constantly. After I charged it up the battery fully self-discharged. They had me send it back and they sent me another refurbished Gen 2. I was a bit dismayed to find that one had the top of the 3 main LEDs glowing constantly. It also self-discharged in a day after I charged it up.
So I finally decided I’d just see if they’d give me a discount on a new one since two refurbished ones in a row had the same problem (almost… different glowing LEDs). They agreed to do that, but I continued to play with the one that I had and I finally stumbled on how to keep the Fly 6 CE from self-discharging.
I decided to track the self-discharge rate so I charged the light up and then unplugged it. A few hours later I checked the battery and it was still at 99%. However each time I checked the battery via the app after that it had lost a significant amount of charge. Within 18 hours it was dead.
In continuing to play with it I noticed something else. When I disconnected the app from the unit the one red LED in the ring continued to flash but at a different rate than when I was connected. It was about 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off… but then it seemed to stop. Then I noticed that it hadn’t stopped… it had just slowed down… about 2 seconds on and 20 / 30 / 40 seconds off. At that rate it was easy to miss that the light was still flashing at all and it definitely could have been doing this the whole time when it had self-discharged.
I tried force-stopping the app. No change to the light. Then the Eureka! moment… if I turned on my phone screen, the light went back to 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off. If I turned off my phone screen the light went back to 2 seconds on, 20+ seconds off. I could reproduce this every time. The phone being awake changed the light flash rate. The phone was still connected to the Fly 6. Finally I tried turning off the bluetooth on my phone for a moment and the light stopped flashing.
This explains why when I charged the light and then started checking the battery level it was still at 99% the first time I checked it. It was the act of connecting via the app that started the self-discharge. I’ve now had the unit off the charger for 3 or 4 days. I periodically check the battery level, being sure to kill the bluetooth connection after each check. Even with the one slightly glowing LED the battery has only dropped from 100% to 93%. Considering that the unit always has Bluetooth running that seems to be a reasonable self-discharge rate to me. Since it may very well make a difference, I am using a Google Pixel 3a.
I’ve informed Cycliq support of all of these observations. Hopefully they can do something with the firmware to fix this, or at least let customers know that they may need to turn off their phone’s Bluetooth after using the app if they are having issues. Even with all the issues I don’t know of any other solution for a bike safety camera that equals the Fly 6 CE and I hope they continue to develop newer and better devices.
Funny thing is I have had in the past, and am having hell with their support team (as I did a successful firmware update and buggered my Fly6), now today I had a some good news.
Last Friday on my way home from Wimbledon I caught a driver with my rear camera up on the pavement driving behind me like a loon. Long story short, just got a letter from the Rozzers and he is being prosecuted
If only they would sort of their support…
Hay anyone out there got a old fly6 firmware files lying about?
I have updated to the latest firmware and a once great unit (over the past 9 months) has died. Its a couple years old now so have replaced it, as I do actually like it :-)
Okay its can be a pain in the ar$e but generally I like riding through London with a front and rear camera.
In the meantime I want to try and roll back to an earlier FW just for the hell of it, can anyone help?
Any ideas for reducing/eliminating wind noise? Big problem with Fly 12 CE
This is a really disappointing comment thread. A couple years ago after a close call with a car I bought both a Fly6 and a Fly12 (non-CE), but didn’t use either much. I just never fine-tuned the workflow of charging and setting them up. Now with people allegedly staying home I’ve actually had worse problems with drivers, so I pulled them both out of the bin.
The battery life on both is pretty bad at this point; a couple hours at best, I use them for weekend rides, so 4-5 hours would get me through a ride. I’d also forgotten how bad the video quality on the original units was. I saw the new models and was very interested as both issues appear to be addressed. The lighting profile for Garmin is a nice feature as well.
But unfortunately after reading these comments there’s simply no way I could justify spending the $500 on a new set. To any company struggling with quality control issues a good customer service experience is paramount. Customers will forgive a lot of mistakes if replies are prompt and replacements are provided. Unfortunately from the experiences shared in this thread neither is true. One could be mistaken for thinking that Cycliq support is sub-contracted to Comcast.
My recommendation for Cycliq: this is not going to be cheap but it is essential. Commit internally to a 4-hour response time for customer service requests. Track this. If it’s not met, fire whomever is in charge of your support. Until you get your shiz together, commit internally that all responses will be written by a human to address the specific question. Don’t point someone to a generic support document. Track this internally. If it’s not met, fire whomever is in charge of your support. If the issue cannot be resolved with a single round of emails (initial email, response) then immediately send a replacement unit with a pre-paid label to return the old unit. I told you it wasn’t going to be cheap. Keep a database of the root-cause for the failures and track these. Work with your manufacturing partner to drive the failures to zero. You’ll never hit that, of course. But right now from what I’m reading you’re so far away that you aren’t even trying. If you don’t see rapid improvement, fire whomever is in charge of your manufacturing.
This is all so obvious that the fact that it hasn’t been done yet is a pretty good indication that Cycliq is focusing on attractive financials to make itself an acquisition target. Which also is disappointing.
The end result is that, based on this thread alone, you’ve likely lost a bunch of customers. Myself included :(
I bit the bullet and bought a new rear camera, after the new firmware nailed the 18m old same version (previous model to the now new). I spent months working with the tech support, in the end found the CEO’s email address in this thread and mailed him. I still have the old unit, and am hoping one day a new firmware will resurrect it.
The camera’s early days were buggy as hell, but there is no other alternative that comes close I feel. I recently got the news that a driver I reported to the Met got a £750 fine for his actions…
I’m sure many on this comment trail have received the opportunity to be on the notification for the June 1st announcement regarding the Fly6 gen 3. I eagerly opened the email today only to find minimal information to purchase a product that will only be available in Aug. The Gen 3 looks smaller but the battery life is less. Cycliq makes a much needed product and I never go on any ride without the 12 and 6 but I’m truly baffled by this company and it’s processes.
I’m with you on this one. Smaller, maybe lighter, but no hard data on either. Can’t take larger memory card, same or less battery life. Where’s the “improved” part of “new & improved?” And not until August??? Why even bother with a “launch” email etc.? Wish they would just focus on QC which would be a huge step up. Have a brand-new Fly6 CE that seems to just randomly shut itself off for no obvious reason. I don’t even bother trying their customer “support” any more based on past experience. They really need a viable competitor in this space (GoPros don’t have near the needed battery life, sadly). Also would love a Fly12 that was JUST a camera. The light just adds weight and size and there are better & lighter options out there for a front light.
To me it looks like they need cash flow.
I never had an issue with my Fly6 CE and it’s still the best option for recording rides out there apparently. But they are not even telling me why I, as an existing customer, should “upgrade” to this new version. It literally has all the same features. At least give me some nominal upgrades, like 4K recording or low light mode. Maybe even better battery life or a better theft prevention (drains the battery real quick). But lighter and smaller, that’s it? I see no need to buy, not to mention pre-order it months in advance.
If there are some reviews out and it’s perceived as good or better as my model, I will surely recommend it to others, but I’m clearly not the target group here. Very odd.
I was also looking forward to the announcement of the new unit even though my Fly 6 CE is a Gen 2 (refurbished) that I just got in an exchange this year (long post about that above). If the Gen 3 took a larger memory card I’d be first in line to get one. I don’t know if that would be a big deal to many current Fly 6 CE owners, but other than quality control it’s the only issue I have with the current batch of CEs. I also clicked on the link for the pre-order and then went “Meh, nothing I see makes me want to get a Gen 3 right now”.
I really want Cycliq to succeed as they are still the only and best option I’ve seen for a decent camera with enough battery life for most rides. Here’s my hope… first that the 4 to 5 hours they are quoting is what’s expected AFTER the light is 12 to 18 months old, not right out of the box. I’m hoping they have learned to manage expectations. Second I’m hoping it actually can take a larger memory card. The site said it comes with a 32GB card, but I didn’t see any technical specs that actually listed the maximum card size. I’ve been successfully running a 64GB card in my Fly 12 CE for as long as I’ve had it even though that is out of spec, but every time I try a big card in the 6 CE it just shuts down within a few minutes of being turned on.
Ideally the camera would be capable of taking a card that wouldn’t loop on most rides, and for me that means 3 to 4 hours of recording time before looping. For now I’ve taken to carrying a small USB C / USB A memory card reader and a spare 32 GB SD card with me so I can review video on my phone (USB C connection) and swap out the card part way through a ride if something significant happens in the first half.
Unlike a lot of others in this thread I’ve actually been generally pleased with Cycliq support. I just go into it with the understanding that if I send them a message mid-day Friday (US Eastern Time zone) then I’m not going to see a reply until late Sunday local time when they return to the office on Monday in Australia. While the QC is disappointing, they’ve replaced many units for me over the years, some more than once, and often out of warranty. When in-warranty they even have paid me for the return shipping. Just give me a bigger battery and memory card and stable firmware… that doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.
good idea about trying to swap cards during the ride…
Same experience here with the high-capacity SD cards. Freshly formatted, it will turn on, begin recording, then shut down a few seconds in.
I emailed support to find out if high-capacity SD support was a hardware or a firmware issue.
Here’s how the conversation went:
// Cycliq
As for the card, we would like to thank you for testing but for now, we can only recommend up to 32 GB as we are a safety-first camera and we cannot guarantee 100% that all larger capacity cards will work without any issues such as what you may be experiencing right now.
You can lock the footage manually on your Fly6 CE, just please press the Q button, It will not be overwritten but you can only delete manually or formatting the device.
// Me
Thanks – but that doesn’t really answer the question.
Is it a software issue (engineers can include an update in a future firmware release) or is a hardware issue (the Fly6CE isn’t designed to handle modern high-capacity SD cards) ??
// Cycliq
The unit is designed to only take a maximum of 32GB. However, we are working to increase this capacity on the next generation Fly6 CE models.
// What I wanted to say
What?!??! The next, next generation? Because the GEN3 you’re pushing on me still only has 32GB card…
// What I finally replied
Thanks for the clarification.
Please pass this information along to the product team:
For a safety-focused camera, it seems like there’s a struggle to get the features that rides like me want. On a long ride, with multiple close passes through the ride, I don’t want to have to worry about reaching back to force a “lock” on the footage. Rather, I’d like the device to be able to handle high-capacity memory cards. It’s disappointing that the Fly6CE can’t do that. What’s even more disappointing is that the new Fly6 that is on pre-order appears to (1) have less battery life and (2) still suffer from the same 32GB limit. Why do I need to want for another generation of devices?
Relatedly — for a safety-focused device, it’s insanely frustrating that the Fly6 and Fly6CE doesn’t have the ability to add tramlines in the Desktop app. Trying to use the ones designed for the Fly12 really don’t cut it, and for documenting close passes it’s really critical. Why on earth hasn’t this feature been added to the desktop app? Seems like the second most basic feature after the ability to merge together video segments…
1. Get your device quality in order. I had to replace my original unit, and I know many others who have had issues.
2. Stop trying to push a Gen3 device on me that has “upgrades” that I can’t even figure out from the website. I see no reason to upgrade to a Gen3. Let me know when you have a device that runs long and accepts high-capacity SD cards.
3. Build your devices with the ability to take high-capacity memory cards. Smart looping doesn’t cut it, I want to record — without overwriting — for the whole time the battery lasts.
4. Speaking of battery, work on increasing battery life (a) in real world conditions and (b) over time. Too many posts about decreasing battery life. I personally am not counting the grams to care if it weighs more to last longer…
5. Also speaking of battery life, add a feature to the device that allows you to decide on which “home safe” mode you’d like: (a) stop the video and keep the lights running, or (b) stop the lights and keep the video running. Why? In order to maximize battery life, and because I prefer a smaller, lighter, brighter, and longer lasting rear light, I run my preferred light and keep the Fly6CE on camera-only mode. But if “home safe” gets triggered, my video will stop even though I’m not wanting to use the lights…
6. Add the basic, critical, missing features to the desktop app. If you want us to upload all these things to UpRide and report close passes — why aren’t there tramlines available for every device?
I really, really love what you guys are trying to do. I really, really want you to be successful. I really, really don’t understand some of the decisions coming out of the company right now, nor do I comprehend the gaps in the product features.
Stay well,
//signed
I received the following today from Justin @ Cycliq Support:
“” We are happy to inform you that our new Fly6 CE Gen3 is compatible with SD cards up to 520GB of SD card. “”
I don’t see it on the Tech Specs page for the Gen3, but maybe they’ll update it?
link to cycliq.com
I have recently purchased a Fly 6 CE Gen3 & Fly 12 CE.
My credit card HAS been charged.
I was under the impression that the card would not be charged until the unit shipped, and I thought that my payments were to be in 5 installments.
I also noticed that the Suite Number was NOT listed on my order confirmation, as it was listed when I placed the order.
I have contacted customer service at least three times over the last couple of weeks. No one from Cycliq has responded.
I know the rear units were not going to be shipped until August. But, I was under the impression that my credit card would not be charged until they shipped.
Since Cycliq does not respond, should I have my credit card company issue a refund?
And since Cycliq does not respond to any of my inquiries, is this an indicator of their customer service, and should I look at other options for bike cameras?
Thanks for your help.
Hi Michael,
I’m a long time user of the Fly 6 and 12 and unfortunately their customer service leaves much to be desired. If you read through the comments above you’ll see the range of experiences. I’ve had a few faulty units that were ultimately replaced so I can’t really complain. When you do have a faulty unit, it works the way it’s supposed to. I haven’t experienced battery drain or other issues. I’ve wondered the same about other options in the market and there really isn’t a competitor in this space. GoPro’s battery life just isn’t sufficient without modifications and additional battery packs. On you question about credit card refund, I’ve tried that with other similar situations and it’s been mixed. If it’s not fraud then you need to work it out with the merchant.
Unfortunately, your experience so far is a typical example of their customer service. It seems that at one point, making a fuss in the comments here would get their attention, but that does not seem to even do anything anymore.
I was sent a replacement unit to replace my Fly6CE which was dead out of the box. The replacement lasted about a month. I now use a GoPro Session. Unfortunately combining a light and a camera seems to result in a device that is good at neither task. If this was a viable concept, another company would have put Cycliq out of business by now.
Pretty much par for the course in terms of Cycliq’s “customer service.” I really wish someone would come out with a competing product or just buy them out and invest in some QC and support staff.
FWIW, In some jurisdictions, it is illegal to charge for a product that has not been shipped, so you might inquire with your local state attorney general or consumer protection bureau.
I don’t know how Cycliq is still in business. They don’t honor their warranty.
The cameras are great … until they stop working. It took less than a year for my Fly12CE to turn into an expensive paperweight.
Cycliq’s Customer Support team must have gotten sucked into a black hole. After the master reset they prescribed didn’t work, they stopped responding to me. I’d send them an email reminding them about my ticket every 10 days or so. It’s been over 5 WEEKS AND NO RESPONSE!
The LBS where I purchased them told me I’m not the first to complain about the non-existent customer support from Cycliq. In fact, because of Cycliq’s pattern of non-support, the LBS stopped carrying Cycliq products.
If you buy a Cycliq product, CAVEAT EMPTOR!
Today was to be an exciting day! It would be the first time my bike was off the trainer and I could try the fly6 out on the road. All charged and ready to go … but it won’t turn on! Any known tricks to get these things working? This thing is less than a year old but based on previous comments it is unlikely to get resolved by Cycliq. Is there any similar product or would I just be relegated to a GoPro type thing and an external battery?
I’ve had luck with removing and reinserting the SD card when my Fly 6 will not power up. In those cases when I connect to it via the app it says that I need to insert an SD card. If you don’t see the bluetooth signal and can’t connect via the app I don’t think this will help.
Thanks Alan, I did try removing, formatting and replacing the SD card, no joy. The unit is not responding to the phone app so I guess that BT is not working nor does it seem to be there when plugged into the computer with USB. Oddly enough though I can plug in a formatted SD card and hold the Q button for 30 seconds and it will write a config to it but beyond that the fly6ce is pretty much unresponsive. And this has never even made it outside!
Mike H, while the Cycliq customer service is slow and leaves much to be desired they have come through for me every time. If you’ve had this for less than a year I’m sure they will get you sorted out eventually. Good luck.
Hi Mike E, yes, I do have a ticket open but no great hope. They really did nothing to solve the problem about it being almost out of charge by morning after charging it the night before nor it’s feeble 4hr+ runtime so my guess is that I will be looking about for a GoPro type of camera. Ideally I’d like cameras that could run for up to 12hr on a charge and be able to accept a SD card big enough to save it.
nice review mr dcr.
2 questions to anybody here :-)
1.
how is it possible that fly 12 ce stops recording after i switch off my garmin 830?
when i switch my garmin 830 on he searches for connected lightnetworks and starts to record.
2.
with idle mode the unit still records 15min?!?! until it shuts off. this should be reduced to 10sec!
how much power does the non airplane mode need?
thank you for help.
Ordered the new Fly6 + Fly12 + SD card bundle months ago. On June 10 got confirmation of order and that I should look for shipment notification. None came. No cameras arrived either. Emails / webforms submitted, but no response whatsoever from Cycliq. But Cycliq does keep emailing me paranoia-inducing, “the HORROR! the HORROR!” spam about motorists running over cyclists… I don’t appreciate Cycliq taking my money and ghosting me, and even less the entirely FUD-based sales tactics. Should I just go to the credit card company and try to cancel the transaction?..
Fly6 CE GEN3 website says “shipping August 2020”.
Maybe they want it all to come together?
Well, I’ve had the fly6 (rubber band version) and a fly6 ce. Both lasted about a year and a half of daily use. First one the case cracked at the mount and camera fell off at high speed and was too scratched and cracked to repair. Second one, filled up with water during a storm, I dried it out, replaced the battery, then it lasted a few more months before the on/off button stopped working. Was fairly fed up with the whole experience and whilst looking for an alternative, I found the techmoan website, where he reviews dash cams and the like. He says that you shouldn’t expect a bike or car dash cam to last more than 18 months due to various reasons. See the bottom few paragraphs on this page: link to techmoan.com
So, I bit the bullet and ordered my third fly6. Mainly as any other cameras have no neat way to mount to a seatpost and lack decent battery life and / or incident detection. I managed to find one of the last available ‘gen 2’ fly6 ce. Supposedly slightly better waterproofing, but I will stick a rubber band around it to make sure the charging flap stays closed. The new, as yet unavailable gen 3 looks to be better made, with the flap on the side, but the battery life is shorter, rendering it useful only for commuting. The price is higher too.
Hi Ray,
A Dutchie here who commutes a lot and lis ooking for a rear facing camera on my bikes. Do you expect any updates on the fly 6 anytime soon since it is already 3 years old?
The new version has been available for preorder and is supposed to ship in Aug 2020.
It would be hard for Ray to review the next gen Fly6 CE. That’s because it has not shipped out yet. Months ago I pre-ordered and pre-paid for one. It will be a cold day in Oz Land before I see a next gen CE. And the thing is, I feel really, really stupid for having ordered one; especially about all the negative comments here, and elsewhere, about poor hardware and software quality and non-existent customer support. Shame on me for being so foolish with my “bike money.”
“Supposed to ship” is the operative term here. Here we are, mid-October and still NOTHING, NADA from the folks at Cycliq.
Purchased the Fly6CE and Fly12CE after previously having the FLY6 (the battery died). I enjoyed the FLY6, the FLY6CE is terrible. The camera basically stops responding, it requires a reset. If the battery gets low where it shuts off, a reset is needed for it to stat charging again. Turn the camera off at a rest stop, it’s 50/50 if it turns back on without a reset. First they blamed it on the sd card, replaced the sd card same results. The response time and request for pictures is insane, it’s like they don’t want you to buy anymore of their products. It’s at the point that they’ve extended an offer to get the next generation which cost even more than the previous. Completely disappointed in the latest version, doubt why I would take a chance on anymore versions.
I have used fly6ce and fly6ce Gen 2. As I live in Singapore where there are thunderstorms during the year, and I was caught in down pouring rains during rides despite my best effort to ride. And in such situations, both units were spoilt once the rain seeped into the lens, and it’s graded IP56 which baffled me. The same issue happens to my friends (5 of us).
When it works, it is a fantastic device. However at such pricing, I expect it to be able to withstand the tests of rainfalls.
I hope DCrainmaker will test its resistance to rain falls in next round of review.
Has anyone already paid for and received the next gen Fly6? Seems like Cycliq is up to its old shenanigans, accepting payment for the new device and NOT delivering (or even giving an ETA for delivery). They are using the old pandemic excuse as a reason, but does not fly too well anymore. I recently ordered a replacement tank for my WaterRower machine. They kept me informed of the shipping status and, I am happy to say, the new tank will ship this week—two weeks after I ordered it. That’s how to do business right and keep customers satisfied.
Cycliq have displayed “Shipping November 2020” on their website for a while now – at least since early September, but judging by the comments above this hasn’t always been the case. If it’s any consolation, I’ve been waiting for over 2 months for a proprietary out front mount from Synchros and a friend of mine had to wait several weeks, with continuous delays for some wheels from Hunt. My LBS says this is happening a lot across the industry.
Re the new Fly6, I’m in two minds about getting one. It’s a lot of money and the negative reviews put me off, but you would hope Cycliq would learn from previous issues and improve each model as they go along. Or perhaps I’m being naive.
Either way, the main problem is that I can’t find anything better on the market and as Calum Chalmers noted, techmoan states we shouldn’t expect these cameras to last more than 18 months due to various reasons. I’ve found this to be a common problem with bike lights as well (Lezyne, CatEye etc.). That’s small comfort when it costs so much money, but I’ll try and keep it dry and cover the ports as best I can.
I’m also hoping that there are many happy Fly6 owners who we don’t hear from (people who have had bad experiences tend to shout loudest), but again I might be being naive!
Hi Ray, I just wondered if you have any plans to review the Fly6 CE gen 3 model soon? It would be great to see how the picture quality measures up to the gen 2 version.
It would be hard for Ray to review the next gen Fly6 CE. That’s because it has not shipped out yet. Months ago I pre-ordered and pre-paid for one. It will be a cold day in Oz Land before I see a next gen CE. And the thing is, I feel really, really stupid for having ordered one; especially about all the negative comments here, and elsewhere, about poor hardware and software quality and non-existent customer support. Shame on me for being so foolish with my “bike money.”
Thats right, but Ray often seems to get units sent to him early – sometimes pre-production units.
Are you able to cancel the pre-order?
Alternatively, let’s just hope the next model addresses many of the problems with the existing one. The fact that it’s lighter is good and people have commented on things like the ports looking better protected, so it will hopefully fair better in wet conditions.
I don’t have a unit at this time. I might circle back with them and see about getting one.
There is a newer firmware update (ver 1.1.26.084) that I did not see mentioned in these comments. I couldn’t find any information about the issues it fixes.
No way will I buy from Cycliq again. Terrible quality and customer service. My second gen unit stopped recording within the warranty peroid. Multiple emails to the company and posting it back at my cost to be reviewed have determined it’s defective. All they will offer is a 10 percent discount on the new gen3 unit. I’m currently taking this to the Australian Consumer Affairs Tribunal
I am also a purchaser of a fly 6 and fly12 CE.
Initially, I had a fly6 v2… Was happy with this unit. It seemed to do what I wanted it to do… record video, light me up at night… No additional complications, like being able to talk to my garmin. That’s just one more thing that can go wrong.
For other reasons, I replaced the fly6v2 with a CE. That was not the wisest of choices. The only way I could change settings was to use some app to do so. First, that little tab that covers the connections broke off. . Eventually, on that unit, the bluetooth seemed to quit working, and then, to put it out of its misery, it fell off on a rougher descent. I didn’t even put that much effort into finding it, because to me, it was a piece of garbage
anyway. I tried replacing it with something different, but two different brands video quality didn’t compare to what I had with the fly6v2. So, eventually, for far less, I purchased another fly6v2 No problems since.
Now, with the fly12 CE, I have a different problem…. It… works… fine…. I don’t believe that the life of battery matches what they advertise…. I don’t any companies promises ever match what they pontificate in their boasting that they’re the best thing since sliced bread. It’s the universal adapter, which slowly degrades, by losing pieces of what is supposed to hold on this $250 unit. After it fell off for the first time, I investigated it, thinking it was something else…. I also started hooking it on with the included strap, so it wouldn’t hit the pavement again. It dropped off a few more times (not to the ground, however— it’s pretty durable), before finally realizing it was this cheap crap universal adapter that is probably mfg’d in China, and of course, will break apart after 6 months of use, that you can buy (at least try to, if it’s in “stock”, lol.
Eventually, the adapter got to be in such bad shape that the unit wouldn’t hold in anymore, so about 6 months ago, I shelved it… Something that I don’t appreciate having to do, spending as much as I did for it in the first place.
So, I ask two questions:
1) Has anyone else in this forum found a workaround to mount their fly12CE without having to use “cycliq’s” , POS, Universal Adapter?
2) has cycliq gotten a new stock of Universal Adapters.
I don’t think I’m going to be spending my money on any future cycliq products in the future.. Yes, the C/S is awful… the details about sending pictures from all four sides, a video of it “falling off”, the proof of purchase (what if it was a gift???), the slow turnaround time to get a response, etc etc. All that leaves a bad taste in my mouth, when, at first, I was a fan of your products. I felt safer, and secure on the carcentric roads here in US.
I had the same issue until I came across these. I have purchased a set and several months later I have had zero issues.
link to racewaredirect.co
Cycliq is now shipping the Fly 6 Gen 3. I preordered and paid for the Fly 6/Fly 12 combo in July with the promise that the 6 would ship in August and the 12 would follow a month later. So now that it
looks like I’ll be getting the new Fly 6 in a couple weeks, 4 ½ months late and just in time for New England winter, Cycliq is offering a Black Friday sale for $100 less than what I paid. After reading all the comments about poor customer service from Cycliq, its good to see that they have placed a priority on building a loyal customer base. Not. Hopefully the new 6 and 12 will be so wonderful that I’ll forget about the sweet deal offered to new customers while they held on to my money and gave me promises and excuses.
Could you possibly cancel/return the preorder and purchase the black Friday offer instead?
I saw their announcement back then and when I saw it was a preorder which you also had to prepay, it immediately felt fishy to me. Like, they shouldn’t need to do this if they were a properly run company and not a kickstarter project. I was actually worried they might be on the brink of bankruptcy.
All the risk would be on me and they have a horrible track record of customer service. No way i send them money for a promise.
Dan, like you, I placed my order for the Fly6 wayyyy back. After ALL the broken promises regarding delivery I cancelled my order. To their credit, Cycliq fully refunded my credit card for the full amount, less interest for the amount of time that they held and used my money. Then I saw the BF sale and I figured why. At worst I will end with an expensive paperweight and at best Cycliq will finally deliver on its promise for the Fly6. Only time will tell. ?
After a bike crash, I ordered the safety combo on 10/28 for peace of mind in the future. When I worried about their ship date promise, I found this ongoing thread. Unfortunately too late to cancel the order.
Their site today shows nothing about a pre-order for purchases and still have their Black Friday prices up. Are they just taking orders with no regard to delivery now?
Cycliq, I invite you to prove us wrong and deliver on your promises.
I ordered the safety combo on 10/28. I became suspicious of their delays when I found this ongoing thread. Unfortunately too late to cancel the order.
I checked their website last week and it shows nothing about a pre-order for purchases and still had their Black Friday prices up. Are they just taking orders with no regard to delivery now?
I fear that they’re doing a fund-raiser now, and it won’t be for my benefit.
link to www2.asx.com.au
they’re still busy paying executives with your pre-order funds
Florian, I cancelled my order a couple days ago. I’m in Maine, USA, and probably won’t be riding until April. They said they’ll refund my card in 5-7 business days. My fingers are crossed…
Piling on here – I just want a refund. Been going in circles with Jason H at Cycliq. My Gen2 broke down after 4 months, they want me to wait til they manufacture more Gen2s to get a replacement (@!?) or pay $100 to upgrade to the Gen3 that probably also does not work.
@Ray can you please raise the alarm these guys make faulty tech and have terrible customer service!
I ordered the fly6 gen3 and fly12 on the 4th October 2020. Yesterday I received an expected shipping date of 8th February 2021. Be prepared for a long wait. The UK website says shipping for the fly12 is now June 21. At the time I ordered thee expected wait was 3 months.
Fingers crossed the units work because there isn’t really anything else on the market like it. Although I am worried about the comments here. Perhaps it would be nice if garmin bought cycliq or gave some competition.
I have opened a ticket with Cycliq September 2020 complaining about the quality of the recordings and after making some recordings available to their team I was requested to send my camera to an address here in US. My Cycliq was sent to them on Sep 1st and delivered Sep 4th.
Since then I got some e-mails from Aron N. stating it would take some time to send the camera due COVID and some issues with taxes in the country the cameras are shipped from.
I completely understand 2020 was a complicated year but at least what I was expecting from Cycliq was some sort of update every 15 days or worst case scenario once a month.
Anyway, I sent 5 e-mails this year asking for updates on my ticket (Jan 7th, Jan 11th, Jan 13h and more) and I did not get a single response with the status of my ticket.
I feel like I’ve been stolen as they got the camera and suddenly stopped caring about my case.
Cycliq has been using Covid to justify their poor business practices, lack of customer support and generally horrible user experience. Other companies, such as WaterRower, Garmin and Wahoo, to name a few, have managed to work through Covid. Why can’t Cycliq? They are out to take your money (and in your case your device) and don’t give a D… about you, or anyone else. Perhaps a class action lawsuit will fix them up.
In his review Ray should include a statement publicly noting all the complaints, issues and other problems involving Cycliq and its products. Ray would do his readers a great service by including such a statement. His failure to discuss Cycliq’s monumental customer fail is not helpful.
For everyone’s info, I finally received (late Jan 2021) a Gen3 unit after pre-ordering in July 2020. The battery life is TERRIBLE. A ride that would only drain 50% of the battery on my Gen2 completely drained my Gen3 only 75% of the way through. PLEASE can someone come out with a competing unit!
Cycliq over promises and under delivers. I am beginning that Cycliq is an Aussie Scam. How else can you explain their lousy product development, their non-existent customer support and the underwhelming performance if their products. Ray, I implore you, please say SOMETHING about this crappy company and its product line. Man, you are tarnishing your reputation by remaining silent.
“I finally received (late Jan 2021) a Gen3 unit after pre-ordering in July 2020”
Just to be clear, this review isn’t about the current Gen 3 version, but rather, previous versions. I’ve never tested the latest version of this product.
I’ve added a disclaimer to the top of the post. Cheers!
Hi Ray,
I just wondered if you have any plans to review the new Fly6? You wrote this in a reply to my comment in October:
> I don’t have a unit at this time. I might circle back with them and see about getting one.
It would be great to read your impressions, as like many (I assume), I’m not going to order one until I’ve seen some reviews.
Having said that, I did order one originally in September, but cancelled it after further delays and reading reviews of some of their other products. To be fair to Cycliq, they refunded me in full, so my experience of their customer service has been ok.
It would be helpful to see a detailed review of Cycliq’s new models, with discussions of the common problems experienced by consumers posting here and on the Facebook Cycliq Fly Users Group such as water ingress, fragility of mounting clips, battery life issues, general non-functionality, and customer support and service experiences that have been mixed, etc. This comment page has become the de facto customer support page for Cycliq and, in my experience, the best way to contact the company to address issues with Cycliq products. That is telling and unfortunate. I’d like to see Cycliq asked about these problems, and the steps the company is taking, if any, to remedy issues with fulfillment and customer service. Answers to these questions would certainly influence my decision as to whether to consider giving Cycliq a second chance.
Fly12CE ordered 26 November 2020 with a shipping date of ‘January 2021’. The website has quietly changed that to June 2021. Nobody bothered to send me an email to tell me. I’ve given up on this company. Refund requested.
Just have in mind that people who have no issues usually don’t care about going online and writing about it. I found this to be true of myself as well, without even being aware of it. Now if things go wrong, then of course people will be everywhere shouting about it. Bad customer service is not a good sign though.
Every time you go on Trustpilot, there are always a ton of bad reviews on there, no matter which store. Even the good ones have a lot of bad reviews.
That doesn’t mean Cycliq is great though, for me it remains to be seen. I have ordered in June and only got my Fly6 in december, and I got an email saying I would be getting the Fly12 on 10th february.
I haven’t tried the 6 yet though since I haven’t started cycling yet, but I’ll be back with a review once I’ve used them for a while.
It is true that, generally speaking, only customers who are unhappy take the time and make the effort to go online. That, however, is not the case with me. I was an early advocate of the Fly 6 and gave it positive reviews here and on Amazon. Since then I have grown increasingly disappointed with the device’s many problems, with the bad customer service experience and with Cycliq’s failure to deliver a consistently working device. For your sake, I hope that you have amore positive user experience. But don’t lump every reviewer here in the “disgruntled user” category. That is demeaning to the many thoughtful and considered, albeit unhappy, users who have taken the time to write here.
I’m not trying to lump everyone together on here. I’m sure their claims are legitimate. Just generally speaking of how people tend to behave when it comes to reviews on any product. Just saying that people should have that in mind and not automatically believe that this represents most of their customer base. Some people hesitate to try for themselves as soon as they see a few bad reviews.
My experience is that every time I read bad reviews on something, then when I buy the product myself, most of the times I have no issues.
I chose to have an open mind and try for myself, especially as there really isn’t much else in terms of bike specific cameras. I had a near death experience last year, which is why I decided to buy cameras.
I posted a detailed account of my experience with Cycliq and their devices earlier in this thread, but I can sum it up as: I’ve had a > 50% failure rate, but generally good customer service that eventually got me a working device.
I received this email from Cycliq about two weeks ago. I ordered on November 28th and I think this is the first contact I’ve had from them since:
—————-
We’re pleased to let you know that your Fly12 is scheduled for delivery in the week commencing 15th of February. You will receive the tracking number to this email address.
We had also planned to ship your Fly6 Gen 3 this month, however very strong demand over Black Friday and Cyber Weekend – combined with COVID-related production interruptions – has meant that shipping has unfortunately been delayed.
Your Fly6 will now be shipped in the week ending 30th of April. We know this is disappointing news, but please take comfort in knowing that you have secured a significant discount which will not be repeated until Christmas 2021.
As a sincere thanks for your understanding, we will also be providing you with a complimentary SD Card upgrade (from 32 GB to 128 GB) and an additional Fly6 accessory pack, with a total value of $50 USD.
We appreciate your support and look forward to getting your products to you as soon as possible.
—————
I noticed that BikeTiresDirect.com has been listing the Fly 6 Gen 3 as ‘in stock’ and ready to ship for a couple of weeks now, so Cycliq clearly has produced and shipped some of these to retailers. They list it for $229, the same price as on the Cycliq site (altough if you have an account and log in it is listed a few $$ cheaper, plus you get 10% back in points for a future order and free shipping). Meanwhile the Cycliq site is back to ‘pre-order now’ for $229 plus $20 shipping, and says it will be shipping in May. So you can buy one today from a retailer and get it right away for less than if you pre-order on Cycliq’s site.
I ordered the new devices even though I currently have a working Fly 12 CE and Fly 6 CE gen 2 because I figured they’ll eventually fail or their battery life will diminish and I’d like to have the new ones on hand. So while I’d like to get the new cameras, I’m in a position where I don’t really mind the delay. I’m actually happy to wait in return for the larger SD card and the extra mounts, but I wouldn’t be very happy about it if I didn’t already have working cameras.
I’m concerned about the one report in this thread about poor battery life. Until we get more reports from other users of the Gen 3 it’s hard to know if this is a defective unit or the way they will all perform. According to the web site the Gen 3 only does 1080P @ 30fps and 720P @ 60fps. Can someone who has a Gen 3 confirm if those are the only two recording modes? If so, I wonder if they eliminated 1080P at 60fps to increase runtime, improve reliability, or both (or none of the above).
It seems that is right. Take a look at this site:
link to actioncamerafinder.com
The gen 3 doesn’t have 1080p 60fps anymore according to above and the battery is 2000mah as opposed to gen2 which had 3200mah. But the runtime is supposed to be the same.
How much did you pay on Black Friday? I also wouldn’t mind waiting that long if I got the deal you got with all the extras. And that’s very cool of them to do that.
I got a barfly mount so I will be putting my Bolt on top and the Fly 12 under it. The barfly is a really good product in my mind. For my other bike I will just use their regular bar mount.
The Black Friday sale was $343 plus $10 shipping to US for both a Fly 12 CE and a Fly 6 CE Gen 3
Gen3 Fly6 is a big comedown in many respects. .Video modes, battery life, and as I discovered yesterday, water-proofness. Pre-ordered one in July, received in December, Did a 25 mile ride on roads wet from snow-melt, and came home with a bricked Gen3. Yes, the charging “door” was well-closed/sealed. It beeps and chirps, but no light and no video. Over $300 is a lot for a month or two of use. I’ll file a claim, but have no illusions anything will happen.
It took me a while to work this out, but my Cycliq Fly12 is causing interference with my Garmin 1030 GPS. I spent a lot of time working with Garmin, who were fantastic, they replace the unit twice, but the issue persisted. I then discovered I had no problem when I did not use my Fly12. I did a raft of tests, and the final one was to wrap the Fly12 in foil, which provided the added shielding necessary; this is not a practical solution long term.
When I contacted Cycliq, they said that because they had certificates, my Fly12 was ok and they did not believe there was an issue. They then said that there were many threads on the internet that Garmins had problems with other devices. If I sight threads on the internet as proof my device was faulty, they will not accept that.
I’m not sure if I’m happy to see your post or dismayed… but I have some additional data that might be interesting. I already had a Fly 12 CE and Fly 6 CE but decided to purchase a second set on the Black Friday deal for a couple of reasons including that my Fly 12 original that my wife uses had recently died and I expected that eventually the battery life on my Fly 6 CE gen 2 would decline to where I’d need to replace it.
I was able to find the GPS interference problem fairly quickly. On the first ride with the new Fly 12 CE I thought my Garmin was having issues because I had a second headlight sitting above and to the rear of the Garmin which is on a Cycliq duo mount above the Fly 12. On the second ride with the new camera I didn’t have the extra headlight and realized my issue wasn’t coming from that.
Cycliq’s placing the blame on the Garmin is pure BS. I’m currently going back and forth support, but their first response tried to say it was due to Bluetooth sharing the same frequency band as GPS and they also gave me the line about Garmin devices having issues with other electronics.
I’m pretty sure the problem isn’t the Bluetooth. I downloaded a GPS status app for my Google Pixel phone which makes it much easier to tell when the interference is happening. It shows the signal strength and number of satellites the phone GPS is receiving.
When I put the phone above the new Fly 12 CE there is no interference if the unit is off (even though the Bluetooth is still on when the camera and light are off). When I open the Cycliq app and connect to the light, there is still no interference (even thought the Bluetooth is then actively communicating with the app). However when I turn on the Fly 12 CE and start recording, the interference shows up. Whether the light is on, off, or flashing seems to make no difference. This has nothing to do with Bluetooth. The spurious RF emissions are coming from something in the recording circuitry.
I’ll note again that my older Fly 12 CE does not do this at all. It isn’t inherent in the design. There is something wrong with these units.
I tried swapping the SD cards between my old and new Fly 12s to rule out any emissions from the SD card and the problem stayed with the new Fly 12 CE.
I really want Cycliq to succeed, but it’s getting really hard to not give up on them. I’ve posted here before that I’ve had multiple devices that I’ve bought from them replaced under warranty, some more than once. Their quality control stinks, but in the past their support has been responsive enough to keep me happy. The fact that they’re telling two of us that their defective units are somehow Garmin’s fault may put me over the edge.
Garmin already makes a radar. Can someone get them to make a decent set of front & rear safety cameras?
At this point, I don’t know why anyone bothers with Cycliq or its products. They make an inferior product that continually under performs. They cannot even deliver on their promises to ship the crap they make. I don’t understand why Ray does not address these issues in a definitive post. It is a shame.
I’ve had a warning of sorts at the top of this post for a while now about my concerns about the company.
But given I haven’t tried their newest products, I’m not sure why I’d write a random new post that says ‘While I haven’t actually tried this new product, you shouldn’t use it because other people say so.’
I get that Ernesto you’ve had a lot of troubles with them over the years, and others have had troubles as well. But I also don’t think that’s everywhere. Else frankly, we’d have far more complaints here. Don’t get me wrong, customer service seems poor at best lately, but I don’t necessarily think that represents the underlying product for everyone.
Either way, I write product reviews about products I’ve tested. Doing anything else isn’t a review, it’s simply a hit piece (even if rightly deserved). And that’s not my jam. The warning at the top seems to cover it fairly well.
Ernesto, you’re starting to sound like a broken record. Like I said, people who haven’t had issues are pretty much invisible on the internet because they tend to not bother to talk about the product unless they have had problems. So of course you are going to see pretty much only bad reviews.
You don’t have to keep repeating the same thing, and asking Ray to write negatively about something he hasn’t encountered himself.
I received another response from Cycliq support. They are simply standing by their explanation that this is a Garmin problem despite the fact that it is a problem with only one of my two Fly 12 CE units and affects both my Garmin and my phone.
This is my first failure with Cycliq support after a long string of successes. I really feel bad for them as a company as they are trying to make a product the cycling community needs and they are I believe they are struggling financially yet they can’t seem to catch a break with the quality control at the factories producing their products.
This is a known problem. See link to youtu.be. I got a refund on a Fly12CE because of this. I had to send Cycliq photos of my 510 showing the GPS accuracy field with the light on and off and screenshots of rides on Strava showing me riding through buildings, etc.
Cycliq just flat out denied the issue at first, quoting their compliance with some standards. Standards that don’t seem to cover being mounted within cm of a GPS.
Ray, your reputation is taking a hit. The Cycliq Fly 6 is a piece of junk. The company engages in fraudulent practices by promising devices that it cannot deliver while, at the same time, taking money from consumers. While Cycliq keeps blaming the pandemic for their supply woes, EVERY other company out there has been able to manage just fine. For example, Garmin and WaterRower, two companies that I have done business with during the times of Covid, have had no problem at all consumer demands, so don’t blame Covid for your ineptitude. Incidentally, I was an early adapter, and I wrote positive reviews of the product, here and in Amazon. But short battery life, water ingress (even in Southern California where it rarely rains), defective rubber door, and broken plastic attachment clips soured me on this company and its less than mediocre offerings. And, I am not the only one who is unhappy with this piece of junk. Ray, you can deflect all you want, but at the end of the day your readers, who have come to trust your reviews, will all be left wondering why you haven’t called out this company. BTW, if Cycliq was based in California they would have been long drummed out of business for engaging in what, by any measure, can only described as consumer fraud.
Rider8, I don’t make it a habit to respond to people who don’t use their real name and, instead, hide behind a screen name. In your case, however, I will make an exception. If you read my posts you will note that all I am asking Ray to do is to alert people to the myriad of problems that users have with this company and its products. Also, had you bothered to read through my posts you will have realized that I gave positive reviews to the Cycliq 6 (thank God I didn’t waste money on the Cycliq 12). It was only after this piece of junk began to fall apart that I changed my tune. Until Cycliq solves its problems and delivers on its promises I will continue to be, as you so cutely put it, a “broken record.” Perhaps you are 100% happy with your Cycliq, in which case more power to you. Or perhaps you have come to accept mediocrity as the standard by which all products are measured. I am not, however, ready to jump with you into that bandwagon.
Hi Rider8, I have had a Fly 6 CE and a Fly 12 since the Fly 6 shipped. From the start the 6 would not hold a charge I tracked it down to having the Cycliq app on my phone. If I installed the app and configured the devices then closed the app and turned off the 6 it would kill the battery in less than it’s proclaimed run time. After almost a year of sending pictures doing tests, again and again and again Cyclic said they would replace it but they suggested that I buy the new 6. I said no, just make what I have work and since then it is like the phone line was cut, just silence so I have given up. I can’t use the thing outside anyway since the little rubber door fell off during one of the many many tests they had me run.
Ernesto, the Fly 12 seems to work well, holds a charge and operates like you think it should. Needless to say I don’t mount it near my 520, but then I don’t bother with either for anything other than a short “fun” outing as the battery life in the 6 is only a couple of hours and any real ride I would be gone all day.
Has anyone opened these up? I am wondering if they could be wired to an external battery for a decent run time? But then they only take a 32G card. I truly wish that Garmin would come out with a similar product with an all-day runtime and capability for a large memory card. If they had a good synchronized on/off when you start/stop the 520 that would be superb.
“Ray, your reputation is taking a hit….Ray, you can deflect all you want, but at the end of the day your readers, who have come to trust your reviews, will all be left wondering why you haven’t called out this company.”
Ernesto – I’ve placed a big chunk of text at the top of this page, a review from years ago, about the issues. If you don’t think that’s enough – then frankly, I’m not sure what to say. Again, you’re asking me to write a hit-piece on something I haven’t tested because what amounts to a handful of people are having issues. No doubt, those issues are real. But if they were hugely widespread, frankly, there would be more comments here. As others have said, happy people generally don’t post on forums/comments sections.
Ray’s right. My experience of Cycliq has been fine – they gave me a full refund after I cancelled my order. I’m sure many others have experienced good service, but don’t broadcast it. Unfortunately quite a few people haven’t had such a good experience and have understandably made their feelings known. Not just on here, but several online stores (many poor reviews). That’s mainly why I decided to cancel my order, which if many people do, will ultimately hurt Cycliq more than anything.
Ernesto – I don’t think you can expect Ray to say anymore unless he has reliable customer satisfaction statistics in front of him. Let’s not forget that his remit is to review products and, like he said, he hasn’t reviewed the Fly 6 Gen 3 yet.
We get that you’ve had a bad experience and anyone coming across these comments and customer reviews will think twice about buying products from Cycliq, but there comes a point when you have to let it go.
Ray, I am going to buy a Gen 3 Cycliq 6. When, or if, I ever get it, I will ship it to you, free of charge, so you can do a proper, long-term review. We will then see how their new offering holds up in real life, honest to goodness use. The proof will be, as they say, in the pudding.
Hey DC – FYI – I’ve had Cycliq cameras on my bikes since I got into a tiff with a dump truck about 6 years ago. Customer service was marginal for a while, but lately has disappeared completely. My 12 isn’t working at all – which is unfortunate indeed as i ride in big diesel pickup truck territory. Cycliq hasn’t responded in 8 days to a request – which is a lot longer than their promised 48 hour response.
be careful out there.
Joe
Not surprised by Cycliq’s new “radio silence.”
March 2021,
Received Fly12CE recently, worked a few times perfectly but now, when trying to charge battery (from two pips) no light at all on plugging in to wall socket.
Help?
Graham
My experience with the new Fly6 Gen 3 has been awful.
Simply doesn’t work: no light, no charging, no camera. It’s a mini-brick. I was excited and was a pre-order, for which I waited six months. Simply not worth it.
Customer service is utterly non-existent and their warranty process is woeful, as described below. Don’t waste your time or money on this company. As others point out – pity because no one else is doing anything like this.
Update on my comment above. Cycliq finally got back to me 10 days after my first email. I also tweeted at them – no response. The recommended solution did work. Since then Cycliq has been fairly responsive, has followed up. In re the poor service, this is what they said:
We also understand your frustration and we apologise for the delays as we are experiencing a sudden increase in ticket volume as of late. Rest assured that we are putting more resources to address this.
I’m skeptical. Please keep this thread going so others are aware of Cycliq’s support status.
I just got my gen 3 fly6. It doesn’t connect to my Garmin edge 1030 lighting network. Anyone have similar issues?
The latest generation Fly6 units no longer have the ANT+ Lighting profile.
But it has the ant+ symbol on the side of the light?
They shouldn’t call it generation3 it should be called degeneration
LOL…that’s a good one.
BTW, how long did it take, after you placed the order and were billed, before the Gen 3, er I mean Degeneration 3, arrived at your doorsteps?
Took about 5 months. I was supposed to get a gen2 to replace my damaged one. But Support convinced me to go with a gen 3 replacement…
I got this from Cycliq yesterday about the Fly 6 gen 3 that I ordered during the Black Friday sale. Fortunately I still have a working Fly 6 gen 2. I’d like to believe this delay is due to them fixing quality control issues with the units that have been produced. Call me an optimist. I appear to have reached a dead-end with customer service on the GPS interference from the Fly 12 CE I received a while ago that was part of the same purchase.
“Firstly, our sincere thanks for your support and continued patience in waiting for your new Fly6 Gen 3.
Your order scheduled to be shipped in April has been unexpectedly delayed. Your order will now be shipped in the week commencing the 7th of June. You will receive a tracking number to this email address confirming your order has been shipped.
We understand the delay in shipping your order is frustrating news and we apologise for the inconvenience. Please be assured we are doing everything in our power to bring your shipment forward.”
Alan, you are an optimist. But that’s OK we need optimists in this world, to go along with doubters like me.
You all know how I feel about Cycliq, their products, the company and its alleged customer service. So I won’t rehash those opinions here.
By contrast, however, I recently ordered an Ergatta upgrade to my 15 year old WaterRower. The Upgrade consists of a beautiful, hand made wooden bracket and a tablet. The upgrade arrived last week, wayyy ahead of scheduled. After the initial set-up I had a couple of technical questions. The Ergatta customer support team got back to me within hours, not days, weeks or months. Their response time was amazing and their answers right on target. Ergatta is a small, American company. Their products, together with the WaterRower are fast gaining cult status for their beauty, quality and commitment to customer service.
This is not meant to be an Ergatta/WaterRower review, it is merely a compare and contrast to demonstrate what can be done when a company is truly committed to delivering a great, nay FANTASTIC, customer experience.
Alan, keep us posted. Thanks.
I am on my 4th FLY12 – First FLY12 failed, then FLY12CE failed, next FLY12CE had focus issues and now my latest FLY12CE has locked up. This unit has worked for about 18 months, so it seems I am one of the lucky ones. Raised a support ticket, but customer service has really dropped off, so dont know when I will get a response. I follow all the forums so know all the tricks to get it running again but none of these work. This is so frustrating, this should be a great product, but I will end up buying a seperate light and camera now. Could be worse, I might have “invested” in IQ2 power meter pedals on kickstarter – oh I did!!! I thought Cycliq would really make this work, but there are so many problems now – link to facebook.com
Love the cameras. Love the features. Hate the customer service. After my first Fly6 (Gen2) stopped working due to a slight bit of water damage, the replacement camera they sent me basically caught on fire on the inside. Completely burned out and wouldn’t turn on. They told me “sorry… it’s out of warranty now. Here’s a coupon for our new Gen 3 camera.” I didn’t cash in that coupon.
I’m not a mechanical engineer, but this isn’t promising.
Not surprised by Cycliq’s response.
Good move not taking the coupon.
Get a Garmin Varia RTL515. Its performance is rock-solid and it is a far better device andgives you more protection.
Good luck and ride safely.
Hey Sir Rainmaker!
There is a new player that wants to rule the camera market for cycling dashcams.
“Dashbike”
Started like cycling via pre-orders and seem to start shipping now. Would be interesting if a professional thing-tester would take a closer look at this thing. ;)
I personally think the mount is not good, the mounting position isn’t good too and the design.. mmh.
Best wishes,
Phil
Interesting design. Right now it doesn’t look like they’ve made anything other than a 3D printed version (based on the photos).
Setting aside all the software aspects for a second, my primary concern is that design will insta-snap, when someone grabs it wrong or such. I’ve been around enough mounts over my life to know that. Far too much weight is outbound. It’s also likely to suffer from extreme bounce in the camera itself due to road bumps and the back leverage, which means they’ll have to compensate in software, as the off the shelf chipsets they’ll be using as a startup aren’t super great in that area.
Big companies like DJI/GoPro/whatever have teams of folks focused on algorithms for stability – which as consumers we take for granted until we see off the shelf image processing pipelines and don’t realize how much work goes into getting silky smooth usable footage.
Still, I’m excited for more options. For those curious, the page: link to dashbike.de
Hey Ray.
I’m very confused by Cycliq. I really want a Fly12, and it looks like their site has the Fly12 CE ready to ship in June… But the specs and actual device look identical to the one in this review, is it the same thing? Is the whole shipping and pre-order just a re-launch of the exact same Fly12 CE?
I cannot find an announcement about a new Fly12. I read your piece at the top about this being an article about the old model, but I’m assuming that’s only relevant to the Fly 6, which was replaced already?
Unlike most of the other commenters, I have had a good experience with my kit and am willing to try another (despite the rubber band snapping issue)! The fuss I have now with lights and cameras for my rush hour commutes will vanish overnight with this purchase :)
I don’t think that’s the same Fly12 either, but I’m not entirely sure to be honest. It’s tremendously confusing from a naming standpoint, but I’m pretty sure the new Fly12 doesn’t have ANT+ connectivity like the old Fly12 did.
It does list it in the specs, and to be fair, it’ll be a deal breaker (since it’ll be sitting under my Garmin), I guess I could take a punt and return it if they change the spec!
Got a reply from Cycliq (I think I’d rather skip the card in favour of my own):-
Your contact details have been passed on to me in regards to some questions you had around the Fly12 CE.
The current product listed on our website is the same device as the was launched in 2018.
There has been some minor changes by way or new improved mounts and the devices now also come with a 32GB SD Card pre-installed.
Don’t hesitate to reach out should you have any further questions.
Good to hear!
Hello,
Having posted earlier this year whilst waiting for delivery here is my experience now of using both the Fly6 and Fly12 units.
ORDERING:
– I was immensely frustrated with the delay between ordering (Jul20) and receiving the device (Feb21). I was also annoyed that Cycliq were offering the products at a discounted price on black Friday (Nov20) before having even shipped orders they had taken earlier in the year. I was able to contact the support team at Cycliq without a problem, yes it took a few days for them to reply but I wasn’t expecting a same day reply anyway. Initially when I complained about the wait and the reduced pricing for other customers I was told that I was higher up the queue and nothing could be done. But then a few days later without my prompting, I received an email offering to reduce the price I paid to the same price offered on Black Friday. I was pleased with that outcome and thought that was good service even though the wait was still frustrating. Be nice to the support team and they may respond nicely to you.
It seems as though Cycliq take customers money and then place an order with the manufacturers. Not a good set up if true but not sure how else to explain the delay in production. Hopefully with their refinancing earlier this year the issue will be addressed.
PURPOSE OF USE:
– I bought these for my commute. 1 hour each way so battery life for an all day ride was not high on my priority list. I did want a device to record footage in the event of an incident that I could rely on to provide evidence.
UNBOXING:
– First impressions were positive. The units looked solidly built and the packaging was of the same quality as anything from top end mobile phone manufacturers and Garmin. The product certainly didn’t feel like a cheap bit of undeveloped kit.
FLY6:
– I have this attached to my pannier rack with the cycliq panier mount.
– it provides a stable good/excellent quality picture and the microphone picks up sound very well.
– The rubber seal to the charging point is flimsily attached but I don’t see it being a problem long term if handled gently. Of course, it could be better designed.
– I have not had any waterproofing issues in the time I have had the device (5 months use so far)
– I was told by Cycliq support that only 32gb cards can be used for the fly6 and fly12. Not ideal but not an issue for my purpose of use.
– I use the fly6 for the camera only and use another light. That way I get extended battery life out of the fly6 and also have back up lighting if needed.
– I get 4 hours charge on the medium video quality setting. That gives me two days use before needing a charge. For my purposes this is ok as I would expect to need to charge any device at least twice a week.
– The 32gb card doesn’t save 4 hours of footage so footage gets overwritten before the battery runs out. Something to be mindful of if wanting to record a long bike ride.
– Overall I think the fly6 does a good job for my requirements.
FLY12:
– The cover for the charging port is a solid flap which is more robust than the Fly6. No issues found.
– I use this with the light and camera on.
– Battery life is longer than the Fly6 but I expect only around 5 hours (more if just using the camera) so I charge this every two days like the fly6.
– Video quality is good/excellent.
– The light is very bright and makes me confident that motorists can see me.
– Overall I think the fly12 does a good job for my requirements.
SOFTWARE:
– The phone app works simply enough and allows basic settings to be changed. I set the light up once and haven’t really used the app since.
– The PC software is simple but works well enough.
– Watching videos and editing them to a short sequence is actually very straightforward and good to use. Again I am just viewing short traffic incidents not looking to have scenic tour footage.
– When I first started using my fly12 I noticed that it would randomly switch on and off when I started my garmin 735xt watch. I disabled the pairing feature in my watch and now it is not affected. I just switch on the fly12 as and ride! Too much technology can be a distraction. I don’t need my kettle connected to wifi and I don’t need my bike lights connected to my bike computer 😊
CONCLUSON:
– If you are looking for cameras for safety purposes on rides of up to 4 hours then the fly6 and fly12 are good units albeit expensive. I would recommend them although I have only had mine for 5 months and can’t comment on longevity. Support response to queries has been satisfactory for me.
– The shame is that there isn’t anyone out there doing something similar to keep cycliq on their toes. Let’s see how dashbike fare but they are also expensive. I don’t understand why Garmin don’t step into the market, after all they produce so many different watches that all do much the same thing but the safety camera market would be a game changer like GPS bike computers were when launched back in the day.
That’s a very helpful review. I’m still tempted to order the new Fly6. I previously ordered a Fly12, but sent it back because it was heavier and larger than I wanted, and (worst of all) didn’t have a sturdy enough mount to support it. In fact it seemed very flimsy.
How have you found the mount on the Fly12? I’ve been wondering if Cycliq have improved it, as I know I’m not alone here. Many reviews on online stores have criticised it, saying it broke very easily (sometimes leading to a badly damaged unit which Cycliq have refused to replace under warranty).
I have both an older Fly 12 handlebar mount and a newer one. Despite other issues with the new camera that Cycliq wouldn’t address (GPS interference), the new mount looks much sturdier than the old one that people had issues with. In any case I’d recommend using the elastic leash that comes with the unit to attach it to the stem or handlebars in case the mount breaks.
The fly12 mount is fine but there is only one in the box and it screws onto the handlebar so cannot easily swap to different bikes.k edge do some good duo mounts that are advertised specifically to be strong enough for the cycliq AND a bike computer. I may buy one of those but they are expensive. I have agonized over the weight of bike lights when attached to my lightweight road bike but having experienced bad driving I think it is better to be seen and have evidence than worry about whether 200g is going to affect my ride speed. At least for training rides!
I put some grease on the mount lugs to make them easier to engage with the mount. Makes the connection smoother and I don’t see an issue. I only have Garmin 705 as experience rather than more recent models to compare to.
I had a Cycliq Duo Mount snap at the bracket, luckily I had safety tethers on both my Wahoo Elemnt and Cycliq Fly12CE otherwise they would have hit the deck and likely been squashed by traffic. The design is too lightweight. I subsequently bought an older, beefier K-Edge mount and that has been fine for well over a year now.
Hi I have just received the v3 Fly6 , the mount just wont click into the 1/8 turn into the seatpost mount, anyone else had issues with getting the mount to engage, is it proprietary ?
The 1/8 turn mount only engages in one direction and only disengages in the other direction. Are you sure you’re turning it the correct way?
I struggle to attach the fly6 to the seat post mount unless i have already put the mount on the bike first .putting a small amount of grease on the lugs helps.
hello dc rainmaker, I have a Fly6 Generation 3 camera, my question is it possible to have this camera become a webcam?
I have the OBS program and I would like to do live broadcasts
No, it doesn’t have any webcam-like access at all unfortunately.
Cycliq finally has some real competition, at least for a rear camera/light. I recently purchased the TOOO DVR80, and did a side by side comparison of the two. TLDR: for all the areas I assessed or tested, the DVR80 is better, and in some cases vastly superior. Video here: link to vimeo.com
I think I might give this ago. Thanks for the link. My second Fly6 has just died (I think), and I dont think I have the will to live to answer the same questions over and over for their support team. This Fly 6 made over two years old so I guess I should be happy enough.
FYI I went out for a ride and when I came back the rear light was on full blast and will not switch off until the battery runs flat.
Support have answered my initial response and asked the same questions as I put in the ticket. Life is too short I am going to try a Tooo as now Madison are importing them. What the hell….
Would be interesting to hear how it goes. It doesn’t seem to have any sort of mobile app downloading, which is a bummer. Same as the Gen3 Fly6, which inexplicably ditched that feature.
I will if I do. I have stripped the Fly6 down to find it full of moisture, and am in the process of drying it out in my bag of silica bags :-) If its dead after I will buy a Tooo.
I didnt know that the latest gen Fly6 had binned the app. Tbh I never use it or the Garmin controls, so no big deal and quite like the controls in a text file of the Tooo, so no worries there.
Back to the water ingress… I was thinking I used my Fly once or twice a week in the winter no issues, but then realised I had always used it in the wet on my Winter mud-guarded bike. I ‘think’ I left the flap open and then got caught in heavy summer rain on my summer bike so not blaming the light. Fingers crossed it will work again.
Yeah, the Gen3 units can’t download footage from the camera. Which is mind-bogglingly stupid. Like, I don’t even understand how someone could decide that was a good idea.
The app itself however, does still connect to the camera via Bluetooth and control the options/settings, but you just can’t view footage anymore.
I bought one recently and have been playing with it. Sigh.
Any initial impressions, I already shipped my 715 back on account of no image stabilization. I was thinking of trying to either mount a 315 horizontal, or get my hands on a synapse unit ( I’m pretty sure the same exact radar, just a light bar attached to the synapse) . The fly 6 gen 3 with a 315 should be a good combo. As long as the footage is stable. I also have a drift ghost XL pro, but even though the app says image stabilization is on, it most definitely is not. Also the ghost go pro type adapter is horrible, I had to file it to fit the k edge mount, and now it’s too loose , so I’m sure that adds to the poor image.
Any input you have on the fly 6 gen 3 .
Thanks
I have ordered my TOOO Cycling™ DVR80 Camera from my LBS
I gave up on the Fly6 and put a Fly12 (found on sale) on the back with the light off and video only (longer and better videos), and combined it with the Varia RTL510.
If you don’t mind, what country?
I’d like to order one in the USA but am unsure of availability ( how long it would take to receive it)
I got mine in the U.S. There was a long delay b/c they were out of stock, but that was in February. I got it quickly once it was back in stock.
On a TOOO Cycling™ DVR80? I am in the UK, and ordered from a new importer Madison who have a very good reputation
I vowed never again to buy a Cycliq product after two Fly6 and one Fly12 failures – not to mention the snapped Duo Mount and the Cycliq safety tether that simply fell apart.
But, having waited over a year for someone else to bring out a similar (front light-camera) product, I gave in and purchased another Fly12CE. That was just two months ago and today the unit went totally erratic and unresponsive. I tried every trick and fix that I have used (frequently) over the past four years, but I cannot even begin to clearly list all the issues because sometimes a feature worked then five minutes later it did not.
Ticket submitted to Cycliq, but – reading again all the very, very many awful reports of poor customer service on here – I fear weeks of frustrating correspondence, and that’s if I am lucky.
Just don’t do it, don’t buy Cycliq. I did and regretted it – yet again.
so my Tooo has shown up and I have set it up and given it its first go. So far on MP4 the night time quality is pretty good. I guess only time will tell.
A lanyard would be good, I will figure out a way of fitting and its prett long so you need some space on your seat post. I will report back in a few weeks
Hey, Ray–
Will you be reviewing the newest release of the Fly 12? As opposed to the Fly 6CE, which (in my experience) was of mixed reliability (I got 2 replacements under warranty, and the third was starting to get flaky at the time I switched to a TOOO camera/light), my Fly 12CE has been rock solid, other than decreasing battery life and a broken mount (which I got a 3D printed replacement for). They claim to have improved battery life, better image stabilization and less weight. If that’s true, it might be worth it. And the front light still really has no competition.
On April 4h they released a new Fly6 Pro with 7hr battery life (that looks like the one i was waiting for as 5hr battery life was way too short). Any plans for review?
Yup, been riding with it for about a month now and working on a review. Not exactly sure on timeline though. Just once it finds it’s way to the top of the stack.
I can give you the 10-second review, having pre-ordered one and used it a bit. I just used it on a century ride and got about 7 hours of recording time at 1440p resolution. I think it had 3% battery left after the ride. The image quality is pretty good. I can read tags that weren’t legible with my earlier models. I’ve been running 4K but turned it down for the century, assuming the battery would go longer at lower res. It is much bigger and heavier than the previous model, but I guess that’s expected with a bigger battery. It now uses a metal door like the Fly 12 to seal the memory card and charge port. Most settings can be done without using the app, which is nice. The LEDs are very bright. You can view and transfer files to the phone/app via direct WiFi connection and that seems to work reliably with my Pixel phone. Given how many defective Cycliiq products I’ve had in the past, I’m just happy the first one I got seems to be working without any issues. I hope they’ve improved their QC/QA process, but only time will tell.