Each month, ESPN features a photo gallery on the Action Sports homepage showcasing all the best action sports photos of the month, entitled ZOOM. The new one for August just launched and in it features BMX photos of Alistair Whitton, Michal Beran and Bobby Altiser. The photo of Bobby Altiser's 180-backwards-tooth was so jaw-dropping and innovative that I felt it deserved a little more attention and caught up with Bobby (sponsored by Tree Bicycle Co., Colony BMX, and CEM) to find out what inspired him to do this insane trick 24-times before rolling away clean and taking street riding in a new direction.
ESPN.com: What inspired you to start trying such a wild trick?
Altiser: Doing over toothpick to fakie on spines really got me first thinking about it.
How did you go about learning it, did you try it on smaller setups first?
After I first thought about doing this trick I learned 180 over toothpick bonks on flat rails to get the feeling down.
August ZOOM
How long have you been trying these 180 over toothpicks?
The first time I actually tried this trick on a handrail was the day we shot this photo. I've only done it on a couple of other rails since then.
So since it was your first time doing this trick, did shooting photos of it make you more nervous or just make you want to pull it even more?
A little bit of both, I was a little nervous after not getting it after a few tries. But I knew I could do it and I knew you'd be able to shoot it good so it made me just want to get it done.
Do you think it's possible to do them down bigger rails?
It is definitely possible, and I think it would probably make it easier. You would not have to hop as high to catch the rail and there would be a lot more to grind.
You recently moved back to the Midwest. Did living in Long Beach help your riding progress faster?
The time I spent in Long Beach was great. I think being in the Los Angeles area definitely helped my riding progress, mostly because I would be out riding every day with people that want to be productive.
What's one trick, may or may not be from yourself that you would love to see go down in BMX?
I think a half barspin to crooked grind would be good to see!
What do you think about the trick progression in BMX? Do you think it's necessary to do new tricks as a rider to stay relevant these days?
I don't think it's too necessary, but personally I find it a little more entertaining to see new tricks/combos.
What's next? Do you have any other new moves you're working on? What's one dream trick you would love to pull off someday?
I've been working on a few technical combos lately -- some stuff that I am really looking forward to getting done. My dream trick that I'd like to do is barspin to over toothpick to 270 half barspin.
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