As an avid mountain biker, I’ve at all times cherished the concept of documenting my epic rides with a GoPro. It’s giddy to consider starring in a cinematic shred fest that I can share with family and friends. However, frankly, the strap-on cameras at all times appear to let me down. Upon overview, footage reveals a disappointing gulf between perceived and precise expertise—my white-knuckle spins look extra like drunken escapades in a kiddie pool. And I’m positive it’s partially my fault. As an grownup with actual life obligations, I’ve neither the time nor endurance to mess with the infinite trick angles and edits required to seize the real-life glory of our journey.
So I’ve found a shortcut—follow-behind drones. They aren’t excellent, however they may help remedy the issue for frequent solo adventurers like me. Familiarize your self with the tech and also you emerge trying fairly cool—even throughout lowkey rides. Push a couple of buttons and the drone flies itself in accordance with preset flight patterns, taking pictures video because it goes.
It’s a lot simpler to let the robotic cinematographer seize the surroundings on backcountry rides than attempting to whip your head side-to-side, stage stills, or coordinate with a cam buddy. Higher nonetheless, drones can zip above the timber at summits and different magnificence factors for aerial perspective.
I researched the most effective follow-behind choices presently accessible and spent a couple of weeks testing a number of the most promising. Ultimately, I landed on a pair of drones that greatest match my wants for journey content material manufacturing. Right here’s a fast information that outlines their strengths, weaknesses, and the type of efficiency you may anticipate on your greenback.
Relating to mountain biking or gravel rides in tight areas, this drone is king of the hill. It matches within the palm of your hand, shoots in crystal clear 4k video at 120 frames per second, and weighs lower than seven ounces. The tremendous sturdy space-age plastic can take severe punishment—like a high-speed carom off an enormous oak leaned over a banked XC curve within the backcountry.
Ten in-built flight modes pair with remarkably intuitive use to allow you to seize high quality content material nearly straight out the field. A devoted app speeds progress with interactive tutorials and provides a phone-controlled guide flight possibility. Presets like “zoom out” allow you to pose on a summit overlook because the drone backs away to a set distance to seize the glory of your environment. Impediment avoidance expertise powers observe modes that nab footage from aspect angles or instantly behind your bike. Additionally, top is adjustable from straight-on to barely above, and the drone can attain speeds of 26 mph.
The ProMax excelled on well-maintained trails—like Massanutten Resort’s Western Slope using space—the place brush and hanging limbs weren’t a problem. It blazed by way of turns at a smoldering downhill clip and refused to be shaken. Once I tried it on extra obscure bombers within the Jefferson Nationwide Forest, nonetheless, issues bought just a little shaky. Inbuilt security mechanisms triggered the monitoring to wonk out in areas the place rhododendron tunneled closely across the singletrack. Lithium-ion batteries, in the meantime, have a practical lifetime of round 16 minutes, so you will need to swap them out—and have a bunch—to get steady footage. The flow-shattering stops have been like coping with an out-of-shape brother-in-law who’d tagged alongside.
However the agitation evaporated after I reached the three,400-ridge of Hankey Mountain and was capable of lastly do justice to a staggeringly stunning overlook with unimpeded views of Ramseys Draft Wilderness. Ditto for the practically three-mile downhill blaze again to Braley Pond Day Use Space.
At $799, the fundamental X1 ProMax package deal with two batteries, carry case, and a quick charger isn’t precisely low cost. (Add a pair of batteries for one more $75.) However the drone packs a ton of artistic potential into a simple to make use of and extremely succesful package deal. For me, the outcomes are well worth the worth of admission.
The world’s first 3D drone could not look like an apparent alternative for biking footage, however for outside lovers like me who journey quite a bit for work, the Antigravity is a formidable secret weapon. Just like the identify implies, the drone makes use of a pair of cameras geared up with ultrawide lenses to seize and compile 8k video in a close to spherical view. The simultaneous footage yields an nearly limitless capability to shift angles and perspective throughout modifying.
The choice to vary viewpoints to look outward in both course, straight down, ahead, again, and even skyward at any given second is a robust instrument for representing spins on epic roadways just like the Blue Ridge Parkway or far Southwest Virginia’s famed Again of the Dragon scenic drive. Consider most speeds of about 36 mph, an especially customizable “deep observe” mode, six-mile vary, and inbuilt AI instruments that streamline modifying, and there’s quite a bit to love.
As is perhaps anticipated, the cutting-edge tech does include a studying curb. A telephone app with game-style tutorials the place you construct abilities helps ease the transition—however you must make investments a couple of hours to develop something near competency. The primary-of-its-kind product additionally has some quirks.
One elephant within the room is worth: The A1’s commonplace package deal will set you again $1,279. The second is flights presently require a joystick and pair of googles. That’s not an enormous deal in the event you’re understanding of a car to shoot land or cityscapes, however it creates hurdles for immersive actions like biking. My workaround is admittedly cumbersome. Fiind a protected pullover, don the headset, get the drone within the air, set the “deep observe” mode, pack the gear again up, then pedal on.
That rigamarole would have excluded the Antigravity from last consideration. However the firm is about to launch a brand new firmware and app combo that brings flight management out of your telephone. That promise and unequalled picture high quality makes the A1 my go-to for scenic biking adventures.
