Pinned DVD - Review
Pinned is really a no apologies full on race video. With some of North America's best riders and filmed at races across the country, Pinned looks quite promising. The 'ol travel budget must of got a good bump as BMC Productions managed to get to Angle Fire, Aspen Nationals, the Southridge Winter Series, Fontana, Sea Otter, and the 'Vegas 4x. Not to mention many of the riders home trails and mountains.
The description on the case sums it best:
Pinned Follows The Riders On And Off The Racecourses Tear Up Their Favorite Trails. Special Highlights Include Chris Kovarik At Lake Elsinore And Steve Peat, Greg Minaar Going Head To Head In The Final Run Of The Dual Slalom At Sea Otter. With Multiple HD Cameras Covering The Races And The Trails. You Won't Miss A Moment Of The Action
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Pinned contents page
After a bit of a marathon intro, Pinned leads into some action from the Chili Challenge at Angel Fire. Watching the bikes get worked over on the Angel Fire track at race speed is impressive, not only do you get to see the rippers but also some punters that remind me how I'd look while trying to put down a good time. For those of you that hit up some of the series in Pinned you'll love being able to see where you've been and how its done. None of the footage seems to get that clear or crisp, but it pretty easy to get the sense that those guys are moving.
![photo]()
TJ Sharp at Angel Fire
Some of the riders get a chance to speak for a bit longer than in other flicks, which is pretty neat-o. Without ever having met David K. I get the sense he is a bit of a funny man after listening to him talk about his reasons for racing bicycles down hills, it adds a bit of personality to the usual mix of pro's riding bikes. It's really only for the money and women, right?
See David Talk and then see David shred!
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Steve Wentz getting loose in the dust
Although not really that exciting to watch on film, it was still cool to see the 'Vegas 4x/Mountain Cross/Double Dual get some coverage. The event didn't get a lot of coverage over the Interbike week and I don't think a lot of people even knew it went down. Oh well, make up for it now!
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There's a lot packed in there!
Check out the trailer for Pinned!
![photo]()
Ian Odom gets good and loose on his big Brodie
Without exaggerating I can tell you I have pretty much every mountain bike movie that has ever been released on DVD... as well as VHS. I'm not too sure if that is a good thing or not, although I am sure that the girlfriends I've had over the years would say that it isn't. Regardless, nothing beats popping in a good vid to get the fires stoked before a ride, or a proper beer and bike movie night with your crew. There is just something that is right about watching the best absolutely tear the mountain a new a*shole. As it turns out though, most of Pinned doesn't really manage to get my fires as stoked as other videos. The riders are hauling ass, the filming is decent, even the soundtrack is o.k. (which is rare for a MTB movie), but almost nothing in the film makes me jump up and holler. Maybe we're getting a bit jaded by some of these cable-cam'ed and heli-filmed super videos. Maybe not. BNC advertises Pinned as filmed in HD, but to be honest it is one of the lower quality video's I've seen in quite awhile. If you follow any one of the series featured in Pinned you'll get a kick out of seeing it on your T.V., maybe you're even in it, other than that I have a hard time recommending Pinned to any poor mountain biker, there are better films to spend your money on, sorry.
![photo]()
Pretty self explanatory...
Yup, there is a pretty big crash section in Pinned. Yup, it's right in the middle of the video. I've never been a big fan of watching riders go down hard as it seems to take the wind out of my sails a bit (not to mention theirs). Put it in the bonus section, put it at the end at least, not right in the middle of all the action. I guess that's what the 'skip' button is for on the remote.
There are some heavy hits in the "Carnage" section
![photo]()
Kovarik shortly before the shit hits the fan
While most of Pinned is not slow-motion worthy, Chris Kovarik closes down the video with an earth shaking display of riding in California. Dressed in black and on his big Intense, he gives a show on how to ride a big bike with flat pedals: foot out and fast as all F#&*. How else would he have it?! The bike is constantly over at an impossible angle and the corner looks like a land mine went off in his wake. Aggression at it's best, I am now a bit closer to understanding that 14 second beat down everyone received at Fort Bill in '02.
![photo]()
BOOM
Am I simply a hater? I'd like to think not, Pinned just isn't in the same category as most of the other recent releases. Obviously BNC Productions doesn't have the same budget as some of the big players out there, but there are more and more little guys putting out videos that do nothing but impress, Pinned just isn't one of them. Of course I'd much rather sit back and watch Pinned than, say, Titanic or and episode of The Hills, it is still a MTB movie after all! If you are a simply a MTB movie fan and already have everything else, then by all means I'd say pick up a copy of Pinned and you can get the video for only $12.95 on BNC Productions site. If that isn't the case I would counsel you to give it a pass.
BNC Productions
Mike "Kakah" Levy
The description on the case sums it best:
After a bit of a marathon intro, Pinned leads into some action from the Chili Challenge at Angel Fire. Watching the bikes get worked over on the Angel Fire track at race speed is impressive, not only do you get to see the rippers but also some punters that remind me how I'd look while trying to put down a good time. For those of you that hit up some of the series in Pinned you'll love being able to see where you've been and how its done. None of the footage seems to get that clear or crisp, but it pretty easy to get the sense that those guys are moving.
Some of the riders get a chance to speak for a bit longer than in other flicks, which is pretty neat-o. Without ever having met David K. I get the sense he is a bit of a funny man after listening to him talk about his reasons for racing bicycles down hills, it adds a bit of personality to the usual mix of pro's riding bikes. It's really only for the money and women, right?
 |  |
 |  |  |
Although not really that exciting to watch on film, it was still cool to see the 'Vegas 4x/Mountain Cross/Double Dual get some coverage. The event didn't get a lot of coverage over the Interbike week and I don't think a lot of people even knew it went down. Oh well, make up for it now!
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Without exaggerating I can tell you I have pretty much every mountain bike movie that has ever been released on DVD... as well as VHS. I'm not too sure if that is a good thing or not, although I am sure that the girlfriends I've had over the years would say that it isn't. Regardless, nothing beats popping in a good vid to get the fires stoked before a ride, or a proper beer and bike movie night with your crew. There is just something that is right about watching the best absolutely tear the mountain a new a*shole. As it turns out though, most of Pinned doesn't really manage to get my fires as stoked as other videos. The riders are hauling ass, the filming is decent, even the soundtrack is o.k. (which is rare for a MTB movie), but almost nothing in the film makes me jump up and holler. Maybe we're getting a bit jaded by some of these cable-cam'ed and heli-filmed super videos. Maybe not. BNC advertises Pinned as filmed in HD, but to be honest it is one of the lower quality video's I've seen in quite awhile. If you follow any one of the series featured in Pinned you'll get a kick out of seeing it on your T.V., maybe you're even in it, other than that I have a hard time recommending Pinned to any poor mountain biker, there are better films to spend your money on, sorry.
Yup, there is a pretty big crash section in Pinned. Yup, it's right in the middle of the video. I've never been a big fan of watching riders go down hard as it seems to take the wind out of my sails a bit (not to mention theirs). Put it in the bonus section, put it at the end at least, not right in the middle of all the action. I guess that's what the 'skip' button is for on the remote.
 |  |
While most of Pinned is not slow-motion worthy, Chris Kovarik closes down the video with an earth shaking display of riding in California. Dressed in black and on his big Intense, he gives a show on how to ride a big bike with flat pedals: foot out and fast as all F#&*. How else would he have it?! The bike is constantly over at an impossible angle and the corner looks like a land mine went off in his wake. Aggression at it's best, I am now a bit closer to understanding that 14 second beat down everyone received at Fort Bill in '02.
 |  |  |
Am I simply a hater? I'd like to think not, Pinned just isn't in the same category as most of the other recent releases. Obviously BNC Productions doesn't have the same budget as some of the big players out there, but there are more and more little guys putting out videos that do nothing but impress, Pinned just isn't one of them. Of course I'd much rather sit back and watch Pinned than, say, Titanic or and episode of The Hills, it is still a MTB movie after all! If you are a simply a MTB movie fan and already have everything else, then by all means I'd say pick up a copy of Pinned and you can get the video for only $12.95 on BNC Productions site. If that isn't the case I would counsel you to give it a pass.
BNC Productions
Mike "Kakah" Levy
Author Info:
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Maybe is not the best video... Maybe is not even near, but it´s not fair to judge all videos in the same way... Low budget compared with those that were made with a bunch of dough... Anyways... the last judge is, you enjoy or not, you buy it or not, is that simple. If that video fails, ok, the guys who made will try again better, that´s all about. At least they tried. And there are some nice shots there... I keep always thinking that concept is most important than fireworks. This video is not THAT conceptual and obviously lacks of fireworks, but is not THAT bad.
If you cannot put together a single grammatically correct sentence, maybe it's best that you stay in the forums and debate whether or not you should run white grips with your white bars.
With that said - I like the video, alot. Sure it's not NWD20 and does not have monster trucks or half naked porn stars launching 50# huck sleds over drunk midgets with machine guns - but the video is solid. What needs to be recognized here is that this is a grassroots style racing video, not a circus style "dazzle 'em with brilliance or distract 'em with monster trucks and skin" type affair.
While it's great to watch Hill and Peaty destroy courses the world over, the simple fact of the matter is that watching top level pros is a very small part of downhill racing. What "Pinned" does an excellent job of is capturing the anticipation, the excitement and the disappointment of racing for guys and girls who actually have to get up on Monday morning to pay the bills. In my opinion, the video is a welcome departure from the hype that has come to define the genre of "DH" type vids. The riding is very solid (Kovarick's footage is the best I've seen anywhere, bar none) and the footage does an excellent job of capturing the speed and skill involved in DH racing.
If you're the type who likes pixie sticks with your Mt. Dew, you may do well to look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you actually ride and love the sport for everything from time spent trying to track down lost linkage bolts in the pits to feeling like you're gonna puke every time you hear "riders ready?" to sharing a podium with bros - this video is for you.
In short - this is a rider's video. Pinned's clips will likely never find their way into the "Destroyed in Seconds" archive, but in the end - isn't that a good thing?Check this DVD out - it might be a long stretch to think that anonymous posters on teh intrawebs don't know what they're talking about, but then again, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.
The reason I ask is because the trailer really isn't much of an indication of the video's quality, in fact, the song in the trailer that has provoked such scorn isn't even found in the video (which I agree is a good thing).
My intent wasn't to bash those of you who have different tastes, it just troubles me to see someone's hard work bashed based solely on one song or a few minutes of a trailer when the vid is otherwise very solid.
anthill hasnt even had a film yet, what are you doing comparing it to them?