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7 of the best drones for mountain biking
Want to make your own riding edits? Then a drone could just be the investment for you. Check out our list of the best drones available for every budget.
Drones have revolutionised the way we look at the landscapes around us, and in the action sports community, they’ve been wholeheartedly embraced by the majority of the scene.
So, what are the best drones for mountain biking currently on the market?
It’s pretty hard to operate a drone while you’re mountain biking of course, so the invention of follow-me drones has been huge for the sport. Basically, it means you don’t need to be riding with a second person to get some sick footage of you out on the bike from above.
These are the seven drones we think could work for you (in no particular order):
- DJI Mavic 2 Pro
- Holy Stone HS120 Black
- DJI Mavic Air
- Parrot ANAFI
- YUNEEC Typhoon H Pro
- Skydio R1
- The Staaker
Here’s a little more on some of the best drones for mountain biking...
1. DJI Mavic 2 Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
© DJI
- Flight Time: 31 mins
If money is no issue and you’re after a set up worthy of professionals, then look no further than the DJI Mavic 2 Pro.
DJI are probably the best-known drone company in the world, and the Mavic 2 is one of the best they have to offer. It’s state of the art and features a camera as impressive as you’d hope from the price tag (Hasselblad L1D-20c Camera with 20 MP 1-inch CMOS Sensor).
The Mavic 2's ActiveTrack mode allows the drone to follow you using both GPS and GLONASS, which basically just means that you’re connected to more satellites, so the tracking is better and it’s real precision flying.
You can also choose whether you want your drone to follow you at a constant distance, at a particular angle, or just to hover in the air while tracking you as you go, making it a really appetising option if you’re making yourself a mountain bike edit.
One of the coolest features about the Mavic 2 is that with sensors on every side, it has what they call "omnidirectional obstacle sensing", which basically just means you can set about your riding without worrying it's going to fly itself into a tree as you go. It’s also foldable, making it incredible portable and simple to fit into an everyday mountain bike backpack.
This thing is smart. It’s the kind of tech that makes you think the robots probably aren’t that far away from seizing control of the world. So, treat your Mavic 2 well if you do get one!
2. Holy Stone HS120 Black
Holy Stone HS120
© Holy Stone
- Flight Time: 16 minutes
The Holy Stone HS120 Black is a fantastic all-in-one drone for any mountain biker looking to get some aerial shots without breaking the budget.
The follow mode allows the hands-free riding you'll need for mountain bike filming – unless you're a particularly talented rider – and while the 16-minute battery life isn't huge, it's more than enough for the everyday rider to get the shots you’d need to put a little video together.
The camera films in 1080HD, which is where the difference in price range really shows, but if you’re an everyday rider uploading only to your social media channels then you don’t necessarily need a 4K camera.
With the GPS system supporting, the drone can fly safely and simply, and fitting on a page of A4 paper, it’s easy to pack up and take with you as well.
3. DJI Mavic Air
DJI Mavic Air
© DJI
- Flight Time: 21 mins
It’s DJI again! Remember that mob from point one? Yup, they also have a bunch of other stuff, and it’s really quite good as well.
The ActiveTrak on the Mavic Air offers the same follow, angle and spotlight functions as the Mavic Pro 2 we talked you through earlier, and while the camera isn’t quite as good, it’s still of a really high quality: with 12MP photos and 4K video.
It’s also substantially cheaper than both the previous options.
The Mavic Air is actually a relatively new addition to the DJI line up. It’s custom built for outdoor sports and adventure travel, so it also features an intelligent flight path feature to help it avoid obstacles.
The Mavic Air is simple to fly, it’s powerful, takes high quality images and it's small, light and foldable. Pair that with the fact it’s nearly £600 cheaper than DJI’s top models and you’re looking at one of the best drones for mountain bikers – and a favourite in the community too.
4. Parrot ANAFI
Parrot ANAFI
© Parrot
- Flight Time: 25 mins
Parrot are one of the oldest drone brands around and their ANAFI is possibly their best drone yet. It’s the first foldable quadcopter made by the French brand, giving it a big tick on packability for mountain bikers, and it also shoots in 4K and takes really impressive photos.
The closest obvious competition for the ANAFI is the DJI Mavic Air, the main benefits of the Parrot being that it’s even cheaper than the Mavic Air, that it can fly a little longer and that the camera is actually a little better as well.
So why pay more for the Mavic Air then? Well the main downside for the ANAFI is that it doesn’t feature the object avoidance technology that makes those DJI drones so appealing.
The ANAFI also requires you to purchase the “follow me” option in-app. It doesn’t come with the initial purchase. The in-app purchase is normally around £17.99 but they’ve been known to cut it to just £0.99p from time to time as well, which is at least something.
It’s a shame about the object avoidance though, because the Parrot app is a little simpler than DJI’s, so it’s a bit easier to get on board with for beginners, but because there’s no tech in there to save you if you lose control or don’t spot that 100ft tree in the way, it’s possibly a bit risky starting off with a Parrot ANAFI, especially if you’re hoping to use the drone while your ride through forest trails crowded by trees.
Still, it’s a fantastic option which flies well, films and photographs well, packs up small and is a good bit cheaper than the DJI alternatives.
5. YUNEEC Typhoon H Pro
Yuneec Typhoon H Pro
© YUNEEC
- Flight Time: 25 minutes
Typhoon H Pro is an award-winning drone from YUNEEC which, thanks to the sensors and camera on the front, looks a little bit like something from Transformers.
YUNEEC say they're offering "capabilities previously only found in high-end professional offerings, but at a consumer price," and that price range does put it into that same battle with the ANAFI and the Mavic Air.
What you get with the Typhoon H is a drone with intelligent front sensors to stop short of obstacles automatically and move around obstacles, an orbit mode (which circles you), follow me mode, a selfie mode (labelled as "journey", which goes up and out to 90m to get a selfie) and you can even programme a route for Typhoon H to fly between two coordinates.
Home Mode brings the drone back to land within eight metres of you, and a cool safety – yes, safety is cool – feature ensures the drone won't fly into forbidden airspace. The Ultra HD 4K video and a CGO3+ camera make the drone a really appealing option, and a particularly great one for someone looking to move one from an entry-level drone to a high-quality fly.
6. Skydio R1
Skydio R1
© Skydio
- Flight Time: 16 minutes
The Skydio R1 drone is the new big thing in action sports and adventure drone flying.
The R1 uses the Skydio Autonomy Engine, which was years in the making and, Skydio say, “comprehends what’s happening around R1, predicts what will happen next, and makes intelligent decisions multiple times a second”.
That makes it a damn good drone for mountain bikers, given that you’re probably going to want to spend most of your time looking at rocks and the roots rather than up at your drone, hoping it doesn’t end up in a bird’s nest. And you certainly can rely on the tracking of the R1 to prevent you having to scale a tree and fight off a Mama buzzard.
The issue with the Skydio is that it is a particularly expensive investment. At nearly $2000 you’d really have to have a good bit of loose change in your pockets or be prepared to save up to drop some serious dollar.
The Skydio R1 is controlled via an app, which also allows you to control it manually, and Skydio say the R1 is "the most advanced autonomous device of any kind available to consumers today.” So that’s what you’re paying for.
On top of all that, the video capture is in 4K and, let’s be honest, it looks pretty badass too.
7. The Staaker
Staaker drone
© Staaker
- Flight Time: 30 minutes
So, first thing is first, the Staaker doesn’t actually come with a camera, it’s designed to be GoPro compatible. If you’ve got a GoPro already though, as many mountain bikers do, then that makes it a good option going forward.
The Staaker is appropriately named, because unlike the options from Parrot or DJI, it's been designed exclusively to follow you around. You carry around a waterproof tracker which communicates your location to the drone, which will then duly follow you wherever.
The 3-axis gimbal means you get high quality, stable imagery, and great wind resistance, weatherproofing and speed of up to 50mph which mean you’re unlikely to leave it behind. The tracking on the Staaker was praised by Wired for being particularly accurate as well – and with battery life up to half an hour, it’s hard to flaw it on the charge front.
The main issue with the Staaker though is the price. It doesn't feature obstacle avoidance, which is problematic, especially when the similarly-priced DJI Mavic Air does, and the fact that if you don’t own a GoPro already, you’d have to go out and buy a compatible one is a real issue. Though at least then you also have a GoPro for everyday use outside of the drone as well!
If you do already have a GoPro of course, you can find some value here, saving camera price and getting a really good drone rig for cheaper than you otherwise might.
Need some inspiration? Check out the best of the drone footage from Red Bull Valparaíso Cerro Abajo 2019 below
1 min
De bedste drone-skud fra Red Bull Valparaíso Cerro Abajo 2019
Følg downhill-riderne på deres tur nedad den vilde bybane, som snoer sig gennem Valparaísos gader i Chile.
