Our Equipment: Electronics
Score: 10/10
Communication System Sena 10 C
Price: 360 €
We have ridden many kilometers together before our World Tour. And we were convinced on all of them that we do not need a rider communication system. We told ourselves that it was better that way because even though we spend much time together the time whilst riding was always alone time.
For our World Tour we decided that in cities and for listening to music on the road the Sena 10 C would be worth a try. Also the fact that it has a helmet camera which simultaneously records your conversation convinced us from the start. But it is to this day unfathomable how we managed to ride together without them. By now we are communicating in almost any situation, be it in the cities like we planned or on mountain passes just to let the guys behind know whats up ahead and also, probably most importantly, whilst riding offroad. Since you can't look into the rear view mirrors whilst standing up, communicating with the other riders is a necessity.
You always know if the guy behind you droped his bike or if a difficult section is up ahead. And if one of us start to drop out of range we also know to slow down and wait until he his back in range. It is simply put amazing and we would without a doubt recommend it to anyone around us.
To make things even better, the Sena 10C also allows you to use a video tagging funktion which in return lets you save the last minute of your ride together with the next two minutes. You can leave this on while riding and you will never miss an important scene.
Battery power for communication and music is great but if you plan on leaving video tagging on the entire time you should connect the sena to a 12V USB outlet whilst riding. It will actually still drain the battery but you have much more time to record your videos.
All in all we are surprised how good it is and we would not trade it for much money now. Give it a try if you think it is a good idea to life through every emotion your friends experience whilst riding with you ;). You can find a good example of the video tagging function and the emotions in this video!
For our World Tour we decided that in cities and for listening to music on the road the Sena 10 C would be worth a try. Also the fact that it has a helmet camera which simultaneously records your conversation convinced us from the start. But it is to this day unfathomable how we managed to ride together without them. By now we are communicating in almost any situation, be it in the cities like we planned or on mountain passes just to let the guys behind know whats up ahead and also, probably most importantly, whilst riding offroad. Since you can't look into the rear view mirrors whilst standing up, communicating with the other riders is a necessity.
You always know if the guy behind you droped his bike or if a difficult section is up ahead. And if one of us start to drop out of range we also know to slow down and wait until he his back in range. It is simply put amazing and we would without a doubt recommend it to anyone around us.
To make things even better, the Sena 10C also allows you to use a video tagging funktion which in return lets you save the last minute of your ride together with the next two minutes. You can leave this on while riding and you will never miss an important scene.
Battery power for communication and music is great but if you plan on leaving video tagging on the entire time you should connect the sena to a 12V USB outlet whilst riding. It will actually still drain the battery but you have much more time to record your videos.
All in all we are surprised how good it is and we would not trade it for much money now. Give it a try if you think it is a good idea to life through every emotion your friends experience whilst riding with you ;). You can find a good example of the video tagging function and the emotions in this video!
Score: 8/10
Drone Parrot Bebop 2
Price: 800 €
We have had the chance back in 2015 to take our fathers Parrot Bebop with us for our Croatian offroad trip. After the first flyby we were sold. The extraordinary camera position and the change in perspective has become sort of a fingerprint of our latest videos. You can find our videos on our YouTube channel or on our website. People constantly ask if we use a drone, what drone we use and how we manage to take it with us on our journey.
We have decided on the new model, the Parrot Bebop 2, and we are extremely pleased with it so far. It combines great camera stability with good quality and all in a light and small package that you can put in the top case of your bike. Fabi rebuilt his entire top case so that the drone fits in it safely. He even put electricity into the case so that he can charge the batteries while we are on the road.
The drone can fly for about 20-25 minutes which is usually plenty. The controls are quite big but necessary to be able to fly the drone further distances. You have to be careful if you fly out of line of sight or around a mountain. The wireless connection will suddenly drop and the only option is for you to run back in sight or wait until the drone returns back home. This can take quite a while and is therefore usually the last option :).
We have tried the 3DR solo Drone as well, especially because of the "follow me" function it had promised, but were extremely disappointed right from the start. On the first takeoff some sensor didn't calibrate correctly which is why it tilted instantly to the right and hit the ground shortly after. On this minor accident already two propellers broke and we had to switch to new ones that are quite expensive. We gave it back the next day ;).
We are extremely pleased with how sturdy the drone is. Even with some crashes it still works perfectly and spare parts are quite cheap and easy to exchange if you have to. Sturdiness is very important to us, because we know that we will crash from time to time and if minor crashes render your drone useless it is a lot of weight to carry on your bike if you can't fly it. The new drone is also much faster than the old Bebop and has a much better battery life.
You have to be careful not to change the camera angle too much because the quality suffers at the edges of the 180° cam. But if you stay in the center and fly steady it is usually no problem. The Freeflight app from Parrot makes flying the drone very easy and also offers a app to program the drones flight path. We have used this a couple of times now and if you get the hang of it, it is more than worth the time to program the flight path. That way you get even far better perspectives than with the "follow me" function other drones.
It is a great tool for getting the special shots you would normally not have the chance to take and we would definitely recommend it.
We have decided on the new model, the Parrot Bebop 2, and we are extremely pleased with it so far. It combines great camera stability with good quality and all in a light and small package that you can put in the top case of your bike. Fabi rebuilt his entire top case so that the drone fits in it safely. He even put electricity into the case so that he can charge the batteries while we are on the road.
The drone can fly for about 20-25 minutes which is usually plenty. The controls are quite big but necessary to be able to fly the drone further distances. You have to be careful if you fly out of line of sight or around a mountain. The wireless connection will suddenly drop and the only option is for you to run back in sight or wait until the drone returns back home. This can take quite a while and is therefore usually the last option :).
We have tried the 3DR solo Drone as well, especially because of the "follow me" function it had promised, but were extremely disappointed right from the start. On the first takeoff some sensor didn't calibrate correctly which is why it tilted instantly to the right and hit the ground shortly after. On this minor accident already two propellers broke and we had to switch to new ones that are quite expensive. We gave it back the next day ;).
We are extremely pleased with how sturdy the drone is. Even with some crashes it still works perfectly and spare parts are quite cheap and easy to exchange if you have to. Sturdiness is very important to us, because we know that we will crash from time to time and if minor crashes render your drone useless it is a lot of weight to carry on your bike if you can't fly it. The new drone is also much faster than the old Bebop and has a much better battery life.
You have to be careful not to change the camera angle too much because the quality suffers at the edges of the 180° cam. But if you stay in the center and fly steady it is usually no problem. The Freeflight app from Parrot makes flying the drone very easy and also offers a app to program the drones flight path. We have used this a couple of times now and if you get the hang of it, it is more than worth the time to program the flight path. That way you get even far better perspectives than with the "follow me" function other drones.
It is a great tool for getting the special shots you would normally not have the chance to take and we would definitely recommend it.
Score: 10/10
DSLM Camera Sony Alpha 7
Price: 1800 €
The scenery and surroundings of our journey are moments of a lifetime. Therefore we wanted to make sure to always get high quality pictures of them. We decided to buy an high end digital camera and take it along on our journey. Basti also prepared with a special Photo lesson. (see more in preparation).
To make sure we will be able to take it along on our bikes we set some limiting specifications: light, small, dust- and waterproof, will not brake due to vibrations.
This is why we decided against a SLR camera. The Sony Alpha 7 became quickly our favorite for the job. A lot of tests state that it is an excellent camera and that is more worth than our rudimentary knowledge of cameras. We will on the other hand give you a couple of special points that we like about it in everyday use.
Thanks to the full frame chip pictures at low light or at night look amazing. The A7 also takes high quality videos that especially with bad lighting surpass what our action cameras can do.
The quick release time of 1/8000 seconds is necessary and great to get sharp pictures of us driving by even at higher speeds. Obviously you will have to set the focus manually. Setting the focus with the push of a button helps to get good results quickly.
There is near to no noise when taking pictures even at extremely low light. Sadly the A7 does not have an optical viewfinder and therefore it sometimes takes a couple more tries to get the picture just right.
An other useful feature is connecting the smart phone to the camera. You can see a preview on your phone, change all the settings and take pictures from afar. The picture then are rendered down and sent to your smart phone to make posting it on Facebook an easy task. It is clearly our favorite feature for taking group pictures.
We decided on the expensive but versatile Zeiss SEL2470Z lens. The zoom range of 24 to 70 mm is enough for most of our motives. Taking only one camera lens was very important for us. We would love to get a wide-angle lens but for now it is not in our budget...
We did get a pole filter that makes it possible to take great pictures even when there are a lot of reflexions or for long exposures during daytime.
To make sure we will be able to take it along on our bikes we set some limiting specifications: light, small, dust- and waterproof, will not brake due to vibrations.
This is why we decided against a SLR camera. The Sony Alpha 7 became quickly our favorite for the job. A lot of tests state that it is an excellent camera and that is more worth than our rudimentary knowledge of cameras. We will on the other hand give you a couple of special points that we like about it in everyday use.
Thanks to the full frame chip pictures at low light or at night look amazing. The A7 also takes high quality videos that especially with bad lighting surpass what our action cameras can do.
The quick release time of 1/8000 seconds is necessary and great to get sharp pictures of us driving by even at higher speeds. Obviously you will have to set the focus manually. Setting the focus with the push of a button helps to get good results quickly.
There is near to no noise when taking pictures even at extremely low light. Sadly the A7 does not have an optical viewfinder and therefore it sometimes takes a couple more tries to get the picture just right.
An other useful feature is connecting the smart phone to the camera. You can see a preview on your phone, change all the settings and take pictures from afar. The picture then are rendered down and sent to your smart phone to make posting it on Facebook an easy task. It is clearly our favorite feature for taking group pictures.
We decided on the expensive but versatile Zeiss SEL2470Z lens. The zoom range of 24 to 70 mm is enough for most of our motives. Taking only one camera lens was very important for us. We would love to get a wide-angle lens but for now it is not in our budget...
We did get a pole filter that makes it possible to take great pictures even when there are a lot of reflexions or for long exposures during daytime.
Score: 10/10
Compact camera Sony RX100
Price: 400 €
We wanted to always carry a camera with us and what is better than a small compact camera for that?! The Sony DSC-RX100 fits easily into the handlebar bag and is always accessible.
Even though the camera is small it still has a good optical zoom (28 - 100 mm) as well as an integrated flash.
The pictures are surprisingly sharp especially at good lighting conditions and can even live up to the Alpha 7. The possibility to save pictures in RAW format makes post-editing possible.
It also takes great videos that are even a bit more colorful than those of our GoPro’s.
Obviously at bad lighting conditions or with the need of a high shutter speed this camera is at a disadvantage compared to the Alpha 7.
But for a camera that is always in reach and for a quick photo we could not wish for a better one. We are very suprised how good the pictures usually turn out.
Even though the camera is small it still has a good optical zoom (28 - 100 mm) as well as an integrated flash.
The pictures are surprisingly sharp especially at good lighting conditions and can even live up to the Alpha 7. The possibility to save pictures in RAW format makes post-editing possible.
It also takes great videos that are even a bit more colorful than those of our GoPro’s.
Obviously at bad lighting conditions or with the need of a high shutter speed this camera is at a disadvantage compared to the Alpha 7.
But for a camera that is always in reach and for a quick photo we could not wish for a better one. We are very suprised how good the pictures usually turn out.
Score: 7/10
GPS Tracker and Communicator inReach SE
Price: 335 €
There are a lot of options available to track your path. We decided to use Delorme's system because it is capable not only to track but also to send and receive messages completely independent from mobile networks and thanks to Bluetooth also very comfortable via ones mobile phone.
Also very nice is the possibility to send your tracking information automatically every 10 minutes via GPS. This allows you to constantly follow every step we take.
On our site Location you can always see our current position thank to inReach's tracking.
The SOS button also provides a little more safety during difficult situations, but of course we hope that we will never have to use it.
A little annoying is the fact that the Bluetooth connection to the mobile phone fails if you exit the bluetooth range whilst beeing connected. It will only work again after a reboot of the device.
This sadly deactivates the tracking and you have to start it over manually. Because of a missing locking mechanism on the cradle we hid the device in a Touratech drinking bottle. The power connection comes from the available rack mount.
That's why dismantling it, is a bit time-consuming. Therefore we leave it switched on as long as possible, the battery lasts a few nights easily (as long as you park with a clear view to the sky) and the tracking works like that flawlessly.
We only have to dismantle it if we park in a garage or if we want to send / receive messages and Bluetooth isn't working.
Also very nice is the possibility to send your tracking information automatically every 10 minutes via GPS. This allows you to constantly follow every step we take.
On our site Location you can always see our current position thank to inReach's tracking.
The SOS button also provides a little more safety during difficult situations, but of course we hope that we will never have to use it.
A little annoying is the fact that the Bluetooth connection to the mobile phone fails if you exit the bluetooth range whilst beeing connected. It will only work again after a reboot of the device.
This sadly deactivates the tracking and you have to start it over manually. Because of a missing locking mechanism on the cradle we hid the device in a Touratech drinking bottle. The power connection comes from the available rack mount.
That's why dismantling it, is a bit time-consuming. Therefore we leave it switched on as long as possible, the battery lasts a few nights easily (as long as you park with a clear view to the sky) and the tracking works like that flawlessly.
We only have to dismantle it if we park in a garage or if we want to send / receive messages and Bluetooth isn't working.
Score: 8/10
Magcode Power Clip / magnetic 12V Adapter
Price: 50 €
To be able to charge stuff in a more convenient way while we ride we decided to put a 12V power outlet on the side of our bike. This way we can plug a cable from our jacket into the bike and charge any 12V device in our jackets. Mainly we use this to charge the Sena 10C while we ride. We sowed a standard 12V plug into the jacket and so we can put in any 12V to USB adapter and quickly charge stuff while we ride.
Since you will certainly forget to unplug the adapter before you get off the bike we decided to use the Magcode Power Clip. Since you usually get of the bike to the left side we decided to put the plug there. This way if you get off the bike you will not tear out the adapter, the cable or any of the plugs. It simply disconnects and so does no damage any of your other devices. This also works when you tip the bike over while going offroad and keeps you from damaging your electric devices.
The second generation called "Magcode Pro" has a turn in lock and therefore defeats our intended purpose.
Since you will certainly forget to unplug the adapter before you get off the bike we decided to use the Magcode Power Clip. Since you usually get of the bike to the left side we decided to put the plug there. This way if you get off the bike you will not tear out the adapter, the cable or any of the plugs. It simply disconnects and so does no damage any of your other devices. This also works when you tip the bike over while going offroad and keeps you from damaging your electric devices.
The second generation called "Magcode Pro" has a turn in lock and therefore defeats our intended purpose.