How About It

8 / 10

Introduction

My mountain bike was predominantly restricted to town use and certainly never went near a mountain! The riders on this DVD use theirs for tricks and downhill racing with scant regard for personal safety.

Set to a college rock and hip-hop soundtrack, How About It is a 30-minute New Zealand film featuring 7 of the country's best mountain bikers performing tail-whips, wall-plants, jumps and other stunts as well as the breakneck speed of the downhill time challenges.

Video

An excellent transfer showcasing New Zealand's breathtaking scenery. All the events are extremely well filmed and edited.

Audio

A very good Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo soundtrack, with the kind of punk, rock and hip-hop you would associate with mountain biking and other extreme sports.

Extra Features

This is where the bulk of the material is to be found. There are over two hours of supplementary features -

The 2007 New Zealand Downhill Nationals - 28 minutes covering the 5 rounds, can be played individually or, if you select Round 1, it plays the lot.

Interviews - 47 minutes of chat with 9 riders.

Wyn & Eddie - Over 3 minutes of the Masters brothers blasting down mountain tracks.

Outtakes - 4 and a half minutes of riding footage that never made it into the final edit.

Slideshow - 5 minutes of photos by Tim Pierce and Mathias Orlea.

Crashes - nearly 3 minutes of amusing and painful mishaps.

Music Videos - including 5th Projekt, Hasan Salaam and Manhattan Sapphire.

Conclusion

Like most extreme sports, mountain biking is best left to the young and/or foolhardy. I've never felt the urge to fling myself down a rocky slope at high speed or try a backward somersault on a bike, but some people do and they love it!

How About It is a very accomplished package with 150 minutes of entertainment for mountain biking enthusiasts. The mixture of tricks, racing, interviews and other bonus features ensured that this DVD never got tiring or repetitive.

Recommended for mountain biking and extreme sports fans - especially any Kiwis who may know the featured riders.