Video: The Sounds of Hardtail Shredding in Pemberton
Cookie had a vision. A project, pairing two local talents. Sam Todd and Radek Drozdowicz.
Sam, a humble, talented local shredder who simply rips on a Chromag hardtail. When asked for a bio, he provided the following:
 | I’m a Kiwi who loves to ride. |
photo by Radek
Radek, an enigmatic filmmaker, known around Pemberton for his surreal depiction of the people and landscapes in the local riding community.
| I love when the rider's style inspires my filming. It was great to watch Sam shred the hardtail even in rough terrain full of roots and rocks. It's easy to forget that hardtails can be very capable trail bikes in the right hands. Geek Fact - For some time now, I've been using anamorphic lenses to shoot biking. It's definitely not the easiest format to portray MTB especially with 16x9 camera sensor not having too much vertical space but I really love the look. The sound of the rider and the bike hitting the rocks could be brutal at times. It's that raw harshness in the speakers that excites the imagination. You start to hear the speed. |
Photo by Rebecca Ritz
Photo by Rebecca Ritz
Cookie is the warehouse man at Chromag and a man of sound. Supreme bassist and jam room architect, he keeps the 64 speakers at Chromag in balance. Cookie wanted to see Sam filmed by Radek, a worthy combination in it's own right, but with an emphasis on sound. Here's what Cookie had to say:
| We were intent on catching the sound of the bike and rider tearing down the trail. The almost cliché clicks of the freehub, the huffing and puffing, the rocks and duff getting chewed up by sheer speed and power and of course that awesome sound we can only describe as schralp. Sam was set up with a chest mounted mic. Radek had me use a handheld stereo mic that I aimed at Sam as he rode. There was a long pencil/shotgun condenser mic that we hid nearby specific features that we felt would make an interesting sound. Radek also had the mic from his camera. The only struggle for me was not yelping every time Sam did something terrifying. |
Photo by Cookie
photo by Matt Bruhns
This was a 3 person project. Sam shreds. Radek films. Cookie records sound. Get close, wear your headphones, turn up your speakers and come along for a ride!
photo by Radek
Rider: Sam Todd
Filmer: Radek Drozdowicz
Sound: Cookie Losee
Author Info:
Member since Nov 21, 2011
Must Read This Week
How to Watch the 2024 Mountain Bike World Cup [Update: Staylive Offering Access in New Zealand, South Africa & More]
59385 views
59385 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
I'm on a Chromag Stylus with Onyx hubs. Pure bliss.
I was just going to say the same thing... I rode an Onyx for a little bit and I would always joke to the guys in the bike shop that every ride felt like I was in one of those Raw 100 Red Bull videos...lol. You could just hear so much more without the sound of the sound of the cassette.