Wednesday, 16 July 2014
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
No Style...
"If you look at the way Bruce Lee trained, the way he fought, and many
of the things he wrote, he said the perfect style was no style. You
take a little something from everything. You take the good things from
every different discipline, use what works, and you throw the rest away."
- Dana White, Fight Times magazine
Thus was Badbury Clumps, the boarder-cross track held deep in the Oxfordshire woods with plenty of cheeky grabs to be made off the two or three kickers lining the course. Goes to demonstrate the lack of boundaries that usually tries to separate the traditional disciplines of freerider, freestyler or boardercross-er. Bring anything and everything to the party and learn something new from everyone.
No excuses - No Style.
- Dana White, Fight Times magazine
Thus was Badbury Clumps, the boarder-cross track held deep in the Oxfordshire woods with plenty of cheeky grabs to be made off the two or three kickers lining the course. Goes to demonstrate the lack of boundaries that usually tries to separate the traditional disciplines of freerider, freestyler or boardercross-er. Bring anything and everything to the party and learn something new from everyone.
No excuses - No Style.
Friday, 18 January 2013
THE FUTURE RISE IN POPULARITY OF MOUNTAINBOARDING
....A short essay written September 2012 for an online competition. Only changes are a small bit of punctuation update and a short clarification.
An essay in which Ade imagines a future where
mountainboarding is far more popular than it currently is.
Imagine a world where mountainboarding was a viable
alternative to walking, taking the car or riding public transport. Okay, maybe a stretch too far, so let’s
imagine a world the UK where just as many people participate in boarding
dirt as they do on snow. Not an unreasonable scenario, even with my limited
imagination and entirely possible if only more people dropped the assumption of
danger and embraced the lower entry level price-point allowing them to surf the
hills right there on their doorstop.
Secretly though, isn’t this what we all want? For the kids to think we’re cool and the
ladies to swoon? To be seen to be
alternative rather the mainstream and to have the bemused onlookers wondering
what on earth you are riding, and how could you possibly be in control? This is of course a whole separate issue to
be discussed at length elsewhere and for now let’s embrace the population en-mass.
It’s not hard these days to pick up a mountainboard, either
new or second hand with spare parts going for pocket money. Upgrades and pimping come at a price, but for
the meantime, at least we’re riding.
From your budget Kheo or BlueEarth board through to the specialist MBS
and noSno options, we’re not really looking at a huge price difference to the
snowboard equivalent of £100-£500. Take
out the cost of flights and lift passes though and throw in a little petrol
money, and mountainboarding is clearly
the budget-friendly winner of the two.
So what would happen if mountainboarding were to become the
next biggest thing? It’s not impossible
and the scene could massively benefit from a boost in sales should a boarding
sequence appear in the next James Bond or Jason Bourne film. Supposing all of the above was to happen then
several implications of such a scenario are envisioned below.
The entry cost of buying a boarding, already pretty cheap should
drop as a result of mass production with an increase in both selection of board
types and range of graphics. It’s not
implausible that far more money will then be invested by the major
manufacturers into R&D, producing boards that are more specific to the
discipline in which they are developed in order to give people a definite reason
to buy the current seasons stock. Of
course, the market would be flooded with imitation NBS, Grampa and noGro
knock-offs taking advantage of tried and tested to destruction designs but mountainbikes
survived a similar growth spurt in the 1990’s and I suspect that micro scooters
are going through a similar stage right now
And that’s great - it will mean that the public have embraced the idea
of travelling by four-wheels, and when NBS falls apart or when Mr Public takes it
to the bumpier hills, the established brands will still be there for those who
want them.
Awareness. Awareness
of boarding is a tricky one, especially where the authorities are
involved. Bearing in mind that I have
absolutely no idea where we stand legally when riding public footpaths (though I was once told with
dead-certainty that mountainboards were legally in the same category as a pram),
my excuse that “bikes are not allowed here but this certainly isn’t a bike”,
presently holds a little weight.
Ignorance is no excuse, but when there’s uncertainty all around, make
the most of it. Awareness can lead to
specific rules; no longer is it “keep off the grass”, but “No Mountainboarding
on the grass”, leading to popular “Mountainboarding is not a crime” T-shirts, in
dirty protest.
Awareness means that no longer are you the strange daredevil
on the rolling board of death, but in the public’s eyes you’re the chap who’s
trying out the latest “craze”, no matter how long you’ve actually been riding
for and you are defined by what you do rather than who you are. “I hate you because you’re a mountainboarder”.
Skateboarders seemed to have fought back well on this issue, but there
is still objections to build parks in certain areas due to the perception of
the people that may congregate there and not due to the skating that will actually
take place.
Incidentally, more mountainboarders equals far more
mountainboarders that are inevitably going to be better than me. This is not good.
Busier Forums. Today’s
Internet culture means that people are usually happy ask questions first,
search later, ignoring all the hard work done previously writing beautifully
crafted stickied FAQ’s and other replies to every other new rider who bought a
new board and didn’t check whether it would be suitable for the over 12’s. We should prepare to answer the same
questions over and over again, but that’s cool as everyone’s different and we
all love receiving the personal touch.
Bear in mind that for Snowboarding, a sport that is limited
to a handful of suitable UK venues or a handful of winter weeks (if we’re
lucky), or the winter holidays, the SCUK [Snowboarding Club: UK] has close to
20,000 registered users compared to the world’s most active mountainboard forum
[Surfing Dirt.com] (1,300 members, 200 active). Certainly the skills
between the two sports are very similar and if anything, there’s less parts to
a snowboard, but there’s certainly a larger choice in regards to range of manufacturers and varying products with their subtle
(and not so subtle) differences. In the
end, people still want reassurance that they’re buying the right equipment and
if you can’t do what you love doing, then what better than hanging out with
people of the same mindset who will also discuss what you love doing?
So, should we hold out and hope for mountainboarding being
the sport of the masses? There is a
popular podcast that goes by the name of ‘Answer Me This’, a UK based weekly
production where listeners send in random questions which are then answered in
a comedic way. During Episode 175 [currently
available as a download at http://answermethis.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/episode175/],
co-presenter Ollie Mann states on the subject of Parkour, that to him, whilst
all very cool, “feels a bit intrinsically 2006” after a period of relatively
heavy use in both film and advertising.
Not an unreasonable comment and not a dissimilar feeling to how many
members of the public are when pursuing the “next biggest thing”, leading to everything
else to feel a bit dated. If mountainboarding
remains relatively unknown, then in a way, it can never become new, and
following this strained logic, can never really become old.
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
The Mountainboarders Guide To Map Reading
[An unused article written late last year. Shame for it to lie unused so is reproduced in full below (though a closing paragraph and disclaimer wouldn't go amiss)]
In this modern age, we are unlikely to discover anything truly new without going to the remotest jungles or the deepest oceans, but that doesn't mean that we can't all be pioneers in our own backyard. Chances are in a land this large with so few mountainboarders means that there is a good odds you can find a local hill, wander up, ride down and become the first person to have ridden it on a mountainboard. Then ride it again clean to be the true Master of the Hill!
Perhaps you have conquered all of the local hills and are looking further afield for the next track to pick off, pioneer, then master, way before it later becomes a classic mountainboard location, ridden by riders from all over the country, all looking to replicate the success you have already gained.
But where to look in a country that is largely undulating but not necessarily mountainous; hilly but not necessarily accessible; accessible but not necessarily suitable?
A good starting point that should not be overlooked is local knowledge. The UK loves to hike and everyone knows a good hill, or knows where the bikers like to go or where sledging is popular. Where local knowledge is unavailable and where just going out and random wandering is not really a sensible option, then the next step is to pull out the OS map and get looking for clues. Can you read a map? Can you identify the terrain, footpaths, bridleways, roads, heights and likely gradients? Can you use the scale to estimate a rough distance and distinguish between a 50 metre dash and a 2km monster? If not, read on!
Part 1: OS Maps - An Overview
Part 2: Estimating Distance
Part 3: Estimating Terrain
Part 4: Estimating Gradient
Whilst other scales are available, for our purposes smaller scale maps provide insufficient detail and greater scale maps are harder, though not impossible to obtain. 1:25,000 map are available through bing.com and so are useful in this post for examples.
Usually, it is safe to assume that the top of the map points north (if you can read the writing then the map is probably the right way) and although there is a discrepancy between true north, grid north and magnetic north, as long as we are riding within the UK then we should be fine. If you want to know more about some of the different poles and the differences between them, then the Ordnance Survey do a good job explaining:
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/support/knowledgebase/grid-north-magnetic-north-and-true-north.html
Please remember the following disclaimer though from Ordnance Survey:
"Whilst we have endeavoured to ensure that the information in this product is accurate, we cannot guarantee that it is free from errors and omissions, in particular in relation to information sourced from third parties."
In brief, use the maps as a guide but use some common sense!
OS maps show grid lines running both north-south and east-west marked in blue lines spaced apart in 1km intervals. By mentally dividing these boxes by half or into tenths, smaller distances such as 100m or 500m can be estimated. Remembering the principles laid out by Pythagoras, walking from the corner of one box to the opposite corner is therefore approximately 1.4km or 700 metres to walk diagonally across a quarter square.
Knowing distance is important for us. It can tell us how far trail is from nearest parking, how long a trail may be, and crucially, how far it may be from the bottom of the trail back to the car again.
PDF documents explaining all the symbols can be downloaded from the Ordnance Survey site at both 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scale.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/education-and-research/teaching-resources/map-symbols.html
An overview of the most useful symbols ones will be covered below. Lets take my local hunting grounds, Allestree Park, as shown above. Even if we were unaware of the area, some common sense and the fact that it is labelled a 'Park' and has a 'Big Wood' should give us some clues to the likely local terrain. Lets now look at some of the symbols:
Parking. Very useful if you want a starting point to store all your gear and want to do a quick reccee without lugging around all of your equipment with you.
Footpath. In this case suggests that there is a 'Public Right of Way' across the site and so easy to get onto the land i.e. you don't need to fight through bushes to get to where you want to go. Also useful if you want a well defined track which may be harder under foot and hence faster to ride. Could also be a wet, sloppy mud-fest. Keep an eye out for walkers when riding, obviously.
Other path types include:
Non-coniferous trees. Here you can see from the overhead camera that a single tree icon designates several trees, or wood in this instance. What is not clear from either the map, nor the overhead shot is how densely packed the trees are, or what the forest floor is like. This is where going for a recce is the only way to be sure. Coniferous trees are also shown on this map, though unless you ride into one of them, it shouldn't make a difference one way or another.
Other tree types include:
Golf Course. Always popular with riders as the fairways are usually well maintained with the grass cut short. Of course, how well you are welcomed will depend on the 'exclusivity' of the course, ranging from tolerated to actively hunted and removed from site. Exercise caution.
Contour Lines. This is a section in itself and will be dealt with in Part 4, Estimating Gradient.
Lake. Don't fall in the lake.
Other possible symbols that might indicate a good place to ride include Mountainbike trail (the downhill parts anyway), Campsite (Good if you're in the middle of nowhere) or Viewpoint (suggests that it could look out over some lower terrain.
These are only some of the features shown. If something looks unfamiliar, then check the symbol guide!
These wiggly orange lines connect together areas of equal height and are indicated at either 5 or 10 metre vertical intervals. If it helps, they can be thought of as being similar to isobars on the weather reports, connecting the areas of equal pressure. Follow each line far enough and we should find a number equating to height above sea level. By comparing the lines to those adjacent to it, we can determine where the high and low ground lies and the direction of the slopes.
From 'The SAS Survival Handbook', by John Wiseman are a couple of images that may assist the notion of representing terrain through the use of contour lines.
In a nutshell, where they are tightly packed together means that the terrain is steep, or even a cliff if the lines converge and where they are far apart, the gradient is slight. We can even gauge if the shape of the hill is concave or convex by examining how the lines are grouped:
Lets take an example then using what we have learned so far. Imagine that we have a 1km square and there are roughly 20 grid lines equidistant across the square with each one dropping by 5 metres each time. From this we can determine that over that one kilometer, the height has dropped by 100 metres (20 x 5), equating to a 1 in 10 decent. By this, we mean for every 10 metres ridden, you drop down one metre. Not a bad decent; great if riding a firetrack, reasonable if riding short grass, may not be adequate if riding dense forest undergrowth.
It's worth mentioning that you cannot be over confident riding a trail 'blind' from map alone as the map will not show any terrain detail lower than the changes in contour lines. For example, if the contour lines only show 10 metre changes in height, then a significant 5-metre drop could be encountered that would never have been shown on the map. Again, exercise caution.
In this modern age, we are unlikely to discover anything truly new without going to the remotest jungles or the deepest oceans, but that doesn't mean that we can't all be pioneers in our own backyard. Chances are in a land this large with so few mountainboarders means that there is a good odds you can find a local hill, wander up, ride down and become the first person to have ridden it on a mountainboard. Then ride it again clean to be the true Master of the Hill!
Perhaps you have conquered all of the local hills and are looking further afield for the next track to pick off, pioneer, then master, way before it later becomes a classic mountainboard location, ridden by riders from all over the country, all looking to replicate the success you have already gained.
But where to look in a country that is largely undulating but not necessarily mountainous; hilly but not necessarily accessible; accessible but not necessarily suitable?
A good starting point that should not be overlooked is local knowledge. The UK loves to hike and everyone knows a good hill, or knows where the bikers like to go or where sledging is popular. Where local knowledge is unavailable and where just going out and random wandering is not really a sensible option, then the next step is to pull out the OS map and get looking for clues. Can you read a map? Can you identify the terrain, footpaths, bridleways, roads, heights and likely gradients? Can you use the scale to estimate a rough distance and distinguish between a 50 metre dash and a 2km monster? If not, read on!
Part 1: OS Maps - An Overview
Part 2: Estimating Distance
Part 3: Estimating Terrain
Part 4: Estimating Gradient
OS Maps - An Overview
Ordnance Survey (OS) provide UK maps at various scales, a popular one being 1:25,000. Note that the smaller the second number, the greater the detail and in this case, a centimetre on the map represents 25,000cm (250m) in real life. The exception to this are the symbols used to represent the various features; roads and rivers for example are a set width in order to be legible rather than being realistic.Whilst other scales are available, for our purposes smaller scale maps provide insufficient detail and greater scale maps are harder, though not impossible to obtain. 1:25,000 map are available through bing.com and so are useful in this post for examples.
Usually, it is safe to assume that the top of the map points north (if you can read the writing then the map is probably the right way) and although there is a discrepancy between true north, grid north and magnetic north, as long as we are riding within the UK then we should be fine. If you want to know more about some of the different poles and the differences between them, then the Ordnance Survey do a good job explaining:
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/support/knowledgebase/grid-north-magnetic-north-and-true-north.html
Please remember the following disclaimer though from Ordnance Survey:
"Whilst we have endeavoured to ensure that the information in this product is accurate, we cannot guarantee that it is free from errors and omissions, in particular in relation to information sourced from third parties."
In brief, use the maps as a guide but use some common sense!
Estimating Distance
OS maps show grid lines running both north-south and east-west marked in blue lines spaced apart in 1km intervals. By mentally dividing these boxes by half or into tenths, smaller distances such as 100m or 500m can be estimated. Remembering the principles laid out by Pythagoras, walking from the corner of one box to the opposite corner is therefore approximately 1.4km or 700 metres to walk diagonally across a quarter square.
Knowing distance is important for us. It can tell us how far trail is from nearest parking, how long a trail may be, and crucially, how far it may be from the bottom of the trail back to the car again.
Estimating Terrain
Estimating what the ground may be like is far easier when you can use overhead photos to assist predictions, but a lot can still be read from using the map symbols.PDF documents explaining all the symbols can be downloaded from the Ordnance Survey site at both 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scale.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/education-and-research/teaching-resources/map-symbols.html
An overview of the most useful symbols ones will be covered below. Lets take my local hunting grounds, Allestree Park, as shown above. Even if we were unaware of the area, some common sense and the fact that it is labelled a 'Park' and has a 'Big Wood' should give us some clues to the likely local terrain. Lets now look at some of the symbols:
Parking. Very useful if you want a starting point to store all your gear and want to do a quick reccee without lugging around all of your equipment with you.
Footpath. In this case suggests that there is a 'Public Right of Way' across the site and so easy to get onto the land i.e. you don't need to fight through bushes to get to where you want to go. Also useful if you want a well defined track which may be harder under foot and hence faster to ride. Could also be a wet, sloppy mud-fest. Keep an eye out for walkers when riding, obviously.
Other path types include:
Non-coniferous trees. Here you can see from the overhead camera that a single tree icon designates several trees, or wood in this instance. What is not clear from either the map, nor the overhead shot is how densely packed the trees are, or what the forest floor is like. This is where going for a recce is the only way to be sure. Coniferous trees are also shown on this map, though unless you ride into one of them, it shouldn't make a difference one way or another.
Other tree types include:
Golf Course. Always popular with riders as the fairways are usually well maintained with the grass cut short. Of course, how well you are welcomed will depend on the 'exclusivity' of the course, ranging from tolerated to actively hunted and removed from site. Exercise caution.
Contour Lines. This is a section in itself and will be dealt with in Part 4, Estimating Gradient.
Lake. Don't fall in the lake.
Other possible symbols that might indicate a good place to ride include Mountainbike trail (the downhill parts anyway), Campsite (Good if you're in the middle of nowhere) or Viewpoint (suggests that it could look out over some lower terrain.
These are only some of the features shown. If something looks unfamiliar, then check the symbol guide!
Estimating Gradient
Everything written above means nothing though if we get to a spot to find that it is flat as a pancake. Fortunately, OS maps give a good indication through the use of contour lines.These wiggly orange lines connect together areas of equal height and are indicated at either 5 or 10 metre vertical intervals. If it helps, they can be thought of as being similar to isobars on the weather reports, connecting the areas of equal pressure. Follow each line far enough and we should find a number equating to height above sea level. By comparing the lines to those adjacent to it, we can determine where the high and low ground lies and the direction of the slopes.
From 'The SAS Survival Handbook', by John Wiseman are a couple of images that may assist the notion of representing terrain through the use of contour lines.
In a nutshell, where they are tightly packed together means that the terrain is steep, or even a cliff if the lines converge and where they are far apart, the gradient is slight. We can even gauge if the shape of the hill is concave or convex by examining how the lines are grouped:
Lets take an example then using what we have learned so far. Imagine that we have a 1km square and there are roughly 20 grid lines equidistant across the square with each one dropping by 5 metres each time. From this we can determine that over that one kilometer, the height has dropped by 100 metres (20 x 5), equating to a 1 in 10 decent. By this, we mean for every 10 metres ridden, you drop down one metre. Not a bad decent; great if riding a firetrack, reasonable if riding short grass, may not be adequate if riding dense forest undergrowth.
It's worth mentioning that you cannot be over confident riding a trail 'blind' from map alone as the map will not show any terrain detail lower than the changes in contour lines. For example, if the contour lines only show 10 metre changes in height, then a significant 5-metre drop could be encountered that would never have been shown on the map. Again, exercise caution.
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Happy 2013!!!!
Where to begin? Well, happy 2013 for a start and sorry for the lack of any updates whatsoever. It's not even as if nothings happened with good times by one and all and the mountainboard scene ticking over nicely.
Actually, it's not all fun and games and real life gets in the way sometimes, but I won't blame that for the silence, nor is it the lack of motivation. No, sometimes things crop up that grab your attention and hold it for far longer than expected. Still, whilst no blogger has ever asked me for advice, should this ever happen I would say 1) Content is King: It is far easier to start a blog than to maintain a blog over a prolonged period of time. And 2) Blogging should be fun: do not become a slave to the blog. And with that in mind, doing absolutely no creative writing whatsoever for the past 3 months or so has been very relaxing.
And the point of this blog? Only to say that the Monday Evening Summer Sessions will return once our light sufficiently returns, be it in a slightly modified format. More on that later. In addition, there are a few articles and bits and pieces that never got published for various reasons that will crop up over the next few days. A few older articles may get a quick dusting off and reissued with a brand new sparkle, and if you're very, very lucky, maybe some brand new stuff will emerge.... Not just yet though, it's still too early.
Monday, 17 September 2012
Mountainboard Derby: September Update
Copied from the Mountainboard Derby Blog:
"I've not updated the Mountainboard Derby page in a while, but the Monday Night Sessions have still been rolling on, with somebody (me) out on the slopes every (most) Monday, rain or shine. Going back to the original rough plan of action, it was proposed that the formal sessions would carry on until late October when the clocks change and the light levels would prevent safe lessons to take place. Realistically though, if I'm able to get to a session for 7pm, at most we are getting an hour riding before last light, and this is only going to decrease as the nights draw in. Therefore, I'm taking the decision to cease the Monday Night Sessions as they currently stand. Lessons will still be provided on request although these will most probably take place at the weekends, or afternoon if I'm able to juggle work.
However, riding will still take place every Monday night where possible, but the shift will be to either the woods in Allestree or the occasional visit to Hemlock stone, or anywhere else people suggest. Bring your torches and keep an eye to the Mountainboard Derby Facebook Page for your most up-to-date information regarding riding plans. We hope to see you out there!"
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
ATBA-UK Downhill Round 2 - Write Up
I spend the days leading up to Round Two flicking between various weather forecast predictions, searching for the most optimistic of the bunch. They all say 'rain'. Undaunted, I pack the car prepared for the worst with all my items nicely grouped together in various bags:
- camping bag
- normal clothes bag
- riding gear bag
- more clothes to replace the ones that will inevitably get wet, bag
So with all this and a back seat stacked with boards and an mp3 player chocked full of tunes, Phill and I head off at midday, Friday in the rough direction of Mid Wales.
Day 1
Travel goes well. We cross the M6 at speed, whilst the cars below sit stationary. We are almost there in terms of distance, though only half way by time. Fun twisty, windy Welsh roads, here we come!
The directions to the campsite, though basic, get us there. Far from the idyllic patch of land I'd imagined, this was an exposed field already packed with tents. It was also raining and full of very serious looking men on mountainbikes. Ahh, the three day biking event was well underway already. Well, we're here now and so I drive down the track and onto the field. And instantly get stuck. Phill pushes me on a bit and one of the campers gives me two bits of advice 1) Don't go down the hill, you won't get back up, and 2) Don't get stuck. Cheers!
No sign of any other boarders, though we do see a van with a Bugsboarding sticker on the side...
We put up the tent close to a large stone in the middle of the field, offload as much as we can and then attempt to leave the campsite in order to find the competition track. Carefully this time, I avoid all the other ruts and exit the field with only one close encounter with someone's tent. His fault really for parking so close the the muddy puddle.
Finding the track is easy, it's exactly the same as last year, and there is good parking at the bottom. Only one other car parked up and certainly no sign of anyone around so we pad-up and make our way slowly up the 1.3 mile course. 3 cars come down the track, the drivers grinning and waving. What they were doing on a friday afternoon up a welsh hill is anyones guess, or perhaps they were just laughing at us with all our clobber. It is 4pm.
After climbing the hill for what feels like forever, we reach the finish line. It is still raining. I should have parked higher up.
After longer still, we reach the top. Due to us only riding uplifts last year, it was interesting to look at sections of the track in detail. We meet Andy Moon and family half way up. They are all looking very happy (and were probably happier still 30 minutes later when back in their car and the heavens opened). The top section goes on up and up and up and we debate where last years starting point would have been. In my head, I remember relaxing at the top, with several of us sitting on chopped logs. Unfortunately, someone had moved the logs. Still, there wasn't much to be gained from going much higher and so after both of us marking our territory on a couple of trees, we strap in and roll down. Not much to say on this, except that it all looks very much unchanged. No nasty surprises which is nice, so with knackered legs already, we head back to the car, fling everything onto the back seat, and jump in. It is 5.40pm already!
Discussing our tactics for the night, we decide rather than going back to the campsite, where I will inevitably get stuck again, we'd park in one of the towns carparks and head to the pub for some grub and a pint. Only the one, mind, as we're finely tunes athletes and an early night will do us good. Turns out that the pub we're in overlooks the fountain that will get turned on as part of the opening ceremony of the 'World Alternative Games'.
The pub is busy full of locals, couple of media types and various members of the Llandovery Male Voice Choir. We find a seat by the window and order up a couple of pies, plus a couple of pints to wash it all down. Yum, yum. We discuss the track and tactics for the next days event. Go quickly is the key!
The opening ceremony of the 'World Alternative Games' had to be seen to be believed but I will paint a picture in your mind. Imagine an enthusiastic samba band, a mountainbike chariot and a 6 inch fountain turned on by the local ex-mayor. There you go! The rain has stopped (for now), so all is looking good. In the excitement we go back inside the pub and have another pint. I get the feeling that the locals think Phill and I are an item. Hey ho, another pint it is then.
A plan of action is required. We're too drunk to drive but the campsite is only a couple of hundred metres away. "We could go back to the campsite now, or we could get a few emergency beers from the Spa, and try the other pub?", suggests Phill. It is raining and I think this is a fine plan of action. Good job we're finely tuned athletes and all that.
At around 11pm we stumble back onto the campsite with as much baggage as we think we'll need. It is dark and the serious mountainbikers are all tucked up in their beds - not quite the party we thought it may be. With a belly full of beer, sleep comes relatively quick. I bet the weather will be much nicer in the morning.
Day 2
I look out the tent at approximately 7am. It is raining and my head hurts. I vaguely remember seeing portaloos on the other side of the field. Its far warmer than the last time we camped up at Whinlatter, but that is little comfort right now. Is this what it's like in the Olympic village? We dismantle as much as possible and wonder why we brought so much stuff when the car is so far away (about half a mile it turned out) and dump everything in the boot. My system for separate bags for things has gone right out of the window and my set of Allen keys has disappeared - I'm sure that I had them on yesterdays run?
Anyway, we pad up, the Campbells arrive and park up behind us, the timing system is ready at the bottom of the hill, the van is ready to take us to the top of the hill and approximately 25 riders are ready to do this! Only one problem, and that's that the starting ramp has been inadvertently broken by Beiren on his first roll in. The solution, rather elegantly, is a wooden roll-in from the rear of the van. This allows both a 3 foot drop to gain initial speed and give two other riders time to strap in behind with further riders queuing up through the side sliding doors - clever!
"Where's the starting point? It's where the van was parked up first time. Where was that? Oh..." For the second and subsequent runs of the day, the starting line is very well defined.
Incidentally, the finish line has been moved up the track slightly as the track was running slightly slower than usual due to the bad weather. This made making the last corner a quick one less of a priority as there was far less rolling to do after this point.
The communal get together of all these boarders in one location must have appeased the riding gods because as the day went on, the weather just got better and better to the extent that I was applying mosquito spray just after lunchtime - Jungle Formula, very effective! Lunch was a couple of bacon sandwiches and beans provided by Phill - cheers Phill, the fresh Welsh air had done wonders for our morning sickness.
The riding was very quick and is best described in video form. First up, my on-board footage, and secondly, the official ATBA-UK version. From this it is clear just how much speed was being held through the chicane and on through the lower sections.
2012 ATBA-UK Downhill Series: Round 2 - 'Dave' from Adrian McCordick on Vimeo.
So, Phill and I rode until tired. Everyone else kept going, with Mark Sewell and Beiran looking tight at the top by the time we left. We hear that the times keep being chipped away with Matt Brind the overall winner with a staggering 3:00 minute run. The results in full are on the ATBA-UK blog here.
Our drive home is steady and uneventful. Kit is chucked in the garage and the long, long sleep begins.
Fantastic riding as always with great support from the boarding community travelling far and wide to attend. Big thanks to the ATBA-UK for organising such events and for taking the time out to repeatedly drive us all up the hill time and time again. In addition, it wouldn't be much of a competition without the time keepers who take time out from riding to clock us all out at the top and clock us all in at the bottom. And finally, the medics, who are there just in case, to patch us up after any silliness. Lets all do this again soon!
- camping bag
- normal clothes bag
- riding gear bag
- more clothes to replace the ones that will inevitably get wet, bag
So with all this and a back seat stacked with boards and an mp3 player chocked full of tunes, Phill and I head off at midday, Friday in the rough direction of Mid Wales.
Day 1
Travel goes well. We cross the M6 at speed, whilst the cars below sit stationary. We are almost there in terms of distance, though only half way by time. Fun twisty, windy Welsh roads, here we come!
The directions to the campsite, though basic, get us there. Far from the idyllic patch of land I'd imagined, this was an exposed field already packed with tents. It was also raining and full of very serious looking men on mountainbikes. Ahh, the three day biking event was well underway already. Well, we're here now and so I drive down the track and onto the field. And instantly get stuck. Phill pushes me on a bit and one of the campers gives me two bits of advice 1) Don't go down the hill, you won't get back up, and 2) Don't get stuck. Cheers!
No sign of any other boarders, though we do see a van with a Bugsboarding sticker on the side...
We put up the tent close to a large stone in the middle of the field, offload as much as we can and then attempt to leave the campsite in order to find the competition track. Carefully this time, I avoid all the other ruts and exit the field with only one close encounter with someone's tent. His fault really for parking so close the the muddy puddle.
Finding the track is easy, it's exactly the same as last year, and there is good parking at the bottom. Only one other car parked up and certainly no sign of anyone around so we pad-up and make our way slowly up the 1.3 mile course. 3 cars come down the track, the drivers grinning and waving. What they were doing on a friday afternoon up a welsh hill is anyones guess, or perhaps they were just laughing at us with all our clobber. It is 4pm.
After climbing the hill for what feels like forever, we reach the finish line. It is still raining. I should have parked higher up.
After longer still, we reach the top. Due to us only riding uplifts last year, it was interesting to look at sections of the track in detail. We meet Andy Moon and family half way up. They are all looking very happy (and were probably happier still 30 minutes later when back in their car and the heavens opened). The top section goes on up and up and up and we debate where last years starting point would have been. In my head, I remember relaxing at the top, with several of us sitting on chopped logs. Unfortunately, someone had moved the logs. Still, there wasn't much to be gained from going much higher and so after both of us marking our territory on a couple of trees, we strap in and roll down. Not much to say on this, except that it all looks very much unchanged. No nasty surprises which is nice, so with knackered legs already, we head back to the car, fling everything onto the back seat, and jump in. It is 5.40pm already!
Discussing our tactics for the night, we decide rather than going back to the campsite, where I will inevitably get stuck again, we'd park in one of the towns carparks and head to the pub for some grub and a pint. Only the one, mind, as we're finely tunes athletes and an early night will do us good. Turns out that the pub we're in overlooks the fountain that will get turned on as part of the opening ceremony of the 'World Alternative Games'.
The pub is busy full of locals, couple of media types and various members of the Llandovery Male Voice Choir. We find a seat by the window and order up a couple of pies, plus a couple of pints to wash it all down. Yum, yum. We discuss the track and tactics for the next days event. Go quickly is the key!
The opening ceremony of the 'World Alternative Games' had to be seen to be believed but I will paint a picture in your mind. Imagine an enthusiastic samba band, a mountainbike chariot and a 6 inch fountain turned on by the local ex-mayor. There you go! The rain has stopped (for now), so all is looking good. In the excitement we go back inside the pub and have another pint. I get the feeling that the locals think Phill and I are an item. Hey ho, another pint it is then.
A plan of action is required. We're too drunk to drive but the campsite is only a couple of hundred metres away. "We could go back to the campsite now, or we could get a few emergency beers from the Spa, and try the other pub?", suggests Phill. It is raining and I think this is a fine plan of action. Good job we're finely tuned athletes and all that.
At around 11pm we stumble back onto the campsite with as much baggage as we think we'll need. It is dark and the serious mountainbikers are all tucked up in their beds - not quite the party we thought it may be. With a belly full of beer, sleep comes relatively quick. I bet the weather will be much nicer in the morning.
Day 2
I look out the tent at approximately 7am. It is raining and my head hurts. I vaguely remember seeing portaloos on the other side of the field. Its far warmer than the last time we camped up at Whinlatter, but that is little comfort right now. Is this what it's like in the Olympic village? We dismantle as much as possible and wonder why we brought so much stuff when the car is so far away (about half a mile it turned out) and dump everything in the boot. My system for separate bags for things has gone right out of the window and my set of Allen keys has disappeared - I'm sure that I had them on yesterdays run?
Anyway, we pad up, the Campbells arrive and park up behind us, the timing system is ready at the bottom of the hill, the van is ready to take us to the top of the hill and approximately 25 riders are ready to do this! Only one problem, and that's that the starting ramp has been inadvertently broken by Beiren on his first roll in. The solution, rather elegantly, is a wooden roll-in from the rear of the van. This allows both a 3 foot drop to gain initial speed and give two other riders time to strap in behind with further riders queuing up through the side sliding doors - clever!
"Where's the starting point? It's where the van was parked up first time. Where was that? Oh..." For the second and subsequent runs of the day, the starting line is very well defined.
Incidentally, the finish line has been moved up the track slightly as the track was running slightly slower than usual due to the bad weather. This made making the last corner a quick one less of a priority as there was far less rolling to do after this point.
The communal get together of all these boarders in one location must have appeased the riding gods because as the day went on, the weather just got better and better to the extent that I was applying mosquito spray just after lunchtime - Jungle Formula, very effective! Lunch was a couple of bacon sandwiches and beans provided by Phill - cheers Phill, the fresh Welsh air had done wonders for our morning sickness.
The riding was very quick and is best described in video form. First up, my on-board footage, and secondly, the official ATBA-UK version. From this it is clear just how much speed was being held through the chicane and on through the lower sections.
2012 ATBA-UK Downhill Series: Round 2 - 'Dave' from Adrian McCordick on Vimeo.
So, Phill and I rode until tired. Everyone else kept going, with Mark Sewell and Beiran looking tight at the top by the time we left. We hear that the times keep being chipped away with Matt Brind the overall winner with a staggering 3:00 minute run. The results in full are on the ATBA-UK blog here.
Our drive home is steady and uneventful. Kit is chucked in the garage and the long, long sleep begins.
=======================
Fantastic riding as always with great support from the boarding community travelling far and wide to attend. Big thanks to the ATBA-UK for organising such events and for taking the time out to repeatedly drive us all up the hill time and time again. In addition, it wouldn't be much of a competition without the time keepers who take time out from riding to clock us all out at the top and clock us all in at the bottom. And finally, the medics, who are there just in case, to patch us up after any silliness. Lets all do this again soon!
The top-5 mountainboard videos available on-line right now
Hot Action by One-5 media
HOT ACTION from one 5 media on Vimeo.
If you liked this, then also check out: Shralpdown
Inshredible Part 1by Tom Sharp
If you liked this then also check out: Part 2 of course!
Giving Birth to Rad Mag by Tom Kirkman
Giving Birth To RAD mag! from Tom Kirkman on Vimeo.
If you liked this then also check out: Any of the ATCproduction videos
The Bull, Board and Bikepimp by Harry Jessop
If you liked this then also check out: Mountainboard Cable Cam
HOT ACTION from one 5 media on Vimeo.
If you liked this, then also check out: Shralpdown
Inshredible Part 1by Tom Sharp
If you liked this then also check out: Part 2 of course!
Giving Birth to Rad Mag by Tom Kirkman
Giving Birth To RAD mag! from Tom Kirkman on Vimeo.
If you liked this then also check out: Any of the ATCproduction videos
The Bull, Board and Bikepimp by Harry Jessop
If you liked this then also check out: Mountainboard Cable Cam
Monday, 10 September 2012
Self Timing Systems : The Verdict
I guess you're all wondering just how well the Timing System worked in practice at the recent ATBA-UK Downhill Round 2 event in Mid-Wales? No? Hey ho.
I've still got to do the event write-up at some point but I don't think the following will be too spoiler-ific.
Day 1 - Training Day. It is raining. I hadn't considered whether a kitchen stopwatch would or would not be waterproof. It is not waterproof and the display goes funny. I can read the display however if I rub the screen in the right way. The stopwatch on-off switch appears to work all right though. I manage to time myself down the run although the time is meaningless as we don't quite know where the start or finish line is going to be.
Day 2 - Racing. It is still raining but the stopwatch is still working. As the day gets drier, the track gets dustier and the display gets harder to read. However, the the stopwatch is still working.
Run #1 - I forget to start the stopwatch until halfway down the first straight.
Run #2 - Faster run. In my excitement, I forget to stop the clock as I cross the finishing line.
Run #3 - Success. However, I crash halfway down and finish with a slower time than the training run.
Run #4 - Can't read display. Decide to concentrate on the riding instead. End up with personal fastest time of the day.
Summary
The system worked, and probably would have worked better had a) it not rained and b) I'd remembered to use it. Attaching the clock to the upperside of the deck, whilst a very safe place to put it, is slightly wasted as in no part of the riding did I feel that I was in a position to look down and read the numbers - I could have just of easily dropped it in one of my pockets or somewhere similar. Plus, the actual numbers are almost meaningless anyway - the ATBA have almost got the timings down to a fine art form with overall run times produced very, very quickly.
Epilogue
Couple of days back home and the stopwatch unit dries out. It totally works! I still chopped it off the board though - too much trouble to be worth bothering with. GPS, that's the future.
Day 1 - Training Day. It is raining. I hadn't considered whether a kitchen stopwatch would or would not be waterproof. It is not waterproof and the display goes funny. I can read the display however if I rub the screen in the right way. The stopwatch on-off switch appears to work all right though. I manage to time myself down the run although the time is meaningless as we don't quite know where the start or finish line is going to be.
Day 2 - Racing. It is still raining but the stopwatch is still working. As the day gets drier, the track gets dustier and the display gets harder to read. However, the the stopwatch is still working.
Run #1 - I forget to start the stopwatch until halfway down the first straight.
Run #2 - Faster run. In my excitement, I forget to stop the clock as I cross the finishing line.
Run #3 - Success. However, I crash halfway down and finish with a slower time than the training run.
Run #4 - Can't read display. Decide to concentrate on the riding instead. End up with personal fastest time of the day.
Summary
The system worked, and probably would have worked better had a) it not rained and b) I'd remembered to use it. Attaching the clock to the upperside of the deck, whilst a very safe place to put it, is slightly wasted as in no part of the riding did I feel that I was in a position to look down and read the numbers - I could have just of easily dropped it in one of my pockets or somewhere similar. Plus, the actual numbers are almost meaningless anyway - the ATBA have almost got the timings down to a fine art form with overall run times produced very, very quickly.
Epilogue
Couple of days back home and the stopwatch unit dries out. It totally works! I still chopped it off the board though - too much trouble to be worth bothering with. GPS, that's the future.
Friday, 10 August 2012
Self Timing Systems: Build Notes
I've written previously about my intention to mount a stopwatch onto the deck of my board in order to give me an idea of timings at next Saturdays downhill competition.
Far from being hard to do, I still managed to cock-up a few bits and thought that a few pictures might demonstrate just how easy it should be (in principle) and from this, just what possibilities are, erm, possible.
I started by mounting a push switch onto the end of the brake handle as shown below. As the brake lever won't be required for either the start or finish, I should be able to start and stop the clock without having to do too much all at once. If there is a starting gate to pull out of, this may be a little tricky, but I won't know until the day.
Wires run from the switch, through the brake handle and out through a side hole that also has the hydraulic hose running through it. This is then secured in place with a cable tie with plenty of wire (about double the length of the handle) inside the handle in case I need to pull out the switch or the cable snags.
The wire then runs down the hydraulic hose, secured together with alternating cable ties and electrical tape before running onto the deck and into the stopwatch. Again, excess cable is looped together at the bottom of the hose for possible modification later. If nothing else, a connector to remove the stopwatch from the deck may be useful in future.
The sides of my stopwatch are removable and are large enough that a 2mm hole can be drilled allowing access for the cable push through. From inside, lots of black wires can be seen linking the front-side pushbuttons to the main circuit board. I've stuck to the back of the LCD screen a couple of low profile junction connectors that in theory allow me to snip the start/stop wires and reconnect allowing for hijacking with my new push button.
I say in theory, because this is where I made my cock-up by a) making a huge presumption on which wires to intercept, and b) accidentally chopping through one of the wires making it too short to reach. I now have a stopwatch that can only be started via the brake handle and can only be reset by the front panel. Hey ho. No biggie and I could have simplified all of this by just soldering a couple of points. All very well, but every time I solder, it looks as though I did it wearing boxing gloves - blobs of solder everywhere.
What I have been looking out for are either a slimline version of these cable hijackers (as shown below) that connect one wire onto an existing wire simply by clamping the top shut, or something similar. Any suggestions much appreciated as these are far too fat for this application.
On the back of the stopwatch, I removed the clip/magnet and chopped off a couple of raised sections in order that the back of the unit was relatively flat. From here, the stopwatch can be easily mounted to the deck using my favourite bodging solution - industrial Velcro.
Next up, testing!
Far from being hard to do, I still managed to cock-up a few bits and thought that a few pictures might demonstrate just how easy it should be (in principle) and from this, just what possibilities are, erm, possible.
I started by mounting a push switch onto the end of the brake handle as shown below. As the brake lever won't be required for either the start or finish, I should be able to start and stop the clock without having to do too much all at once. If there is a starting gate to pull out of, this may be a little tricky, but I won't know until the day.
Wires run from the switch, through the brake handle and out through a side hole that also has the hydraulic hose running through it. This is then secured in place with a cable tie with plenty of wire (about double the length of the handle) inside the handle in case I need to pull out the switch or the cable snags.
The wire then runs down the hydraulic hose, secured together with alternating cable ties and electrical tape before running onto the deck and into the stopwatch. Again, excess cable is looped together at the bottom of the hose for possible modification later. If nothing else, a connector to remove the stopwatch from the deck may be useful in future.
The sides of my stopwatch are removable and are large enough that a 2mm hole can be drilled allowing access for the cable push through. From inside, lots of black wires can be seen linking the front-side pushbuttons to the main circuit board. I've stuck to the back of the LCD screen a couple of low profile junction connectors that in theory allow me to snip the start/stop wires and reconnect allowing for hijacking with my new push button.
I say in theory, because this is where I made my cock-up by a) making a huge presumption on which wires to intercept, and b) accidentally chopping through one of the wires making it too short to reach. I now have a stopwatch that can only be started via the brake handle and can only be reset by the front panel. Hey ho. No biggie and I could have simplified all of this by just soldering a couple of points. All very well, but every time I solder, it looks as though I did it wearing boxing gloves - blobs of solder everywhere.
What I have been looking out for are either a slimline version of these cable hijackers (as shown below) that connect one wire onto an existing wire simply by clamping the top shut, or something similar. Any suggestions much appreciated as these are far too fat for this application.
Next up, testing!
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
ATC Mini Action Cam: Pole Mount Footage
Just a short couple of films showcasing the ATC Mini Action Cam pole mounted. Both videos are shot around 8pm in late July/early August so the natural light levels are relatively low. Despite this, and the usual shaking that occurs when boarding, the footage is remarkably good on its default setting. The microphone picks up a lot of wind noise which seems to be the norm for this sort of thing, but certainly adds atmospherics to the video. I suppose I could always add some music if it was really an issue.
As usual, there have been plenty of crashes and its very easy to knock the camera on the ground or whack into the occasional tree as we ride through the woods. Despite this, the camera, though a little mucky, is running 100% fine and continued to film without issue.
However, as much as I enjoy the pole cam shots, a lot of the time I want to keep my hands free in order to concentrate on the ride itself, so I have invested in a helmet mount. Unfortunately, this will involve dismantling the pole mount but this is not a massive job, just not one I'd do out in the field.
As with all these things, there will be a bit of compression when the videos are uploaded to YouTube. By all means, if you want some raw footage to view, just give me a shout!
As usual, there have been plenty of crashes and its very easy to knock the camera on the ground or whack into the occasional tree as we ride through the woods. Despite this, the camera, though a little mucky, is running 100% fine and continued to film without issue.
However, as much as I enjoy the pole cam shots, a lot of the time I want to keep my hands free in order to concentrate on the ride itself, so I have invested in a helmet mount. Unfortunately, this will involve dismantling the pole mount but this is not a massive job, just not one I'd do out in the field.
As with all these things, there will be a bit of compression when the videos are uploaded to YouTube. By all means, if you want some raw footage to view, just give me a shout!
Monday, 6 August 2012
noSno bolt break-down
Diagram showing the order of items normally on a noSNo Bolt:
From inside out:
Storing everything on the axle keeps everything safe whilst the hubs are away doing other things...
From inside out:
- Large Washer
- Split washer
- Hub comprising bearing / spacer / bearing
- Split washer
Storing everything on the axle keeps everything safe whilst the hubs are away doing other things...
'Manhick-a-likes' - any interest?
As replicated on the Surfing Dirt Forums...
Here's the deal. I have a contact, Matt, a precision metal engineer who produces custom motorbike parts for one of the Ducati racing teams and has recently gone part time in order to produce small quantities of parts for private individuals i.e. not bespoke, but not huge numbers that you'd go to china for.
We've sat down with a set of primo trispokes to look into the possibility of producing a two-piece solid aluminium version and have established that it is well within his capability and that of his workshop. Next stage will be establishing the most efficient way to mass produce with a prototype to follow to establish a rough idea of costing.
To make things work, as a rough starting point we estimate that we'd need an order of approximately 30-40 units, or 10 sets of 4. Obviously, more will need to be involved if people only want 2 for the front wheels.
So, questions are:
if we could manufacture solid aluminimum trispokes, would people be interested?
If so, would people be looking for 2, 4 or more hubs, and how much would be too much?
Are there any features that are important, such as keeping weight up/down?
Does anyone remember how much manhicks originally went for? They seem to go on ebay for around £20-30 + p&p.
Matt will be costing this up at his usual business rate. I'm not looking to add a percentage on top; I just want a supply of manhicks and from the way they sell on ebay second hand, I suspect others do too.
For those wondering why we are looking to do this, manhicks are heavy, but allow ABS-type brakes to compress directly on the rim of the hub without the need for disks. In addition, the added weight adds breaking power.
So... any interest folks?
Forgot to mention, what probably wouldn't be possible without quite a lot of work is to include the small indentations as used on the Primo Strikers as just about visible in the right hand image.
I notice however that the manhicks appear to be smooth as per the link below, so... has anyone had an issue with wheel slippage i.e. apply the brakes, hubs stop turning, wheels continue turning?
http://www.mountainboard.ru/2008/05/...t-1-pro-diski/
Naturally, I have asked for the hub sides to be smooth and logo free.
Need a name though. Dirty Hubs?
Here's the deal. I have a contact, Matt, a precision metal engineer who produces custom motorbike parts for one of the Ducati racing teams and has recently gone part time in order to produce small quantities of parts for private individuals i.e. not bespoke, but not huge numbers that you'd go to china for.
We've sat down with a set of primo trispokes to look into the possibility of producing a two-piece solid aluminium version and have established that it is well within his capability and that of his workshop. Next stage will be establishing the most efficient way to mass produce with a prototype to follow to establish a rough idea of costing.
To make things work, as a rough starting point we estimate that we'd need an order of approximately 30-40 units, or 10 sets of 4. Obviously, more will need to be involved if people only want 2 for the front wheels.
So, questions are:
if we could manufacture solid aluminimum trispokes, would people be interested?
If so, would people be looking for 2, 4 or more hubs, and how much would be too much?
Are there any features that are important, such as keeping weight up/down?
Does anyone remember how much manhicks originally went for? They seem to go on ebay for around £20-30 + p&p.
Matt will be costing this up at his usual business rate. I'm not looking to add a percentage on top; I just want a supply of manhicks and from the way they sell on ebay second hand, I suspect others do too.
For those wondering why we are looking to do this, manhicks are heavy, but allow ABS-type brakes to compress directly on the rim of the hub without the need for disks. In addition, the added weight adds breaking power.
So... any interest folks?
Forgot to mention, what probably wouldn't be possible without quite a lot of work is to include the small indentations as used on the Primo Strikers as just about visible in the right hand image.
I notice however that the manhicks appear to be smooth as per the link below, so... has anyone had an issue with wheel slippage i.e. apply the brakes, hubs stop turning, wheels continue turning?
http://www.mountainboard.ru/2008/05/...t-1-pro-diski/
Naturally, I have asked for the hub sides to be smooth and logo free.
Need a name though. Dirty Hubs?
Friday, 27 July 2012
Pole Mounting an ATC Mini Camera
A quick and dirty hack for the ATC Mini Action Cam, but one that works it seems with a minimal amount of effort on my part. A bonus of using this method is that no serious alteration or damage to the original mountings is required - you can convert it back at any time!
I mentioned previously how the ATC Mini cam came as standard with a couple of mountings - a vented helmet mount and tripod mount? In using the section that attaches to the vented mount, much of the parts can be used with a few items found round the house in order to attach to a long pole. This can provide a good range of action shots purely by swinging the pole around whilst riding.
Next up, I've used an old golf club salvaged from the bins from a driving range we visited recently. The head of the club had already been removed and so with its relatively low weight and ergonomic handle, it makes a good pole to use here. It's a nice enough length - long enough to fit me into the 110-degree view of the camera, but not too long to drag along the floor or get caught up on stuff.
A U-shaped bracket will fit around the end of the golf club if I increase the club diameter a little - winding and unwinding sufficient electrical tape around the end gives sub-millimetre accuracy without having to construct anything with any precision.
This bracket will then fit onto the ATC Mini mounting with a couple of washers thrown in to bulk out the thickness a little. The benefit of using as much of the ATC Mini mounting as possible is maximum strength without compromising the accessibility of the button controls.
And there you have it, a pole-mounted ATC Mini action cam with variable shooting angles built entirely from parts that come with the camera and odd bits and pieces stored in the garage. I love my garage!
Pole Mounted ATC Mini Action Cam
I mentioned previously how the ATC Mini cam came as standard with a couple of mountings - a vented helmet mount and tripod mount? In using the section that attaches to the vented mount, much of the parts can be used with a few items found round the house in order to attach to a long pole. This can provide a good range of action shots purely by swinging the pole around whilst riding.
Next up, I've used an old golf club salvaged from the bins from a driving range we visited recently. The head of the club had already been removed and so with its relatively low weight and ergonomic handle, it makes a good pole to use here. It's a nice enough length - long enough to fit me into the 110-degree view of the camera, but not too long to drag along the floor or get caught up on stuff.
U-shaped Bracket
A U-shaped bracket will fit around the end of the golf club if I increase the club diameter a little - winding and unwinding sufficient electrical tape around the end gives sub-millimetre accuracy without having to construct anything with any precision.
This bracket will then fit onto the ATC Mini mounting with a couple of washers thrown in to bulk out the thickness a little. The benefit of using as much of the ATC Mini mounting as possible is maximum strength without compromising the accessibility of the button controls.
Bracket bulked up using washers
And there you have it, a pole-mounted ATC Mini action cam with variable shooting angles built entirely from parts that come with the camera and odd bits and pieces stored in the garage. I love my garage!
Quick test in the garage
Thursday, 26 July 2012
ATC Mini Action Camera: First Impressions
You may have read how I acquired a new helmet camera from Oregon Scientific? It's only fair that now that I've opened the box and had a little play I should share my thoughts.
In the box comes the camera itself, along with:
...and as a nice touch from Oregon Scientific, a surfboard mount. I don't own a surfboard, but I'd imaging using it to attach the camera to the mountainboard shouldn't be too much of an issue. I don't think this is part of the standard package however.
First impressions are good. The unit is chunky enough to reassure me that it's in place, without being too heavy and the three buttons - Power / Video mode / Camera mode are all large enough to be operated without too much trouble whilst wearing my thick Hillbilly gloves with self improved reinforced finger pads. The hard plastic outer shell feels robust but is covered by an additional soft rubber outer-shell and gut feeling tells me that it should bounce or at least take the odd knock or two without any issue. The literature also says that the camera is waterproof to a depth of 20 metres (60 feet). Whilst I'm curious about this, I'm in no rush to try this out so it's a good job that others have done so:
Suffice to say, the rear flap that opens to expose the battery and mini SD card appears to have a pretty good seal on it.
Charging up the unit is done like most small devices these days via USB with an LED flashing away on top to indicate battery status. The unit gives a good, loud reassuring 'beep' when turned on and recording started, so it's just a case of memorising button locations in order to use whilst on the move. When plugging in for the first time, my Windows 7 laptop recognised the unit without problem and allowed me to view the (currently empty) mini SD card as an external drive. Manual states that Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 or Apple Mac OS X 10.6 or above should all be fine.
The unit comes without drivers or software, and so video playback will have to be done via your favourite video playing programme. I like VLC player, it just seems to play everything I throw at it. Changing the camera time and date can be done by creating a file on the mini SD card and is thoroughly explained via the manual. As yet, I don't think any other settings on the camera can be changed but then, in truth, the Contour had all sorts of settings and after an initial play, I ended up recording most things using the default settings.
The 8 Gig of memory included in the package is a great bonus, far bigger than the 2 Gig offered as standard by the Contour. I used to think that the 2 Gig option was fine as I found that the battery would be likely to run out far before the card was full. This was however before I bought a cigarette USB charger off ebay for a couple of quid in order to charge the battery overnight on a long away weekend. Once again, memory on the action camera would be the limiting factor but obviously more cards could be bought if necessary, or a single larger card up to 32 Gig. Flicking through the manual it quotes recoding time as being approximately15 minutes of video per 1 Gbyte, so a couple of hours worth in this case. Seeing as my total riding time at Whinlatter was around 16 minutes in length, this should give me more than enough video!
The video camera specs are reasonably high at 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) in 16:9 (widescreen) ratio at 30fps. Previously I'd recorded on the Contour at 720p in order to a) produce smaller file sizes that were only going to end up on Youtube anyway and b) take advantage of the 60fps to produce smoother footage. This was the norm until earlier this year when a camera firmware update switched the unit back to 30fps and I didn't spot the difference. Point being, 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) in 16:9 (widescreen) ratio at 30fps will probably do me fine.
The mount fixings feel a lot more sturdy that they look in the on-line literature and allow the camera to be fixed into place in 90-degree intervals - very handy as I intend to mount the camera on the side of my helmet. From this position, the mount itself can then rotate a full 360-degrees with a secondary adjustable angle pivot. From all this, it'd have to be a pretty unusual situation to not be able to get the required angle required.
The helmet strap mount would fit nicely onto my cycle helmet as the vents are in the right position but I had trouble attaching to either my piss-pot helmet or full face 661 so I'd probably do better with the Hardshell Helmet Mount sold separately.
A very welcome addition is the included tripod mount which will allow you to quickly attach to a tripod with standard screw thread which should mean that it is relatively easy to hook up to all sorts of camera mountings that are available or you have tucked away. In particular, I'd be keen to cobble together a pole mount sooner rather than later if only because of the cool shots of the rider available from this angle. I'll inevitably blog the results as and when this happens. Edit: I did and the results are here.
Finally, a nice option not seen on the Contour is the TV-out jack that allows you to quickly view recorded media without having to link the unit to a laptop. I'm pleasantly surprised that it isn't HDMI like most other things seem to be these days, but it works great on my big old tele.
Don't get me wrong, I would jump at the chance to get my old Contour HD back in my hands and out again recording and you really do get what you pay for. In the case of the Contour, you pay a lot and you get a lot of features (and I suspect a slightly better sensor - will investigate). However, in the case of the ATC Mini you get a solidly built camera that will do what it's been built to do with non of the extras, but with a significantly lower price tag - £120 including the 8 Gig card and with plenty of special offers if you shop around - for example, Oregon Scientific were offering 10% off last weekend to their twitter followers.
Next up will be a few examples of footage once I've been able to get some examples together at different times of the day and different mountings. Seeing as I tend to do most of my riding in the woods in the evenings, it'll be interesting to see how the camera operates in lower light conditions.
In the box comes the camera itself, along with:
- Battery
- 8 Gig Mini SD Card
- USB to mini USB cable
- TV-out jack cable
- Quick release mount
- Attachment to strap onto helmet via the vents
- Tripod attachment
- Manuals
...and as a nice touch from Oregon Scientific, a surfboard mount. I don't own a surfboard, but I'd imaging using it to attach the camera to the mountainboard shouldn't be too much of an issue. I don't think this is part of the standard package however.
Please note that I was hoping to avoid a direct comparison with the Contour 1080 HD at this stage, but seeing as it's the only other action camera that I've spent much time with, reference to it will be inevitable. Oh well.
ATC Mini - Chunky Buttons
First impressions are good. The unit is chunky enough to reassure me that it's in place, without being too heavy and the three buttons - Power / Video mode / Camera mode are all large enough to be operated without too much trouble whilst wearing my thick Hillbilly gloves with self improved reinforced finger pads. The hard plastic outer shell feels robust but is covered by an additional soft rubber outer-shell and gut feeling tells me that it should bounce or at least take the odd knock or two without any issue. The literature also says that the camera is waterproof to a depth of 20 metres (60 feet). Whilst I'm curious about this, I'm in no rush to try this out so it's a good job that others have done so:
Filling the stream (under water) - Dougal lick
Waterproof hatch to battery, mini SD card, USB port and TV-out Jack
Charging up the unit is done like most small devices these days via USB with an LED flashing away on top to indicate battery status. The unit gives a good, loud reassuring 'beep' when turned on and recording started, so it's just a case of memorising button locations in order to use whilst on the move. When plugging in for the first time, my Windows 7 laptop recognised the unit without problem and allowed me to view the (currently empty) mini SD card as an external drive. Manual states that Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 or Apple Mac OS X 10.6 or above should all be fine.
The unit comes without drivers or software, and so video playback will have to be done via your favourite video playing programme. I like VLC player, it just seems to play everything I throw at it. Changing the camera time and date can be done by creating a file on the mini SD card and is thoroughly explained via the manual. As yet, I don't think any other settings on the camera can be changed but then, in truth, the Contour had all sorts of settings and after an initial play, I ended up recording most things using the default settings.
The 8 Gig of memory included in the package is a great bonus, far bigger than the 2 Gig offered as standard by the Contour. I used to think that the 2 Gig option was fine as I found that the battery would be likely to run out far before the card was full. This was however before I bought a cigarette USB charger off ebay for a couple of quid in order to charge the battery overnight on a long away weekend. Once again, memory on the action camera would be the limiting factor but obviously more cards could be bought if necessary, or a single larger card up to 32 Gig. Flicking through the manual it quotes recoding time as being approximately15 minutes of video per 1 Gbyte, so a couple of hours worth in this case. Seeing as my total riding time at Whinlatter was around 16 minutes in length, this should give me more than enough video!
USB car charger - handy for long weekends
The video camera specs are reasonably high at 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) in 16:9 (widescreen) ratio at 30fps. Previously I'd recorded on the Contour at 720p in order to a) produce smaller file sizes that were only going to end up on Youtube anyway and b) take advantage of the 60fps to produce smoother footage. This was the norm until earlier this year when a camera firmware update switched the unit back to 30fps and I didn't spot the difference. Point being, 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) in 16:9 (widescreen) ratio at 30fps will probably do me fine.
The mount fixings feel a lot more sturdy that they look in the on-line literature and allow the camera to be fixed into place in 90-degree intervals - very handy as I intend to mount the camera on the side of my helmet. From this position, the mount itself can then rotate a full 360-degrees with a secondary adjustable angle pivot. From all this, it'd have to be a pretty unusual situation to not be able to get the required angle required.
A very welcome addition is the included tripod mount which will allow you to quickly attach to a tripod with standard screw thread which should mean that it is relatively easy to hook up to all sorts of camera mountings that are available or you have tucked away. In particular, I'd be keen to cobble together a pole mount sooner rather than later if only because of the cool shots of the rider available from this angle. I'll inevitably blog the results as and when this happens. Edit: I did and the results are here.
Finally, a nice option not seen on the Contour is the TV-out jack that allows you to quickly view recorded media without having to link the unit to a laptop. I'm pleasantly surprised that it isn't HDMI like most other things seem to be these days, but it works great on my big old tele.
Don't get me wrong, I would jump at the chance to get my old Contour HD back in my hands and out again recording and you really do get what you pay for. In the case of the Contour, you pay a lot and you get a lot of features (and I suspect a slightly better sensor - will investigate). However, in the case of the ATC Mini you get a solidly built camera that will do what it's been built to do with non of the extras, but with a significantly lower price tag - £120 including the 8 Gig card and with plenty of special offers if you shop around - for example, Oregon Scientific were offering 10% off last weekend to their twitter followers.
Next up will be a few examples of footage once I've been able to get some examples together at different times of the day and different mountings. Seeing as I tend to do most of my riding in the woods in the evenings, it'll be interesting to see how the camera operates in lower light conditions.
Monday, 23 July 2012
Mystery Parcel Suprise!
*Edit - I clearly cannot spell Surprise.
Every morning for the past week or so, we've been woken up by our two-year-old son at very-early-o'clock. Ever since he learned to scale the baby gate across his door, he's made his way out and into our room, climbing on the bed, waving the TV remote in our faces and shouting, "Pig, Pig!". He's a big fan of Peppa Pig. No difference this morning as usual, but it was unusual to also have an early morning knock at the door from the postman....
Especially odd, as I've nothing on order right now apart from a Raspberry Pi, and that won't be with me for months yet. Let's have a look inside.
An Oregon Scientific ATC Mini Action Cam and Surf Mount!
The box says, "Records 720p HD", and "Waterproof up to 20m (60 feet)". That would have been useful given the weather we've had recently!
I'll not have time to look much further right now as I'm at work unfortunately with an ever increasing pile of stuff needed my attention, but I'll be out riding tonight as ever with the Mountainboard Derby guys and will get some footage with full write-up later this week!
For now though, I can 't thank the Oregon Scientific guys enough for doing this for me. It's much appreciated and I'll be sure to give it a good and thorough testing over the next few weeks. That's a thought - it'd be perfect for Dave and I might be able to cobble enough footage together to enter the ATJunkies Film festival.
Stay tuned, there's lots to look forward to!
Every morning for the past week or so, we've been woken up by our two-year-old son at very-early-o'clock. Ever since he learned to scale the baby gate across his door, he's made his way out and into our room, climbing on the bed, waving the TV remote in our faces and shouting, "Pig, Pig!". He's a big fan of Peppa Pig. No difference this morning as usual, but it was unusual to also have an early morning knock at the door from the postman....
"Hi Ade, Sorry to hear about your camera being stolen. Hope this gets you back filming."How mega-cool is this - Oregon Scientific read my blog! In a nutshell, for those that may have missed it, my car recently got broken into and they took my beloved Contour HD. A bit more of a delve and I find:
The box says, "Records 720p HD", and "Waterproof up to 20m (60 feet)". That would have been useful given the weather we've had recently!
I'll not have time to look much further right now as I'm at work unfortunately with an ever increasing pile of stuff needed my attention, but I'll be out riding tonight as ever with the Mountainboard Derby guys and will get some footage with full write-up later this week!
For now though, I can 't thank the Oregon Scientific guys enough for doing this for me. It's much appreciated and I'll be sure to give it a good and thorough testing over the next few weeks. That's a thought - it'd be perfect for Dave and I might be able to cobble enough footage together to enter the ATJunkies Film festival.
Stay tuned, there's lots to look forward to!
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