Affordable (Bike Friendly) Action Cams?

[amacal1]

Besides the big, name-brand action cameras (GoPro, DJI, Insta, Logitech), are there any alternative branded (i.e. affordable) ones that are a cut above the rest of the chiner products?

I know about SJCam. They seem to have been around the longest and seem to offer a good product and software package. Yi was another brand I was familiar with a long time ago, but I don't know that they've stuck with it. Runcam seems to still be a thing and better than ever, but their offerings are tailored more for drone use than anything else. After that, nothing else jumps out at me as either a good product or good value.

Is anyone else using anything that's good? Any experience using whatever you have while biking or making biking videos/photos?

[womble73]

I have tried a whole bunch of different "cheap" no-name cameras for plenty of different things. Security,  action, vblog, swimming etc... I have not found anything I have been completely happy with from Ali.

DJI Fanboy statement coming:
A few years ago a family member purchased me a DJI drone and from that experience when my last action cam died, I invested in the DJI Action cam. Probably not the answer you are looking for but right now I think DJI is a cut above the rest for anything video and because the latest action cam has only just come out you can pickup the previous 2 models for close in price to anything semi-decent off Ali. I have recorded about 20 hours of footage in the last month with it and am constantly impressed by the quality. Less impressed by my skills. Video hardware is not something I will not skimp on again, but that is all personal preference.

[amacal1]

I have not found anything I have been completely happy with from Ali.

Thanks for confirming. I had a suspicion this might be the case.

[lavistaa]

why not runcam?   Their exernal power options are perfect for long run times, cameras don’t heat up, picture quality and ability to avoid damage are second to none.

i ride with an instacam rs1 on my helmet but run cam 4k one pointing forward and one back provides better, more,reliable coverage. 

[cst_jpr]

Not worth any 2nd tier stuff. Get a used gopro or dji action if you are on a tight budget.

I get about 2h10min out of the dji action 3, price was around $150 USD on sale. Its almost perfect but, image quality not amazing, and they never implemented a proper loop recording mode (for commuting). If you don't care about longish runtime then gopro or insta360 is probably better.