Dashbike Bicycle Camera: Legal Assistance and Light in One

Usually, nothing should happen. After all, in Germany cyclists in road traffic are surrounded by a 1.5 metre protective cover. Unfortunately, this has two major disadvantages: Firstly, it only extends to the side of the passing traffic. And secondly, it is only of a theoretical nature. In reality, motorists ignore this minimum distance every day and pass too close to cyclists when overtaking. The result is near-accidents – or worse. Those on the bike often have no proof of what happened afterwards. A start-up from Leipzig wants to change that with its dashcam for bicycles.

Everything in sight from now on

From the outside, the Dashbike looks like a somewhat larger rear light mounted on the saddle struts. Logical. After all, the Dashbike is also an LED tail light that draws the attention of traffic approaching from behind with a maximum of 70 lumens. However, the housing mainly contains a camera with a lens that covers an angle of 120 degrees. In addition, there are various sensors. A 9-axis acceleration sensor registers vigorous braking manoeuvres and possible falls. An acoustic sensor determines from which direction vehicles are approaching you. And the built-in GPS sensor ensures that it is possible to determine exactly from which point the recordings originate.

Dashbike with tail light switched on

Dashbike measures fully automatically with the help of a redundant system. First, the acoustic sensor determines the distance at which vehicles overtake you on your bike. This happens regardless of whether it is a car, truck, motorbike, bicycle, scooter or what so ever. Any of these can cause an accident. A second optical measurement then records the direction from which the vehicle is approaching. If you come too close to a vehicle, Dashbike will register this as well.

Permanently filming, but not saving

If the minimum distance to a vehicle is not maintained or if there is a fall, Dashbike is programmed to permanently save a 20-second sequence before this event. The footage can be used to prove accidents and irregular overtaking procedures afterwards. Dashfactory, the manufacturer of Dashbike, uses a technical trick to store the data. Basically, the camera films permanently and stores the data in a ring buffer. However, this is permanently overwritten and thus deleted again and again. Even Dashfactory cannot access it. Only in the case of the two events described above are the recordings transferred from the volatile to the permanent memory. Then the recording, including meta-data such as GPS and time, is permanently saved on an SD card. Due to this procedure, Dashbike complies with German data protection regulations.

You can access the respective data quite easily. A Bluetooth and WLAN interface are integrated into Dashbike. After a ride, you connect the device to the app and find a list of all events classified as relevant. Basic parameters such as the distance travelled or the average speed are also stored.

Micro USB socket on the back of the dashcam

Screw on quickly, use for a long time

The camera can be attached to the saddle or seat post thanks to a bracket. The mounting is compatible with GoPro and Garmin systems. You don’t have to meet an explicit minimum height requirement for the installation. Typically, any spot near the saddle should be suitable. Due to the integrated camera and all the electronics, Dashbike weighs more than a conventional battery-powered rear light. However, the 82 grams are only five grams more than, for example, the Fly6 from Cycliq, another dashcam with a rear light.

Dashbike comes standard with a 16 GB SD memory card. It holds a maximum of four hours of footage in a resolution of 1,600 x 1,200 pixels, i.e. HD quality. Recording is generally done at a rate of 30 frames per second. The device’s battery should guarantee up to six hours of running time.

Soon to be fitted as standard on ebikes?

If that’s not enough, you can connect Dashbike to an external power source such as a power bank and get even more out of it. In addition, Dashfactory is already working on a connection to the power supply of an ebike. The company is cooperating with Juggernaut, among others, for this. The US manufacturer of e-cargo bikes is a partner in the attempt to permanently integrate Dashbike into an ebike. If this were to succeed, it would certainly be a component that other bicycle manufacturers would be interested in too.

Compact combination of camera and tail light

Furthermore, Dashfactory is pursuing plans for a dashcam that monitors traffic from the handlebars. According to the company, this will be its next product and is expected to be launched in 2023. In terms of functionality, this will be on a similar level to Dashbike.

Known problems

The interest in the version with the rear light alone is unmistakable. For the manufacturer, it was even overwhelming at times. Dashfactory suffered and still suffers from the worldwide shortage of chips and other components. Apparently, some of those who placed a pre-order last year as part of a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter had to wait longer than originally announced for their copy. Those who order today cannot avoid a delivery period of two to three months. In return, there is a small price reduction at the moment. Instead of the usual 229 euros, Dashbike currently costs only 219 euros.

Pictures: Dashfactory GmbH