Danny MacAskill is happiest when his friends are having fun. Which is why he invited Steve Peat up to the Isle of Skye, Danny’s homeland, to show him the fun that can be had on a ridgeline rollick. The Trotternish Ridge is an epic route that links together multiple summits starting at the Quiraing and finishing at the Old Man of Storr, two stunning geographical landmarks that bookend the plateau.

But, as is common with all rides with mates, much ‘spracheling’ occurs. ‘Spracheling’, as you’ll learn in this film, is how Danny describes the kind of time-consuming detours and incidents that delay or increase the length of a ride. Forgotten equipment, mechanicals, stops to change layers, needing ‘another’ coffee or swig from a flask, confused directions, and lost folks. It’s this kind of low-level mayhem that makes a ride all the more fun with friends. 

Follow Danny:
YouTube: www.youtube.com/dannymacaskill
Website: www.dannymacaskill.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DannyMacAskill
Instagram: www.instagram.com/danny_macaskill
Twitter: www.twitter.com/danny_macaskill

Feature Image: Dave Jackson

Emil Johansson is joined by Jake100, Jake Atkinson and Ayato Kimura

Avail Optics is kicking off the 2024 season with an Emil Johansson signature goggle. The brand-new sports eyewear and goggles specialist from the UK has just announced athlete partnerships with Red Bull Rookie of the Year Jake Atkinson, Japanese freeride and trials phenom Ayato Kimura and Bikelife hero Jake100. With Emil Johansson, Baxter Maiwald, Luke Parker, Miguel Guerrero, Alejandro Bonafe and Alma Wiggberg, the riders will wear the London-based brand’s eyewear on and off the bike.

Avail Optics goes big in 2024. After two years of development, the eyewear and goggles brand launches officially with a collaboration with the Crankworx Triple Crown Champion Emil Johansson. On March 1, the Emil signature goggle has been launched.

“Avail optics presented me with the opportunity to develop my own Freeride goggle. Something I’ve always wanted to have input in. Allowing me to compete with the highest level of product, designed specifically for the job.

After a few years of R&D & real world testing during training sessions and in the biggest events on the circuit like Crankworx & Rampage. I am super stoked to now launch these new Freeride goggles together with Avail Optics. They feature super wide, dual pane, magnetic lenses and will launch in 3 signature colorways”. – Emil Johansson.

The Johansson MTB goggle feature super wide panoramic, dual pane lenses with Primatic® coating, 7 point magnetic lenses and Avail’s trade mark ClipLoc® security system.

“Working with Emil on this project has been perfect. Our vision is to design market leading products and Emil’s philosophy in attention to detail matches that of Avail. We fine tuned the Johansson goggle a number of times until we were 100% satisfied. The fact that Emil won six rounds of the CWX tour during the R&D phase was testament to the testing and the product we have developed.” – Avail Optics Team.

Avail Optics aims to make a name for themselves quickly in the sports industry, especially in biking. The company will equip Alma Wiggberg from Sweden, Jake100 and Jake Atkinson (Red Bull Rookie of the year 2023), both from the UK, as well as young Japanese prodigy Ayato Kimura. Their roster includes Baxter Maiwald, Luke Parker, Miguel Guerrero, Alejandro Bonafe, as well as the moto pilot Bradley Smith. Talents with a unique, confident style in line with Avail Optics’ DNA, which aims to marry performance and fashion.

The brand started the season last week at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania, with Baxter Maiwald, who took a 12th place. Avail optics will be seen at major events, such as the Crankworx World Tour stops, where Emil Johansson enters as the defending Triple Crown of Crankworx Champion. Alma Wiggberg, Jake Atkinson, Baxter Maiwald and Luke Parker also will be competing at different stages from the CWX World Tour. On the other hand, Jake100 and Ayato Kimura express their creativity and talent in their mind-blowing videos.

For Avail Optics, it’s all about combining technical attributes with fashion. The glasses are ideal for both sports and drinks on a terrace in Paris. In short, the perfect eyewear for everything from a run to a wedding. All athletes will be using the new Johansson goggle but also the models Pasaana, Vespaar and Nixus from the Sports Performance range and Espirion. Pheryon and Oktaro from the Active performance range.

Avail Optics, a multi-sport company with two eyewear lines – Sport Performance & Active Performance – has found a new outlet in mountain biking. Riding in total freedom in breathtaking landscapes.

Founded by former professional riders, the British brand’s lightweight eyewear features Interchangeable ClipLoc ® Base frame, adjustable fit nose piece and multi position interchangeable Pulvilligrip® ear stems. Features that make the glasses the perfect companion at home on both the sports field and cruising around town.

Follow Avail Optics on social media:

Instagram : www.instagram.com/availoptics/

The city of Okinawa in the eponymous prefecture in the absolute south of Japan is certainly a popular subtropical holiday destination, but has no reputation as a mountain bike Mecca. Until now! Mountain bike freerider Ayato Kimura has recognized the incredible potential of the city for urban freeride of the rougher kind and shows in his new video “Tropical Vibes – Ayato’s Way” what he imagines a summer vacation in Okinawa to be like.

Ayato Kimura is known for his unique style, which combines technically demanding trials riding with raw freeride and downhill elements. “Tropical Vibes – Ayato’s Way” is clearly more about downhill and freeride and Ayato not only demands a lot from himself, but also from his Specialized Demo. With countless stair sets, massive gaps, wall rides, a front flip into the flat and a suicide no hander, the 19-year-old from Gunma shows that he easily lives up to his great role models.

“Filming was actually planned for two weeks but ended up taking a whole month. As a result, however, the video now shows the full range of my skills and I’m very happy about that. I’m most proud of the front flip with the downhill bike. I really wanted to have it in the video, even though I had hardly tried it out before. The fact that we didn’t need a ramp to do it, but were able to use ‘natural’ terrain, makes it even better.” – Ayato Kimura

Overall, the production of “Tropical Vibes – Ayato’s Way” had a few hurdles to overcome. For example, Ayato had broken his collarbone in the Whistler skate park just six weeks before filming started. Also, he had no prior experience on a downhill bike. Choosing the Specialized Demo with its aluminum frame proved to be the right choice: the bike survived the countless hard impacts that Ayato’s powerful riding demanded without any damage. However, despite several attempts, Ayato will have to tackle the eleven-meter drop (36 feet) again on his next Okinawa vacation.

“The biggest challenge and at the same time the most dangerous trick was definitely the eleven-meter drop. After we discovered it by chance towards the end of the shoot, I quickly realized that I really wanted to try it. We had a day to prepare the jump and landing before I gave it a go for the first time. In the air, I felt like I was at the Red Bull Rampage – I’d never had so much airtime before. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough momentum when I jumped off, landed too short and crashed. With minor injuries to my legs and face, I had to abort the action and when we tried again during the second part of the shoot, it unfortunately didn’t work out any better. But the drop is definitely still on my bucket list.” – Ayato Kimura

Okinawa’s impressive cityscape with its many downhill options and picturesque beaches is also one of Ayato’s favorite places off the bike. And of course, a tropical vibes video should not miss out on surfing: bike and rider also cut a fine figure on the water.

“Upon first hearing about Ayato’s film concept, it had a lot of us at the brand excited – and we’re even more pleased with how he’s brought his vision to life. We hope you all enjoy this project as much as we do, and hope it inspires you to ride.” – Fiona Swartz, Global Sports Marketing Manager – Freeride & Gravel | Specialized Bicycle Components

Ayato Kimura:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayato_trials/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ayato_trials

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ayato_trials