The Danny MacAskill...
 

[Closed] The Danny MacAskill YouTube phenomena, best bit?

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simply the sickest street/trials on youtube, number one view in the uk today!
for the tiny minority who haven't already viewed this....
[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/2009/04/the-best-five-minute-mountain-bike-film-ever/ ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o[/url]
But question is..... best bit?
I'm torn between the silky backwards manualling/nose-manualling action and the show stopping tree ride flair..........


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:17 am
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for me it's either the flair or the riding along the top of that spiky fence...


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:18 am
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Tree flip. No question.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:20 am
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damn yeah the fence ride is pure cheekyness.....


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:20 am
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i liked it when he put the barrier back....


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:27 am
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Funny that everyone's singling out the tree bit, when people (especially BMXers) have been pulling moves like that for ages. But admittedly that one is hey-yuge. 🙂


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:29 am
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Tree flip is awesome, but I really liked massive stair drop into the subway (loved the shot of the folk gathering at the top of the stairs to see if he was alive or not!).

It's all amazing though... makes me want to get a trials bike and learn some skillz (no illusions of doing anything like what he's doing, I'll be happy to just be able to jump over things, I love the idea of making the city your playground 😀 )


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:32 am
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The big drop to grass bank and all the people looking over the rail to see where the hell he went!


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:32 am
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I really like the huge drop down the stairs into the subway. How does he not break a) himself and b) his bike is a mystery.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:32 am
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That's what I wonder, it's a fully rigid bike, how's it (and he) coping with the landing forces? Looking a the tyres I guess they're like 2.5" or something, I guess that helps?


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:36 am
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The spiky fence ride. I mean, look at the penalty for failure, dude! I just couldn't get the image of impalement injuries out of my head, even though some 'falling off' footage is shown.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:37 am
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The massive 360 down the stairs into the subway does it for me too. It's crazy that a bike with no suspension can handle such things.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:39 am
 J0N
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I like the huge drop to grass. But best is all the standard trials skills that he has enhanced like the 360 spin side hop aswell as all the rolled stoppies, wheelies with spins and hops.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:39 am
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The drop to wall from the copy shop parapette, that's huge and it's a small target.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:45 am
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His riding ability is so immense and he sticks some ****ing [i]incredible[/i] moves - but I love the manual on the rail at about 3.43. Simple and beautiful.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 10:57 am
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For me it's the way that watching this (and stuff like it) makes you "think" about the potential of the environment around you differently. Having ridden around the areas shot a lot, it'll make me consider them differently in the future.

If there had to be one thing though, I'd say the fence ride- pretty creative, difficult to execute, high price of failure. But then, it's all like that...


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 11:00 am
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I've watched it about five or six times now, and that stuff just gets more jaw-droppingly amazing every time.
It's so far beyond what I could ever have hoped to do that it might as well be riding from a different planet.
I (and most other people too, I would imagine) find that level of skill, confidence and panache almost unbelievable - nice soundtrack and quality filming too.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 11:08 am
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Fence ride or the tailwhip side hop.

That lad has serious talent. Unfortunately it won't get as many hits as that woman who turns out can sing.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 11:09 am
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i love the 180 hop over the barrier, at night. rolls backwards and then does what i imagine to be the bike equivalent of a kick-flip.
at 2.05.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 11:10 am
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From [url= http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Danny-takes-a-bough-as.5188619.jp ]The Scotsman[/url]

Even Danny has had his fair share of war wounds. Since he started riding trials bikes aged 11, he has broken his wrist and dislocated his index finger.

Err - that's even more amazing than his stunts


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 11:12 am
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His rolling reverse at 3.35 is so bludy smooth, you'd be forgiven for assuming that the footage was rewinding! 😀

Greatly cheering to see a bike vid get so much coverage.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 11:13 am
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On first view, it's simply the lines he sees. Like where there appears to be nothing to ride. No available line. He just rides it.

I am impressed.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 11:47 am
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Incredibly impressive I also love the Chris Akriggs vids [url=


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 12:12 pm
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Edinburgh is a wonderful city.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 12:23 pm
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Tree flip and tail whip side hop. But also the fact that he just strings so many moves, which would be impressive in their own right, seamlessly together...


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 12:38 pm
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Also from The Scotsman article:

Buy a specialised bike. A regular bike is not appropriate.

😀


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 12:44 pm
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MY life has never been the same since I bought Evolve - such a great vid and inspiring. 30 minutes of this sort of riding, far more of the pedal-kicks between tiny obstacles and less of the jumping off stairs.

Seriously going to dig out some spare cash for a 20"er now, made my mind up 🙂


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 12:58 pm
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Granted he's a fantastic rider but does no one on here watch bmx videos?


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 1:12 pm
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Yeah, but I find BMX nowhere near as fun. Likely to invite a tirade of abuse but its personal preference in my case.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 1:15 pm
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[IMG] [/IMG]

but all of it is quite amazing.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 1:34 pm
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grumm - It's crazy that a bike with no suspension can handle such things.

BMX guys have been doing stuff just as big without any suspension for years.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 1:46 pm
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Remarkable how much stronger a 20" frame is, especially when it's not build for super-light-weight-weenies.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 1:48 pm
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yeah my BMX weighs a ton but its much easier to throw around and takes a load more punishment than the mountain bike


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 1:59 pm
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It's the slanty wall hip to slanty wall landing for me. That's massive.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 2:03 pm
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It's the slanty wall hip to slanty wall landing for me. That's massive.

I know that spot well and that made my jaw drop. But the tree ride flip is just awesome.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 2:19 pm
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BMX guys have been doing stuff just as big without any suspension for years.

It's crazy that a bike with no suspension can handle such things.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 2:54 pm
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Not really, bend your arms, bend your knees, how hard can it be? 😆

It's a good point, a lot of the tricks in that video are BMX inspired if not outright borrowings. Mixing street and trials riding is nothing new either. I remember seeing the Trialskings in MBUK a few years back, Jeff Lenosky has been going for ages, and there was some trials guy who entered the Race Face UFC a few years back with a video that included lots of similar stuff, including a backflip off a tree.

That's not taking anything away from Danny's riding though, it's utterly phenomenal stuff.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 3:06 pm
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the mad carve on the 'round banks' bit was my fave bit (3:48 ish)


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 3:09 pm
 ianv
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I think its the combination of street and trials that makes the video different.

For the BMX perspective, check this out:


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 3:39 pm
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I was loving it right from the start, but the tree flip was a genuine "Oh my god, what the !!" moment.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 3:40 pm
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ianv - For the BMX perspective, check this out:

Front flip to grass bank, smooth as you like


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 3:51 pm
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[snaps out of his 80s childhood gate start]

"BMXers have been doing this kind of thing for years" is a bit of strawman stance, imo - the corrollary being that it'd be more respect-worthy if he was was riding [i]nothing less[/i] than Woody's golden Hutch Trickstar itself. Brakeless, of course.

It's all bikes, innit? I bet my false teeth that kiddo could make riding a Penny Farthing look like the raddest thing ever.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 4:05 pm
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A MA ZING

The mind boggles at what stunts they'll be doing in another 20 years.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 4:13 pm
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Noteeth, that's not the intention at all - it's just that this sort of thing tends to reset people's memories, and before you know it, the people who have been doing similar things for years get forgotten about.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 4:16 pm
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[i]Noteeth, that's not the intention at all[/i]

Don't worry - I hear ya. 😀

It's all good, basically - where once we had dog-eared posters & folk memories, we now have the tinternet. Praise be!

Now, flatland on a Brompton...


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 4:28 pm
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Checked the BMX vid, still dont get it. Somehow using pre-built, perfectly sized ramps is, IMHO, less thrilling than riding anything you find in the street. But I dont want that to sound like BMX is poo, just not my thing.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 4:38 pm
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chunkychew - Member

It's the slanty wall hip to slanty wall landing for me. That's massive.

I was thinking that too. And the landing is effectively flat. Still, he schmoooooth as yer like


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 5:11 pm
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Its the combination of all the styles that's so impressive and the pure style with which he pulls stuff off. One of my favourite bits was the front tyre tap over the gate. Maybe not that impressive compared to the big stunts, but just beautifully pulled off. The same with some of the forwards/backwards manuals. Aaron Chase and Ryan Leach rolled into one with a side serving of Chris Akrigg.

The backflip off the tree was just "...!!..." though.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 5:33 pm
 AB
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The video is being discussed on BBC 1 SCOTLAND NEWS tonight.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 5:36 pm
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The tree flip had my missus wondering whether it was faked, she had to watch it a few times to be convinced.

massive skills


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 5:43 pm
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[i]"To say the response to this video from trials/cycling community and even the general public has been unexpected would be somewhat of an understatement!"[/i]

(over at [url= http://www.trials-forum.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=134625&st=300 ]trials-forum[/url])

Good on ya.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 5:56 pm
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The long wheelie along the thin rail.

How many bones has he broken in his line?


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 6:00 pm
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JohnClimber - Member

The long wheelie along the thin rail.

How many bones has he broken in his line?



druidh - Member

From The Scotsman

Even Danny has had his fair share of war wounds. Since he started riding trials bikes aged 11, he has broken his wrist and dislocated his index finger.

Err - that's even more amazing than his stunts


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 6:02 pm
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And on the BBC Scotland web pages

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8010262.stm

Mr MacAskill added that he has to take ibuprofen before he rides his bike to stop the pain in his wrists from years of absorbing the impact of his daredevil stunts.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 6:15 pm
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I like the way the BBC article has the Giant MacAskill museum in Dunvegan as a related internet link. Is he a relation?


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 6:22 pm
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Just compared Danny's vid to Leech in ROAM and i have to say that Danny is much smoother.

His section in "Home" was excellent but the new vid just blows it away.


 
Posted : 21/04/2009 9:23 pm
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Ive watched daniel progress for years during my lunch breaks and stuff and i never got bored of watching what he had learnt the night before.The list of new tricks came every day and he still keeps adding to the list.yes,theres some bmx stuff thrown in here and there but who in the the world of bmx can throw in trials riding like he can throw bmx into trials? nobody. and before you go off on one about what should and shouldnt be, theres no rules. Its a free style.

Freestyle.

Its similar to a dj mixing 2 records and coming up with something that sounds better than the original records sounded in the first place.. but some folk seem to be viewing his riding style through their old school bmx spectacles with that "this has been done before" attitude and coming from there myself,i can see the tricks of 20 odd years ago filtering through in his runs but coupled with the height he does stuff at,the narrowness of things he rides on etc.. its a diffrent kettle of fish.
fakie manual to tailwhip with 26" wheels weighing that amount? comee onnn! Its bonkers.just amazing to watch. maybe its this whole new combo of riding at such an intense level that intrigues us all.

(well,most of us.. :::puts on an early 2hip video to keep Mr agreeable happy::: ;OP)

I found sowerbys filming and daniels riding as enjoyable,or possibly more enjoyable than when i watched van homans section in a certain vid.that was amazing back in the day for me.

The best 24/26 inch wheeled street rider in the world today.

no?

ok,who is?


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 1:00 am
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grumm, i think his dad owned it!


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 1:02 am
 will
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I'm now watching various trials bikes on ebay, thanks Danny 🙄


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 6:53 am
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Don't know which I like best of about half a dozen bits. For the sake of the vid, I'd have loved to see the barrier drop in where it belonged. It looked like it didn't line up well, and needed bending to put in though.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 7:19 am
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Just for some bmx perspective 😉


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 8:10 am
 iPed
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The best bit? - The fact he wore a helmet!


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 8:31 am
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Somehow using pre-built, perfectly sized ramps is, IMHO, less thrilling than riding anything you find in the street.

Not going to get into a "which is better" debate here, but that statement demonstrates an amazing ignorance of BMX. Even in that particular video clip there's loads of street stuff, including some huge moves. Not to mention the fact that Mr Macaskill has probably spent plenty of time at the skatepark...

I know it's not going to be as interesting to everyone watching some people ride round and round a ramp, but it comes down to personal preference and how interested you are in the technique aspect of the sport. I was watching a skate video round a friend's house that was just two blokes skating a mini-ramp in their garage, but with absolutely ridiculous and complex varations on standard tricks ([url= http://www.skatevideosonline.net/skate-videos/7/almost/cheese-and-crackers/ ]here[/url] if anyone's interested). I was bored by it, he was enthralled. It's all good.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 8:39 am
 Xan
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I liked the tree flip and also found the bit he fell off the fence on the first occasion funny.

Must admit still think Ryan Leech is better the video of him cycling across a chain link fence is incredible.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 8:55 am
 D0NK
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Yep the best short vid I've ever seen, I think its thecombination of riding, the music (which I love) and the cool editing that do it.

That tree flair thing made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I also like the manuals and nose wheelie stuff.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 9:26 am
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The sideways jump from one kerb to another kerb with a 360 whip is pretty darn impressive too! (4.27)


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 9:38 am
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I just showed it to my four year old:

"that's cool"

"He's very good"

"He just cycled up a tree"

"Boink Boink Boink"

"He just cycled up a barrier"

"He's crazy"

"That's the craziest thing I ever saw"


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 10:32 am
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Not going to get into a "which is better" debate here, but that statement demonstrates an amazing ignorance of BMX.

I admit I'm not overly well versed in "BMX" and I wasn't hoping to get into a which is better debate either (its personal preference after all) but I've seen very little in the way of street BMX action that compared well against trials at all (IMO). All the street and flatland stuff seems to be primarily about getting the bike to look good or grind down railings - flips, spins etc. To me that's less impressive than getting the bike to go to odd places, riding things that you can't even imagine getting a bike onto, hence trials "wins" for me. At the end of the day it's what floats your boat, not which is better. Everyone is raving about the "tree flip" which to me is highly BMXy and didnt really interest me as much as him riding the railing (apparently took him 8 hours to nail!) or some of the bunnyhops up larger stuff.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 11:06 am
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The first time I watched that video it did almost inspire me to rant on about the progression of trials etc. etc. Then I watched it again the next day, and realised that it's just the fact that it's BMX style stuff being ridden on a trials bike is what makes it stand out. Not to take away from the guy's awesome skills, he's obviously an incredible talent and there is amazing creativity on his lines (that transfer across the banked walls!), but if he had ridden it on a BMX or even a 24" dirt/street bike I doubt there would have been as much fuss. The film maker needs to give himself a big pat on the back too - clever editing to set it up as a trials piece before the tailwhips appear, the reaction of the public etc. It's nice work all round.

For more BMX balance, one of the best recent sections I have seen: [url= http://bmx.transworld.net/2008/11/22/nike-60-video-garrett-reynolds-full-part/ ]Garrett Reynolds[/url]

BMX vs MTB? These lads could probably tail whip a sideboard on casters down a flight of stairs they have so much talent.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 12:33 pm
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BBC news website frontpage as of 1337 on 22nd April - [url= http://news.bbc.co.uk ]clicky[/url]. Can't be arsed screen capturing it so check it whilst it's hot. Sure beats the budget...


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 12:38 pm
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LOL - good to see it get there, good to hear a few words from him too.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 12:44 pm
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torso - while the lines do blur I'm not sure it's BMX on a trials bike, its certainly borrowed some content but from my seat its definitely different. From my point of view it seems to be lots of normal trials style stuff with some BMX thrown in to liven up the bits between. Funny how peoples perception can be different! What reinforced my thought process is that if you read about him online it seems as though he has been following the trials bent for a long while and dabbling in BMX. Ultimately it's all playing on a bike in the street so im not sure how we define the two.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 12:50 pm
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Was on page 3 of the metro today too!


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 12:54 pm
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Was on page 3 of the metro today too!

Must all be a lie then! 🙂


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 12:56 pm
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To me that's less impressive than getting the bike to go to odd places, riding things that you can't even imagine getting a bike onto, hence trials "wins" for me.

In that case have a gander at this.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 1:55 pm
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I am amazed - showed it to my 10 & 11 year old lads and they were silent all the way through breakfast - now that is impressive.

Loved it all - good to see him wearing a lid.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 2:09 pm
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His fame has grown into the mainstream, video clip of him on BBC homepage now


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 2:23 pm
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I love it... It's not just great riding, it's a great video, professional editing, superb choice of tune... a perfect storm.

My favourite trick is the lifting barrier- rides up it, hops on the counterweight and makes the whole thing swing up then drops off it. It's not showy or even all that impressive, but it's just so simple and playful, great bit of imagination. I know most of the locations and some of the tricks just freak me out a bit.


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 6:52 pm
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How cool is it that it's on the [url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/ ]front page[/url] of the BBC News site? Good work Danny - great pro-cycling PR!


 
Posted : 22/04/2009 7:32 pm