Books, Movies, Music & Entertainment - Best Biking Movie

For as much as I enjoy the sport I have to admit I've not seen many (read any) of the bike movie classics. I watched American Flyers for the first time this past week and found it enjoyable, but somewhat less than realistic, but hey it's entertainment. What are your favorites?

Easy Rider is the all-time classic.

Seeing Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley) from the Bad News Bears spin around the track in "Breaking Away" is always a good for a laugh. Other than that, the movie is pretty good.

55/Rad

Quicksilver- Because I love the city, Kevin Bacon looks like a kid, the girlfriend ( Jami Gertz) is now in CBS TV's amusing sitcom, Stil Standing

Breaking Away hands down. American Flyers is pretty laughable... everything in it is so over the top and the acting just sucks. Saying that, I own it and have watched it about 50x :D

As a Hoosier, IU student (albeit I'm at the Indianapolis campus), and a recent particpant in the Little 500, I would have to say "Breaking Away" as well. :)

Breaking Away - It doesn't get all the facts right, but the feeling is perfect. I'll have to rent that again sometime.

Breaking Away hands down. American Flyers is pretty laughable... everything in it is so over the top and the acting just sucks. Saying that, I own it and have watched it about 50x :D


I was about to chastise you, until I saw the seen it 50x bit... :)


I love it!

Got the soundtrack too from a friendly guy on cycleforums.

It's great.

another vote for breaking away - my dad still shouts 'REFUND?!' at me from time to time and we haven't seen it in ages.

yeah, breaking away....between that and LeMond made a cyclist of me
we go out for 'ini' foods :D

another vote for breaking away - my dad still shouts 'REFUND?!' at me from time to time and we haven't seen it in ages.
LOL
"Refund! Refund!"
I saw that movie last week. The last time I saw it was when I was just a wee kid and did'nt remember too much about it except for the bad sportsmanship sceen and when he was working on his bike. It's definatly timeless. If it werent for the break cables sticking out of the hoods, lack of cyclo computer and fasion it could have happened today. btw what kind of bike was he riding?

Does the kid in Breaking Away race an 18 wheeler or something durint training? If that's the movie, dang it's been a long time since I've seen that...

I liked Rad.

Does the kid in Breaking Away race an 18 wheeler or something durint training? If that's the movie, dang it's been a long time since I've seen that...

yeah he does and I think camera then views his chainrings.....he's on the small :rolleyes:

Does the kid in Breaking Away race an 18 wheeler or something durint training? If that's the movie, dang it's been a long time since I've seen that...

That's in American Flyers.

no the truck scene is in breaking away, isn't it?

the guy sticking his hand out the window going like "fifty... sixty!"

that's hysterical about the chainring - how could nobody have caught then when they were making it??

no the truck scene is in breaking away, isn't it?

the guy sticking his hand out the window going like "fifty... sixty!"

that's hysterical about the chainring - how could nobody have caught then when they were making it??

yep that scene is in breaking away - GO CUTTERS :D

The best, no doubt "Breaking Away".

GO CUTTERS!

Easy Rider is the all-time classic.

Seeing Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley) from the Bad News Bears spin around the track in "Breaking Away" is always a good for a laugh. Other than that, the movie is pretty good.

55/Rad

Look at Dennis Quaid then, and now. I think his face must have been in a train wreck, still working hard though.

no the truck scene is in breaking away, isn't it?



Yup.



Unfortunately, I bought it recently. Apart from one or two scenes, I hate it. American Flyers is much better, with a fantastic soundtrack.

He didn't race the truck, he used it to draft.
and yep thats gotta be the biggest blooper in the movie.

Heading home for some ini food,
Marty

'The Bicycle Thief'

Breaking away is okay, Havent seen it in a very long time... I like American Flyers tho its not as realistic to a cyclist, but to the everyday person they really wouldnt know... I think its kinda the Rocky of cycling... Maybe we should make a new forum and make our own movie script LOL

I liked Rad.
To quote Cru Jones "What I wouldn't do to go ass sliding with you." I remember seeing the hype for that flick in all the BMX mags. I was so excited to see it, by the time I left the theatre I was crying like a 2 year old in shame. 2 of the freestyle riders in the parade scene were also in Quicksilver doing some of the bicycle dance stuff in the alley. I can name them if you want.

Beijing Bicycle. Nothing like Chinese bike punks impressing the schoolgirls. lol.

But in all seriousness, I think they capture how cyclists are so attached to their bicycles and the passion of owning a bike so well. There is so much yearning for bicycles in this movie. Downer of an ending though.

Gone in sixty seconds... or shall we say, gone in 600 seconds if it were about bikes.

gone in 60 seconds was teh crap

Ok, ok, now you got me all confused. There is one with Kevin Costner, one that they race against a Soviet Union team (CCCP, haha), is that American Flyers? Now, there is another one that I saw with a kid that is crazy about italians and italian bikes, which one is this? Those are the only two I remember.

The kid crazy bout Italian bikes (he rode a Masi as I recall) was Breaking Away. The Costner flick was Flyers. Little cameo by Merckx may have been the best part of the movie.

Merckx looks terribly confused in his cameo though. I think he should stick to bikes :)

Quicksilvererererererer.

"American Flyers" gets my vote. Plus it was partially filmed on Rim Rock Drive in the Colorado National Monument (Grand Junction, CO) where I ride frequently. C'mon, riding in Colorado beats riding in Indiana!

"Breaking Away" - A classic.

Pedal - IFC shows it every now and then.

Would love to see "Red Light Go"

A Sunday in Hell: 1976 Danish documentary about Paris-Roubaix with Merckx, De Vlaeminck, Martens and Moser.

I'll always love Breaking Away...a classic. The Bike Dave was riding was a Masi.

IMO American Flyers was a travesty. I wanted to love it...instead everything was way over the top and even the story line itself was crummy. I've read in a couple of places that Kevin Costner thought the movie was so bad he had it officially removed from his bio.

Former Olympian Nelson Vails appears for a moment in Quicksilver...but don't blink your eyes.

I have read that The Yellow Jersey came very close to being made into a movie and Dustin Hoffman was up for the lead. To bad it never happened.

breaking away by far, though a Sunday in Hell is great too. american flyers was ok--the acting sucks-- only because they paid a bunch of us local bike geeks to be extras for a month, not a bad gig for a wage slave bike racer. food and pay and ride bikes all day.

breaking away by far, though a Sunday in Hell is great too. american flyers was ok--the acting sucks-- only because they paid a bunch of us local bike geeks to be extras for a month, not a bad gig for a wage slave bike racer. food and pay and ride bikes all day.

Were you in the race scenes? Did you get close to any of the stars? Was this your ten minutes of fame?
Steve

Pee Wee's Big Adventure.

Better off Dead

Two Dollars! I want my two dollars.... :)


Ummm, yeah Breaking Away, Beijing Bicycle are also two good bike related movies.

I have Triplets of Belleville but haven't watched it yet...

Jay

The Triplets of Belleville is whacked. The training scenes are a riot though, i won't go into it, since you haven't watched it.

I like Breaking Away, the whole thing with him pacing that truck and the truck gets stopped for speeding, that's a riot, plus the whole "tape my feet to the pedals" schtick. Man, hard to beat.

I'd also like to nominate Now and Then. Kind of a girly coming of age story, but they need to go to some other town to investigate something and they have no fear, they just hop on their bikes and go. They're going long distance, having fun. . . man that's why we got into this in the first place isn't it?

Better off Dead

Two Dollars! I want my two dollars.... :)

Jay


One of the all time greatest movie quotes!

I love getting change and saing to the clerk "I want my two dollars." and watching their expression.
Those that get it, get it, those that don't never will

Better off Dead

Two Dollars! I want my two dollars.... :)




Oh yeah, how could I forget "Better Off Dead"?!!? That's one of my favorite movies. I own it. My wife thinks I'm nuts and doesn't understand why I cackle uncontrollably while I watch it. My brothers and I still invoke the "Two dollars" line occasionally. Of course, she doesn't understand why I enjoy "The Young Ones" either.

A friend at work just found "American Flyers" on a bargain rack and gave it to me yesterday. I stayed up until midnight to watch it again. The story line is hokey but it's still fun to watch!

Quicksilver may be a slave to it's era but it's not too bad for an '80's movie.

Triplets of Bellville is great because only a true cyclist gets all the training and riding scenes. It's great.

For overall, Breaking Away is just a great movie.
American Flyers is a good one if it pops on the tv late one night.

American Flyers is a good one if it pops on the tv late one night.

Actually, I think I first saw this movie exactly on TV late at night...

I own Breaking Away on DVD, after seeing it in a discount DVD section at Walmart once.

Jay

.....two dollars (http://www.xenafan.com/movies/bod/sounds/2dollars2.wav)

....don't have a dime.... (http://www.xenafan.com/movies/bod/sounds/adime.wav)

hehehe :D :roflmao: :lol: :lol: :lol:

One of the all time greatest movie quotes!

I love getting change and saing to the clerk "I want my two dollars." and watching their expression.
Those that get it, get it, those that don't never will

It must have played on cable ten times a day for a year, that and "Goonies".

I just saw Triplets of Belleville on DVD and it is excellent.. I liked the beginning with the mom on Champion's old tricycle blowing the whistle to help him train.. going up the hills and stuff.... Classic! And then she's like running him through the blender, the lawn mower and stuff afterwards....

Using the eiffel tower to true a wheel... :)

jay

As a Hoosier, IU student (albeit I'm at the Indianapolis campus), and a recent particpant in the Little 500, I would have to say "Breaking Away" as well. :)

IU Grad here. There is an exciting race, Little 500. I agree, "Breaking Away" is a classic.

Breaking Away...without question. The story line and character development do a greta job of representing whether he is racing from or to "life". Great music. My only problem was that hot coeds never gave bikers a second look at the college I went to.

Best present my dad ever got me was a oversized white T Shirt with "C-U-T-T-E-R-S" in block lettering with "34" on the back.