Taller In The Saddle

Coming to the realization all my videos lack elevation, I ordered another ball mount for the camera and attached it midway up the right handlebar. Not only does this offer an elevated view, I can operate the camera without the remote, if need be, and possibly rotate it to the right or left without stopping first. That idea may not work as it will involve loosening one of the ball-mounted stems "just enough" to twist the unit without it being so loose as to cause jiggling/flopping or, worse, falling off completely.

The downside of this handlebar mount is that it might prove cumbersome to have the camera in my face mile after road-weary mile? I plan to leave the camera mounted while traveling, even though it will be turned off most of the time to preserve the battery, minimize boring footage and of course prevent filling the 16GB memory card before the day's end. Using it strategically but sparingly is the goal.... the challenge.



Handlebar Mount



Extension Clamped To Handlebar Mount

Lower Mount Between Auxillary
Lamp and Right Turn Signal

Camera Attached With Short Extension

Low On Right Crash Bar



Both Extensions Joined With Double-Ball Connector

Garmin GPS Mount

After that rainy ride home from Eugene the other day, we were blessed with one day of sunshine (it's now back to rain), which was a perfect opportunity to test the new mount with another ride to C T Beach.

Why not a different route than the familiar C T Beach road? Because most local roads are in the cold shadows where, not only is the road damp, moss is growing on the asphalt (only in Oregon). The ride to the lake and back is short and 90 percent sunshine, which keeps things dry, bright and enhances the color.

I have three choices in uploading videos ..... YouTube, Vimeo and Smugmug. Though I prefer Smugmug, I've received complaints about too much "buffering". That might be because of higher resolution or maybe Smugmug is just a moody site. There are three resolution selections accessible on Smugmug's video task bar, 640 being the best .... but perhaps the cause of the buffering? But if one has the patience to allow the video to struggle through to the end, the second run works fine. Perhaps, instead of watching the buffering struggle, go have a cup of coffee, come back later and watch the second run? Or, maybe I should start using YouTube instead of Smugmug and see if it works any better?

As for Vimeo ... I'm only allowed one video per week, unless I become a "paid subscriber". I don't like that dorky little smiley face Vimeo puts on each video. Perhaps that will go away if I'm a paid subscriber?

Smugmug Version:




YouTube Version: