RoadHawk Ride R+ Cycle Edition Camera

The RoadHawk Ride R+ shoots good-quality video and occupies minimal bar or helmet space, although it's up against some stiff competition in the action camera arena.

• Pros: Clear picture, small and lightweight, easy to use
• Cons: Limited audio capability, short run-time

For a growing number of cyclists, action cameras have become a final line of defence against a road network that hasn't been designed with safe cycling in mind. It's no wonder then, that the market for such recording devices is becoming saturated. 

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The creator of the RoadHawk Ride R+ Cycle Edition Camera – previously marketed as the dogcam Bullet R+ – looked to find a niche with its previous flagship camera, the Bullet HD 2, which it launched as the smallest and lightest 1080p action camera on the market.

Sensibly, the RoadHawk Ride R+  retains much of what made the HD 2 special. The device's matt grey, brushed aluminium, bullet-shaped finish brings an elegant, low-profile action camera option to a market dominated by GoPro's boxiness.

Fortunately, the device doesn't only look good, it captures good-looking footage, too.

Let's start with what the device can do. The RoadHawk Ride R+ records both 1080p and 720p at customisable frame rates of 30/25fps and 60/50fps respectively. Handily for road users, it employs a Loop Mode that records in 15-minute segments, your oldest footage getting overwritten by the new.

Waterproof & light

It's waterproof up to a depth of 10 metres. I didn't try it at that depth – it didn't seem particularly relevant for cycling! – but I've used the RoadHawk Ride R+ in the rain on many occasions and it has coped absolutely fine. 

It is superlight, coming in at just 62g, and has adjustable optimisation levels: brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness and mic level.

You get a bunch of out-of-the-box peripherals with your RoadHawk Ride R+ , which you don't get with all rivals. Among your in-box goodies you'll find mounts of the tripod, sticky, helmet and handlebar variety, along with a wrist-mountable RF (radio frequency) remote control and receiver. With this add-on you can start or stop recording and take still images with the click of a button. Personally, I didn't find it that useful and wasn't totally sure if my clicks had been successful.

The RoadHawk Ride R+ is the most pleasant camera ever to have graced my handlebar. It's good looking, small, lightweight, and relatively straightforward to use and set up thanks to its handy laser pointer (the laser just allows you to get the angle right during setup, it doesn't stay on while you ride). It also looked at home next to my similarly shaped lights, and the slide-to-secure mounts that come as part of the package were all solid and safe.

The camera produced good footage, too. When recording at 1080p, you get a clear image that isn't affected by road vibrations, and the RoadHawk Ride R+ handles changes in light levels admirably, especially if you take the time to grapple with the optimisation software.

In normal daylight conditions the footage is good enough that you can read the registration plates of traffic you interact with on the road. As you'd expect, the footage is less clear at night and/or in rainy conditions. At those times, if the registration plate is right in front of the camera you'll be able to read it every time, but it's not always possible if something is coming towards you on the opposite side of the road. Sometimes you'll get the info you need, but sometimes you won't.

The camera's image-capture standards aren't matched by those of the audio. The literature that comes with the device states that in order to make the most of the microphone you've got to use the rear cap with holes in rather than the solid waterproof cap – so you can't have full waterproofing and full audio at the same time. Using the holey rear cap does make sound audible, but the microphone isn't great for deciphering language – something that would be handy if you're ever involved in a roadside altercation. It will pick up normal level talking if you're within a few feet of the mic, but it gets swamped and becomes difficult to hear if there's background noise. You certainly don't get the clarity that you do with the visuals.

Easy to use

Turning the RoadHawk Ride R+ on is simple enough – you press the on/off button and you're greeted by a buzz and a handy laser beam that points out the centre of what will be recorded. Whenever it's on, it's recording. You can tell when that it is thanks to a blue/green LED that sits next to the on/off button. If you have the camera mounted to the underside of your handlebar, it's a bit of a pain to check whether the LED is flashing to signify that it's on. Telling whether the LED is on or not can also be difficult in bright conditions.

The device is without any sort of signifier as to whether it's running out of battery or storage – although, as mentioned, you can set it to record in Loop Mode where it'll simply overwrite your oldest footage until you tell it to stop. You can also swap out the 8GB micro SD card provided for a 32GB card for more storage capacity (they cost from about £7 online).

The internal battery lasts 60-90 minutes on a full charge, depending on chosen recording quality. That'll cover most people's commutes into work and home again, but not a long weekend ride, for example. Well, you know how long 90 minutes is! If you need longer run-time you could always use a USB battery pack although, of course, that'll add expense and bulk.

The optimisation software, while handy, isn't especially easy to use. The control panel provides a number of adjustable settings. It would be better if there was a live camera feed to give you a frame of reference for any changes you make. The lack of a direct feed meant that the optimisation system had a hit-and-hope feel about it. After a lot of tweaking, I did eventually end up with a better, less grainy image.

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The camera's cylindrical shape allows for adaptable positioning. I attached it to my seatpost for one ride in order to get a rear-view image but my riding position meant I kept knocking it with my inner thigh. While that particular setup didn't work for me, having it as an option without having to purchase a specific mount may be worthwhile for different bikes or riders.

The RoadHawk Ride R+ is smaller and less conspicuous than something like the GoPro Hero5 Session. The Hero5 Session can shoot in 4K – whereas the RoadHawk Ride R+'s maximum resolution is 1080p – and has a greater capability all round, but it's £60 more expensive at £199.99.

Although the RoadHawk Ride R+ offers many positive features, the RF remote control struggles to justify its inclusion, the camera's limited audio capability is a loss for use in a road environment, and the battery life doesn't lend itself to day-long ride captures.

On the other hand, as far as road cycling and action cams go, you're unlikely to come across a better looking option as your on-bike companion, and for the money you get an excellently optimisable image. The weight and slim, unobtrusive looks of the device are also big plus-points.

Verdict

Lightweight and unobtrusive full-HD camera but limited battery life and audio recording isn't great