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Trial Biking
6 times Danny MacAskill made you rethink what was possible on a bike
The Scottish trials legend has been leaving people scratching their heads for more than a decade. Here are some of his most mind-blowing moments so far.
Danny MacAskill is one of the best-known bike riders of all time. His use of imaginative lines and creative features, combined with his unrivalled technical ability, have culminated in a collection of some of the best riding edits you'll ever see.
But just when you think the street trials rider has reached the limit of what’s possible on two wheels, he comes back to push the boundaries even further. His latest edit, Postcard from San Francisco, once again proved that MacAskill is a master of his craft, creating and landing never-before-seen tricks and sending the internet into meltdown in the process.
Here are a selection of his most viral moments on two wheels.
01
Gymnasium
6 min
Danny MacAskill's Gymnasium
Marvel at Danny MacAskill's crazy trials skills as he takes to the gymnasium on his bike.
MacAskill's most latest edit took the 'New Year, New Me' mindset and turned it on its head, as everyday gym apparatus became literal springboards for some of his most creative riding to date. While the best trick is saved until last, with the first ever footage of a Ghosty Front Flip, it's actually the preceding move that had him worried most – a 360 on top of some parallel bars that, if it had gone wrong, could have spelled the end of the edit.
02
Epecuén
If ever a location for one of MacAskill's films has come close to upstaging his riding skills, it was Epecuén. A former tourist hotspot in Argentina that for 24 years from 1985 to 2009 was submerged beneath 10m of water, Epecuén was one of his most poignant adventures, as he pedaled his way through the eerie, now-deserted town.
03
Way Back Home
26 min
Way Back Home
Danny MacAskill documents his trip from Edinburgh to Skye as he works on filming a new action film project.
Way Back Home follows MacAskill's journey from Edinburgh all the way back to his hometown of Dunvegan, on the Isle of Skye, clocking up hundreds of miles, 10 months of travel and hours of riding time. From sessioning Edinburgh Castle to exploring the rugged Scottish Highlands, Way Back Home is one of the most visually stunning riding films ever to be seen.
04
Imaginate
8 min
MacAskill's Imaginate
From the creative mind of Danny MacAskill comes an immersive and deeply personal fantasy of trial riding.
It would be hard to list MacAkill's top moments without mentioning one of his most creative projects to date. Two years in the making, Imaginate is a completely different approach to his usual edits, drawing on his childhood memories as inspiration. It's an edit that not only pushed the limits of what can be done on a bike, but also takes the street trials genre to a whole new level.
05
Wee Day Out
6 min
Danny MacAskill's Wee Day Out
Want to see what Danny MacAskill does on his day off? "Wee Day Out" explores the rural landscape around Edinburgh in a film that sets out to capture the simple fun of a ride in the country
MacAskill heads back outside to explore the rural landscape around Edinburgh, but in true Danny style this is no leisurely jaunt in the countryside. Instead, he explores what's possible on two wheels in the rugged terrain of Scotland and finds inventive ways to tackle obstacles such as a giant hay bale, a felled tree and a huge puddle.
As well as his usual trials trickery, Macaskill shows he can hold his own on the trails, too, with some impressive flips (both back and front) between some sizeable gaps. Oh, and keep an eye out for a cameo from his dad, Peter.
06
Postcard from San Francisco
5 min
Danny MacAskill in San Francisco
MTB Danny MacAskill turns the iconic sites of San Francisco into the ultimate trials riding paradise.
MacAskill had dreamed of returning to his street trials roots for years and settled on the picture-perfect setting of San Francisco as his backdrop. With a notebook full of tricks to attempt and a new playground to explore, it was a match made in heaven.
The edit starts with a bang – a back wheel Bump Front Flip down one of the city's iconic steep streets – and doesn't let up throughout as MacAskill ticks off mind-bending moves and world-famous landmarks as he goes. The final Frontflip off the steps of Alcatraz proves that the Scottish maestro is still pushing boundaries more than a decade on from his first viral video.
