Camera to read Jones Counter

I tried this many years ago and abandoned it after a while as the benefit did not outweigh the complexity of setting it up every time. I worked great when it worked, but I found myself constantly having to tweak and fix the setup and it was more hassle than it was worth. But, here's what I used:

Camera - I used this Depstech Endoscope Camera
https://a.co/d/3QmEQ2f

Mount - I bought this little mount to clamp to my front fork, then created a small cradle to hold the camera out of a small block of wood, threaded nut insert, and duct tape.
https://a.co/d/f69K5uc

iPhone - I used an old iPhone as the screen. The Depstech camera connects to the phone via Wifi.

Battery - Because the battery life on the Depstech doesn't last very long, I carried a USB portable power bank in my Pannier bag along with the spool of leftover camera cable (https://a.co/d/cy86Lxt)

The tricky part is getting the camera mounted in such a way that it's oriented properly and with a good angle towards the counter and resists falling out of alignment from road vibration.

If you discover a streamlined setup I'd love to hear it.

Why not use a Lucas counter? I have been using the handlebar-mounted version for many years without difficulties.

The one tweak I will mention is this: ensure that when you install it, the last 10 inches or more - more is better - of the cable on the counter end is straight, not curved. This means the total length of cable you need will be a good bit longer than the distance from your front hub to your handlebar.

The reason is that the cable insertion at the counter end must be nearly perpendicular to the oval insertion opening to function properly. This results in some extra cable running along your handlebars. I just cable tie mine down to the bar. This setup works well for me. May have saved my life once or twice since I was able to keep my head and my eyes UP.

These setups are available from Kevin Lucas. Kevin is on the subscriber list for this forum.

Does using the Lucas setup introduce any noticeable resistance to turning the front wheel?

I don't know about the Lucas counter, but with the handlebar counter that Mike Wickiser produced there is more resistance. Of course it's not noticeable when you are riding the bike, but if you need to spin the wheel to get the counter to a certain number, it will spin for a shorter time with a given hand push of the wheel.

Another difference with Mike's cable-driven counter is that it will sometimes stick a little. You will roll forward a little and the counter will not change. Then suddenly it will jump forward a couple counts. The only time this might be an issue is at the end of calibration rides. You need to be careful to watch that it isn't doing that as you roll up to the finish line. If it does do it at the end of a calibration ride you should roll back a foot or so and then approach the finish line again. It's not a common occurrence, but you do want to watch for it.

I did several measurements with the handlebar mounted counter along with a standard counter also mounted. I always got the same final measurement distances using the numbers from the two counters. If you do get a handlebar mounted counter it would probably be a good idea to do the same for at least a couple measurements.

Not at all in my experience, Gary. I think Kevin knows how much cable is required for various bike sizes. If you do this, he'll probably ask you, but remember to confirm the needed length.

One other thing I thought of is something I am not certain of, but I will mention it anyway. I tend to restrict my speed to little more than 20 mph with this setup. My thinking is that I should ask only so much of the cable connections. One cable broke after a few years use, but this happened before I restricted my speed. I can't say whether you should expect a similar experience.

Mark makes another good point. The Lucas counter may take a little practice to get used to. For me, it has definitely been worth the short learning curve just in terms of personal safety.

Is the Lucas counter acceptable to the USATF for course measurement? Can you send me photo of the set up?  I appreciate the responses and thoughts. I am thinking also of trying a bike back view camera aimed at the Jones Counter and have the certain on the handlebars but I am not certain that it would or could focus on the counter properly. I do agree that it would be safer to see the counter without having your head down.

Of "course" it is acceptable, Jim. I wouldn't have used it all these years otherwise...

It is a simple setup. I recommend reaching out to Kevin Lucas for more info. Kevin's email address is: lucasmeasurement@gmail.com .

Nicely stated! :-)

On Wed, May 29, 2024 at 10:10 PM Road Course Measurement Forums <
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