The Future Of Mountain Bike Videos

It’s no secret that the days of the Mountain Bike DVD are all but over, but where did they start? Many would point to Alex Rankin’s Sprung videos as the turning point for the mountain bike film. Documenting the UK race scene and featuring a young Steve Peat, Rankin revealed a whole new angle to the MTB masses and inspired a new generation of moviemakers.

Over ten years on and fuelled by the explosion of new media it would seem the hunger is still there to capture the speed, adrenaline and character of our still relatively young sport. But this time anyone can have a go. With affordable cameras, mobile phones with HD recording capabilities and even video cameras controlled by the viewer themselves (check this out: 360 Degree Interactive Snowboard Video), things are moving fast.

No longer do we have to wait until the end of the season to watch the action at each round of the World Cup, with DirtTV providing online highlights within 24 hours of the race itself. Where once we’d have had to wait an age to see Sam Hill’s World Championship smack down in Val di Sole, thousands of people saw it live on freecaster and then again and again and again on youtube.

With an influx of amateur filmmakers providing websites with event coverage and rider profiles for next to no cost, are the professionals finding it increasingly more difficult to survive in such a cluttered market place? As a result of this have we seen standards slipping? Rather it would seem that with such a rich and diverse community of enthusiasts sharing their knowledge while at the same time fighting for recognition, the standard is soaring at the same rate as the viewing figures. The lucky few who sat proud as the sole stop for an industry video now have to fight for their future amidst an ever-growing influx of talented young filmmakers.

So who comes out on top in all this? I’d say it was us, the viewer, and if you disagree with me, why not grab your phone (or GoPro HD), get down the trails and upload mountain bike videos.

This article was written by by James Renwick, Mountain Biking Online Editor at MPORA.

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