From riding in (and even winning!) the World Championships to re-defining street trials riding, Ali C has been involved with trials at the highest level for a long time. This experience and ability helped to create the first RideInspired video which contains his most creative and technical riding to date. As with Ali’s previous video for the launch of the Inspired Arcade, the video was filmed in his current home of Glasgow during a busy 2-week period in September. Although it shares some of the same spots as the earlier video, Ali explored the backstreets of the city to track down some new spots to allow him to come up with some of the innovative moves he is known for. Keep reading to find out how the process of filming the video un-folded, what it’s like dealing with the pressures of being a pro rider and to discover some of the finer points of the Arcade bike and framekit...
Gap to tree tap just after being told “You’re trying to be a Danny MacAskill”
Manual drop to finish off a technical line on an unusual natural setup
Back street hop to ledge ride
Inspired: How long did it take to film your new video? Was it tricky finding time to do it? Ali C: It took a couple of weeks in the end. I had planned to have it done sooner but I guess things sometimes don’t go exactly to plan. If you had to choose, what would you say your favourite line was? That’s a tricky one, without wanting to sound big headed I’m genuinely happy with most of them. I was happy with the backwheel on the roadside rail to drop to manual to hop up the other rail as I managed it with no hops. The up to front on the black post, to gap to ledge, to sidehop up to slope ride down (photo on P14-15) was one I’m pleased with too as I was sure there was something to be done on the setup when I’d ridden past before, but it wasn’t till we filmed that I actually saw that line. I really like the up to front to nollie onto the black rail line though as I’ve never seen anyone do that before. Which line took the longest to film? Probably the up to front to nollie onto the rail, I knew it was possible but I had to be so accurate, that took a few days to get... a rain shower, police and general tirdness didn’t help I guess.
Were there any lines in particular you wanted to get but weren’t able to for whatever reason? Yeah there were quite a lot actually. Most of them were quite scary with a high chance of being hurt if I got it wrong - I ended up bottling out of a few lines. For some reason I just lost all confidence after that, even for small stuff! I had to take a few days off just to get my head sorted as it really took me by surprise. Did how well received your last video was put you under more pressure for this video to better it? I was worried that it wasn’t going to be as good, especially after I lost my confidence and didn’t dare do things I’d done a thousand times before. I ended up going a different route than I’d have first planned and swapped a few banger lines for a few tech lines. That kinda changed the vibe of the video and made it a different entity to the last one which eased my fears.
B: Table hop drop-in | L: Trademark Ali C hop tuck shapes
When filming for a video do you plan out all the lines you want to do or is it more spontaneous than that? It’s a bit of a combo, When you’ve lived somewhere for a while there’s always stuff you see that you think would be great for a video and that was definitely the case here. A lot of my planned lines didn’t work out in the end and that’s when being a bit spontaneous works well. Most of my fave lines in the video weren’t planned. There were a lot of rail rides/lines in this video - was that something you consciously chose to have in there? They weren’t really planned initially, mainly cos I’ve always thought my balance was rubbish and we only had a limited time to film and I didn’t want to spend an entire day just to balance on a rail. After I lost my confidence I decided to go to a couple of rail rides I knew about just to try something different. I went to the rail which is the opening line to the video and ended up getting a decent way along fairly early on....I’d never made it to the end before as it gets quite wobbly in the middle but I guess having a camera pointing at you and the fear of a rubbish video was enough to get me along it. The wheel swap to kinda sideways gap to rail ride on the red rail was just spontaneous but a welcome surprise. I think they helped change the video, make it a bit more trialsy....you don’t really see many balance lines in street trials videos these days. B: Harsh take-off boost | R: Ali pointing where he’d like to go at his local car park spot
L: Autograph warm-up | A: Mid bunnyhop contest at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome
Where do you get inspiration from for coming up with new lines and ideas for moves? I think I get most of my inspiration from BMX videos, I like how they are always moving and have good flow, rarely do correction hops and they are always coming up with interesting lines and tricks. Were you riding on your own while filming for the video or did your housemates Danny and Duncan ride with you? Does having Danny around help push you? I actually ride with Danny and Duncan less than you’d think! They did come out on a couple of filming days but that was when my head wasn’t in the right place and I actually ended up going home early. When we do ride together we normally have a decent time, Danny’s got a slightly different take on riding than me and it’s handy getting another perspective on a spot. Speaking of Danny and Duncan - you’re joining them for more Drop And Roll Tour shows this coming year. How have the shows been going so far? Are there any shows or events in particular you’re looking forward to? The shows have been great, I’ve only done a few but they’ve had a good vibe and great crowds. The rig is pretty sweet, I’m definitely looking forward to next years shows.
Front-to-back on the post to gap to awkward sidehop wallride
A: A fresh take on a stale spot | R: Rail gaps with a little tree encroachment
Some riders seem concerned with learning specific tricks then trying to apply them to spots, whereas other riders seem to look for new locations and then try and create something on them. Where do you feel you fit in on that spectrum? I’m definitely a location based person! I’m not against tricks (there’s a few I can do and plenty I’d love to learn) but I love nothing more than finding a new spot and working out how best to use it. I find tricks can get a bit boring if you just do the same thing only with a different backdrop. A lot of riders focus on learning tricks rather than actually getting good at riding. The magic combo is being good at general trials skills and bike control but also being able to use a rad trick in a interesting and unique way to make a spot just that bit more interesting. This is your second solo video on the Arcade since it was launched, although you rode prototype versions of it before then - how involved with you with the development of the Arcade? I’ve been pretty heavily involved I guess - along with Sean and Mark, we came up with a pretty aggressive geometry and features we thought would make the best bike possible. I couldn’t be happier with it! It’s quite interesting to see our take on steep angles being adapted by other manufacturers now.
What is it about the Arcade that makes you still choose to ride it? Mainly the geometry. Most frames were being made from a trials rider’s view of how frames should be, like using slacker angles, longer chainstays and lower BBs. I felt like a more BMX approach with shorter chainstays for quicker spins, a longer toptube with a steep head angle for better front wheel moves and a shorter stem for better barspin potential... It made sense in my head and I’m happy to say it worked out perfectly! Looking ahead, are there any plans for more trips or videos in 2015? I know I’ve got some Drop and Roll shows abroad but I am in early talks with Mark about a nice wee drive across France and maybe a wee nip into Spain in the Spring. I’ve not had a foreign trip since the Inspired trip to Barcelona which happened as I was recovering from a broken collarbone so it will be nice to do something like that while healthy. Finally - do you have any last words or thanks? I’d like to thank Inspired for taking a gamble with the Arcade, I’m glad it paid off! Tartybikes for their continued support. Hope Technology. Sports Life Work. Of course Mark for taking the trip up to film me and being patient when I got all miserable. Thanks!
L: Up to front to over followed by a rapid 180 | B: Across-the-road fence ride to 180
Since prototype versions of the Arcade first appeared in videos featuring Inspired pro team riders Ali C and Sean Watson, it has created a stir within the street trials world. Progressive geometry and innovative design features combined with a clean, sleek aesthetic mean the Arcade has raised the bar for street trials bikes and put steel back in the spotlight for trials frame and fork manufacture.
One of the features that sets the bike apart from its competitors is the use of a 15mm bolt through front axle. Tapered faces on the end of the axle match the shape of the custom drop outs to ensure a strong, stiff, self-centreing system that’s also incredibly easy to use. This reduction of front-end flex, short offset fork geometry and the frame’s 74.5° head tube angle mean that the Arcade is perfectly suited to the demands of the more technical, progressive front wheel moves involved in modern street riding.
It’s not just the dropouts on the fork that are different - the frame dropouts are some of the smallest of any frame on the market, and use fully custom, top quality micro chain tugs. These ensure that it’s easy to get perfect wheel alignment and chain tension whilst also stopping any wheel shifting taking place while in use. The frame also features a +20mm positioned disc mount which is extended and reinforced with a gusset and bracing tube to handle the stresses put through the frame from the rear brake.
The push for innovation and development didn’t end at the frame and fork - the specification of the Arcade bike was pored over at every stage, and led to the creation of a new range of parts to compliment the framekit. The Arcade Riser Bars feature a completely new profile with the geometry and rise requested by Ali and Sean - a slightly more relaxed upsweep of 5° and backsweep of 9°, as well as much greater bend-to-bend rise. Custom multi-taper tube wall thicknesses mean that material is added to high stress areas without having to add excess weight in the rest of the bar.
The Arcade Crankset and Integral Bashring/Chainring match the combination of strength and refinement found throughout the rest of the bike. The tough, tubular cromoly crank arms are mounted on a hollow 19mm 48-spline cromoly axle. 7075 aluminium Euro BB cups house oversize, external sealed bearings that are ideally suited to the demands placed on them from street trials. CNC-machined from 7075 aluminium, the Integral Bashring/Chainring is custom designed to be a neat, strong solution to the problem of running a 22t sprocket with three-piece cranks. The unique split tapered ‘top hat’ alloy insert ensures perfect alignment and fit every time.
This move always looks cool, and no-one does them better - gap to front to over
Spontaneous threading-the-needle triple tape hop
Wall/bush/shrubbery-ride (delete as appropriate)
Awkward run-up rail hop
Bunnyhop hook-to-rear at a lesser-spotted Glaswegian location
For more information, visit www.InspiredBicycles.com