Insta360 just announced two new accessories to elevate bicycle-themed content to the next level. The Bike Tail Mount Kit and Bike Computer Mount are designed for road cycling, and I’ve been sent both to try before the launch. I spent some quality time with the former (none of the bikes I have now could fit the Computer Mount), and here’s my honest option.
The Bike Tail Mount Kit allows you to affix your action camera to the rear of your bike in a couple of ways. You can either use the Bike Seat Rail Mount to attach your camera to the bottom of the seat or use the complete Bike Tail Mount Kit (BTMK) to create third-person view follow shots using the Insta360 X4 or other 360-degree action cameras.
Although I’m sure people will disregard this information, but the company recommends the BTMK for road cycling only. That’s likely because the connection, albeit secure, won’t withstand the rigours of mountain or off-road biking.
When using the compare BTMK setup, which includes the two-point mount, the selfie stick and the action camera (the latter two not included in the box), it looks like the antennae in Mario Kart, which, understandably, bobs around quite a lot on uneven surfaces.
Fixing the mount on the bike is easy enough. The BTMK uses a universal mount approach, and the box contains a few different components that allow you to secure the system to your bike, no matter the shape.
The Bike Seat Rail Mount is the more straightforward setup but has a limited application. If you mount something like the Insta360 Ace Pro, it will record footage behind you like a rear dash cam. Great for recording others (or traffic) behind you, not so great for shooting footage of yourself.
If you mount a 360-degree camera here, you will be able to record videos looking at your rear wheel, which might be a good addition to your overall footage. However, it’s still very limited use due to the camera being so close to the seat and the frame, both of which obstruct the camera's view.
A more exciting application is using the full BTMK setup. You will need a selfie stick as well as a 360-degree camera, but if you have those, you can record third-person footage from behind the bike.
It’s like using the DJI Neo or the Zero Zero HoverAir X1, but at any speed. You can bomb it down a slope at 30-40 miles an hour without worrying about the camera not being able to keep up.
That said, the third-person follow mode is the only obvious application of the setup. When used with a 360-degree camera, you can play around with the angles in post, but still, there is only so much you can do with the footage.
It would help if the stick had elbows, like GoPro’s Boom Arm accessory, so you could bend it at different angles. That way, you could also capture videos from above or the sides. A boom arm-style stick would also help non-360-degree cameras be used to record footage of you from behind without the stick in the way.
Another sad realisation was that you can't use the Extended Edition Selfie Stick with the setup because the clamp that holds the stick at the top isn't wide enough. I'm sure you can attach it temporarily using zip-ties or something similar, but that's not something I (or Insa360) would recommend.
Is the Insta360 Nike Tail Mount Kit a must-buy? The third-person angle provides new ways to express your creative vision on two wheels and helps expand the creative possibilities already offered by the company’s 360-degree cameras.
The Bike Tail Mount Kit can work well as a part of a setup but lacks the versatility of the Insta360 Bike Kit, which allows you to mount the camera anywhere on the bike and also includes a chest rig.
I can see the appeal of the kit in certain settings, like zooming past cars in New York or bombing it down a hill surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery. However, if you only want to record your daily rides, the Bike Kit is a better option.
The new bike accessories are available now directly from Insta360. The Bike Tail Mount Kit retails for $69.99, while the Bike Seat Rail Mount sells for $19.99.