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October 13, 2011
Top 10 Bicycle Movies
Our top 10 bicycle movies span the genres and styles: from classics to contemporary blockbusters and a recently released documentary; from informative to inspiring and heartwarming.
By Gabby Korcheva
Our top 10 bicycle movies span the genres and styles: from classics to contemporary blockbusters and a recently released documentary; from informative to inspiring and heartwarming. How did we single these out? All were produced and set in North America, and all feature memorable bike scenes.
Pee-weeís Big Adventure (1985)
Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) embarks on a nationwide search for his beloved bike after it is stolen while he was visiting his friend Dottie (Elizabeth Daily).
Rad (1986)
Cru Jones (Bill Allen), a young BMX rider who lives in a small town with his mother and sister, is faced with a tough decision: qualify for the Helltrack, one of the largest BMX events, or take the SATs and apply to college in this classic coming-of-age story.
Quicksilver (1986)
After losing out on a risky business decision, Jack Casey (Kevin Bacon) leaves the fast-paced world of stock market trading and becomes a bicycle messenger.
Pedal (2001)
Shot through a camera clipped to a messenger’s helmet, this short documentary is about the fast-paced daily activities of bicycle messengers in New York City.
Klunkerz (2006)
A documentary about the beginnings and growth of the mountain bike culture from a small group of innovators to a multi-billion-dollar industry.
American Flyers (1985)
This powerful film tells the story of two brothers, David (David Marshall Grant) and Marcus (Kevin Costner), who face the possibility of developing a crippling hereditary brain disease. Realizing they may not have much time left, they decide to embark on a cross-country journey to a bicycle race in Colorado.
Breaking Away (1979)
Dave (Dennis Christopher), one of four friends growing up in the small college town of Bloomington, IN, is obsessed with competitive bicycle racing. Adventures ensue as Dave searches for his place in the town and biking community.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
This classic American western tells the story of two outlaws and their exploits. In an unforgettable bicycle scene, Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) takes Etta Place (Katharine Ross) for a ride through the countryside to the tune of B.J. Thomas’s “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head.”
Ride the Divide (2010)
A small group of adventurous bikers travel over 2,700 miles (4,300 kilometers) from Banff, AB, to the Mexican border in an attempt to ride the longest bike route in the world.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Elliot (Henry Thomas) helps a lost alien get home in a dramatic flying bicycle scene.
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Key Exchange
80s movie, based on a play, not great though. Features a sex scene on a bicycle. First.
(continued) In fact, Tuff Turf begins with a night shot of James Spader riding his bike next to a long steel rail, while a dark, ominous-sounding New Wave track sung (snarled) by Marianne Faithfull plays in the background. He rides through the neon-soaked streets of L.A. alone. He even manages to foil an attempted robbery by kicking the crap out of one of the gang members without even getting off his bike. LOL
In the 1985 b-movie “Tuff Turf”, James Spader very effectively uses his bike as a weapon against a gang of teenage bullies in his high school.
No Turbokid.
No Triplets of Belleville.
No B.I.K.E.
No Veer.
Watch these and you’ll agree.
You left out “Marinoni”; but you include 2 non-bicycling movies ET & Butch Cassidy? PPpppftt
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/premiumrush/
Premium rush is amazing check it out
Premium rush is amazing check it out
Your Blatant Omission ot the The Flying Scottsman in your 10 Best Cycling Movies just goes to prove there are still people out there Smoking CRACK!
Agreed! Great film.
You missed my fav… 2 Seconds is the movie I watch a couple of times a year. I would place it at the top of the list!
Movies like this never exist. It may be old but it transcends time. A must watch movie to have to feel good feeling!
Ah, Yeah, BIG FAIL. A Top Ten List that doesn’t include
“Ladri di Biciclette” (The Bicycle Thief) (Bicycle Thieves) (1948)?! Yes, its about the Theft of a bicycle, but still!
I think any Bike Movie List MUST include “Triplets of Belleville”
newish movie – kind of hipsterish, but it is really adorable. Guy in San Francisco finds out his pet has a terminal prognosis and so he puts his hamster on his handlebar mounted cage and takes him out on a bike tour for one last adventure to see the world. Quirky.
…one of the great movies of all time – and not just about bicycles, either.
2 Seconds totally needs to be on that list.
One of the WWII films that shows how extensively bicycles were used during the war for personal transportation.
these arent the best. they are the only.
“Two Seconds” is a very good Canadian bicycling movie.
Bicycle Dreams
Here is my Cycling Films Big List Features over 100 films/movies from 23 countries!
https://sites.google.com/site/cyclingfilms/
In, “Breaking Away” My two favourite bits in the film are;
When Dave’s chasing down a lorry he changes from the large chainring to the small one so he can go faster!
The bit where one of the Italians puts his pump into the Dave’s front wheel and he comes off. Best bit. Maybe I’m just not nice.
You missed some great films on your list.
Here are my TOP BICYCLE FILMS
http://www.alternativecommutepueblo.com/2011/07/top-bicycle-themed-films.html
I have to agree that a scene in a movie is not that same as a bike movie. Classics: “Breaking Away” (gotta see before doing the Hilly Hundred); “American Fliers”: and “The Flying Scotsman”. So far nothing else I have seen has lived up: “Quicksilver” & “The Bicycle Thief” were a little weak. The “Triplets of Belleville” was a little bizzare. So there is room for more cycling movies….
The Flying Scotsman was an awesome movie in which a cyclist is the main character, and the racing scenes are intense. Gorgeous movie… Far better “bike movie” than ET or Butch Cassidy.
How about “The Bicycle Thief”, considered by many critics to be one of the best movies ever?
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is an OK “western” with a VERY Forgettable bike scene. Plus, that song almost ruined the whole movie.
A scene in a film doesn’t make it a ‘bike film’ especially when there are so many fantastic cycliing films out there! You already have suggestions of ‘A Sunday in Hell’ ‘Triplets of Bellevile’ to which I would add ‘Stjernerne og vandbærerne’ another Jørgen Leth film, this time from the Giro d’Italia…
Should be on the list
how about ” A Sunday in Hell”?
What about Bicycle Thieves?
“Triplets of Belleville” (2004)
I haven’t seen some of those listed, but I don’t think Butch Cassidy or ET are actually cycling movies. What about The Triplets of Belleville, 2 Seconds, The Flying Scotsman?
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