General Cycling Discussion - Favorite Big Screen cycling movie.

Cruising thru the video store for stocking stuffers, I saw several cycling movies for sale, that I might give to cycling friends . Which is your favorite. Other than trailers, I have really only seen Breaking Away. I felt that to be the best movie available? The trailers of Quicksilver, makes Kevin Bacon look like a pretty good trick cyclist? Even if an unbelievable storyline ? Your favorite? . Any other favoriable mentions. What would be your cycling movie stocking stuffer. Big Screen Hollywood types or otherwise. ? And in short, why did you like your choice.

Breaking Away is a great movie, besides being a cycling movie. I always liked American Flyers, but it has a very silly 80's thing going since they were trying to be trendy with the style of it.

Just a note about Kevin Bacon in Quicksilver - he actually trained with the delivery guys at a NYC cycle messenger service for 2 months before that movie was made.

with that trick riding , the film did not use a stunt man? Bacon can train like that, he deserves some accolades. Maybe he should play Lance Armstrong in any future movie over Matt Daymon? Of course, should Armstrong not become a politician; why not pursue a third career. Lance. Why not Lance play Lance.

The Flying Scotsman was ok but he doesn't come across as an appealing character.

You forgot "The Triplets of Belleville".

Sunday in Hell

It's a documentary, so it's not Hollywood, but each time I see it, I appreciate it more and more. It is almost hypnotic in the same way that good art or good music is. Plus you can see some of the greatest bicyclist of all time.

http://www.worldcycling.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WCP&Product_Code=HSTDHELL&Product_Count=&Category_Code=

A v P
best biking movie evar

I lived in Bloomington when Breaking Away was filmed, and watched a couple of scenes being shot.
The Bike Film of all time. But, what about Pee Wee's Big Adventure, though? A wonderful film about a boy's love for his bike. Why isn't it listed?

You left out "PeeWee's big Adventure" and "the 40 year old virgin".

I would have picked PeeWee if it had been available.
Breaking Away got my vote. When it came out, I was in 7th grade. We lived in a lower-middle class neighborhood in the highly upper class Dallas suburb, Plano. The cycling aspect of the movie didn't really sink in as much as the whole rich/advantaged vs poor/disenfranchised overtones.
I watched it again just a few years ago. It wasn't the super-great-fabulous movie I remember it being, but I still enjoyed seeing it again.

I have two gifts to give at the bike club holiday party. Thanks. I forgot about Triplets of Belleville. I think that will be at least one of the two.

I have two gifts to give at the bike club holiday party. Thanks. I forgot about Triplets of Belleville. I think that will be at least one of the two.

I love that movie, weirdly funny and I like how in any scenes with the cyclists they sound like horses.

Mme. Souza's training regimen is truly unique and seems to be quite effective.

There's a pretty good, recent Finnish movie (the name of which I cannot remember) about WWII bicycle troops making a foray into the Russian frontier that's got a lot of idyllic bicycling in the woods scenes, explosions, some sex, and themes that touch on friendship, love, and courage.

But Breaking Away still gets first place.

Still my favorite is my recording of the 1984 Race Across AMerica. I'm in the background as ABC interviews one of the riders at the top of 12,000 foot Loveland Pass.

PeeWee's Big Adventure is first, closely followed by Breaking Away.

Another vote for Pee Wee's Big Adventure.

You forgot "The Triplets of Belleville".

I voted for Breaking away but I would have voted for Triplets.

Breaking Away! I was on campus and always regretted not going to the stadium and being part of the crowd scene. My wife (I did not meet her until after we graduated) was there and we have never been able to pick her out of the crowd.

You forgot "The Triplets of Belleville".

You forgot "The Triplets of Belleville".

Does anyone know the unknown cyclist? Or is it just not any good :D

ORT Athens - documentary, but still pretty good

BMX Bandits and bits of the Goonies

Paul Newman and Katherine Ross....Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid..........that feeling is why we ride...........

I'm voting for the Triplets of Belleville too.

Had to dig into the memory banks to think of this as a bicycle movie, but of course it is . . .
The Bicycle Thief

What about RAD? 2 seconds? The opening scene to Taxi? ;)

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure? Sweet ride!

I like breaking away and American flyers Breaking away is more of a coming of age movie but has cycling. I think American flyers has more cycling.I do not wish to train with Eddie!

Sunday in Hell

It's a documentary, so it's not Hollywood, but each time I see it, I appreciate it more and more. It is almost hypnotic in the same way that good art or good music is. Plus you can see some of the greatest bicyclist of all time.

http://www.worldcycling.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WCP&Product_Code=HSTDHELL&Product_Count=&Category_Code=

Good point, but I don't think it fits with the flavor of the poll. I have not seen Flying Scotsman yet, so I couldn't vote that one. I kinda had to pick American Flyers, it was filmed (almost literally) in my own backyard.

I decided to try to catch up on my cycling movies so I re-rented Breaking Away last year and re-enjoyed it.

Then I got American Flyers and it was great. Not the plot or the acting - they sucked! But over 50% of the footage seems to feature riding, and that made up for it.

Then I rented the highly touted classic Italian art film The Bicycle Thief. I was bored as Hell after 30 minutes and never finished it.

The Finnish movie about WWII bicycling troops is called "Ambush" and is worth searching out.

I lived in Bloomington when Breaking Away was filmed, and watched a couple of scenes being shot.
The Bike Film of all time. But, what about Pee Wee's Big Adventure, though? A wonderful film about a boy's love for his bike. Why isn't it listed?

Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Breaking Away and Triplets of Belville stand head and shoulders above the rest. The only one that comes close is '6 Day Racer', 1934 with Joe E. Brown. A marvelously hilarious film that I've seen only once.

I'd give the nod to Pee Wee since the movie is about the love of the bike rather than a coming of age movie with bicycling.

how about Beijing Bicycle?

I just watched The Flying Scotsman and enjoyed it, but other cycling movies were better.

My only info about Obree at the time was from Bicycling mag so I knew of him and his achievements but just a little bit about his particular circumstances, so I appreciated getting to know a little bit more about them.

Both my wife and I noticed some little tell tale signs that showed the film makers did or didn't do that made parts a little inauthentic.

Like when the riders got off their bikes and it looked like they weren't walking with cleats when they would have been.

The scene when Billy Boyd was trying to secure a sponsorship while the potential benefactor was stripping down to put on his cycling clothes but left his underwear on beneath his cycling shorts.

If I'm not mistaken, when Obree used the bearings from a washing machine, it was from an old, non-functioning machine. I don't think (especially considering his money problems) that he would have taken apart his working machine for the bearings.

The helmet he was wearing was from the right era, and he did wear one, but in his racing scenes, everybody was wearing them and I don't think it was so widespread at that time. Mandatory helmet wearing was just recently passed and I'm not sure if Scottish racing rules required them at the time.

It's funny how little details throw you off.

Oh yeah, how about, Il Postino? Another great one.

oh yeah, and the head and shoulder bob.

How many times in a movie is exertion or effort shown by the head and shoulder bob?

For cycling in particular, where motion should be smooth and efficient (except in a sprint), the shoulder bob is out of place.

Paul Newman and Katherine Ross....Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid..........that feeling is why we ride...........

I thought it was cause of the raindrops

I have always prefered American flyers over Breaking away. Don't know why but I just do. I own American Flyers , Breaking Away and Quicksilver. I never could stand Pee Wee. And I have tried to watch it.

Jorgen Leth, the same director who made "A Sunday in Hell," also made "Stars and Watercarriers" in which the Giro d'Italia was the setting, and "The Impossible Hour." Both are also narrated documentaries, and are avalable on one DVD from the same source as "A Sunday in Hell." I have been watching all three of these off and on the last couple of weeks.

OK, I just voted for American Flyers. While not an overall great movie, I liked it well enough. Breaking Away is better from a cinematic viewpoint, but I was not able to identify with any of the characters.

There's also a Iranian film called "The Cyclist" filmed in 87 which has a different spin (no pun intended) then American films; it is subtitled though interesting.

Also in QuickSilver, if you watch "Bacon" do the bike stunts the front brake and cable magically disappears only to reappear after the front wheel spinning stunts are done.

My all time favorite was "breaking Away" followed by "QuickSilver". I didn't like "American Flyers" it was just weird, and that cowboy hat never flew off no matter how fast he supposely rode.

2 Seconds

There was a movie about ten years ago, called "Tread"? Kind of a documentary I guess, following different types of mountain bikers around the world.

2 Seconds

Yeah just what I want to watch, more bisexual crap. Oh, now I started a flame war with all the...well flames! Maybe the next cycling film will involve some lonely tourist that gets too lonely while camping on a sheep ranch and you all will go run and watch that.

kind of late to the party but these may help

breaking away - 7.6/10 from 6563 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078902/

the unknown cyclist - 5.6/10 from 103 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120417/

the flying scotsman - 7.1/10 from 833 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472268/
49/100 from 18 professional critics reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/flyingscotsman?q=flying%20scotsman

american flyers - 5.9/10 from 1730 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088707/

quicksilver - 5.0/10 from 1140 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091814/

les triplettes de belleville - 7.7/10 from 13270 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286244/
91/100 from 35 professioanl critics reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/tripletsofbelleville?q=belleville

En Forårsdag i Helvede (a sunday in hell) - 7.4/10 from 98 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193171/

while not a bicycle movie per se, 'Monkey Warfare' (Reginald Harkema, Canada 2006), is a fun flick.

"Hapless protags are two 40-ish bicycle-riding, dumpster-diving bohos whose off the grid lifestyle attracts a youngster with more aggressively radical ideas."

http://www.monkeywarfare.com/



GREAT soundtrack, too.

I just re-read the book written by Graeme Obree. I had thought the movie was a bit different from the book, but now see that the book and movie actually bear VERY little resemblance to one another. Don't think of the movie as autobiographical; it is not. It is a work of fiction very loosely inspired by a few events in Obree's life. Not unusual for a movie, of course.

Thanks for the links!


kind of late to the party but these may help

breaking away - 7.6/10 from 6563 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078902/

the unknown cyclist - 5.6/10 from 103 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120417/

the flying scotsman - 7.1/10 from 833 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472268/
49/100 from 18 professional critics reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/flyingscotsman?q=flying%20scotsman

american flyers - 5.9/10 from 1730 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088707/

quicksilver - 5.0/10 from 1140 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091814/

les triplettes de belleville - 7.7/10 from 13270 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286244/
91/100 from 35 professioanl critics reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/tripletsofbelleville?q=belleville

En Forårsdag i Helvede (a sunday in hell) - 7.4/10 from 98 votes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193171/

I voted for Breaking Away. Quicksilver would have been my second choice.

I believe the scene where he is drafting the Italian team Truck was one of the best.