Drift HD helmet cam – First look

'Smaller and smarter'

Drift's new HD helmet cam is smaller and lighter than the previous HD170 model, but still manages to pack in an LCD screen and plenty of other useful features

James Costley-White/BikeRadar

James Costley-White

Published: October 26, 2011 at 9:20 am

We were impressed by Drift's HD170 Stealth camera when we tested it earlier this year but its bulk meant it wasn't ideally suited to being mounted on a cross-country helmet.

Enter the new Drift HD, which retains its predecessor's best features – 1.5in LCD screen, full HD recording (1,080p at 30fps), 9MP still images, rotatable 170° lens, Micro HDMI output, microphone input, remote control, good weather resistance – but is 30mm shorter (104x50x33mm) and weighs a claimed 120g, compared to 171g for our Stealth sample.

The HD170's screen is a real boon, allowing you to perfectly line up the camera, shoot at some interesting angles and play footage back out on the trails, so with this new smaller, lighter package, Drift could be onto a winner.

It comes with a goggle strap mount, as well as curved and flat adhesive mounts, for £329.99/US$369. You can view some footage filmed with the previous generation HD170 model below (please note: video file has been compressed):

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James Costley-White

Group editor, Mountain Biking UK and Cycling Plus

James is the group editor of the best-selling magazines Mountain Biking UK and Cycling Plus, and their associated digital editions and websites. He has worked on MBUK since 2013, became editor in 2019 and took over at Cycling Plus in 2024. An NCTJ-qualified senior journalist with a postgraduate diploma from Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture, JCW joined the cycling media world in 2012. Previously, he’d worked as a reporter and sub-editor on daily newspapers. After a stint as operations editor on BikeRadar, he worked for Triathlon Plus and the ahead-of-its-time ChopMTB. JCW has been an avid cyclist his whole life, progressing from a Chopper-style Raleigh Commando to a Raleigh Sprint road bike before discovering mountain biking in 1992. Since then, he’s amassed a huge amount of knowledge and riding experience, in the UK and abroad. He can often be found riding the trails of South Wales on his latest long-term test bike or custom-built RAAW Jibb, hitting North Somerset cycle paths with his kids, scything down the Cheddar Gorge on his road bike or heading to work on his mutant e-commuter. As well as editing MBUK and Cycling Plus, JCW contributes regular product reviews and other articles.

Height: 6ft 2in (188cm)
Bike size: XL