gopro

A friend of mine posted this video on my Facebook timeline as a joke for a project for my son and I while my wife is out of town this week. While I thought it was hilarious given my need to go over the top with things…this video and GoPro setup is truly EPIC.

What do you get when you put 15 GoPros on a beam together? Awesome that’s what…

Mike Steidley headed over to France and shot this trials mountain biking footage entirely with a GoPro Hero2. He really shows throughout the clip how crucial balance is to mountain bike control (even though he is on a purpose built trials bike). It really is amazing how much control he has over the bike, his body and where he wants the tires to end up as he navigates the boulders.

On a side note…it is really cool to see the trials side of mountain biking start to pick up steam again.

Shot 100% on the GoPro HD Hero2

Riding clip from my trip to France, shot in Grenoble.

Follow my fan page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mikesteidley

Thanks to products like the GoPro Hero and video on modern DSLR and micro 4/3′s cameras, it is easier than ever to capture the ride experience out on the trail, edit it and then share it with the world. What used to take thousands of dollars in fragile equipment can now be done with a couple hundred bucks and an average computer.

In the world of riding videos, life is great right now and it is just going to get better.

But, it seems that downhill, freeride and trials riders are the only ones taking full advantage of the new technologies. Every day, amateur video shooters are posting some incredible videos on Pinkbike.com and other mountain biking sites. While most of these videos do not have follow by elevated wire shots like you find in Seasons, they are incredibly well put together and entertaining.

So why do we not see more XC and AM focused mountain bike videos? I think there are 2 main reasons that can be fixed rather easily.

1. POV Shots Are Boring – Yes…if you stick a camera on top of your head, hit record and go riding…it is going to be a boring 10 minute video. Even on the most technical terrain, video flattens out what ever you are riding and the one camera angle is boring for viewers. The trick is to get multiple camera angles and have the help of your friends to get actual riding shots on the trail. When you bring these clips together in addition to the POV shots (look for alternative angles there as well like on the frame or fork), the video is a lot more interesting. POV shots in DH and FR are boring too if you haven’t noticed before.
2. XC and AM Riders Are Too Focused on Point A to Point B – Somewhere along the line, XC and AM riding got more concerned with reaching a destination or getting a certain amount of miles in rather than the journey it took to get there. What results is an atmosphere in group rides that is hard to take pictures and video. No one has time…we are on a mission to get to the end. I think we need to step back and enjoy the journey as much as the distance and challenge. Not only would we become better riders by sessioning and practicing, but that would open up the ability to take better pictures and videos of our rides.

To illustrate the point, the crew at Niner Bikes posted up a video they made on their Facebook page last week. This “After Work” video features two of their employees shredding a local trail on a Jet 9 and Jet 9 RDO. This video is very well put together and the shots are something that any rider could stage at their local trail.

Getting out after work. A ride during the golden hour on classic So. Cal trails with Niner’s Jet 9 and Jet 9 RDO.

Pedal Dammit.

Music:
“Hola Hola Bassa Nova” by Juanitos

Niner’s video is great because it shows that you do not have to be throwing massive whips like Thomas Vanderham to create an interesting and entertaining mountain bike video.

In this short clip for the Ellsworth Glimpse review, I actually shot everything alone by putting a GoPro on the frame and setting my DSLR on the ground in several places on the trail for a different point of view of the bike. What results is a more interesting watch due to the changing conditions.

My challenge to you guys is to make more video of your rides. Maybe there is a lot of great footage out there that just hasn’t been found yet (if so…pass it our way so we can feature it on the site), but we would like to see more exposure brought to other riding styles online. It can be done…we just need to do it…

Every now and then, I come across videos that make me want to drop everything and go ride. This sequence by Aaron Chase on Vimeo is one of those vids. You can’t help but get stoked.

This one follows my friends and I during the summer at Highland Mountain Bike Park.
(-Disclaimer for Lenosky- NO triple whips= weak vid)

I saw this video hit my radar this morning. I have never seen a trail that had such falloff to one side. I am willing to bet that most people wouldn’t even want to hike this area…much less ride it.

This really cool video was brought to you by GoPro as they recorded Mike Montgomery’s winning slopestyle run at the 2011 Teva Mountain Games. What did we do before all of this technology?!

Pick up your own GoPro Hero HD and start recording your own vids!

GoPro posted up their 2011 Post Office Bike Jam this month showcasing some incredible riding and even more unique camera angles. We have tested a lot of wearable HD camcorders and the GoPro is by far the easiest to use for mounting in unique locations to get different angles of your rides.

Click here to get your own and shoot us your videos for consideration on making their way onto Bike198 –> GoPro

In a world where we love to capture our adventures on camera, GoPro has come up with a reasonably inexpensive way to record footage using a mounted digital camera. The Digital Hero can be mounted several different ways and comes in a couple different configurations to fit your needs.

In the mountain biking scene, we are constantly looking for different ways to record our favorite trail or that perfect run. Until now, doing that meant very expensive equipment or rigging something up that may or may not work correctly. GoPro‘s Hero solves these issues in a little package that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Check out their website for the different configurations.

From the website:

The Helmet HERO is a waterproof digital helmet camera that also quick-release mounts to bikes, kayaks, skis, cars and more. Works with any vented or non-vented helmet.

Use a 2GB SD card to shoot 56 minutes of TV resolution 30 fps video with immersive sound. Or activate “Photo Every 5 Seconds” mode to automatically shoot hands-free photos of the action for over 2 hours (1400+ photos).

Camera Specifications

• 56 minutes TV quality video w/sound
• 3 megapixel sensor with glass lens
• 3X sequence photo burst
• Photo every 5 second mode
• Adjustable sound recording levels
• Always On Mode lasts 3+ hours
• Supports up to 2GB SD cards
• PC and MAC Compatible/Driver Free
• 2 x AAA Battery
• 1 Year Warranty

What is really impressive about the unit is the quality that it puts out. It really surprised me how a small inexpensive helmet camera could put out good enough quality to post on the internet and watch on tv. Now, this isn’t going to be HD quality, and you will probably see pixels on really large tv’s, but this little unit is really great for what it is.

A friend of mine, Jeff, has been trying one out at Big Creek lately.

Trail Riding – Cool shots of the Fox fork doing it’s thing.

Big Creek Freeride – Top Gully Run following me.