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Collective DVDs
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Key Search Terms: Roam DVD; Roam soundtrack; Collective DVD; Collective soundtrack; Seasons DVD, MTB DVD video.
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Product: Trilogy of MTB videos and the accompanying soundtracks to two of those DVDs. Reviewed by: Rich Ries. Cost: Typical street/online pricing is $25 for Roam or Seasons and $20 for The Collective. Recommended? Yes.
Executive Summary: Finally, mountain bike videos for grownups.
Note: there's a lot to love here. We'll roll out our reviews of each DVD and CD as time permits, starting with our favorite, Roam.
Roam DVD
The Roam DVD package.
Ratings
(1 is lowest, 5 is highest)
Comments
Video
5
Top-notch cinematography in some of the world's most beautiful places
Audio
5
Clear voices; 5.1 Surround Sound
Music
5
Diverse, but all enjoyable
Riding
5
Inspiring
Bonus Material
5
“Slideshow” and “Making of” especially appealing
Overall
5
Despite the presence of Jordi Lunn
Run Time, Feature
44:20
Wow. No words adequately express the beauty of Roam; “wow” is all I got. The cinematography is fantastic. The music - all from artists you've probably never heard of - is terrific. The riding is incredible, which is what you'd expect from the roster of riders involved in this film, including Darren Berrecloth, Ryan Leech, Cam McCaul, and Andrew Shandro. The narrator's voice-overs introducing each segment give some nice background. Even the bonus material is beyond expectations. I especially enjoyed the still shots in the “Slideshow” and the technical information in the “Making of Roam Documentary.” When you see the crew running rigging through the trees or setting up a camera on a dolly you realize how much work went into this effort. There are also some neat editing tricks, as when Ryan Leech rides into the frame from two places at once. It's as if the Ryan Leech riding by is briefly distracted by the other Ryan Leech performing trials stunts. There are a few moments of awkward adolescence, mostly when Jordi Lunn is on screen. (My apologies to Lunn and the entire “special needs” community if he is one of them.) But this is by far the best of the three DVDs from The Collective. In fact, this is by far the best DVD on mountain biking from any franchise. If you had trouble convincing yourself to buy a hi-def TV and home theatre system, or if you had trouble selling your significant other on the idea, put Roam in the tray, crank up the volume, and the investment will suddenly seem worthwhile. No one is so soulless as to be left unimpressed. Wow.
Berrecloth as Superman.
If you're a fan of big air, you'll find plenty of it in Roam. Above, Darren Berrecloth Supermans off a ramp.
Ryan Leech riding the top of a gate in Prague.
Trials rider Ryan Leech rode across the top of this gate during a trip to Prague. If the riding weren't so stupendous, you'd be left raving about the scenery shots from this eastern European city.
Roam Soundtrack
This CD doesn't include all the music from the video. No single CD could do that, since the entire feature has a music bed and there are other songs associated with the bonus materials. That's a lot of tunes. But the soundtrack has most of the best of the Roam music, including “Coming Home Soon” by Latch Key Kid and “Shiver” by Chris Velan. It's a good thing, because most of the music on the Collective's videos is hard to find. If you watch Roam as often as I have, just hearing the music while driving or riding will conjure up beautiful images from the video. It's a conditioned response triggered by sensory stimuli. But this is a good response. Not like the conditioned response you get from watching MTB videos while riding the rollers. You know, where the TV rider hits soft dirt and you jerk the bars and wind up on the floor. I hate it when that happens.