Mountain Biking Question

[ShadowCat]

Footage from go pro is not what I want . I want to see myself riding not see the trail ahead .
I very rarely ride with anyone else . I work shifts so most people are at work when I ride and riding when I’m at work. I bought the drone to film myself .
No one filming you would be able to follow you down a 5 min track keeping the drone camera on you anyway .

you will have to plan your route ahead using waypoints and adjust for variables like height, obstructions and obstacles as you will have let your drone fly without any control, thats dangerous in itself.

 

[Chrislaf]

Having the transmitter strapped to your chest is probably the best bet as you can keep an eye on the drone and can take control when needed. I have used a Bestem transmitter holder for phantom style RCs that straps the transmitter to your chest. I have used it snowmobiling which can get pretty bumpy, nordic skiing, and cycling and it has worked ok. I had to add velcro to the bottom of my transmitter to keep it from sliding out. I also have a Spark but would have to make some form of adapter to use it with the transmitter harness. The biggest problem I have, is the side to side movement of the controller. Mountain biking on rugged terrain would likely need some modifications to the mount supports.

Here is the Amazon link to the one I have.

Maybe they make one for the Mavic style controllers now.

Good Luck,

Chris

 

[Citizen Flier]

Footage from go pro is not what I want . I want to see myself riding not see the trail ahead .
I very rarely ride with anyone else . I work shifts so most people are at work when I ride and riding when I’m at work. I bought the drone to film myself .
No one filming you would be able to follow you down a 5 min track keeping the drone camera on you anyway .

Well if that's your goal, I suggest you PRACTICE in open areas with little tree cover and no power lines etc. Learn the ropes & lower your hopes. Desert riding, grassland or open chaparral would make longer takes possible, with less crash risk. If a crash dies occur, retrieval is far easier in the open than in deep forest -I've been there. And of course, remember that small trees, especially branches without leaves may not be recognized by collision detection. Also, I'm constantly disappointed at seeing so many mid day aerials in harsh bright light. There's a reason most films/photos are captured during "Golden Hour". But with drones, you have to factor the possibility of a crash in failing light. Retrievel will be hampered by darkness. So If you want a stunning video of your descent of Mad Mountain, you might consider a dawn descent. Good luck!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Get a Skydio II...

This is the only way to go with fast action footage from a drone aloft.
See a few of their YT vids following such action, nothing compares.

Of course, the Skydio 2 doesn't do (as easily) what DJI drones can do with cinematic shooting and range etc.

They are simply different drones, with different capabilities, for far different purposes.

The active track, smart capture, nothing is going to reliably keep up with mountain biking in most cases.

Scotland ?
If it's big open terrain, almost no trees, not too hilly, fairly green (or all brown) type landscape (for contrast), you could try slower riding, wear contrasting jacket (if all green around wear a black jacket / dark pants etc).
Keep close, you need to have some decent amount of target for active track to keep in touch with.

Maybe rig up the controller to hang around a neck lanyard to hang mid chest, left and right attachment on controller so it hang right and sticks are not compromised.

Different drones will have features for moving from home point.
You will have to be very aware of this, and what to do if (when) the drone and controller lose each other, or active track loses you . . . and be able to respond fast before it returns to some other place like home point, or last reset home point.

 

[ShadowCat]

This is the only way to go with fast action footage from a drone aloft.
See a few of their YT vids following such action, nothing compares.

Of course, the Skydio 2 doesn't do (as easily) what DJI drones can do with cinematic shooting and range etc.

They are simply different drones, with different capabilities, for far different purposes.

The active track, smart capture, nothing is going to reliably keep up with mountain biking in most cases.

Scotland ?
If it's big open terrain, almost no trees, not too hilly, fairly green (or all brown) type landscape (for contrast), you could try slower riding, wear contrasting jacket (if all green around wear a black jacket / dark pants etc).
Keep close, you need to have some decent amount of target for active track to keep in touch with.

Maybe rig up the controller to hang around a neck lanyard to hang mid chest, left and right attachment on controller so it hang right and sticks are not compromised.

Different drones will have features for moving from home point.
You will have to be very aware of this, and what to do if (when) the drone and controller lose each other, or active track loses you . . . and be able to respond fast before it returns to some other place like home point, or last reset home point.

This is why this is a two person job

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

This is why this is a two person job

Exactly, and slow.
Stop, setup, do some filming, stop, pack away quickly, move on. Repeat.
Suppose for some nice footage worth it, and worth doing safely.

 

[Quentin]

Hi Folks, just wondering if any of you guy's take your drone out mountain biking and if so how do you mount the controller/phone onto your handlebars. I'm looking for a solution, it has to withstand severe vibration.



Cheers and take care.

I use the bag I carry the drone in it's a back pack but hang it on my front with it open and control sitting in the bag works for me

 

[Citizen Flier]

Just remember RTH will remain where you launched if you don’t update it. Search forum for info on this

 

[Chrislaf]

Just remember RTH will remain where you launched if you don’t update it. Search forum for info on this

Dronelink’s Follow function apparently updates the home point as you go so this might be a solution although I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet as we are under stay at home orders here in Ontario. Once those are lifted (soon), I plan on trying it out for biking and kayaking.

Chris

 

[dronelink]

Jacob here at Dronelink, I mountain bike and recently captured some footage in Moab testing the Dronelink Follow mode on some slick rock (ie, no tall trees).

The Follow function is GPS follow, and the home point updates dynamically, and there is actually a setting to disable input from the RC sticks for the follow mode. I tossed the controller into my camelback and hit the trail. Footage was great.

Learn more about how to use it here:

Modes - Follow on-the-fly function

Learn how to use Follow Mode and see various configuration options that are available Key Features: Adjust follow distance, altitude, orientation, and camera tilt using the remote controller E...

support.dronelink.com

I'd recommend Active track or the Skydio for closer in footage when navigating around trees a forest.