5 Best Drones For Mountain Biking [Comparison Table]

I’m sure all of you know the sheer number of drone implementations across a wide variety of industries. Photography and cinematography are still leading the charge by pushing the bounds of what conventional cameras used to do. With drones, a whole another level of practicality has been introduced, and it seems as though it isn’t getting off the pilot seat anytime soon.

With that said, not only professionals are using drones to do their work. Many hobbyists, enthusiasts and even complete beginners to drones are starting to use them for increasing their productivity/popularity. With YouTube still being a huge hit, this sort of business practice is expanding to vloggers and adventurers as well… which leads us to today’s topic – best drones for mountain biking!

If mountain biking is your thing (and believe it or not, it is far more popular than most of you think), then I reckon the topic of this article will interest you. Even more so if you have your own YouTube channel where you share your awesome videos.

Wouldn’t it be even more awesome if you could add aerial footage to your arsenal? Just think of what terrific sceneries you could capture while you and your bike cruise through the track. Amazing, right? Don’t believe such things are possible? Just go to YouTube and type in mountain biking drone footage and take a look at the first few videos that pop up. You’ll be amazed!

So, without much further adue, why don’t we start off with our topic and list out a few great drones to record mountain biking with?!

TABLE: 5 Best Drones For Mountain Biking

Image	Name	Camera	Range	Time	Best Price
	7. HStone HS720	1080p	0.8km	22min	See best offer
	6. DJI Spark	1080p	2km	16min	See best offer
	5. DJI Mini 2	4K	8km	30min	See best offer
	4. DJI Mavic 2 Pro	4K	8km	30min	See best offer
	3. DJI Air 2S	5.4K	12km	32min	See best offer
	2. Autel EVO 2	8K	8km	40min	See best offer
	1. DJI Mavic 3	4K	15km	45min	See best offer

7. Holy Stone HS720

We’re starting our list of the best mountain biking drones with an affordable model that won’t take too much money out of your wallet. Times are rough and we gotta save where we can, and it seems as though Holy Stone’s HS720 is all about the cost cuts! Luckily, we’re still talking about a stellar drone here, one that won’t let you down in terms of performance and one that will provide you with all of mountain biking essentials.

Specifications

Let’s start our journey with the specifications! The range on this beauty is pretty good, well over the typical numbers we’d come to expect at this price point. We’re talking roughly 800 meters, making HS720 much more than your typical backyard flyer. The flight duration is pretty sick too, clocking in at around 25 minutes. Slightly less than that if you’re hitting the throttle too hard or you’re recording aerial footage for the entirety of the flight.

Camera and Features

Now that you’ve seen everything there is to be seen regarding HS720’s specifications, let’s venture into the software side of the story and check out its features! There’s a whole bunch of them available – ranging from basic stuff like GPS, and altitude hold, all the way to advanced features like return to home, and follow me. The latter, however, isn’t the most polished feature out there, so you can’t exactly expect it to work as it should in tricky environments with lots of obstacles.

Last but not least, let’s focus on the camera. Unfortunately, the camera could be the worst part of this drone. It’s marketed as a 2K sensor that works great in any sort of weather, but in reality, it’s a slightly wider full HD resolution with inconsistent bitrate and awful vibration.

Heck, for all I know, it could be an upscaled HD resolution, judging by the footage quality. Still images aren’t that bad, but the footage is outright awful. If you’re planning on recording footage with your new mountain biking drone, going for DJI Spark or any of the drones featured below is worth every extra penny!

6. DJI Spark

This miniature drone can fit into any type of backpack. Come to think of it, it fits in most pockets too, making it an insanely portable device. But, with its portability comes excellent performance too. With the combination of those 2, it is not surprising to see DJI Spark ranking up massive sales from the moment it was released. You want to know what’s the hype all about? Well, here’s the deal.

Specifications

Starting off with the main characteristics, you should probably know that DJI Spark weighs just 300 grams which is absolutely brilliant for such a mighty drone. Combine that with 143 x 143 x 55 mm dimensions and you’ll understand just how small this birdie is. But, despite its size, DJI Spark is a proper beast when it comes to raw performance.

With up to 2 kilometers of flight time (when operated with its dedicated controller) and cca 16 minutes of airtime, you will be more than satisfied with what it has to offer. Even more so considering DJI Spark sports a mini USB port that allows you to charge it via power bank. Yup, you can charge this baby on the go, how cool is that?

Features and Camera

Even cooler is that miniature 2-axis camera/gimbal combo which is capable of recording fully stabilized videos in 1080p resolution. Furthermore, DJI Spark also has access to a wide set of features, including ActiveTrack (DJI’s version of Follow Me), TapFly (DJI’s version of Waypoints) and plenty other autonomous flight modes that will boost your productivity while mountain biking.

There is even a pair of brand new features called PalmControl and PalmLaunch which offer fluent controlling with your bare hands. However, as pleasing as this might sound, I doubt you will use it frequently since you will be concentrated on biking rather than playing around with your new drone.

5. DJI Mini 2

If you’re looking for a miniature companion that will take awesome videos and images of your mountain biking adventures, and you’re not willing to break your bank, then DJI Mini 2 ought to be right up your alley. It’s compact, powerful, and costs just a fraction of the price you’d have to pay for a flagship. But, does it provide a decent-enough experience, and is its performance up to par with other drones for mountain biking? Let’s find out!

Drone that follows you while biking

This thing weighs in at just 242 grams or slightly over 0.53 lbs. This is very important for folks living in the USA as it means they don’t need to register the drone or pursue a pilot license. This thing is, believe it or not, treated like a toy drone, despite the fact it has some serious firepower under the hood.

It’s not very fast, though, but you can expect decent stability and wind resistance. The lack of speeds DJI Mini compensates with a great camera and plenty of autonomous features. Yep, this thing is a fully-fledged smart drone equipped with some of DJI’s signature features included in QuickShots.

Quality Aerial Footage

Yep, this thing will surprise you with its quality aerial footage. It packs a mechanical 3-axis gimbal system, the one used in much pricier drones, and has a camera that shoots 4K videos and 12MP images. 4K at 30fps is what you’ll get from DJI Mini. Though it’s not the smoothest, it will be enough for your cinematic mountain biking videos.

So yeah, as I said in the intro, there’s really no need to go for a pricier or bigger drone here. If you’re looking for a drone to capture mountain biking videos or other extreme sports, this little bugger will suffice.

4. DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Finally, at the top spot of this list, I present you the one and only, DJI Mavic 2 Pro! Even though the original Mavic Pro would do this task just fine, the second generation Mavic Pro offers several additional perks, some of which might come in handy during more complex mountain biking environments. So, without any further adue, let’s see what’s this bad boy all about!

Specifications

DJI Mavic 2 Pro has everything it needs to become an instant hit with the audience. That’s because it sports impressive hardware that’s crammed together in an impressively small product. It’s almost identical to the original Mavic Pro, but with absolutely no compromises when it comes to performance. Yup, that’s right! DJI Mavic 2 Pro features the same (or even better) performance as Phantom 4 Pro, and does so featuring a much smaller package. In other words, it has up to 30 minutes of flight time and 8000 meters of range, all of which we are already used to seeing with DJI’s current-generation flagship drones.

Camera and Features

Moving forward, it’s also important to add Mavic 2 Pro’s 4K-capable camera which is mounted on a miniature 3-axis gimbal ever. It works like a charm and can provide with buttery smooth aerial videos time and time again. Features-wise, this birdie is nothing short of spectacular, but that was to be expected. All DJI GO app features are present so you should have an easy time setting things up and enjoying your mountain biking experience with this little bugger.

Finally, DJI Mavic 2 Pro also sports omnidirectional obstacle avoidance which can be of crucial importance in rough mountain biking environments. If you’re thinking of fyling this thing autonomously most of the time, and that’s highly likely since you’re reading this particular piece, then you’ll really appreciate Mavic 2 Pro’s complex OA system. In the end, I believe I don’t have to say anything else about the brilliance behind DJI Mavic 2 Pro. It’s an absolute beast no matter how you look at it… and as such, it definitely deserves the top spot on this list!

3. DJI Air 2S

…Unless you have more money to spend, that is! DJI Mini 2 is a great budget device, no doubt about that. But, if you want a better sensor, higher quality footage, more stability, and wind resistance, then DJI Air 2S is worth checking out!

Better All-Around Performer

DJI Air 2S is an exceptional all-arounder. It can do whatever you want it to do – from casual mountain biking videos, cinematic montages, all the way to professional use scenarios. Yep, this thing is among the best roof inspection and real estate drones out there too!

It’s faster than the Mini 2, sports a better camera than the Mini 2, and has lots of additional quirks… unfortunately, though, the price tag is higher too. But, if you’re serious about your mountain biking hobby and you need something that will handle autonomous aerial videography for you, getting a DJI Air 2S is a no-brainer!

Exceptional Camera

This thing boasts a 1-inch CMOS Sensor that can shoot 5.4K videos at 30fps. If you want more frames per second, though, you’ll have to lower it down to 4K. On a slightly brighter note, if you drop down to 1080p, you can even shoot 120fps slow-motion videos. That ought to be great for your mountain biking adventures.

Not only that – DJI Air 2S packs around half an hour of battery life as well as 10ish kilometers (roughly 6 miles) of transmission distance. It can even go further than that, but in ideal conditions like wide-open fields.

With those words, we’re all done with DJI Air 2S. I am sure you’ll agree with me when I say this is one hell of a package here. Thank you, DJI! But, it’s not all about DJI – Autel Robotics has a fine little bugger too. Let’s take a closer look!

2. Autel EVO 2

Next up, Autel Robotics EVO 2! This orange little bugger brings forth unprecedented performance, a thrilling set of autonomous features, and a brilliant camera that will give you professional-grade aerial footage no matter the conditions you’re flying in.

Best of All – It’s not DJI

Yep, we’re not looking at yet another DJI (or DJI clone) model here. Autel Robotics is one of just a few premium brands besides the Chinese giants from DJI. They took things off with X-Star Premium, a Phantom lookalike with an aggressive price tag and superior performance than early Phantom models.

Soon enough, the original EVO was released, boasting impressive performance and foldable design, just like DJI’s Mavic series. Now, we’re looking at the second-gen model that boasts with radical improvements, not just over its predecessor but second and third-gen Mavic models too.

8K Camera and Great All-Around Specs

For starters, this thing has an 8K camera on the base model. That’s right – 8K. It shoots at 30fps, of course, but still… it’s freaking 8K! Lower it down a bit and you’ll get buttery smooth 60fps. Even better, the Pro version comes with a big 1-inch sensor with adjustable aperture (f2.8 to f11) and 4K HDR support. I honestly can’t blame you if you pick 6K HDR and adjustable aperture of the Pro version over 8K camera (smaller sensor) on the base model.

All models can fly for around 30 minutes, though they’re all marketed for 40. On top of that, they can handle around 5 miles of video transmission distance, which should be more than enough for most use cases.

1. DJI Mavic 3

The best drone for mountain biking is definitely the all-new DJI Mavic 3. Even though it still doesn’t have access to its entire feature set, this thing possesses advanced flight autonomy that will enable you to focus on riding your bike instead of controlling your drone. Thanks to follow-me mode and omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, you won’t have to worry about anything – just enjoy your ride and the drone will take care of the recording.

The best follow me drone for mountain biking

With roughly half an hour of flight time, 15ish kilometers (9 miles) of range, and absolutely pinpoint accurate flight, no drone comes close to the third-gen Mavic. It sports a behemoth with a camera too. In fact, we’re looking at two cameras here. The main one is a 4/3-inch Hasselblad and the second one is a 1/2-inch tele sensor. With these two, DJI Mavic 3 ensures you always get pro-quality footage, no matter the conditions.

Two Available Versions

The third-gen Mavic comes in two versions; Standard and Cine. The main difference is the fact that the Cine version supports Apple ProRes 422 HD Codec and has a massive storage disk built-in. We’re talking about a 1TB SSD that will eliminate the need for external storage and complement your aerial photography/videography no matter what you’re putting it up against.

The cameras are identical on both machines, but the Cine Fly More Combo coming with DJI Pro Smart Controller and extra ND filters. There are plenty of reasons why the Cine version beats Standard… but the price tag is significantly higher so you better think twice before breaking your bank.

Frequently Asked Questions about the tracking drones for mountain biking

What makes a good drone for mountain biking?

Before dashing out a large sum of money, it might be a good idea to double-check what exactly are you looking for. Drones are not nearly the same when it comes to the type of performance they provide, but I guess I don’t have to be the one to tell you that.

Anyway, here are the key traits that make a good drone for mountain biking:

Which drone for mountain biking has the best camera?

Autel Robotics EVO 2. It comes with an 8K camera on the base model. In 8K it shoots at 30fps, lower it down a bit and you’ll get buttery smooth 60fps. Keep in mind that if you buy the Pro version, you’ll get a big 1-inch sensor with adjustable aperture (f2.8 to f11) and 4K HDR support. In terms of camera quality, Autel Robotics EVO 2 currently has no competition.

Which drone for mountain biking has the longest range?

DJI Mavic 3 has a flight range of 15 kilometers (9 miles). Currently, DJI has no competition in terms of long-range consumer drones. 2nd best drone in terms of flight range is DJI Air 2S, which can fly up to 12 km (7 miles) away from the controller.

Which drone for mountain biking has the best flight time?

DJI Mavic 3 has an advertised max flight time of 45 minutes. In reality, you can expect it to stay in the air from 30 to 35 minutes, depending on the flight style and other conditions, such as wind for example.

What makes a good mtb drone?

If you want to have the optimal performance when it comes to recording aerial footage, then there are a few traits you should pay close attention to. First being hardware image stabilization. I cannot stress this enough, guys – if you want smooth videos with no shakiness whatsoever, then hardware stabilization is a must!

Without it, you will experience the shakiness, jello effect and won’t even be able to control your camera’s movements mid-flight. Needless to say, those things can make a difference between making and breaking this whole deal.

Second of all, you should also pay attention to the features of your potential drone-to-be. Obviously, GPS is a must as well since it provides access to a wide array of supporting features. Some of those are crucial for a decent mountain biking experience.

Mainly, I am referring to follow me (or ActiveTrack – DJI’s version of follow me) mode which gives you a bunch of functionality to start off with. Additionally, you might also be interested in features such as Orbiting and Terrain Follow, both of which can do a great job as far as mountain biking footage is concerned.

You are free to experiment with those as much as you like… until you get that perfect combination that will amaze everyone watching your clips.

Last but not least, you need to make sure your drone can be easily packed together with your belongings. In the list down below, there are several miniature drones including DJI Mavic Pro and DJI Spark which make for great traveling companions. Others, however, require their own backpacks/cases which could overburden you on your trip. I’m not saying you shouldn’t opt for bulkier models, I’m just suggesting you should take the size into consideration before making your purchase.

Take DJI Spark and, let’s say, DJI Phantom 4 Pro, as perfect examples. The former is so small that it will basically fit into the pocket of your trousers or jacket. On the other hand, the P4Pro is a bulky drone that comes packed with a hard-shell case for easier transport. It’s heavy, bulky and can be considered a burden for traveling, but does possess far better performance and camera quality than the Spark. At the end of the day, it all comes down to your preference and whether you are looking for pure quality or willing to compromise a bit for a travel-friendly experience.

Should you pay extra for hardware stabilization?

Like I already explained above, hardware stabilization is of crucial importance for every drone meant for recording aerial footage. It’s a basis of what good aerial photography drone must have and as such, I believe you should pay the extra for it. As a matter of fact, take 3DR Solo as the perfect example.

You can get the drone for dirt cheap money, but if you want a dedicated gimbal for it, I’m afraid you will have to splash out quite a bit of money. We are talking about comprehensive and highly sophisticated devices here. They’re not cheap to manufacture… but to justify for that, they do indeed make quite the difference in terms of image quality.

So, once again, paying extra for hardware stabilization systems (AKA gimbals) should never be in question as they are definitely worth the money.

Setting up the stage

Now that I’ve covered everything you should know about great aerial photography drones, it’s time to guide you through your first steps. As al beginnings, this can prove to be a tricky one as well. There are many functions and features these premium drones come with and you will mostly be using a few of them. So, with that said, let’s see how to set the stage up for your very first mountain biking video:

1. For optimal results, you should always examine the surrounding area and get the feel for where exactly your drones should be positioned in order to get the best footage.
2. Experiment with different opening shots. Perhaps panoramic views aren’t always the best options. This depends heavily on the type of area you are into… Practice makes perfect!
3. Try out Follow Me/Active Track mode. Simply select yourself on the drone’s FPV display (or your smartphone, in some cases) and enjoy the hands-free footage. This allows you to fully concentrate on your biking rather than tampering with the drone all the time.

Conclusion

Mountain biking, as cool as it can be, gets so much more awesome when there’s a drone recording the best moments. Take YouTube for example – there are a plethora of awesome mountain biking videos recorded solely with drones. And each of them is fucking awesome, pardon my expression.

So, if you are still not sure whether you should buy a drone or not, perhaps watching those videos will convince you. After all, if you don’t record your adventures, did they even happen?

Thank you all for reading! I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Until next time,

Happy mountain biking!

DronesGlobe

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Larry Haller

Larry is the founder of DronesGlobe. He has been tested and certified by the FAA and successfully became a FAA-Certified Advanced Ground Instructor.

Larry achieved great results working as an instructor at our partnering company where he prepared students for Part 107 exams.

Proud father of two beautiful kids, which is pretty much explaining why he's not publishing as often on DronesGlobe as he used before.

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