The 10 Best Cycling Cameras In 2024 To Create Amazing Footage

Capturing your cycling adventures with a camera is an incredible way to keep your fun memories with you forever. Investing in a small cycling camera to pop onto your bike means that you can review footage afterwards: remember how fun the ride was, look at your form and how you can improve, keep track of your progress.

There are specific little cameras, called action cameras or adventure cameras, that are perfect for this job. They’re designed to be incredibly small and lightweight without compromising on the high-definition quality of the footage captured.

These action cameras can be mounted directly onto your bike without getting in the way or even weighing you down even in the slightest.

Whether you’re training for the Olympics or just enjoy casual sunrise rides with the crew, getting an action camera for cycling is a cool and non-invasive way to elevate your experience.

Things To Consider When Purchasing A Cycling Camera

There are a few things you should consider when looking for an action camera that’s right for you. Think about what you want to capture, and review the following.

Resolution

Resolution – This is basically the quality of your footage. Do you want to view your footage in full HD? Or will you be mainly uploading your footage onto social media for fun?

A higher resolution camera will obviously record your cycling adventures clearer, sharper, more vibrantly, and with many details. For those who are after more serious footage, we recommend looking at cameras that can shoot 4K footage.

For casual cyclists, anything that shoots full HD at 1080p will be good enough.

Stabilisation

This is an important feature for your camera because generally anything that is captured whilst on the move is quite shaky. With cameras that provide built-in stabilisation, your post-ride recording will come out smoother as it will even out minor bumpiness.

Helmet Mount

Some action cameras provide helmet mounts whilst others will require you to purchase one. If you’re purchasing one of the latter, you will need to ensure that the mount and the camera are compatible. You will also need to consider the additional cost of the mount.

Battery Life

Depending on how long your rides are, you should check the battery life of the camera you’re looking to purchase. You most likely won’t be charging the camera on the go so remember to go for something that will last you at least your entire ride.

Now that you know what kind of features to look at, let’s dive into our list of the 10 best cycling cameras in 2023!

1. GoPro Hero 10 Black

GoPro is a brand that is synonymous with action and adventure. Travel vlogs, cinematic videos, live streams – all these types of videos can and have been filmed with various iterations of the GoPro camera throughout the years.

The Hero 10 Black is the latest in a string of GoPros absolutely crammed with the latest technology updates including 5.3k video at 60p (if that sounds like alien language to you, just know that the footage comes out super, super crisp and clear), 5GHz WiFi, and HyperSmooth 4.0 stabilization.

GoPro also provides its own helmet mounts and handlebar mounts – perfect for any cyclist.

Pros

• Stunning high-resolution image
• Smooth stabilisation
• Dedicated GoPro helmet mounts

Cons

• Worse battery life than GoPro Hero 9
• Expensive

Buy It Now: GoPro Hero 10 Black

2. Insta360 Go 3

The Insta360 GO 3 isn’t just a small and lightweight camera for those who love cycling or mountain biking. What makes it really stand out is its hands-free, effortless operation. You can slap it on your helmet, handlebars or chest with ease, and start recording all your high-speed antics without having to fumble with a handheld camera.

What’s even better, the Action Pod, mounted on your handlebar, lets you preview and control the camera remotely, so you can keep your hands on the grips and your eyes on the trail. This is a huge plus on bumpy rides or when you’re tackling tricky terrain.

Add in slow motion capabilities, a wide-angle lens, impressive stabilization and improved battery life, and you’ve got a durable, practical gadget that makes capturing your rides almost as fun as the ride itself.

Pros

• HDR and FlowState stabilisation
• Exceptionally lightweight and compact size
• Waterproofing

Cons

• Short battery life
• No 4K recording
• Photo quality is average

Buy It Now: Insta360 Go 3

3. Insta360 One R Twin Edition

If you’re liking what Insta360 has to offer but consider yourself a more serious rider with serious camera needs, the Insta360 One R Twin Edition is the level up you need.

It features a modular design that allows you to easily pick and choose how you want to set up your camera gear according to your own personal needs. From different lenses to storage cards, batteries to sensors, and various types of mounts – the Insta360 is made for the ultimate personalized user experience.

Pros

• Modular design to modify the camera to how you want it
• Can easily connect and interact with through smart phone
• Interchangeable lenses

Cons

• Might be difficult to get used to, especially if you’ve never used action cameras before

Buy It Now: Insta360 One R Twin Edition 

4. Akaso V50 X

For the ultimate value for money cycling camera, the Akaso V50 X is a wonderfully affordable and impressively functioning action camera.

The biggest flex of the Akaso V50 X is that it can capture 4K 30p footage and has in-built stabilization, but can be bought for less than the majority of the cameras on this list.

One thing to note is that Akaso don’t have their own dedicated line of mounting goods.

Pros

• 4K 30p footage quality
• Affordable

Cons

• No dedicated mount, must rely on third-party devices

Buy It Now: Akaso V50 X 

5. DJI Action 2

The tiny DJI Action 2 is the successor of the popular DJI Osmo Action, although they don’t quite feel the same.

The DJI Action 2 is a small cubic camera with a magnetic mounting system. It can shoot 4K up to 120p for super smooth, buttery slow motion. It’s also super lightweight and relatively small so you can mount it anywhere and it won’t get in the way.

The battery life is surprisingly good, with it boasting 160 mins of run time (without stabilisation on).

Pros

• Incredibly lightweight
• Stabilisation

Cons

• No 5.3K video (but 4K is more than good enough for most people)
• No GPS

Buy It Now: DJI Action 2 Combo

6. Sony RX0 II

If you’re looking to settle for no less than premium quality, then look no further than the Sony RX0 II, which also comes with a premium price tag.

This action camera features a 1-inch sensor, meaning there’s a huge increase in image quality and dynamic range. It can shoot video footage at 4K and also capture slow-motion footage at frame rates as dense as 960fps.

One downfall with this camera is that it lacks stabilisation, so it’s more suitable towards smoother cycling routes.

Read More: Best Road Bikes Under $1000

Pros

• 1-inch sensor
• 4K video
• Up to 960fps slow-motion

Cons

• Expensive
• No stabilisation

Buy It Now: Sony RX0 II 

7. Akaso EK7000 Pro Action Camera

Looking for an affordable action camera that has all the bells and whistles but won’t put a hole in your pocket? Check out the Akaso EK7000 Pro action camera.

At a fraction of the cost of the GoPro, the Akaso EK7000 Pro is a beast that is still able to shoot 4K at 25fps, provide stabilisation, and shoot stills at 16mps. It comes with a waterproof case that is compatible with GoPro mounts and even has decent battery life.

Pros

• Affordable
• Shoots up to 4K
• Easy to configure and use

Cons

• Does not come with an SD card
• Output quality not as good as GoPro

Buy It Now: Akaso EK7000 Pro Action Camera 

8. Cycliq Fly6 Rear Light Camera

Not quite into capturing stunning cinematic footage as much as capturing evidence as you ride?

The Cyclic Fly6 is made specifically to enable riders to film behind them when riding to save footage in case an accident happens. Yep, this is pretty much the dashcam version for your bike!

The camera itself has a looping filming ability, so it continuously films even when there’s no more space left – it simply films over the previous footage. However, if you happen to get into an accident, it will save that particular footage for later and prevent it from being filmed over.

It boasts a bright LED light to ensure you’re visible to anyone around you, even during daytime. It also provides a time/date stamp on the footage. The Cyclic Fly6 is purely for mounting on your seat, and the only camera of its kind on this list.

Pros

• LED light and camera in one
• Incident capture mode
• Excellent battery life

Cons

• Cannot capture cinematic footage
• Feels relatively chunky
• No stability

9. Drift Ghost X Bike and Helmet Camera

 

For those who go on long cycling adventures, the Drift Ghost X has an impressive run time of 5 hours with the standard battery, and 8 whole hours if you invest in the long-life battery model.

It’s relatively low price point means that almost anyone can grab one, but it’s ideal for those on a budget as its simplicity and basic capabilities are decent enough for first time editing.

It lacks 4K, but can shoot in HD. It also comes with Wi-Fi so you can transfer your videos onto your phone seamlessly. There is a myriad of Drift mounts that you can attach to your camera, but they are specific to the brand.

Pros

• Relatively long battery life (can be extended with long battery option)
• Rotating lens
• Affordable
• Modular design

Cons

• Limited aftermarket mounts
• Relatively low resolution

Buy It Now: Drift Ghost X Bike and Helmet Camera 

10. Garmin Virb Ultra 30

The Garmin Virb Ultra 30 offers its users the ability to overlay GPS and metrics data, such as heart rate, speed, and distance. This is a fantastic option for those keen on analysing their own stats and recording their progress.

This action camera is also compatible with GoPro mounts as well, meaning there are a plethora of aftermarket options for the user. It can shoot video up to 4K and take some high-quality images as well.

Whilst it has been discontinued, it has a healthy market following and second-hand market as well, so don’t be afraid to look into it if this is the type of camera that piques your interest.

Pros

• GPS and stats capturing ability
• Can shoot videos up to 4K
• Voice control options

Cons

• Discontinued (still quite a few new units available)
• Memory card not included
• Short battery life

Buy It Now: Garmin Virb Ultra 30

I hope you enjoyed our selection of the best cycling cameras! So, which of these action cameras is right for you? Let’s look back at some of the things to consider again.

1080p is a decent enough quality for almost every type of user, so you can go up if you’re looking for something more cinematic. Stability is important if you want to create movielike videos, but not important if you’re purely looking to record dashcam-style videos. Battery life varies widely, so make sure yours lasts long enough for your needs.

As we’ve mentioned before, really sit down and figure out what type of cyclist you are and what type of footage you would capture. The selection shouldn’t be hard once you know what you want to get out of it!

And for more recommendations about Travel Gears, you can also check out our Top 10 Smart Backpacks, the best minimalist hiking shoes and the best water bladders.