You may not have noticed, but it’s the thirtieth anniversary of the movie American Flyers. Can this Hollywood production tell us anything about the history of bicycling in America?
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American Flyers
Category: Deleted Scenes
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Not Even Past
I saw strange marks in the asphalt: sharp gouges that looked as if dragons had clawed at the surface of the road.
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What’s in a name?
The words that we use to talk about bicycles change over time, but so slowly that we might not even notice. You have to step back and look at a bigger chunk of time to see it.
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British Pathé, US Bikes
What can recently-uploaded historical newsreels tell us about bicycle history? UPDATED!
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Mad Men and Bicycles
On the pilot episode of Mad Men, Don Draper solicited an expert psychological report on the motivations of smokers in the 1960s. What would such a report have looked like for bicycles?
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Breaking Away
For American cyclists — starved for cultural validation — the 1979 film was a delight, and continues to evoke fond memories for recreational riders today. But what can Breaking Away tell us about the history of American cycling?
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But is it Baggage?
In the bicycle boom of the 1890s, the practical question arose when a cyclist loaded their ride onto a railroad car or ferry. Did it count as personal luggage included in the price of the ticket, or could the railroad charge more?
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Freewheelin’
In 1985, Wolf Ruck, a Toronto-based author and filmmaker, produced the 15-minute long mountain bike film Freewheelin’. It is both the most awesomely 80’s thing ever, and a marker of a major historical change in the way that people thought about bicycles. You should watch it.
