Will your GoPro kill you?

Angus Young
Angus Young Posts: 3,063
edited May 2014 in MTB general
The action cam thread got me thinking...

What does fixing a camera to your helmet do to its integrity? If you 'head on' into a tree or rock do you end up with a camera mount embedded in your skull? The fact that all the energy will be concentrated into a two inch square focus point rather than spread across the structure of the helmet in a way that the designer intended must mean your lid becomes worse than useless.

Anyone know of any instances where a helmet has not stood up as expected due to a camera mount?
All the gear, no idea and loving the smell of jealousy in the morning.
Kona Process 134 viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=12994607

Comments

  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    Similar could be said about lights.
  • Angus Young
    Angus Young Posts: 3,063
    Indeed.
    All the gear, no idea and loving the smell of jealousy in the morning.
    Kona Process 134 viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=12994607
  • Colinthecop
    Colinthecop Posts: 996
    The mounts are made of plastic and can snap pretty easily, my handlebar mount snapped on its first outing on a not very spectacular crash.

    I'd imagine that'd give way before it can do any serious damage.
  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    This was mooted in the Michael Schumacher skiing crash, it was dismissed fairly swiftly though, as said, they're not that strong. The surface of a helmet is far from flat anyway, so unless you crash into a helmet shaped crater the impact is always focused on a small part of the helmet.
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    The mounts are designed to break before they do any damage.
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • ricardo_smooth
    ricardo_smooth Posts: 1,281
    Yes it will kill you. This is because just before you set off and press record, you'll say 'watch this'
  • Angus Young
    Angus Young Posts: 3,063
    ricardo_smooth wrote:
    Yes it will kill you. This is because just before you set off and press record, you'll say 'watch this'

    Lol!
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    The mounts are designed to break before they do any damage.

    Yes, of course, pretty obvious now everyone's said it, should have thought of that. I suppose there's still the remote possibility of a very direct hit where the camera comes straight between helmet and obstacle. I guess my thoughts were prompted by the very 'full square on' shoulder to tree crash that I had last weekend that's left me with nasty bruise on the top of my shoulder. Had I corrected even less than I did that would have been top of head to tree.
    All the gear, no idea and loving the smell of jealousy in the morning.
    Kona Process 134 viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=12994607
  • coulddobetter
    coulddobetter Posts: 812
    The £ 250 from you've been framed could go towards funeral costs.
  • schmako
    schmako Posts: 1,982
    I find the gopro tries to kill me when i'm filming, always pushing it too far for the benefit of the footage. Thinking of going for the chest mount, will probably get the helmet mount in the long run too.

    But yeah i'm sure a go pro mount hit to the body/face at speed wouldn't be fun.
    Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt 750
    Orange Patriot 66 FR
    Clubroost XC-4 (retired)
    Pinkbike
    My Biking Videos
  • Prowlus
    Prowlus Posts: 539
    I used to mount my gopro on my head but nowadays i put it on a handlebar mount because it's weight along with a battery backpack causes unnecessary head and neck ache every time i go out on my mtb or roadie
    Specialized Camber

    http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/10715065/

    Fuji Sportif Disc 1.5

    http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/11000596/
  • jon1993
    jon1993 Posts: 596
    The mount itself no that will not kill you it snaps I have killed many. Your go pro will still kill you though from the fact that they make you do things you wouldn't otherwise do.
    Scott Spark 30 carbon custom build
    Giant Faith 2 DH bike
    Boardman pro 2011
    Boardman team carbon 2010
    Carrera kracken 2009
    Specialized fsr pro 2009
    Haro custom build
    Cannondale custom build
  • Herdwick29.
    Herdwick29. Posts: 58
    jon1993 wrote:
    The mount itself no that will not kill you it snaps I have killed many. Your go pro will still kill you though from the fact that they make you do things you wouldn't otherwise do.

    Agree

    That's why I didn't buy an action cam.... yet

Categories