Check out Isaac's Channel: https://youtu.be/Jdsf7XhvbkQ
My Gimbal (front and rear) http://amzn.to/2so4nLs
Arc Bracket http://amzn.to/2rbxzFH
Hero 5 Session (helmet) http://amzn.to/2soI8oE
Old Hero Session (front and back) http://amzn.to/2s84Pgq
Hero 4 Black (gimbals) http://amzn.to/2sozGG1
BKXC https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3DFdy_qc-cqgKCyQTHLGzA
The Singletrack Sampler https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfUGBBnxQYezwJM9wi3F-Lg
Nate Hills https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCywMHpWJsb9GXD0lakYf6WA
Trail Peek https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBPN_pDX1jrT5BkuwjbaaIQ
Ahh the wearable gimbal. This product has made it possible to capture stable first person video and clear sound on even the most treacherous trails. Thus a new category of YouTube channels was born.
This new category contains everything from the clinical documentation of trails, to straight up v-logs shot from the saddles of mountain bikes. The best of these YouTubers rely on breathtaking scenery, incredible skills, and interesting commentary to set themselves apart, but at the end of the day they’re all using the same camera angle, and understandably so.
To pump out frequent and consistent videos, these vloggers have to worry about travel, bike maintenance, batteries, memory cards, and the weather. Not to mention huge backpacks full of extra gear. Riding like a badass while bogged down with gear isn’t as easy as it looks.
But you know I’m all about making things complicated.
This is a 3D printer, and it’s pooping out GoPro brackets that fit my bike perfectly. My friend Isaac designed these based on measurements that I sent him. I’ll link to his channel below.
In addition to the GoPro mounts, Isaac sent me a 3d printed puzzle. It’s staying on my workbench.
As for the mounts, they’re going on my bike. This one is made for the fork. I call it the stormtrooper mount. For something so simple, the seat stay mount was nothing short of perfect. I’ve never been able to mount a GoPro here without hitting my chain, foot, or something else important. Not to mention that it costs an arm and a ball to buy a bracket from GoPro.
I am using a traditional GoPro adhesive mount, bolstered with a zip tie to get an underbelly shot. In addition to a chest mounted gimbal, I’ll also be using two additional angles. On my helmet, I’m using this arched bracket to point a Hero Session towards my face. In terms of safety, I’d be better off riding with a knife between my teeth.
This last bracket isn’t as dangerous, it’s just a GoPro mount that I affixed to my hydration pack. To keep it steady enough to hold a gimbal, I needed to stuff the tool compartment with cardboard.
What you see here is an absolutely crippling amount of technological overhead to bring on a ride, and that’s not even taking editing into consideration. To make matters worse, I’m at the top of Kitsuma peak with a thunderstorm only minutes away. To get to the bottom in one piece I’d better get moving right now.
So there you have it, 6 GoPros on one rider. That was my first shot with no test runs, so next time I would do a few things differently. The underbelly cam needs to be angled lower so it’ll capture front tire leaving the ground on jumps. The same goes for the seatstay cam. I’d like the suicide cam a little further away, but I’m pushing my luck already. It seems like pointing down at the bike is the most interesting angle. The rear gimbal cam is dead perfect, and I wouldn’t change it. It would be awesome to use this to shoot a badass rider behind me. As for the chest cam, it’s still the only one that can stand by itself. The camera behind the bars is an A angle, while these supplementary cameras are B’s and C’s.
Despite the ridiculous amount of setup and editing it takes to pull this off, I think it helps tell a better story. What do you guys think? What other angles could be implemented with some sticky pads and homebrew 3D printing? I’d like to follow this up in a few months with something different, so let me know what you want to see in the comments. Also, thanks to Isaac for helping me hatch this idea, and thanks to you guys for riding with me today, I’ll see you next time.
