Howies CYB 2011 film
Here’e the film from our recent little adventure. Howies Coed-y-brenin Enduro MTB event. 60km or 30km of trail riding over a single lap course. The route itself was good with a mix of oldskool hike-a-bike and plenty of singletrack sweetness. Unfortunately you always have to go up to go down so there’s plenty of hill climbing thrown in. There’s plenty of refreshment options and changing facilities at the Coed-y-brenin centre on the day. There’s even a hot tub you can book for the end of your ride….impeccably organised and excellent fun. This is the link to the blog of the event I’ve already written up, it should give you more of an insight…. Howies Enduo blog post
Howies Coed-y-Brenin Enduro. It went up, then down, then up and up and up….
It all started with this tweet…
It finished like this… Read more on Howies Coed-y-Brenin Enduro. It went up, then down, then up and up and up…….
Alpification: A Mountain Biking Film
Finally made a little time to create this little edit of our recent mountain biking holiday to the French Alps. We spent the first week in a catered chalet with our own guides at The White Room in Sainte Foy and the second week self catered in Morzine. Both were fantastic and quite different in terms of trails. We completed over 5000m of descent on the first day alone, we got through 4 sets of brake pads each, ate too much cheese, celebrated my 30th birthday and topped it all off with a proposal of marriage! Not a bad trip.
How to ‘Alpify’ Your Mountain Bike
Alps Mountain Biking Bliss at The White Room
A review of The White Room, Sainte Foy, France – July 2nd to July 9th 2011
The guys I ride with around the Manchester/NW area had for the last few years entered the PPDS which takes place late June each year. I’d always been keen to ride in the Alps since I started mountain biking properly but the strands of other adventures had always got in the way. That was until 2011. Steve, the internet overlord and general organiser for our disparate group piped up saying he was thinking about an Alps trip and after a few hasty conversation with the missus we decided we were also in. Read more on Alps Mountain Biking Bliss at The White Room…
DIY Cable Cam Video
Here’s the footage from our first experiment with a DIY cable cam. Read more on DIY Cable Cam Video…
DIY cable cam….how to.
DIY cable cam, sounds simple doesn’t it? A cable cam is something we’ve been toying with as an idea for shots in our ‘film in development’ currently named ‘State of Flow’. At first I thought it was impossible but increasingly I’ve been coming round to the idea especially if we keep it simple.
Inspirational Mountain Biking Films – Coming soon
My first long awaited mountain biking film is from Reset Films and now available to buy. It’s called Find and is there sequel to previously successful video Home. They have shot in some amazing locations (although they are most well known for their Scottish venues) with some of the worlds best riders such as Hans Rey, Peaty and Danny Mac. Their focus was to produce a film that not only inspires you to get the bike out on the trails, but a film that gives you a unique perspective from people who live and breath mountain biking. It’s definitely on my Christmas wish list.
Read more on Inspirational Mountain Biking Films – Coming soon…
A Mountain Biking Film: Wharncliffe Woods
Our second Team Pickle mountain biking video this time filmed at Wharncliffe Woods near Sheffield. I tried to make the most of the autumn colours, off camber roots and technical rocky sections. It’s filmed on my Lumix GH1 and I also took along my glidetrack. Small colour alterations have been made using Magic Bullet Looks.
Biking and Filming at Wharncliffe Woods
Patrick and I recently decided to make the most of the autumn season and get out on the mountain biking trails to film again. We wanted to capture a forest track with blue skies and crispy autumn leaves so what better place to start than Wharncliffe woods.
Slow Motion Bike Film using Twixtor
Here’s a sweet little slow mo bike film that has used Twixtor to slow the video down to 10% or less. Everything was shot on the Canon 7D in 720p 60fps. Twixtor has had some mixed reviews but this little video is smooth..
Ladybower Reservoir singletrack ride
A busy Sunday around Ladybower taking in Cut Gate path, a super duper section of singletrack from Ladybower north from the reservoir. The return trip is normally to turn your bike around and simply reverse what you’ve just done and I have to say that’s a great ride right there. These pics show some sneaky singletrack sections on an alternate return route back into the reservoir. It’s insane singletrack with either 10m vertical drops to your right or 70 degree grass slopes. The riding is slow technical riding with plenty of opportunity to go ‘off’. Still, didn’t see a soul for the whole of the afternoon. Brilliant! 41km and 1300m of ascent. Well worth the effort.
Lee Quarry MTB Video Success
We’re chuffed our recent mountain bike video shot at Lee Quarry has been so popular. People clearly loved the footage and after someone posted it up on the Singletrack website we saw a positive boom in the number of views and delightful comments from people who had appreciated our efforts. Not least of all Mr Brant Richands the founder and designer for Ragley who had designed the bike Patrick was riding. When Brant asked me to make a re-edit of the video with Ragley logos I was only happy to oblige.
Cragg Quarry trail – mini review
Cragg Quarry trail, the mini review – the latest addittion to the Adrenalin Gateway project, I believe, is completed and being ridden.
How to get there;
Cragg Quarry can be accessed from either:
Ragley Mmmbop bike review
Ragley Mmmbop bike review from a lover of full suspension bikes.
So I killed a Trek Remedy a few months ago which was a case of ‘user is an idiot’ rather than defective product. This put me in the situation of needing a frame of some sort in a hurry. I had some very specific requirements;
A Mountain Bike Film: Lee Quarry
I liked the aesthetics of video with DSLR’s so I recently dug deep into my pockets and purchased a Panasonic Lumix GH1. I now need to practice lots before I head out to India as volunteer videographer for Raleigh International in July. This is my first practice. The video follows Patrick mountain biking at Lee Quarry on his Ragley Mmmbop bike. I also took along my glidetrack. I’m looking forward to lots more DSLR filmming and getting to know the Panasonic GH1 a little better.
Ragley Mmmbop just arrived…mmm indeed!
After braking the Trek Remedy I’m looking forward to getting out on my new Mmmbop. My first hard tail for a long, long time.
Lee Quarry, trial by Quarrymen.
Lee Quarry, Bacup….a dissused quarry doing nothing, with lots of steep banks and loose rocks, what could we do with that they thought? As part of the Pennine Lancashire Adrenalin Gateway, they turned part of it into mtb course and a really intersting one too. A visit was well over due after numerous friends have waxed lyrical about the place. Time to pack the motor and get ourselves over there quick smart. Sunday saw the arrival of Team Pickle at Bacup.
Ewok Village Vanished!?
On a recent mountain biking trip to Glentress we were a little gutted to find the north shore features within Ewok Village had been completely removed (- it was made a little more frustrating due to the lack of signs indicating the removal). Anyway as I had been psyching myself up I was able to ride the only remaining feature – the sea saw – for the first time so it wasn’t a completely wasted journey.
Since returning back home I’ve found out that the sorely missed Ewok Village had been removed due to rotting wood.
Jiggy with the Skinnies
A short video of Hannah practising her “northshore” skills on the skinny woodwork at Dixon’s Hallow in Dalby Forest. It was our first trip to Dalby Forest and great to find a a reasonable amount of low level woodwork to practice riding on.
Ride in the Park
I bought myself a new glidetrack and wanted to experiment with it. The sun was shining so I convinced Patrick to make a trip to the park and let me film him on his bike. His bike was broken (still is) so he borrowed a friends but forgot to add extra pressure to the forks hence all the falling.
Sounds of Revolution
It’s a short film about the sounds of mountain biking. We made it in 2007 and it was shot and edited within 48 hours and screened at Kendal Mountain Film Festival.
