Choosing the right GoPro mount for mountain biking is challenging because there are so many ways to mount a GoPro to your mountain bike or body. These mounts include chest mounts, helmet mounts, handlebar mounts, and much more.
Hi, my name is Larry. I’ve been shooting action footage with GoPro cameras since 2014 and have tested dozens of different GoPro mounts while mountain biking.
In today’s comprehensive guide, you’ll learn exactly which GoPro mount to get for mountain biking. I’ll also answer a few related questions you may have and explain the key traits of what makes the best GoPro mount for mountain biking.
Let’s spin right in!
Contents
Key Takeaways
- The best places to mount a GoPro while mountain biking is on your chest, helmet, handlebar, or seat post.
- Most mountain bikers prefer to use a helmet or chest mount to record footage with their GoPro cameras.
- Comfort and camera angle are the two most important factors when choosing a GoPro mount for mountain biking.
- The GoPro Performance Chest Mount is the best overall choice for mountain biking.
How do you use a GoPro on a mountain bike?
There are many ways to use a GoPro on a mountain bike. You can mount the GoPro to your chest, handlebars, seat, or helmet. However, most mountain bike riders prefer to use a helmet or chest mount to make sure the bike’s vibrations don’t affect the quality of the footage. I recommend using an under visor or chest GoPro mount.
How do you mount a GoPro on a mountain bike helmet?
Most GoPro helmet mounts utilize a sticky adhesive to keep the mount in place. Therefore, you should find a flat surface on your GoPro and clean the area. Then, attach the sticky adhesive once the area is dry. I recommend using a bit of force to make sure the adhesive is secure. Next, wait about 12 hours for the adhesive to fully attach before going for a ride.
How do I attach my GoPro to my bike frame?
You can purchase a GoPro bike mount that you can attach to your bike’s frame, seatpost, or handlebar. This mount clamps directly around your bike frame and lets you tighten the mount for a secure fit. Using a GoPro bike mount alleviates the discomfort that comes with wearing a helmet or chest mount.
Where do I put my GoPro on my bike helmet?
There are several places you can put a GoPro on your bike helmet. These areas include on the chin, under the visor, on the top, or on the side. In my opinion, mounting your GoPro under your visor or on your chin offers the best viewing angle.
How do you mount a GoPro chest on a mountain bike?
GoPro chest mounts are similar to wearing a vest. These mounts come with straps and buckles that you place around your body to provide a secure fit. Best of all, GoPro chest mounts are highly adjustable and suitable for any sized mountain biker.
What Makes the Best GoPro Mount for Mountain Biking
There are a few key criteria when determining what makes the best GoPro mount for mountain biking. While obvious factors include comfort and compatibility, it’s also important to consider each mount’s viewing angle.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these key benchmarks:
- Compatibility: The first criteria to consider is if the mount is compatible with your specific GoPro camera. This is because some GoPro cameras have different mounting techniques and require protective housing in order to mount them to your body or mountain bike.
- Comfort: It’s not going to be fun going mountain bike riding if your GoPro is causing discomfort. For this reason, you need to find a GoPro mount that doesn’t bother you as you’re traversing the trails. The best GoPro mounts for mountain biking don’t have any inconveniences whatsoever.
- Viewing Angle: A crucial consideration to make before choosing your GoPro mount for mountain biking is the viewing angle. Each mounting position offers a different angle of your ride. Therefore, you want the GoPro mount that offers a dynamic view with the most compelling story of your footage.
- Mounting Position: Similar to the viewing angle, the mounting position is another key factor to consider. This is because a GoPro can be mounted nearly everywhere on your body or mountain bike. Finding the best mounting position based on your preferences will offer the best mountain biking experience possible.
Top 5 Best GoPro Mounts for Mountain Biking
Now that you understand what makes the best GoPro mount for mountain biking, it’s time to take a look at my 5 best picks. I created this list based on my own experiences mountain biking dozens of times with friends and family. For every mountain biking trip I go on, I always bring my GoPro camera and a few mounts.
Let’s dive into the top 5 best GoPro mounts for mountain biking.
1. GoPro Performance Chest Mount
- Compatibility: Compatible with all GoPro cameras
- Comfort: Comfortable to wear; similar to a lightweight backpack
- Viewing Angle: Immersive angle of the rider and trail
- Mounting Position: Chest
The GoPro Performance Chest Mount is the official GoPro chest mount manufactured by GoPro. Therefore, you can expect sturdy build quality and versatility. Weighing in at only five ounces, this mount is the perfect compliment to arduous and lengthy mountain bike rides.
This mount’s straps are built with breathable, padded material to provide extreme comfort for enduring mountain bike rides. The GoPro Performance Chest Mount also has a standard 3-prong strap and a quick-buckle release to easily attach and detach your GoPro camera.
Not only does the GoPro chest mount capture amazing shots of the rider and the trail in a single frame, but they are also highly versatile. In fact, you can attach a gimbal to stabilize your mountain biking footage even more. Best of all, the GoPro Performance Chest Mount keeps your camera out of the way, so you don’t have to worry about bumping it as you ride.
However, the main drawback of the GoPro Performance Chest Mount is that it doesn’t include a J-hook. Without a J-hook, setting your preferred viewing angle is a bit more challenging. Nonetheless, the GoPro Performance Chest Mount’s standard viewing angle is perfect for most mountain bikers.
My Verdict: The GoPro Performance Chest Mount is the number one GoPro mount for all mountain bikers. That is because this mount captures stable and high-level action footage since it’s placed slightly under eye level. The best part is you can maneuver the camera angle to set your preferred view and even point it up at your own face.
2. QKOO Helmet Chin Mount
- Compatibility: Compatible with all GoPro cameras
- Comfort: Comfortable mounting position
- Viewing Angle: Eye-level point of view
- Mounting Position: The chin of your helmet
The QKOO Helmet Chin Mount is the best GoPro mount for mountain bikers wearing full-face helmets. This position records similar footage as when you mount your camera to your chest. However, the only difference is that you can turn your head right and left to capture side views.
The QKOO Helmet Chin Mount offers a more immersive viewing angle and stability than mounting your GoPro to the top of your helmet. Frequently, it can feel odd having the GoPro stick over your helmet like a unicorn. Furthermore, the top of the helmet mounts is prone to slight wind drag, which can be inconvenient if you travel at fast speeds.
Best of all, this mount offers angle adjustments which means you can securely tilt your GoPro in any direction. This way, you can capture the best shots possible and later edit them into a fantastic video to share with your friends.
To attach this mount to your helmet, the QKOO Helmet Chin Mount uses a set of sticky adhesives that spread out like a pair of wings. Since it covers a large surface area, you can rest assured knowing the mount won’t fly off even if you ride at maximum velocity.
The only complaint I had about this camera mount is that it’s a bit bulkier than I expected. However, since it’s made with high-quality materials and offers a secure fit to your helmet, the added weight is worth the minor inconvenience.
My Verdict: The QKOO Helmet Chin Mount is the second best GoPro mount for mountain biking because it’s comfortable to wear and provides an excellent viewing angle. Most mountain bikers who use helmet mounts attach their GoPros to the chins of their helmets.
3. GoPro Helmet Front + Side Mount
- Compatibility: Compatible with all GoPro cameras
- Comfort: May feel slightly irritating
- Viewing Angle: High-level view of the ride
- Mounting Position: Under the visor or top front of your helmet
The GoPro Helmet Front + Side Mount is another fantastic option for mountain bikers who want to capture a realistic eye-level point of view of their rides. As I mentioned earlier, this mount utilizes a sticky adhesive sticker that attaches directly to your helmet.
This mount is also highly versatile. You can mount it under your visor or to the upper front, top, or side of your helmet. However, I recommend mounting it under your helmet’s visor since this position offers the most stability and best viewing angle.
Helmet mounts will always be popular among mountain bikers since it captures everything their eyes can see. GoPro helmet mounts offer the best of both worlds, from the bike and the trail to the scenery. This is the best GoPro mount for mountain bikers who want to record general purpose footage. Therefore, I recommend using this mount as a daily driver.
However, even though the GoPro Helmet Front + Side Mount offers an excellent viewing angle, I prefer using the chin or chest mount. In my experience, the chin and chest mounts provide a more immersive viewing experience since it’s slightly closer to the action.
My Verdict: The GoPro Helmet Front + Side Mount is best used under your visor. This GoPro mount for mountain biking provides excellent and realistic eye-level footage. If you attach the mount under your visor, you don’t have to worry about pointing it too high or too low because the GoPro’s wide-angle lens will capture everything in front.
4. GoPro Handlebar Mount
- Compatibility: Compatible with all GoPro cameras
- Comfort: No discomfort whatsoever
- Viewing Angle: Ability to record yourself
- Mounting Position: Handlebars
The GoPro Handlebar Mount is often overlooked compared to all the other options when it comes to GoPro mountain bike mounts. However, you’ll be surprised at how much detail it can capture if you want to specifically record footage of the trail you’re riding on.
Although I don’t recommend using the GoPro Handlebar Mount as your daily driver, you should use it in conjunction with one of the three mounts listed above. This is because the GoPro Handlebar mount captures unique footage you can edit into your videos once you finish recording.
For example, you can turn the mount and aim it back at yourself. This way, you can record yourself and your reactions as you navigate through rugged terrain or trails. I personally love using my GoPro Handlebar Mount when I want to capture an especially rocky section of a trail. I also love to point my GoPro at myself when I’m taking sharp turns.
However, since the GoPro Handlebar Mount attaches directly to your bike, the bike’s vibrations may cause shaky footage. However, GoPro’s image stabilization technology removes most of the shakes and trembles. Just keep in mind that the other GoPro mounts mentioned above offer more stable footage.
My Verdict: The GoPro Handlebar Mount is the best GoPro mount for mountain bikers who want to capture outstanding trail footage. This mount displays how tricky the terrain you’re traversing is. Best of all, you can flip the camera around to record yourself and film your reactions to the most challenging rides.
5. GoPro Large Tube Mount
- Compatibility: Compatible with all GoPro cameras
- Comfort: No discomfort whatsoever
- Viewing Angle: Low-angle point of view
- Mounting Position: Seatpost or bike frame
You can use the GoPro Large Tube Mount to attach your GoPro to your seatpost or bike frame. While this mount is relatively niche when it comes to recording mountain bike videos, it can provide some creative and unique footage you can add to your edits.
Most GoPro Large Tube Mount users attach it to their bike frames and point it backward. This way, you can capture amazing shots of the rider behind you. Personally, I really enjoy using this mount to show the steepness of difficult trails I ride.
The best part about this mount is its versatility. Since it’s meant to mount onto large tubes, you can easily attach it to any part of your mountain bike. Therefore, you can test multiple angles until you find the perfect shot for your GoPro mountain biking videos.
Since this mount is best used situationally, it shouldn’t be the only mount in your GoPro arsenal. Instead, I recommend using this mount to complement one of the mounts listed above. This way, you can record a variety of different angles to make the best video possible.
My Verdict: This is an excellent GoPro mount for mountain biking if you want to record some interesting new camera angles for your videos. However, this mount isn’t the best option for standard point-of-view video footage. Instead, I recommend a helmet or chest mount.
Closing Thoughts
The right GoPro mount can significantly enhance your mountain biking experiences. Not only can you edit and share clips with your friends, but you can also review footage to see how you can improve for future rides.
Today’s guide taught you about the best GoPro mounts depending on your specific preferences. If you want the overall best GoPro mount for mountain biking, you can’t go wrong with the GoPro Performance Chest Mount or the QKOO Helmet Chin Mount. Furthermore, The GoPro Helmet Front + Side Mount is an excellent option if you want realistic eye-level footage.
Now I’d love to hear from you! How long have you been mountain biking? Which mount from today’s guide will you pick? Do you have any additional questions about GoPro cameras or mountain biking? Don’t hesitate to drop a quick comment right below with your answer!
I’ll reply to any questions you may have as soon as I can.
