Compact Camera Mount Testing ( Featuring Saracen Ariel 143 )

I've had a number of forays into the world of video in my time. These have involved everything from filming skateboarding events with a classic Sony VX-1000 to hanging out at the British Snowboarding champs with a Fuji bridge camera. In recent years I have played around a fair bit with action cameras with the trust original Vholdr ( now Contour ) attached to my bike lids.

I've never really got the quality I would have liked ( though lets not forget the net has had to catch up a fair bit in recent years ) and fell out of love with all the editing that was needed to make a good movie.

So honestly I am not really sure why I decided to make a mount for my trusty Sony HX-9V compact camera out of a Joby ballhead and old lighting bracket ( shhhh it's from a competitor brand ).

I'm probably not going to use it much as I really do like this little compact and I don't think it will like being treated like a crash test dummy. However the first results were pretty impressive.

Three lines down Style Cop at Cannock Chase on the awesome Saracen Ariel 143.


Saracen Ariel 143 - Cannock Chase - Camera Mount Test 1 from Tim Sadler on Vimeo.


Saracen Ariel 143 - Cannock Chase - Camera Mount Test 2 from Tim Sadler on Vimeo.


Saracen Ariel 143 - Cannock Chase - Camera Mount Test 3 from Tim Sadler on Vimeo.

Now I just think what I could do with a Sony Action Camera ...

Owle for iPhone

I may have actually found a reason to own an iPhone. Whilst working this past weekend at a rather enjoyable event. I got the chance to play with the most awesome bit of kit I have seen for a very long time ( and this was at an event where I was playing with a £30,000 Phase 1 camera system ).


It doesn't look like much, but the Owle Bubo for iPhone 4 take the finger tapping, app overloading, hyped to the max, Apple junkfood, overated phone and makes it the most awesome movie system i have ever seen. Nothing complicated...just a 36mm lens ( to sort out the lens on the phone ), a little external mic and an very cleverly designed rig and Bob's your uncle...

...still prefer my Crackberry though :-)

Stile Cop Downhill Headcam Footage

Ok it has been a fair while since I wacked up and good headcam footage, sorry about that! Not to worry though I now have a new memory card ( killed a cheap one at Moelfre Downhill Uplift ) and I even have a mount for my XC lid. So you should start to see a bit more from the Vholdr cam this year ( trying to currently work out how to mount it on the bike for some of those arty shots ).

For a quick test of the new memory card I got this footage from Stile Cop Downhill trails on a very hot evening this past week ( 27 degrees + no wind + body armour = nasty smells ). Just click here or the above image to check it out ( and for the music references you must have owned a PS1 with Gran Turismo in the 90's! ). For those of you who know the trails, you will notice I am taking the easier lines, but in my defence I am still fettling with the bike set-up and I was on my own! Anyway on the movie you will see the Red Route, Black Route and the Wonderland and Ridge Lines from 'The Dark Side'.

If you haven't ridden at Stile Cop, it is part of Cannock Chase in the sunny Midlands, easy to get to from the M6 and can be combined with a jaunt around 'Follow the Dog'.

Worth taking a bouncy bike and padding up though!

Full review/guide of the Vholdr and new Commencal MiniDH to come...

Painting by numbers...

So you think you are good at Photoshop?



Though I have a feeling there is a hidden layer with the original image...?

Marin Trail Headcam Movie

After 6 or so weeks out of the saddle and enjoying the early hours of most nights with little Immy, I was little nervous putting the biking kit together for this trip out with Wrennie.

A start before the sun came up gave Wrennie the opportunity to convince me to stop for the first time at a McDonalds drive-thru ( yes I may well have had a Maccy-D's a few times before, but I have never used one of this quick-fatty-hit windows ). An Egg McMuffin later and we were kitting up at Gwydyr Forest just outside Betws-Y-Coed in deepest darkest Snowdonia.

As seems to be the norm these days, there was a weather warning, with storms and gales lashing across the UK, ( well this is December, so it is allowed ), so we prepared ourselves for 25km of wet and windy trails.

Welsh Fireroad

After breaking in my legs and realising that my rear mech wasn't going to be my friend this day ( I really should learn how to adjust these things ). The fireroad hill climbs soon became sweet rolling descents.

A couple of hours later after 20 or so km of cracking trail, foggy views and blustery gales, we got to the top of the final three sections of downhill singletrack. By this time the legs were less than fresh, but there was enough left to fly through the woods in a true speederbike stylee.

Headcammed Up

I first rode the Marin Trail ( now called Gwydyr Forest as the sponsorship deal ended a while back ) before it 'officially' opened on my old hardtail bike. It hasn't changed too much in the years that have gone by. It has a nice old-skool varied flavour with most climbs on fireroad and nothing too cheeky to catch you out. However, unlike riding at the trail centres, you do feel like you are actually getting away from it on this ride. Dare I use the old cliche...it's a 'classic'?

If you are keen you can combine it with the trails at Penmachno ( which I haven't ridden, but they are supposed to be pretty good ), but we opted to combine it with a big basket of chips in Betws-Y-Coed which given my time of the bike and the inclement weather was a welcome choice.

Tim & Wrennie - Team Mud!

Click here for the headcam footage ( featuring the final 3 sections of downhill trail ).

Click here for the trail map.

Llandegla - The Dark Episode

The South Wales Mountain Biking Triple Crown

Mud was the order of the day

Just back from an awesome road trip to South Wales with Darren, Mark, Matt, Nik and Guest star Ben.

Taking in the 'Triple Crown' of South Wales Mountain biking, we kicked off with an uplift day run by Cwmdown on the Cwmcarn Y Mynydd Downhill course. Battling with the rather tricky wet and muddy conditions, the first damage was done to Ben's brake lever, but this was soon followed on the next run when Darren decided to become a tree hugger and in the process ripped out his brake hose, twisted his handlebars round and give himself an impressive bruise. Mark then decided to go one better and show off his combat roll bending his forks and buckling his wheel in the process. There were other spills and some hero moves on show, but all in all this is a definate must for any biker!

After a night drinking the local ale at Glyncorrwig Rugby club we had a leisurely start as we waited for the bike shop to open ( for repairs ) and the cafe to get the brews on. Five healthy breakfasts later we headed out on Whites Level trail ( which starts right next to the campsite ). Unfortunately Mark was a little battered from his combat roll and headed off to the local hospital to get an x-ray, so it was down to 4 of us to do ourselves proud. On some of the best singletrack in the world we held our own, even when it got tight and testing. The sun also started to win the battle against the rain which given that it is July was rather nice.

Glyncorrwig Valley seen from the Whites Level Trail

Meeting Mark back at the campsite ( he hadn't broken his wrist, just a little sprain ), we decided not to head out on the bikes again ( muscles were a little sore at this point ) and instead cleaned down the bikes and cracked open the beers and run around trying to keep away from the midges.

Glyncorrwig Campsite

Saturday morning was a little drier and we broke the camp down before filling our bellies with another healthy breakfast at the famous Dropoff cafe. A short drive back down the road is the Afan Forest centre and home of the famous 'Wall' trail. This turned out to be a very long fireroad ascent followed by a rather tasty continuous downhill trail back to the centre. It was a little bit of a let down after the constant hits of the White Level trail, but still a classic run nonetheless. I would have probably enjoyed it more if my forks hadn't lost all their travel ( 160mm forks running at 20mm doesn't really help the shoulders on a rocky descent ), but these things happen.

The tally of broken parts over the three days for the crew were as follows:

• 2 bent brake levers
• 1 ripped brake hose
• 1 pair of bent forks
• 1 pair of forks with internal failure
• 1 buckled wheel
• 3 punctures ( all Darren's )
• 2 warped discs
• 1 trip to Hospital

So all in all a classic 3 days biking with a solid crew of holligans!

Check all the Images here

Vholdr Test

Managed to get the Vholdr fitted to my Giro Remedy helmet with a little bit of clever sticky foam trickery ( all those years outfitting kayaks must have done me proud ).

Here is the first test: click here

Up a bit, round to the left a bit??

The Bullet Proof Manager?

This conference caught my eye last week ( it was on at the same hotel I was at for work in California ).

Has the office really become that dangerous?

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Movie Review: Cloverfield

Saw the Cloverfield movie yesterday. Godzilla meet's Blair Witch Project does indeed sum it up. No big name actors, typical 'Lost-esque' plot line and a whole lot of hype doesn't always make for a good movie. Fortunately this time it was 80 minutes of solid shakey-cam action.

I've read some reports of some Yankee-doodles feeling sick after watching it...seems like even more reason to watch it if you ask me?