I know it’s a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question but which is generally seen as the better mount, a chesty or something like the k-edge mount?

Leaning towards the handlebar mount at the moment but not sure?

Chesty.

Assuming mtb then chesty. Handlebar mount shows to much movement both steering and bouncing around.

Sorry, yes mtb.

Fancied a handlebar mount as it looks easier. How do you go about getting the right angle each time on the chesty?

New to GoPro here (got one for Crimbo) and used chesty today but didn’t like the result. Maybe it’s the way I ride but it ended up pointing more down than forward, image is ruined by the distraction of knees pumping up and down. Going to try helmet mount next, problem with that is I’ll have to remove the light mount first.

Mount it upside down and point it further up than you think is needed

It just kinda happens tbh- once you’ve set the harness up it’ll end up in the same place.

Correct answer imo is “all of the above”- single pov views are dull. Get a wee tripod (gorillapod is ideal) and glue a gopro shoe onto it so you can quickrelease it on for some statics, get a helmet mount, do a seatpost… Bar is probably one of the worst but bar facing backwards can be good (and bar facing forwards is good for capturing how much the bike moves around- it’s a horrible shakeycam option but that can be good sometimes, in small doses)

Just strap it on your chest, hold the bars in a gnar stylee & you’ll see you have to angle it up more than you think.

If riding with mates try attaching to seatpost facing back to film them hanging on your wheel, great to edit fwd/back view of the same trail

I think santa was generous with his go pros too. I had one. Gonna start playing tomorrow.

Anyone bought an after market chest mount. They are about 6 quid on ebay.

I’ve played with all of these (and helmet mount, all have pros and cons).

Helmet mount gives the smoothest video (your head is kinda like a steadycam), terrain is most flattened out. Looks kinda goofy with the gopro on your head though.

Chest mount is good middle ground, as long as you have it positioned correctly and have removed vibration from the clamp and have the straps as tight as possible – it’s reasonably smooth but terrain still looks flattened out. It’s uncomfy and sweaty though.

Bar mount is the least smooth but has a good feel for the terrain features, it also looks pretty fast due to being closer to the ground. It doesn’t look goofy and is not uncomfortable.

I’d recommend getting all three (dx.com is your friend – the k-edge clone is good value for £6 or so).

Cheers lads! Some great answers there.

Local Argos has the chesty in stock so can have a play ready for my ride.

What are the cheapo ebay seatpost clamps like? Not sure about strapping my new pride and joy to one.

Definitely chest mount… Video shot from the bars makes you want to vomit..

I was able to fit one round the the head of the bike using a roll bar mount gives a good angle and trail definition sits between stem and top of forks. It’s on a xl frame so it’s got a long head. It also fits round the lower bearing race and doesn’t catch the fork steerer so trying that next. It’s always facing forward unless your whipping the back end round. Looks a bit odd though. But that might just be the way I’ve joined brackets to mount.

I’ve a mix of dx and proper stuff, the cheap stuff does the job but tolerances aren’t as good. I’ve found some joints really stiff and difficult to adjust, and others require extra force to tighten. Not a massive problem but the gopro chesty and helmet mounts are definitely better quality, big price hike though.
agree about varying the pov but I cba generally, I’m recording a ride not making a film.

And to add to the Go pro query, whats the best programme to use to upload and edit your film. This is not for commercial use but to enjoy the filming

Best position I’ve found for my Drift is strapped to the side of the downtube/headtube junction so that the camera can just see the top of the front tyre. Gives you the sense of speed and you can see the effect of the forks compressing. Probably harder to do with a Gopro though, the shape of the Drift lends itself to being mounted like this

Without image stabilisation, chest done right gets way better footage than bars. Wear the mount very tight; I see way too many videos where it can wobble vertically.

Angle: You’ll get used to the angle after trying to shoot a few times, and after you’ve got it right once you’ll be able to eye it and get good shots. Helps to have a mate watch you roll around a bit and tell you if it’s about right. Wide angles are quite forgiving, just make sure it’s pointing over the bars rather than at them. If it has wifi you can check your framing then and there.

Thanks, will have a look at some cheapo seatpost mounts etc. Like the look of the k-edge saddle mount but quite pricey.

Good point about the wifi, will be able to use my phone to check it’s something like!

@germolene I’ve just been messing round with the standard gopro studio, easy enough. I’ve only mastered the very basics but with a bit of practice it should be fairly simple.

seat post mount at night creates some interesting effects

I got good results wearing it on the hip. Just wear the main chesty strap as a belt and the plate stays really stable. Gives another good view to mix it up, shows a bit of you and the view ahead is a lot more open rather than framed by your arms.

I’ve a Drift camera, personally I’ve found the most interesting footage comes from having the camera mounted next to the rear axle. Gives a real sense of terrain & speed that helmet & shoulder (Drift’s version of chesty) don’t give. Going to get a noun for the fork leg to get forward shots next.

I quite like the ball sack angle, going to have to pick up a roll bar mount too so I can have a go at different points on the frame.

Chest mount on backwards, with another rider buzzing your back wheel. Manages to capture speed pretty well, and looks good if the other rider is fast ish. Doesn’t show the trail very well, obviously, but none of them do really.

Chest mount is good too.

Got a helmet mount, it’s fairly steady but adds a bit of weight obviously, I have a GoPro 2 so is heavier than the newer ones. I got pretty bored of helmet footage quickly as it doesn’t give that feeling of being on-board with the rider for anyone watching. Just picked up a chesty (I snowboard too so should be good for that as well) as I like the footage where you can see from a riders perspective.

What kind of settings are everyone using?

Not interested in slow mo at the moment, just the best watch able picture. Have a decentish laptop etc so converting it shouldn’t be a problem.

I’ve got a tube mount for my Contour that I mount just back from the head tube that gives a great perspective, like a handlebar shot but without all the steering correction and you get a good impression of the terrain too.

Do GoPro do something similar?

I think chest mount looks best personally, but different angels on the bike will make your videos more interesting.

On another note, can anyone recommend a way to mount to a backpac facing backwards?

Chest mount on backwards, with another rider buzzing your back wheel. Manages to capture speed pretty well, and looks good if the other rider is fast ish. Doesn’t show the trail very well, obviously, but none of them do really.

Chest mount Much better than bars imho.

Chesty mount for on board footage usually, with an occasional helmet mount. Plus as above you need to get some additional angles to make stuff more interesting.

I’m certainly no expert but this was filmed on a £99 Hero in 720p 60fps with a bit of iPhone footage too to give an idea. GoPro is mounted upside down at just under a 45 degree angle. Once you have used it once you can get it pretty much there everytime. The wide angle is pretty forgiving.

[video]http://vimeo.com/115718881[/video]

Sportpursuit are currently doing a range of Go Pro mounts by Wattz. No idea how good they are and you may find them on eBay at a better price

Chest mount works best upside down and with the longer, curly connector thingy IME.

Hard to get a good angle with the shorter one.

Was quite pelased with how this came out (with my old basic HD Gopro)…
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/326250/

Made a few Gopro videos and always though that chest mounted is the best, both helmet and handlebar mounts are easier to setup but I like the results you get with a chesty as you get to see the elements a little better (you, bike and the trail).
RE Setup, it kind of depends if you’re a barrel chested gent or not, if barrel chested then I find mounting the camera slightly higher at around nipple height or just place it upside down.

Thanks, ordered a rail mount to give that a go too.

Had my first gopro recorded technical dismount this morning, feeling quite pleased with myself! Just hope the footage is there when I check later.

danbo, what software are you using for editing, some nice effects in there?

Oh, nice riding as well!

Got one for Xmas also. Ordered a chesty as the helmet mount lets it move around a bit. Shot the below in 1080p superview at 24fps. Just used the GoPro software.
[video]http://youtu.be/IutcR_acdrY[/video]

For those posting up videos there is a Singletrack group on Vimeo.

Just using iMovie for editing at the moment. Will probably bite the bullet and get Final Cut Pro soon though.

Nice vid danbo, had to laugh at your wave to the camera. Looks well put together.

Ha bluearsedfly I cannot lay claim to a beard of that magnitude! I’m the slightly more shaven one in the blue shorts and black top

Hi – if you want a slightly different POV then you could try what I did – I used a piece of rectangular section tubing ( actually it was a leg section from a damaged tripod ) about 40cm long with a k-edge mount attached at one end and a modified lamp bracket at the other

K-Edge bracket

Modified Lamp Bracket

Full View

It is usually fastened to seat post and gives a low follow-cam view

Camera Viewpoint

can face forwards or backwards and is pretty stable ( tried inline post of flickr images but didn’t show)