The day Danny MacAskill dropped his ‘Postcard From San Francisco’ video, he put aside time to reply each query we might throw at him. Right here’s what the world’s finest trials rider needed to say.
GearJunkie: What did you like about San Francisco?
Danny MacAskill: It’s form of a cliche reply, I suppose, however attending to exit to Alcatraz was fairly cool. It’s fairly an incredible place; little bit sinister. We filmed in Chinatown, and there’s a very iconic skate and BMX spot up on this bridge. We, in fact, sampled a number of the wonderful Chinese language meals as effectively.
Do you prepare particularly on your using, and the way do you do it? Weights? Trampoline? Gymnastics?
If I’m sincere, I don’t do any weight coaching in any respect. My coaching is primarily using. I journey the trials bicycle simply for one or two hours a day only for enjoyable. And lately, what I attempt to get quite a lot of is my e-mountain bike — my Santa Cruz Heckler. (Santa Cruz is the present bike sponsor for Danny MacAskill.)
I do normally one or two batteries a day and typically three or 4 batteries. That means, I get to journey a lot downhill. It’s pure, enjoyable adrenaline and it retains me bodily feeling good, and it’s much less punishing than my trials bike. Then after I get again on the trials bike, I really feel like I might rip the handlebars off!
Do you rollerblade?
No, I’ve by no means rollerbladed. The place I grew up was slightly too tough on the bottom for rollerblades. That’s how I bought into bikes as a substitute.
You grew up on the Isle of Skye. How did your upbringing there have an effect on you?
I lived in a small village of solely round 200 folks. There’s just one highschool on the entire island. That provides Skye a very cool neighborhood really feel. As a result of we both grew up collectively as children or, , households throughout. It’s fairly cool to have the ability to journey the world and get to see new locations and cultures, however I nonetheless spend quite a lot of time again residence.
What’s your favourite factor to do besides journey bikes?
I’m utterly hooked on browsing the web in search of music on YouTube. The present style I align with essentially the most for the time being is early ’90s trance and techno. There’s lots — lots — of cool stuff in there. I extremely advocate utilizing the YouTube algorithm for music looking. It’s like having a DJ serve you up wonderful tracks you’ll have by no means discovered in any other case.
What’s on the high of your playlist proper now?
Want (Icarus Combine) by Icon. It’s bought an incredible vibe. It’s slightly sooner than most stuff I’d take heed to, however I like to consider what it will have been like within the golf equipment again within the day — and even to at the present time. It’s an immense observe.
Did you all the time like using, and do you bear in mind your first bike?
The bicycle’s all the time been one thing I’ve been into. I used to be all the time fairly an energetic, or perhaps extra hyperactive, child. I’d be climbing the timber in my backyard, climbing throughout my home, leaping off the best partitions I might.
I form of took that power to my bike after I was younger. My pals and I used to make use of our bikes to cycle across the island and to highschool. I used to have, like, a course on my means residence: all totally different curbs and banks and driveways. I’d simply be leaping off every thing I might discover, racing my pals residence. It was good enjoyable.
Do you ever simply journey within the bike lane?
My commuting goes out to journey my e-bike within the hills or my trials bike within the streets. So I’m not typically using “A to B.” And if I’m sincere, I don’t typically use my bike to go to the outlets in Inverness as a result of every thing I’ve is actually considerably too fancy to lock up. I ought to actually get a motorbike I simply use to commute.
How do you get in the appropriate psychological state to do high-injury threat tips?
I really use music as a form of instrument to trick my mind — or to distract it — from what it’s pondering. You’ve bought the rational aspect that’s eager about having already realized the trick. Possibly you’ve realized it on mats or with a foam pit. However then, on location, the instinctual a part of your mind’s going bananas! Pondering you’re going to harm your self, you’re chilly; it’s moist, you’re drained. You’d somewhat be again in mattress.
So I play tracks like Trade by Nathan Micay. I mainly watch for the good a part of the observe to come back in, and I attempt to use that in my head like a begin gun — to attempt to trick my mind to do away with a number of the worry and change it into dedication mode.
Worst damage you’ve had? Worst damage you’ve averted?
Again in 2009, I tore a disc in my again, dropping off a 12-foot drop to flat a number of occasions. I didn’t really discover it on the time. However then I broke my collarbone 3 times in a row over the following six months. My core actually weakened, after which my again went to shit.
The worst damage I’ve averted? You’re going through falling to your demise sufficient occasions that that’s not likely within the equation anymore. However I’ve in all probability jumped 18 or 19 ft to flat earlier than, fallen off my bike, and been tremendous.
Any rider you’re watching tremendous carefully?
Ryan Williams, who rides for Nitro Circus. Every single day he blows my thoughts. He does timeless issues. I like to recommend him as a comply with — I can’t even describe the tips he’s doing. Bike flip entrance flips? All kinds of loopy stuff.
Who’s your favourite athlete to observe in any sport?
That may be a good query! For me, it’s a bike trials rider referred to as Toni Bou. Fully mind-blowing. Take a look on Instagram.
Is there anyplace you haven’t ridden however actually need to?
Japan, for certain. I’ve all the time meant to go over there, however I’ll get there in the future.
How a lot did you and Purple Bull need to pay to journey in Alcatraz?
I don’t know precisely, however I needed to return there 3 times as a result of I couldn’t land the trick! So no matter it was, we’d have needed to pay it a couple of occasions.
Thanks, Danny MacAskill, on your time!
