Opinion: Mountain Bike Movies - Are You Still Stoked?
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The latest mountain bike movies include insane riding, skilled camera work, and countless hours of editing that comes together to create a final product that is often equal parts art and sport, but the level of riding in them has reached the point where it's tough to relate to. I'd like to see the best in the world come together to make a mountain bike movie that has actual mountain biking in it, and I don't think that I'm the only one who'd be excited about that.
Mountain bike movies have come a hell of a long way from the days of Tread, the Kranked series, and even the early New World Disorder releases, and I'm not just talking about the shift from filming with a potato to the insanely expensive wunder-cameras of more recent times that can zoom in to catch a gnat scratching its balls at a glorious million frames per second or whatever they're up to now. The skill and courage of the riders in the latest movies has progressed to the point where one doesn't have to be a mountain biker to appreciate what they're doing, and the days of them just showing up and sending it for the camera have been replaced with shoots that are planned out well in advance.
We now have some of the best riders in the world pushing their personal limits and risking life and limb to do things that have never been done before. This often goes down in exotic and sometimes sketchy locales, all while being filmed by a camera that costs twenty times what the entire budget was for one of those 'old school' movies that first showed riders skidding down scree slopes. The internet gives me one-click access to the greatest mountain bike movies made, yet I still find myself bored by roughly the ten minute mark of any of the latest flicks. I mean absolutely zero disrespect to any of the riders or the people working hard behind the cameras, but it's just that none of the latest and greatest movies really get me stand-up excited about what's going on. Why is that? I believe it's because the things that today's top riders are doing are so insane, so mind blowing, that I can no longer relate to it, and it therefore inspires me to get out there about as much as watching the cooking channel has me running to the kitchen to whip up a batch of muffins. Likewise, I like to watch skilled freeriders send it, but what they're doing doesn't have me running for my bike.
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 I could spend hours watching Fairclough smash corners on his trail bike, even if that does make me sound like a bit of a stalker. |
Don't get me wrong, seeing Semenuk or Zink spin off of a three-storey drop will always make my palms sweaty in a way that only one or two other things in this world can do, but I have zero issue admitting to anyone that it doesn't get me amped to build a lip on top of a thirty foot rock and give it a go for myself. That would end badly for me, of course, and I suspect that it would also end badly for about 99% of Pinkbike's audience although feel free to pipe up if I'm selling you short when it comes to doing 360s off of cliffs and I'll happily apologize. Having said that, the fact that 99% of us can't do the moves we see in the movies might not matter to most of you, especially if you tune into Pinkbike on a regular basis to see what's new. After all, I'm not about to say that riders tricking jumps that would make a lot of motocross guys grab a handful of brake is anything to take lightly, or that you shouldn't be inspired by it if that's what floats your boat, but I will put my neck out there and say that it has very little to do with how most of us mountain bike.
What's that? You have a downhill bike, some pads, and a few big jumps in your local forest? That sounds like a great time, but the truth of the matter is that you're in the minority when it comes to riding disciplines, with far more people simply wanting to put on their half shell helmet, some baggy shorts and worn out gloves, and take their regular mountain bike out for a rip in the woods. I think that it's these people, riders of greatly varying skill levels but who all love singletrack, that would really appreciate a movie that they can relate to. There's been a few well made 'edits' released over the years that cross off a lot of my points, with Aaron LaRocque's Rocky Mountain / Race Face short from 2009 being one that I can still watch and get stoked about to this day - I can't be the only one, can I? I'm going to feel awfully dumb if that's the case, but I don't think it is.
I'm going to make a suggestion to the filmers out there: make a mountain bike movie that actually has mountain biking in it. Put the best riders in the world on their trail bikes and film them shredding a goddamn trail. Film them riding singletrack that we could all enjoy, but at a speed that makes us go ''holy shit, that guy is really moving!'' Film them drifting through corners, manualling for longer than seems possible, and generally have a blast on their bikes in much the same way most of us do, only better. These are things that relate to how a lot of mountain bikers ride, and it's something that I honestly believe even the most freeride-focused of riders could watch and get stoked about. I don't know; maybe I sound like an old codger who should move on to recumbents and helmet mirrors, or maybe I'm not the only one who would love to watch the best film makers in the world shoot the best riders in the world actually going for a mountain bike ride. I feel like that would be quite the combination, don't you?
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+1 for Kurts NWD 10 Segment. That and the Vital RAW videos get me fired up!!
I hear what this article is saying but I expect that after a short while these types of video would be even less inspiring.
Best video I've seen all year? Danny Macaskills The Ridge. Give me some adventure!
More on topic: I fully miss the dvd package, bonus features, directors commentaries all that!
-Cookie.
As cool as Rampage is, and as impressive as the recent freeride films are, most of that stuff just isn't relevant to me, and so if it isn't going to be some earth shatteringly insane display of crazy shit, I just don't care about it. The interwebs have become so saturated with video footage of everything imaginable that none of it holds my attention anymore unless it actually relates to me on a pretty direct level. A good example of that is this one www.pinkbike.com/news/Fresh-From-the-Barn-Kevin-Landry-in-Squamish-video-2013.html . The rider rips, but the stuff he's doing is just the stuff I like doing, except he's doing it better.
The Dudes of Hazzard videos are great because they bring back the real feel of riding with your buddies. I personally don't watch any bike park vids anymore, once you've seen 100 amazing whips it gets old. Show me some amazing natural trails instead.
This generation is completely spoiled by the internet as a whole. The choice of FREE entertainment is endless. If there was less, or if it was paid for then we might appreciate it more.
This is Peaty also rates highly.
Even though these are two very different web edit series, they both share something very different than the usual dj movie - they show all aspects of riding and having fun.
I never think i get bored of watching race edits as well as they are always different because every race is different.
I'm not stocked anymore for bike tricks, but always checking the best three runs from FR contest :-)
From FR short movies - prefer the dynamic edits from North Shore trails or as Aggy's ride.
I've been pretty let down by most videos I've seen in the past 6months or maybe even the past year. Even the Rampage this year didn't get me pumped. I was all ready with a few mates, beers in the fridge, pistachios on the table, but no, after 20 minutes, we all went back to talking crap and deciding how the world will turn.
Last one I really enjoyed was the latest from Danny McAskill, mainly because of the location, landscapes, nice music, and the riding that didn't seem completely coming from outerspace (it was still pretty darn good though).
And please, videomakers, stop using dubstep in ALL your videos. Use your imagination, pick something else, there are millions of musics you could pick from, so please, DO IT!
What I miss is the Earthed series. I'd get the DVD as a xmas present on xmas day and watch it while everyone was fussing around me - happy dayz. I know those days will never return as we've now got amazing edits just a few hours after the loam has settled. The interspersed 4X footage also added to the experience (plus amazing earthed soundtracks)
I don't have the tech at home to watch web edits on my main tv so I'd happily buy a DVD round up say of the parkin brother's edits plus extras a la Earthed.
the last MTB DVD I bought was 3Focus which was like Earthed but perhaps soundtrack wasn't as good. Anyway, amazing round up of the 2008 season, Leihkonen and Brayton segments and a Crankworks section - what more could you want?
It is simple: No one wants to see slow moving images with some slow song in the background and no bike/ambient noise. I think we can all agree on that. See theteamrobot.blogspot.de/2014/09/more-bad-music.html
The truth is: Less slowmo shots mean you need to shoot more footage overall. So its more work.for the film crew and the rider.
Or tell us a good story. Ha.ha. A good mountainbike story. Yeah right. Maybe Joey Schusler?
I love how Freeride entertainment proclaimed themselves as "game changers" although no one cares about their movies 2 weeks after release. Clay Porter said in an interview that hes basically the best (mtb)film guy in the world, I wont even comment on that. Its time for some teen with a dslr to think outside the box and show them what a game changer is. I dont have much hope for the big bike movies in the next few years.
More: fun.
Good examples: anything made by Alex Rankin, Tom Grundy web videos, most bmx videos, pretty much any skate video.
Vital's RAW series from the WC, Parkin's WC action, Red Bull WC live racing, oh, and where the hell did Alex Rankin get off to?
Schusler's videos are as real as it gets, he speaks to the mountain bikers.
Levy - Wank to this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY7ukuKPKt8
For long movies the NWD format is IMO the best ever invented.
The slice of pie that represents those who own downhill or freeride rigs is absolutely minute compared to those who simply mountain bike, and while me using 'regular' to describe the average rider and his or her bike probably isn't super clear, I was referencing basically anyone who has a mountain bike that they ride up, down and around - that's got to be 95%+ of mountain bikers out there, despite what Pinkbike might make it look like. You're right when you say that ''bedause you ride trails, doesnt mean thats everyones 'regular' kind of mountain biking,'' but I'd argue that the very large majority of mountain bikers do exactly that. And judging by the 170+ comments on here that seem to mostly agree with my opinion, the majority of riders wouldn't mind seeing that type of action in a high-end movie.
After all, you've got blinders on if you think ''the progression of mountain biking'' only happens on massive jumps and gaps. I want to see progression in other places - people like you riding a bike fast and with style in places that the average ride can relate to. There's nothing negative about that.
The NWD-style will never go away, and I don't want it to, but I want to see something that I (and apparently most of these commenters as well) feel is more relevant.
The best thing about mtb is that everyone does it their own way! You know why WTTE is my favorite bike film? Because I relate to it! It actually is the type of terrain I ride on a regular basis (not as huge obviously), I just don't ride trails. Real biking for me is pushing both your limits, and the limits of what can be ridden.
This constant division and bickering between cycling disciplines has to stop.
This article isn't the stupidest thing I've seen on here, but it's definitely not the smartest thing either. The way I see it, these athletes are creating these segments and web videos for themselves to look back on when their career over because lets face it, careers are generally pretty short....so why not go out and send a corked 720 or build a hidden trail with massive gaps and transfers, because I know if I were Brett, Paul, Brandon...whoever I'd be looking back in my mid 40s saying "hell yeah, I did that".
I don't think @mikelevy has much of a leg to stand on when he claims he's got comments here agreeing with his opinion - let's critically examine those comments. We've got 42 year old SeaHag, 41 year old yerbikesux, 44 year old fullbug, 38 year old old-man-eggy, 38 year old sourmix, agreeing with him - granted, a couple 26 year olds in there too, but on the whole I think the agreement in these comments is mostly coming from older riders.
I may catch a lot of flak for this opinion, but I think many older riders like these guys agreeing with Mike are happy to ride at whatever their current level is and not worry about progression; I understand that, these guys probably have jobs, families, etc., and don't want to deal with the bumps and bruises that comes hand in hand with pushing their own personal envelope. That 'current level' for many of those guys probably is riding 5 inch bikes on trails no more difficult than the 2009 LaRocque edit, so maybe these guys do struggle to comprehend how amazing some of the FMB/freeride stuff is.
I don't think Mike is going to step up and huck the Hafjell road gap any time soon, so how is it that he claims 'the WC stuff gets me pumped [to ride]' whereas watching Zink at Rampage doesn't?
@Royal28 - Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm personally not happy to ride at my current level, and I'm always looking to improve in some manner or another, as are the rest of us. And having been to a bunch of slope comps, ridden with some of the guys in them (not at them, obviously), and seen the progression from the mid-90s to now, I very much appreciate what they can do. But you missed my main point: I don't want to watch Joe Blow with a job and family riding a trail bike, I want to see the best riders in the world pinning it in a setting that is more familiar to the average biker.
I don't want NWD style films to ever go away, I'm just asking for more riding that we can relate to. As for your WC reference, I can appreciate how fast they go and the lines that they take, something that has much more in common with the average guy on his DH bike than what goes down at Rampage. And I'm sure I'd case the hell out of the Hafjell road gap
I wouldn't personally be inspired by watching Brett slap a garden variety berm or pull a manual that thousands of other riders could, when he is capable of doing things on a mountain bike that a single-digit number of people in the world can do, but maybe that's not the case for you.
Like someone above commented:
"I think the reason this article rubs some people the wrong way is all this talk of "real" or "true" mountain biking".
Even going so far as to put the words real and true in quotes, but I don't think Levy mentioned either of those things at all.
And below another commenter deduced from the article that Levy wants to watch videos of 'Joe blow riding enduro'. Which if you read the piece is just absurd.
I mean agree with the opinion or don't, but at least read it and evaluate it fairly.
"dumest" article?,
it "stuns" progress?
Levy never said he wanted rampage type stuff to go away. Neither do I even though I will never in my lifetime ride anything remotely close to that stuff. I think that even if rampage or slopestyle went away, it wouldn't matter in the greater scheme of things. Because people will always get on their bikes and ride up the mountain and down again. In my opinion that is what matters for most of us.
This one being my favourite... vimeo.com/67042197
Just some average guys on hard tails but on a mission. Half the film they seem to be touring but it still keeps my interest.
That being said. I also prefer the non dirt jumping segments. One of my favorite riding scenes is in "Not Bad" the Rude Rock Scene with Rene and Shandro
Where the Trail Ends is still probably my favorite. I'd love to see a sequel to that. Gimme some Coastal Crew movies to. I could watch old Norby all day.
Macaskill for part 2 of the film. He can say stoked as much as he wants.
I agree with you choppertank, it's like when listening to cannibal corpse I'm like "yeah that's gonna end with blast beats and out of tune solos" but when listening to meshuggah "oh sh*t, I lost count"
I don't personally watch any freeride stuff outside of Rampage, and even then I only usually watch the highlights. That's not a sleight on freeriders and slopestylers, I do appreciate how much skill is involved, it's just not my thing. Note to film makers, I'm also not that keen on "adventure film" cliches, coffee grinders, boat journeys etc. This stuff is free though, so we shouldn't complain too much!
no shit,i'm almost fifty,way past the age of learning this stuff,arthritic limbs dont't like crashing.
I love watching digging/trailbuild videos, there's not half enough of them, in fact there's very few.
Loved that Riley McIntosh building section in Life Cycles & really looking forward to Secco's Builder film
Love all that rooty/loamy/misty/techy British Colombia/Washington State type filming
Love seeing durty fast roosty skids and drifts; Dean Tennant, Kovarik, Savage video's- Pat Norris, Reece Wallace, Brendan Howey, Chromag's Jinya Nishiwaki and the hardtail-killers - videos with those guys/producers are quite simply, the sh*t :-)
For some reason I just don't feel natural saying it
if we have a particularly good session on bikes boards or whatever, then we would use stoke on trent as the superlative "such a good session at the track tonight mate, Im stoked" "yep loamy goodness man! stoke on trent!"
But then I probably overuse the terms rad and sick too I guess these terms start of in a half ironic/tongue in cheek way and then migrate into the daily lexicon.
On the subject of bike vids I much prefer just mountain bike videos, Vast and Virtuous are still two of my faves and I much prefer the adventure style edits and stuff like the dudes of hazard edits to the buck and trick filled bro fests. I Kind of feel like we're all bombarded with these big budget cinematic epics about these superhuman guys that inhabit planet rampage that it desensitises us to the big stuff. Cam zink's 100ft flip is a prime example it didn't look that big or impressive because we're all just used to seeing that stuff
Personally I want to watch stuff that inspires me to go out and have fun with my mates, rather than making me think "Im never going to be able to ride like that but I do NEEEEEED a new bike" thats not what bikes should be about as far as Im concerned more focus on fun and less triple ferit whips.
Personally Im with Mike in that Id rather watch Brendog or Ratty smash a corner than another massive flip.
Surfers are exempt from the 'stoked' ban!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgXObaM9i2Q
We all pick up the local lingo if you ride with the locals. It's just blending in. Ironically now I live in scotland I'm definitely more english haha.
On the video thing I want to see more real adventurous stuff that's different. Something I've never seen before. I like story and a mission/goal. My recent favourites were the yeti crew who went to do a circuit of some mountain in Peru. And the nutty dude in the 'road to karakol'. He had a shit 90s rigid piece of shit. But the video was entertaining because no ones done that before.
As for my own shit videos, you can watch a few here...
vimeo.com/smalltalesepictrails
I'm not a great rider and I only have a gopro because I like to spend my money on my bikes and traveling. I tried to make a conscious effort to not make a similar video twice. So I have adventures in different countries, trail building, heli biking, multi day epics, night riding etc. as I said to myself if I'm ever gonna put a video on line I want it to be a bit different to at least make up for my lack of skills.
More adventures that we can all do please...
I agree, they should shoot in 16mm again
Watching anthill's new trailer and seeing riding down a glacier and riding with a bunch of wild horses just seems so far removed from reality that it's got me thinking this will be the first film by The Collective / anthill team that I'm not excited about.
Ounr stuff like This is Peaty, Life behind Bars, remy Metailler's stuff, Aaron Laroque's stuff and anything with Bas Van steenbergen or Dean Tennant in it, makes me want to go ride.
Why would I want to watch people do something I can do, but only slightly better. It's like watching a porno where a guy with a 3 inch d#*k gets it on with a a 200lb girl with bad skin
Here's to...
The countless hours of single tracks, downhills and switch backs.
The hot sweaty days. The cold miserable nights. The all important post ride shower.
The camp fires, the makeshift tents. Sharing pizza and beer with strangers. Lending others company, parts or advice.
The lengthy drives. The seemingly impossible climbs. The death defying decents. Freezing lift rides.
Nature and passion.
There is far more to cycling than just bike park scenes and huge jumps I'll never ride (nor care to ride)
I feel like most bids are done by people who just want to show stunts. The Entertainers. Not by the blue collar guys who actually support and make up the sport. The brick and mortar.
I miss the movies where riders in the woods riding a really rad line they built. There was a video on here awhile bike of a guy riding a trail he built that was full of classic ladders, drops etc. It felt like that trial was just above my skill level so it got me pumped to ride. Basically i looked at it and said, "If i got out and ride I can do that trail in no time."
Now it seems like the bigger budget flicks are full of heli/drone shots of some ride ripping down a big face. That's cool and all and must respect to the dudes that hike up that and shred down. Takes balls of steel no doubt .. but you never get a sense of scale and it feels like we're too far removed from the action. I bet it's a blast to do but it isn't so much to watch, for me anyway.
It is always hard to get stoked for a bike movie when they're released on iTunes right away.. don't get me wrong, the access is rad and i bet it makes a lot of sense for the film makers to try and recuperate their dough but I always got stoked when my local shop put on a "premiere" in town and NO ONE in the audience had ever seen the film. Now half the people have and the energy in the auditorium is completely subdued.
I am looking forward to Seccos new flick though.
www.pinkbike.com/news/builder-official-teaser.html
The way how he rides and enjoys every damn trail no matter if DH or Enduro , shows me what it's all about: Having fun with your friends on nice trails in a beautifull setting, thats about to take you out of everyday life to pure joy. to your way of life.
Video has become a staple of marketing for brands meaning that we are swamped with content that perhaps hasn't been created simply by people who want to visualise the joy of riding and how it feels. Short edits are all over the place and if we're not wowed within that brief video then we switch off as an audience. Also, video has never been more accessible or cheap to make, meaning that there is a huge amount of extremely average content which we are all consuming every day.
It's all about craft for me. If a mountain bike movie has been lovingly crafted with a good concept and great music which fits the mood then it is more likely to get my stoke meter buzzing. I also feel it is so difficult with a short film / edit to really get absorbed. We're often watching these (sometimes on the move) on a smartphone or tablet, and even if it is on a laptop or desktop it's difficult to get the same impact as sitting down and really WATCHING and becoming involved with a bike movie.
I'll never forget the first time I watched Life Cycles. It was so beautifully made, the idea was so complete and the soundtrack was an amazing fit. It took 6 years (I think?) to make that movie and it really shows when you watch it. Even the trailer was possibly the most perfect 2 and a half minutes of video ever created for mountain biking. vimeo.com/14600175
I'm sure if you got Derek Frankowski and Ryan Gibb to make a movie about trail riding, it would make me feel just as involved without all the big rigs and the three sixties off massive drops and the like. Don't get me wrong though, I aspire to those kind of stylish big tricks as much as the next guy, and they definitely have their place in a truly great MTB movie.
It will be interesting to see how Unreal stacks up when that drops next summer. Trailer is looking good so far.
No disrespect, but "shred movies" of any genre are really just re-hashing of Warren Miller. The content has not changed much in 10 years.
Love the Documentary Pedal Driven, because there's a story one can follow, it's not just a shred fest, and when they do get to shredding, it's locals riding things I'd ride. NOT that there's anything really wrong with the pros hitting insane lines, the riding is insane, and inspires me to push myself further with MY riding.
I'm anxious to see more rider driven content, rather than the big boy productions. Cameras have evolved enough that with a little talent, many average joe riders can produce something of cinematic quality - that is what I am looking forward to.
The Collective helped evolve the movie thing with Seasons, and to a lesser part "Follow Me". I'd like to see more story driven content from the big boys, as well as from the average dudes.
(That said, I'm looking forward to the follow up to "Where the trail ends"....
We need more innovation and better betrayal of personalities in order for us to "buy in" emotionally. As said above, you can only watch so many whips and jumping in the red dirt of Utah.
Great Article !
www.pinkbike.com/news/An-Evil-Uprising-video-2013.html
Also, random side bar, Pinkbike originated as only DH videos. and Rampage totally got me stocked this year but mainly due to the "Road to Rampage" series which gave a ton of background to really build the story.
I can't say that any mountain bike movie since "Follow Me" has really floated my boat. There's the odd segment that I'll think is really cool, but generally, it all just leaves me squirming in my seat. Whereas WC downhill, I'll watch live feed all morning ...
I'm really liking some of the diary based vids I see on PB a lot more - Projeckt Roam being a fave.
the latest film is closer to reality than the tricks, flips and twists of imaginate... yes it still has the odd Danny flip and hop, but the majority is about the adventure of riding/carrying up a mountain that we can all relate to.
Also, I feel like there's way less riding down a hill or hitting sick fast jump lines like in Follow me, going all dirt jumps and triple-everything tricks. I know it's all just subjective, but I'll take watching Sam hill ride over any dirt jumper any time of a day.
I love to see what's possible on a mountain bike and love to see the riders pushing the envelope of the sport. I agree that a nice dash of trail riding thrown in can add a quite a bit to a video. However, I would not be inclined to purchase a DVD/Bluray that has just a bunch of trail riding in it. I'm kinda surprised to be in the minority on this topic. The last three I bought were all great and had a nice mix of riding and a major STOKE factor. That is, Barred for Life 2, Arrival and Rad Company all rocked! Keep the stoke alive Johnny Five!
Do you watch prefer porn with "average" girls too?
The videos today contain riding far beyond my skill level, but I still prefer watching the best of the best opposed to joe-blow in HD riding enduro. The videos we have now are stunning. The riders, superhuman. If you no longer get amped watching these types of film, perhaps something else in your life is off. Fix your chi, get amped on riding videos, grab your bike, and shred.
I'm not sure exactly how you concluded that Levy wants to watch "joe-blow riding enduro".
On of my favorite vids for it epicness.No tricks or big hucks to be found.
This video of trail riding gets me so stoked to ride!
I can watch it over and over
www.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/Backcountry-Trail-Addiction,27183/csteen,28416
Stoked.
Does not get my hard earned £
I'll wait till its on youtube
errrr
f*ck you?
"I'm going to make a suggestion to the filmers out there: make a mountain bike movie that actually has mountain biking in it. Put the best riders in the world on their trail bikes and film them"
Kinda looks like thats what you said to me....
I'm only poking fun really.