Cycliq Fly6 Gen 3 vs Fly 6 CE

The Cycliq Fly 6 Gen 3 is technically the 4th generation of the Cycliq Fly 6 rear light + camera, as there are 3 versions before this. The first generation (super bulky), second generation (less bulky), and the Fly 6 CE (slim and modern look).

Now, this Gen 3 is even smaller in size, which is always good for road bikes that appreciate a more compact device that is also lighter in weight. In this post, I will do a comparison of the Fly 6 CE vs the latest Fly 6 Gen 3 to see the differences. This is also the introduction post for the Fly 6 Gen 3, which will be very brief as there are many similarities to the previous Fly 6 CE. I will not go into the technical specifications as I think they are nearly identical.

Comes with 128 GB storage card! Much appreciated as a 5 minute Full HD clip takes up 1 GB of space.

All mounting accessories are the same for Fly 6 CE or Gen 3, which is great for interchangeability and reusability.

Gen 3 on the left, which is noticeably smaller than the CE on the right. Mostly due to the reduction of LEDs from 3 to 1.

Power button is located at the same position at the side.

Q button is also located at the same position at the side. However, note that the flap for the charging port is now located at the side on the new Gen 3, instead of at the top for CE.

Rear view shows that the quick release tabs are the same.

CE on the right side had the rubber flat for the charging port at the top, which was prone to water ingress.

New Gen 3 has moved the charging port to the side, for better protection against rain. Still, I hear many cases of Fly 6 failure due to water ingress. I have been lucky so far...

Fly 6 CE weighs 113 grams, which is not too bad.

Fly 6 Gen 3 is just 77 grams, which is even better for weight conscious cyclists.

When placed side by side, the smaller size of the Gen 3 is obvious. However, how does it look when fixed onto the bike?

Fly 6 Gen 3

Fly 6 CE

The Fly 6 Gen 3 does look a bit smaller compared to the Fly 6 CE, but not by much. In fact, without looking at the number of LEDs on the Fly 6, it can be hard to tell whether it is the CE or Gen 3 version.

Even with 1 LED instead of 3, the Gen 3 still puts out plenty of light for good visibility in the day or night. The more compact size is much appreciated on road bikes, where weight and appearance matters.

I use the Fly 6 as my primary rear light, in the flashing mode with the lowest brightness. Even the lowest brightness is bright enough in the day, let alone at night. As for the video quality, I use the highest Full HD quality with video stabilization for the clearest picture.

Using the app, I set the modes such that there are only 2 available modes. The first is with the camera + flashing rear light on the lowest brightness setting, while the second mode is with just the camera and no light. These are the only 2 modes I will use, so I deactivated all the other modes for easy mode selection with the power button on the Fly 6.

With the first mode (lowest flashing, camera on), it lasts for roughly 4+ hours, which is good. The previous Fly 6 CE manages only 2+ hours in a similar mode before running out of power. If I ride in the day, I will sometimes use the second mode with only the video camera recording, and no rear light. In this mode, it lasts even longer, but I have not tested this to find out the true duration.

I would say the Gen 3 is an incremental improvement over CE, not a big change like the Fly 12 (from 1st gen to CE). I have kept both the Gen 3 and the CE, and use them interchangeably when there is no time to charge it between rides or when I forget to charge it after the previous ride.

That said, the new Fly 6 Gen 3 has quick charging, where it can be charged to full battery rather quickly. This is a much appreciated feature in today's context, where there are so many devices to charge (Di2, Garmin, lights, phone, etc).

I run the full suite of Cycliq Fly 12 CE and Fly 6 Gen 3 on my Focus Paralane all-weather road bike, for maximum security. If anything does happen, at least I have the video footage ready.