I like to help other riders get oriented to trails that are new to them but I ride frequently and know the rocks. Giving back for all the help I received. So I have many of the Moab trails explained on YouTube in this growing playlist Moab Maps Explained
This is only version 1. An experiment. In a few weeks I’ll be riding Moab trails again but with a gimbal on my chest and I’m developing new ideas for explaining the trails. It will combine these map’s advice with on-scene video.
By the way, I’ve deleted all my years of video. I tried to use them in these videos but without a gimbal they suck. The old shit is unusable. I have to ride all the main trails of Moab, Grand Valley (Fruita / Grand Junction), Zion / St George, and Tahoe again and shoot some crazy good video. Feel sorry for me. 🙂
I’m also adding Sedona soon. Katya and I will be there riding for most of a week after the Hurricane MTB Festival coming up at the end of March.
I have converged to a chest mounted 3 axis gimbal, garmin camera (for the extra data, overlays), too. As you said, useable footage. I was always looking for a place in ghe bike for a “camera B”, getting perhaps a view of yhe riders behind, or of my face, my hands, the fork or suspension in action, etc. What I found for that, and it became my single camera very often, is a Samsung Gear360 VR camera. Mounted on the handlebar gives you a complete immersive front and back view, I csn see thd trail, the forests on the side, the cliffs, the sky, my face, my hands, my feet, the fork, everything with a play time selection of point of view. Also can relive it in VR goggles, looking around during a ride. Nothing, no matter how higher resolution, currently beats that cheap VR camera, in my experience.
Great idea Jose! I haven’t explored VR cameras yet but will check that one out today.
Yes, I’ve mounted cameras all over me and the bike trying to find a stable platform. Chest seems to work best. My Porky video shows some shots behind me of my wife riding. That camera was under the seat. Nice effect.
The trouble with handlebars is that the camera turns everywhere the bars do, and that is a crazy view on technical trails. I assume that the gimbal could mitigate that problem and mostly hold a bearing straight ahead.
btw I had posted in mtbr a while back regarding the Feiyu WG gimbal (best at the time), two very relevant things for you is to avoid the 45 degree crossing (where motors swap function), and how to get 20+ hours of continuous footage, powering the gimbal and camera from a battery in your backpack. Swapping batteries is OK, but can annoy the most patient riding buddy. See http://forums.mtbr.com/videos-pov-cameras/first-ride-using-feiyu-tech-fy-wg-3-axis-gimbal-some-questions-video-1018124.html#post12758601
Thanks for that advice! I’ve been doing MTB videography for the past 18 years and chest mounts are the best for sure. I’ll keep the 45 degree rule in mind. Interesting. I’m using the GoPro Chesty and can easily tip the gimbal base forward. Also, with the Evo I can hold the camera in a position other than horizontal and it remembers that as the horizon.
I’m not shooting long stretches of trail anymore. Only one or two interesting sections, mostly the rocks that I couldn’t shoot successfully before. I don’t have time to edit a monster length video and no one wants to see them, including me. If I shoot 20 minutes out of a 5 hour ride that is probably too much. So batteries aren’t important to me. When I get back to the van I have plenty of time to recharge them.
Just sharing what I learned. Agree completely on who wants to watch a 20hr video anyhow? I do timelapses sometimes of road century rides, so 5hrs are down to minutes, bearable.
Next time you have visitors that are staying a bit too long, say “let’s watch a long mountain biking video”, and they remember they have a dentist appointment, 8pm on a Sunday…
Little Creek Mesa in Hurricane is great, surprised I didn’t see the rock bridges in your video.
The Zion / St. George video will be replaced probably next winter. The format was an experiment and I didn’t like it. Also, no gimbal, sucks. There are places on Zen I wanted to include but the camera was bouncing around too much. I start re-shooting that region in a few weeks.
Little Creek is nice but navigation was a pain. I’ve heard they improved the cairns. They can’t paint lines on the rock until the BLM does an archeology study, and that costs $$$.
These videos are based on the maps that are produced and sold by Moab Trail Alliance; 100% of the revenue from map sales goes towards building trail in and around Moab. It would be great if you would let youtube viewers know about the maps – cheap ($2 each), accurate, updated regularly, available in all good bike shops. Even if they don’t need a map to navigate, they’re a great gift or souvenir, and more sales means more trails.
Two specific comments:
– EZ and Lazy are designated as one-way trails – ride the loop counterclockwise (EZ north-to-south; Lazy south-to-north). You describe them that way in the video, this is just as a clarification.
– Similarly, Bull Run is a one-way downhill. That’s one big reason for Getaway being built: so that you can ride back up. Bull Run has a lot of super-high-speed downhill traffic and poor sight lines.
@TrailMix, Good feedback, thanks! I remembered to pitch the maps in some of the map videos. I’ll add that to my notes for the future vids. The updated version of these will have ending credits also for the maps and pitch Trail Mix and MTA. I’m trying to get these out before I head to Hurricane, Sedona, and Moab in a few weeks. They should cut down the length of replies on forums and same us time.
EZ and Lazy aren’t marked well for one way. Additional or bigger signage would be good. I see many riders going clockwise.
My understanding of Bull Run is that it is one way downhill from the top down to the cross-over trail. Below that is two way, although rarely do I see anyone climbing it. Right?
Thank you so much for all these great trails! 15 years ago I had to teach my wife MTB on the Slick Rock Bike Trail because I didn’t want her riding chewed up Jeep roads. 🙂
Signs on both trails were redone last year.
Will definetely be telling my friends about this! Thanks for the tips