Thank You, Bicycle
November 15, 2015
This is what unites the tribes. It’s what the roadies, the mountain bikers, the commuters and the randonneurs all have in common—our gratitude for where bikes take us, mentally and physically. How, as a metaphor for life itself, a simple bike ride can teach us important lessons. This is a mountain bike video so there’s plenty
Exploring the High Desert aboard the Ibis Ripley
February 19, 2020
OK, this is really just an ad but it’s a pretty clever one. With a David Attenborough impersonator doing the voice-over this short video looks, and sounds, like a BBC documentary on the “apex predator” Ripley. It’s a refreshing change from the tone of many mountain bike videos and it still has just as much
Return to Earth
March 30, 2020
Return to Earth is an Anthill Films production, working with Shimano and Trek so the production values are high. But what really elevates this promo for the segment of the film is the riding of these kids from Squamish/Whistler in B.C. Ranging in age from 10 – 15, these kids have mad riding skills, growing
The Ridge
December 10, 2015
With almost 40 million views on YouTube, this is probably the video Danny MacAskill is best known for. Imaginate actually has more YouTube views but The Ridge really went viral when it came out. It made it into a lot of mainstream media because it actually lives up to the hyperbole that usually defines click bait. With Danny’s riding, it’s almost always a case
Cascadia
December 10, 2015
Now this is more like it. Just days after the release of This Is Drop And Roll, Danny MacAskill is back on form riding the amazing streets and rooftops of Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. His riding is every bit as eye-popping and colourful as those exotic streets and, unlike This Is Drop And
The Ridgeline
December 4, 2020
Mountain bike videos these days are mostly about going big. I like those that go beautiful as well. This is no The Ridge but, from the meditative music to the incredible drone shots, it’s pretty beautiful to watch in its own right. Not to say The Ridgeline isn’t about going big. In some respects this
Passo Gavia Descent
May 2, 2017
I love road riding. I’d lamented not finding many good road biking videos till I discovered the Col Collective. They have a pretty extensive library of videos of famous mountains (cols) from around the cycling world. Beautifully shot, most of their videos are climbs but a few are descents. This col, Passo Gavia, in the Italian Alps is
MOTHERLOAD (Official Trailer)
February 2, 2020
MOTHERLOAD “is a crowdsourced documentary in which the cargo bicycle becomes a vehicle for exploring parenthood in this digital age of climate change.” I saw the full-length film recently at the ReFrame Film Festival in Peterborough and I was blown away. There’s a kind of magic when a talented filmmaker tackles the subjects they are
Industrial Revolutions
November 22, 2015
After discovering Danny MacAskill through his phenomenally popular 2010 short film, Way Back Home, I went searching for more. Industrial Revolutions came out in 2011 and, though it’s Stu Thompson, not Dave Sowerby and Channel Four, not Red Bull, this video is also a cut above the rest. The abandoned iron works is a striking
Meet The First Generation of BMX In Nigeria
January 4, 2019
If you want a demonstration of the transformative power of BMX, look no further. BMX has steered many people in a better direction, whether they were suburban and privileged, or sub-urban and decidedly not privileged. Like Starboy, KK Money and S-King in Lagos, Nigeria. Instead of “…going to clubs, getting drunk, causing trouble and doing all
Blood Road
July 24, 2017
This trailer for Rebecca Rusch’s recently released feature, Blood Road, is powerful and dramatic. Rusch is one of toughest endurance riders in the world and the task she sets for herself—to bike the 1,900 km Ho Chi Mihn Trail in search of the 40-year-old wreckage of her father’s plane—is perhaps the most challenging she’s ever
Nigel Sylvester – GO! New York City
October 16, 2017
This is the first instalment of Pro BMX rider Nigel Sylvester’s video series, GO! It’s probably the best of the lot, which has since expanded to Los Angeles, Tokyo and Dubai. What makes it the best? It might be what one Youtube commentator said, “This editing is dope.” Maybe. The editing is definitely dope. But the
North Shore-Style Beer Run
November 18, 2015
What a delightful sip of the North Shore this video is. Wouldn’t you know they make a growler cage for fat bikes? Just the thing for making a beer run to Deep Cove Brewery on B.C.’s North Shore, riding some of the area’s iconic gnarly trails in the process. You might need to let that growler
Fat Bike Birkie 2018 – Cole House Finish
March 18, 2018
This video is interesting for a couple of reasons. It’s the first 360° video on VeloVID. Using your mouse, you can control the camera angle you see—even turning around 180° to look at racer Cole House as he sprints for the last podium spot at the 2018 Fat Bike Birkie, an annual fat bike race held
Col du Sanetsch (Sion)
August 30, 2017
The Col Collective is at it again. This time climbing a little know col in Switzerland— the 2,253m high Col du Sanetsch in Valais. With local expert Alain Rumpf, Col Collective host Mike Cotty narrates this 33km ride while the camera cuts from nice shots of the riders to astounding shots of the scenery. Most of
Very clever Google Nederland. “Only available on April 1” should be your first clue but this is so well done I’m sure it fooled more than a few. Just like another video here on VeloVID that features bikes without riders, this one has a “How we did it” video you can watch if you want
Cycling the Highest Road in the World
November 15, 2015
“If I could take one thing away from this trip, it would be that oxygen is seriously underrated.” I’m sure on a trip as epic as this there were a lot more profound takeaways than that but, given that this trip in May, 2015 took these two riders over the two highest passes in the
Riding backwards at 80 km/h
February 24, 2016
OK kids, don’t try this at home. Especially if home is Trollstigen, Norway. And it’s been raining. But as long as someone is crazy enough to try this, I’m glad they got it all on video. The scenery is stark and beautiful. The music works. The riding looks terrifying, even if the rider looks fearless. Not surprisingly,
Nighttime Shred
November 18, 2015
Tom and Ruby go night riding. Ruby is a dog—a Hungarian Vizsla who can run like the wind. She has her own lights, her own camera and the ride she takes us on is a blast. Tom’s the one on the bike and most of what we see of him is from Ruby’s point of view, which
Danny MacAskill – The Slabs
February 16, 2021
In some ways, this is more terrifying than any of Danny MacAskill’s other videos, even if it isn’t credits-to-credits amazing stunt riding. It’s a long, treacherous downhill that Danny treats tactically—and his rush at completing it is as much a release for us as it was for him. In that way, the vibe is more Free
Nijmegen: The City That Tamed Cars
January 19, 2018
If you’re chosen as the Best Cycling City in The Netherlands*, it’s a pretty safe bet you’re also the best cycling city in the world. That’s the case in Nijmegen, the oldest city in the Netherlands, population 180,000 and proud as all get out about their transition to a cycling/pedestrian paradise over the last 40 years.
Let’s Ride
April 11, 2016
This video puts a smile on your face that gets wider and wider till you can’t help but laugh at some point. Which is exactly how this little girl reacts. What a great idea Dad had. The video playing in Dad’s virtual reality machine is one of Claudio Caluori’s riotous narrated downhill runs, which are pretty popular on YouTube.
Road Bike Freestyle 2
December 16, 2015
Vittorio Brumotti continues the tradition begun by Martyn Ashton of trials riders trying their skillset on road bikes. Proving once again the old adage that it’s not the bike, it’s the rider. Like his other videos, he pulls this off with Italian panache and a sense of humour—not to mention the kind of mad skills
Bike Wheelieing Level Over 9999 !
June 4, 2017
Critical Mass-style wheelie riding is a thing in a lot of big cities and this is certainly big city riding with a big city soundtrack. On big wheels. And say what you might about scaring innocent bystanders, this kid can ride the wheelie. There are moments in this short video that look and feel as
Huck Naked – Celebrating the World Naked Bike Ride
November 26, 2021
It’s hard to go wrong with nudity but this celebration of The World Naked Bike Ride is really well done. Clever editing keeps it PG* and the riding is as good as any Race Face video out there. * As the video notes put it: “Warning: This video does include nudity but thanks to masterful
Way Back Home
November 16, 2015
This is the bike video that started it all for me. As I write this, it’s exactly five years to the day since this video went up on YouTube. Since then more than 36 million viewers like me have gaped, open-mouthed, at the astounding, sense-defying riding of Danny MacAskill as he makes his ‘way back home’ from
Bicycle Anecdotes from Amsterdam
November 16, 2015
A great overview of how Amsterdam ‘rejected the car’ and became the ‘City of Bikes’. Riding in Amsterdam for the first time is, for most jaded North American urban cyclists, a liberating experience and this film will give you that same heady optimism. From StreetFilms.org, who produce “short films showing how smart transportation design and policy can result
Combing Valparaiso’s Hills
November 16, 2015
I know I’m not supposed to approve of this kind of riding but I can’t help it—this is one of my all-time favourite cycling videos. Lead by Chris Van Dine, who I’m coming to realize is a pretty complex guy for a “dude, more speed” freerider, we’re taken on a wild ride through the streets of Valparaiso, Chile.
Danny MacAskill: Danny Daycare
February 19, 2020
Danny MacAskill is really having fun in this one. As is Daisy. And as are we, his amazed and amused audience. This is classic Danny MacAskill. Like Imaginate, it gets right inside a kid’s head and features the kind of gob-smacking riding you know Danny dreamed of mastering since he was a kid. He has
Epecuén
November 16, 2015
Maybe the most starkly beautiful of Dave Sowerby’s Danny MacAskill videos, this might be a case of filmmaking that actually overwhelms the riding of perhaps the world’s most inventive trials rider. The setting is dramatic—”the forgotten town of Epecuén in Argentina, a location that has been submerged for the majority of the past 25 years.”
Carol of the Spokes
December 23, 2015
Somehow the season of advertising and Christmas carols is a lot easier to like when a it’s a bike company that goes there. I’m not sure how a wheel with such range could spin so true but, in the spirit of Christmas, I’ll suspend my skepticism and just enjoy this perfect little carol.
MOTHERLOAD (Official Trailer #2)
February 2, 2020
MOTHERLOAD “is a crowdsourced documentary in which the cargo bicycle becomes a vehicle for exploring parenthood in this digital age of climate change.” I saw the full-length film recently at the ReFrame Film Festival in Peterborough and I was blown away. There’s a kind of magic when a talented filmmaker tackles the subjects they are
Volle Band – Soundbicycle Jam
March 28, 2020
I want to like Volle Band, I really do. The idea of motion-generated audio performed by riding bicycles is an awesome one in my eyes. But—I don’t know about you, but I’ve never much been a fan of ambient noise music and I can’t think of any other genre to describe Volle Band. The highlight
Recumbent Ice Biking
March 25, 2020
This one has a whole bunch of WTF elements in one video. First of all, he’s on a recumbent mountain bike, surely one of the weirder beasts in the cycling menagerie. Then there’s the fact that he’s winter trail riding with studded tires, putting him even more squarely in the 0.5 percentile. To really seal
Olympic Cyclist vs. Toaster
December 16, 2015
Not much danger of burning your toast this way. Jeez, this guy is huge and he barely gets it to the golden brown setting. I guess LED Christmas lights use a lot less energy.
Top Bike Downunder
December 3, 2015
This is an old TV advert from Aussie bike company Malvern Star. This company made some pretty surreal ads that could best be described as pop culture-camp. Like this one for their urban(e) bikes. Or this one for their BMX bikes. Go on. Have a laugh.
I Wanna Be A Star
December 3, 2015
Another odd 1980s commercial from Aussie bike company Malvern Star. This time the target of the parody isn’t modern staged photographic art, it’s television. This 30 second spot could be the opening for any number of formulaic teen TV series of the era. And probably it sold a ton of those plastic wheeled BMX bikes…
Road Bike Freestyle 2
December 16, 2015
Vittorio Brumotti continues the tradition begun by Martyn Ashton of trials riders trying their skillset on road bikes. Proving once again the old adage that it’s not the bike, it’s the rider. Like his other videos, he pulls this off with Italian panache and a sense of humour—not to mention the kind of mad skills
Tour de France diet
January 1, 2016
I’m posting this right after the winter solstice feeding frenzy called Christmas so I feel NRK reporter Nicolay Ramm’s pain. He makes a heroic effort to consume the daily caloric intake of a Tour de France rider, with predictable consequences. I know, the argument is they ride at their lactic threshold for 5 or 6 hours
Bicycle Repairman – Monty Python’s Flying Circus
May 5, 2017
And now for something completely different… Like many men of a certain age I was a boy of a certain age during the heyday of Monty Python’s Flying Circus so, yes, I can recite most of the Dead Parrott sketch or sing “I’m A Lumberjack And I’m OK” from memory. But I was surprised to
Frank Zappa plays the bicycle
November 12, 2015
Opening credits roll and then: ” …90 minutes of madness and melody with guest stars Mel Torme, log roller Diane Olsen and musical bicyclist Frank Zappa.”??? I don’t know what surprises me more about this clip from the Steve Allen Show of March 4, 1963—that network TV put an unknown Frank Zappa on the Steve Allen show
Very clever Google Nederland. “Only available on April 1” should be your first clue but this is so well done I’m sure it fooled more than a few. Just like another video here on VeloVID that features bikes without riders, this one has a “How we did it” video you can watch if you want
No gummy bear safe from Peter Sagan
December 6, 2018
Peter Sagan could have his own channel here at VeloVID. Whether it’s mid-race wheelies, charming interviews with cycling commentators of all ages, or full-on tribute videos, the three-time world champion knows how to play to the camera. Maybe that’s why this one is such a treat. He didn’t care about the camera, he just wanted
Wham-O Wheelie Bar TV Commercial
June 3, 2017
“More fun from Wham-O!” Gee granny, what could possibly go wrong? Now, this is how you do a wheelie.
SPIN, by evalyn parry
April 29, 2019
This isn’t the first video VeloVID has posted that uses bicycles as musical instruments but unlike Frank Zappa’s early appearance on the Steve Allen Show, SPIN, by evalyn parry, is about more than just the novelty of a bike as a musical instrument. It is “a theatrical song cycle… starring the Bicycle as muse, musical instrument,
Cornwall’s penny-farthing postal service
March 19, 2020
Graham Eccles is an anachronistic entrepreneur, if there is such a thing. A penny farthing may not be much good for long-distance mail delivery but it sure works on a local basis. Drop off a later in the morning and, more likely than not, Graham will have it delivered by the afternoon. Quick! Must be
Huck Naked – Celebrating the World Naked Bike Ride
November 26, 2021
It’s hard to go wrong with nudity but this celebration of The World Naked Bike Ride is really well done. Clever editing keeps it PG* and the riding is as good as any Race Face video out there. * As the video notes put it: “Warning: This video does include nudity but thanks to masterful
The Couch
November 2, 2017
Clearly, Lucas Brunelle has had a fascination with risky urban riding since his college days. “Do I have common sense? I’ll leave that up to you”.
Vittorio Brumotti goes crazy in Livigno
December 16, 2015
Never mind Peter Sagan, who’s no slouch at bike tricks on a road bike, Vittorio Brumotti’s got kung-fu even Danny MacAskill would admire. Not surprising given that they are both world-class trials riders, but to see this done on a road bike is shocking nonetheless. He’s probably got 28c tires on that bike but he could
Epecuén
November 16, 2015
Maybe the most starkly beautiful of Dave Sowerby’s Danny MacAskill videos, this might be a case of filmmaking that actually overwhelms the riding of perhaps the world’s most inventive trials rider. The setting is dramatic—”the forgotten town of Epecuén in Argentina, a location that has been submerged for the majority of the past 25 years.”
Escape, Lee Craigie
March 21, 2020
Professional Scottish mountain biker and Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist Lee Craigie left the sport of cycling behind to concentrate on the healing aspects of cycling that drew her to it in the first place. Now, as she says in this video, “A ride these days has to have an element of adventure and exploration to it.”
Wide Path Bicycle Camper
November 12, 2015
I’m not sure I’d want to pull it very far and I’m sure I wouldn’t want to pull it up a hill, but this thing is pretty cool. Can’t go wrong with a Roger Miller soundtrack either. Update: Here’s the latest version of this camper. Update: I found another cool bike camper. Check out Paul Elkins’
Passo Gavia Descent
May 2, 2017
I love road riding. I’d lamented not finding many good road biking videos till I discovered the Col Collective. They have a pretty extensive library of videos of famous mountains (cols) from around the cycling world. Beautifully shot, most of their videos are climbs but a few are descents. This col, Passo Gavia, in the Italian Alps is
The Alt Tour
November 13, 2021
It’s been a long time since I posted anything to VeloVID and I’m not trying to make up for lost time with a long video. I kind of favour shorter vids here on the site, but this one is a gem and well worth putting aside some time time to take in. After Lachlan Morton’s
Meet The First Generation of BMX In Nigeria
January 4, 2019
If you want a demonstration of the transformative power of BMX, look no further. BMX has steered many people in a better direction, whether they were suburban and privileged, or sub-urban and decidedly not privileged. Like Starboy, KK Money and S-King in Lagos, Nigeria. Instead of “…going to clubs, getting drunk, causing trouble and doing all
Cycling the Highest Road in the World
November 15, 2015
“If I could take one thing away from this trip, it would be that oxygen is seriously underrated.” I’m sure on a trip as epic as this there were a lot more profound takeaways than that but, given that this trip in May, 2015 took these two riders over the two highest passes in the
Danny MacAskill – The Slabs
February 16, 2021
In some ways, this is more terrifying than any of Danny MacAskill’s other videos, even if it isn’t credits-to-credits amazing stunt riding. It’s a long, treacherous downhill that Danny treats tactically—and his rush at completing it is as much a release for us as it was for him. In that way, the vibe is more Free
Way Back Home
November 16, 2015
This is the bike video that started it all for me. As I write this, it’s exactly five years to the day since this video went up on YouTube. Since then more than 36 million viewers like me have gaped, open-mouthed, at the astounding, sense-defying riding of Danny MacAskill as he makes his ‘way back home’ from
Riding backwards at 80 km/h
February 24, 2016
OK kids, don’t try this at home. Especially if home is Trollstigen, Norway. And it’s been raining. But as long as someone is crazy enough to try this, I’m glad they got it all on video. The scenery is stark and beautiful. The music works. The riding looks terrifying, even if the rider looks fearless. Not surprisingly,
Choosing to Live
May 11, 2020
This one’s personal for me. It might be for you too. If you’ve ever lost someone close. If bikes have ever been a part of your recovery from anything. If not, it’s still a beautifully made video that tells a beautiful, tragic love story. I think it will resonate with everyone. Salsa Cycles released this
Cascadia
December 10, 2015
Now this is more like it. Just days after the release of This Is Drop And Roll, Danny MacAskill is back on form riding the amazing streets and rooftops of Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. His riding is every bit as eye-popping and colourful as those exotic streets and, unlike This Is Drop And
The Ridgeline
December 4, 2020
Mountain bike videos these days are mostly about going big. I like those that go beautiful as well. This is no The Ridge but, from the meditative music to the incredible drone shots, it’s pretty beautiful to watch in its own right. Not to say The Ridgeline isn’t about going big. In some respects this
Lost in Peru
November 22, 2015
One of the things I love most about these GoPro free riding videos is the unbelievably exotic locales they take you to. This first trip to Peru is a good set-up for Still Lost in Peru, which I find the more interesting of the two videos. But this trip clearly planted a seed for Aaron Chase
Col du Sanetsch (Sion)
August 30, 2017
The Col Collective is at it again. This time climbing a little know col in Switzerland— the 2,253m high Col du Sanetsch in Valais. With local expert Alain Rumpf, Col Collective host Mike Cotty narrates this 33km ride while the camera cuts from nice shots of the riders to astounding shots of the scenery. Most of
The Bensink Compound
November 16, 2015
The first of two videos Lars Veenstra has made about Neils Bensink’s killer BMX compound in The Netherlands. It certainly has its moments but I like Part Deux better. The music, riding and filmmaking are all just a little better, in my opinion. And, not to be grumpy, but this could have been a minute
Pump Track Time
January 1, 2016
Man, I wish there were push bikes when I was a kid. These things make so much sense as a kid’s first bike. Maybe not only as a first bike—can you imagine an adult-sized one? I’m sure it would be a blast. Just like the adult-sized Jolly Jumper I think someone should invent. This is a sweet
Wheelz in the Air: Hitting the Skatepark on a Wheelchair
November 16, 2018
“I feel like I’m lucky that I always have my wheelchair with because I can just jump whenever I want.” That quote from Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, about how he feels he has “an unfair advantage” over the BMXers and skateboarders at his local skatepark, tells you all you need to know about this remarkable young man.
Kaleidoscope
November 14, 2015
Kriss Kyle is a Red Bull-sponsored young Scot with mad riding skills, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised how much his new video feels like a BMX version of Danny MacAskill’s Imaginate. Lots of bright colours and black backgrounds. (Admittedly, this video’s healthy dose of OK Go-style optical illusions adds a lot to that mix.) It even finishes with a montage
People Are Awesome 2017 (Cycling Edition)
April 24, 2017
Well yes, people are kind of awesome, especially when they’re on bikes. This is a compilation video of some zany bike footage culled from the internet by the folks at People Are Awesome. You might say it’s VeloVID for people in a hurry and you may even see some clips you’ll recognize from VeloVID, but I’d
Meet The First Generation of BMX In Nigeria
January 4, 2019
If you want a demonstration of the transformative power of BMX, look no further. BMX has steered many people in a better direction, whether they were suburban and privileged, or sub-urban and decidedly not privileged. Like Starboy, KK Money and S-King in Lagos, Nigeria. Instead of “…going to clubs, getting drunk, causing trouble and doing all
I Wanna Be A Star
December 3, 2015
Another odd 1980s commercial from Aussie bike company Malvern Star. This time the target of the parody isn’t modern staged photographic art, it’s television. This 30 second spot could be the opening for any number of formulaic teen TV series of the era. And probably it sold a ton of those plastic wheeled BMX bikes…
Nigel Sylvester – GO! New York City
October 16, 2017
This is the first instalment of Pro BMX rider Nigel Sylvester’s video series, GO! It’s probably the best of the lot, which has since expanded to Los Angeles, Tokyo and Dubai. What makes it the best? It might be what one Youtube commentator said, “This editing is dope.” Maybe. The editing is definitely dope. But the
Strider racing in Japan
April 25, 2019
I made the mistake of calling these push bikes in my review of the fun video Pump Track Time. They’re ‘striders’ and there are kids out there, barely past being toddlers, who take them very seriously. These kids are four years old and, as fast as they all are, watch till the end—one of them
Hop On
January 2, 2016
This is a pretty clever concept and it’s Canadian so perhaps it’s no surprise it feels like it came out of Hollywood. Lots of clever Canadians there. But this is 100% Canadian and there’s even a ‘Behind-The-Scenes’ video to show you how those clever Canadians did it. Cycling Canada sponsored the video and the idea here is
BMX Twins
November 22, 2015
A fun little video featuring 5 year old New Zealand twins Jake and Theo Riddle. Too cute.
Bike Wheelieing Level Over 9999 !
June 4, 2017
Critical Mass-style wheelie riding is a thing in a lot of big cities and this is certainly big city riding with a big city soundtrack. On big wheels. And say what you might about scaring innocent bystanders, this kid can ride the wheelie. There are moments in this short video that look and feel as
Chasing Simone – Barcelona Street BMX
May 7, 2017
Simone Barraco is a bit of a bad boy. I guess the premise here is that the cyber cops are after him as he darts through the narrow streets and piazzas of Barcelona. But he’s too slippery for them, isn’t he? OK, it’s not much of a premise but the riding is pretty fine, even
The Bensink Compound – Part Deux
November 15, 2015
Music. Sometimes it’s all that separates an artistic bike video from a vaguely irritating one. Especially if we’re talking BMX and mountain bike videos. I love the way this video mixes big trick BMX riding with very cool, laid-back music. Lars Veenstra is already in my good books for his Thank You, Bicycle video. His first video about the
Hop On: ‘Behind-The-Scenes’
January 2, 2016
The idea of riderless bikes is unsettling in a zombie-apocalypse kind of way. It’s reassuring to know it’s only CGI. This ‘Behind-The-Scenes’ video explains how Hop On was made. Part whodunnit, part howdunnit, this is one for the software geeks.
S’COOL BUS Timothé Sustainable Project
April 5, 2019
This is such a cool project but little-known outside France. Given that this is the only english video I could track down, language might be the barrier. It’s a shame because most of the passengers in this video are adults, likely along for some kind of promo ride. But there are many french videos out
ELF solar car-bike
April 14, 2020
I favour shorter videos on VeloVID. In fact, I’ve already posted a short video about the ELF that nicely captures what a charming ride it is. This is the long story. I found myself so fascinated by this e-trike that this 20+ minute mini-documentary didn’t tax my patience at all. Even if it is not as
Le Ride – Official Trailer
August 4, 2017
Even fans of The Amazing Race may not know that host Phil Keoghan is an avid cyclist. So much so that he and a good friend retraced the route of the 1928 Tour de France, following the same schedule on 1928-era bikes and gear. The Tour de France was even tougher back then. 164 riders started
Cornwall’s penny-farthing postal service
March 19, 2020
Graham Eccles is an anachronistic entrepreneur, if there is such a thing. A penny farthing may not be much good for long-distance mail delivery but it sure works on a local basis. Drop off a later in the morning and, more likely than not, Graham will have it delivered by the afternoon. Quick! Must be
The Way I Roll – Chris Van Dine
December 14, 2015
My introduction to Chris Van Dine was GoPro’s 2013 Combing Valparaiso’s Hills, an adrenalin and testosterone-powered tear through the steep streets of the Peruvian mountain town. As I’ve confessed, I absolutely love the video, even if the riding is a bit reckless. And I was intrigued by C.V.D.—he was fluent in Spanish and seemed to have a
How A Bicycle Is Made (1945)
May 17, 2017
“I could go miles and miles on one of these father”. This 1945 film, from the British Council, explains how bicycles were built in that era, most likely at a Raleigh factory. (It’s oh so British). Although the bicycle hasn’t changed much over the decades, I’m sure the manufacturing process has. It’s unlikely one factory would be
Volle Band “Clutching Voices”
March 28, 2020
I’ve reviewed Volle Band before and I’m not a fan. I love the concept but not the execution I guess. It’s the droning, irritating music that bothers me. This video is pretty trippy and though the video editing contributes a lot to Clutching Voices as a work of art, there are several harsh cuts that
Afghan Cycles Trailer
November 3, 2018
It isn’t always such a fanciful notion to say cycling is liberating. Sometimes it is literally true. This trailer for the feature documentary Afghan Cycles reveals the risks women and girls in Afghanistan face simply by riding their bicycles. But there’s power in numbers and power in positivity, and bicycles have a history of advancing
Comes with Baggage
September 14, 2017
This is produced by Blackburn Media so you might be expecting an 18 minute long commercial for Blackburn racks but this video is simply a loving look at bicycle touring. Jim Blackburn gets a brief mention in the excellent historical overview but more attention is paid to other pioneers, like touring bike builder Bruce Gordon
The Nine Wheels
December 12, 2022
This is such a touching story. One of the fundamental tenets of VeloVID is that a great cycling video is really about more than “just” cycling. This video may capture that better than any other on the site.
Bike Through Water In Limburg, Belgium
April 26, 2019
This looks so cool! Worth a trip to Belgium perhaps? (Not that one needs an excuse).
Meet The First Generation of BMX In Nigeria
January 4, 2019
If you want a demonstration of the transformative power of BMX, look no further. BMX has steered many people in a better direction, whether they were suburban and privileged, or sub-urban and decidedly not privileged. Like Starboy, KK Money and S-King in Lagos, Nigeria. Instead of “…going to clubs, getting drunk, causing trouble and doing all
Choosing to Live
May 11, 2020
This one’s personal for me. It might be for you too. If you’ve ever lost someone close. If bikes have ever been a part of your recovery from anything. If not, it’s still a beautifully made video that tells a beautiful, tragic love story. I think it will resonate with everyone. Salsa Cycles released this
Marinoni: The Fire in the Frame Official Trailer
April 4, 2018
Giuseppe Marinoni is a national treasure that both Canada and Italy would like to claim. Add in the French he speaks quite fluently in this trailer and he’s more of an international treasure—and a seemingly ageless one at that. This trailer for the film Marinoni: The Fire in the Frame hints at how charming Mr. Marinoni
Under the Hood of the Fastest Bike in the World
June 13, 2017
93 tooth front chainring, your legs rub against the derailleur and the inside of a carbon fibre teardrop fairing, oh, and you can’t see where you’re going. Nothing about the Aerovelo Eta is particularly practical but everything about it is impressive, especially its world record-setting speed—139.45 km/hr (86.65 mph), without drafting on 100% human power.
SPIN, by evalyn parry
April 29, 2019
This isn’t the first video VeloVID has posted that uses bicycles as musical instruments but unlike Frank Zappa’s early appearance on the Steve Allen Show, SPIN, by evalyn parry, is about more than just the novelty of a bike as a musical instrument. It is “a theatrical song cycle… starring the Bicycle as muse, musical instrument,
Road Bike Freestyle 2
December 16, 2015
Vittorio Brumotti continues the tradition begun by Martyn Ashton of trials riders trying their skillset on road bikes. Proving once again the old adage that it’s not the bike, it’s the rider. Like his other videos, he pulls this off with Italian panache and a sense of humour—not to mention the kind of mad skills
Danny MacAskill – The Slabs
February 16, 2021
In some ways, this is more terrifying than any of Danny MacAskill’s other videos, even if it isn’t credits-to-credits amazing stunt riding. It’s a long, treacherous downhill that Danny treats tactically—and his rush at completing it is as much a release for us as it was for him. In that way, the vibe is more Free
People Are Awesome 2017 (Cycling Edition)
April 24, 2017
Well yes, people are kind of awesome, especially when they’re on bikes. This is a compilation video of some zany bike footage culled from the internet by the folks at People Are Awesome. You might say it’s VeloVID for people in a hurry and you may even see some clips you’ll recognize from VeloVID, but I’d
Epecuén
November 16, 2015
Maybe the most starkly beautiful of Dave Sowerby’s Danny MacAskill videos, this might be a case of filmmaking that actually overwhelms the riding of perhaps the world’s most inventive trials rider. The setting is dramatic—”the forgotten town of Epecuén in Argentina, a location that has been submerged for the majority of the past 25 years.”
Cascadia
December 10, 2015
Now this is more like it. Just days after the release of This Is Drop And Roll, Danny MacAskill is back on form riding the amazing streets and rooftops of Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. His riding is every bit as eye-popping and colourful as those exotic streets and, unlike This Is Drop And
Bike Wheelieing Level Over 9999 !
June 4, 2017
Critical Mass-style wheelie riding is a thing in a lot of big cities and this is certainly big city riding with a big city soundtrack. On big wheels. And say what you might about scaring innocent bystanders, this kid can ride the wheelie. There are moments in this short video that look and feel as
Vittorio Brumotti goes crazy in Livigno
December 16, 2015
Never mind Peter Sagan, who’s no slouch at bike tricks on a road bike, Vittorio Brumotti’s got kung-fu even Danny MacAskill would admire. Not surprising given that they are both world-class trials riders, but to see this done on a road bike is shocking nonetheless. He’s probably got 28c tires on that bike but he could
This is Drop and Roll
November 30, 2015
This is unfortunate, is what this is. Not as unfortunate as Danny MacAskill at the Playboy Mansion, but really pretty unfortunate. Especially because Danny MacAskill produced, and seems pretty chuffed by, this not very clever Spinal Tap-ish parody. I dunno, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford calls it “a load of crap” in the mock news part of this video, and
Imaginate
November 11, 2015
Another good one featuring Danny MacAskill’s otherworldly riding. A fun video that takes you into the imagination of a wee young lad who just so happens to grow up and make everything he imagined real. And as the outtakes at the end show you, for all that otherworldly riding, Danny really is of this world.
Chasing Simone – Barcelona Street BMX
May 7, 2017
Simone Barraco is a bit of a bad boy. I guess the premise here is that the cyber cops are after him as he darts through the narrow streets and piazzas of Barcelona. But he’s too slippery for them, isn’t he? OK, it’s not much of a premise but the riding is pretty fine, even
Kaleidoscope
November 14, 2015
Kriss Kyle is a Red Bull-sponsored young Scot with mad riding skills, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised how much his new video feels like a BMX version of Danny MacAskill’s Imaginate. Lots of bright colours and black backgrounds. (Admittedly, this video’s healthy dose of OK Go-style optical illusions adds a lot to that mix.) It even finishes with a montage
Industrial Revolutions
November 22, 2015
After discovering Danny MacAskill through his phenomenally popular 2010 short film, Way Back Home, I went searching for more. Industrial Revolutions came out in 2011 and, though it’s Stu Thompson, not Dave Sowerby and Channel Four, not Red Bull, this video is also a cut above the rest. The abandoned iron works is a striking
Meet The First Generation of BMX In Nigeria
January 4, 2019
If you want a demonstration of the transformative power of BMX, look no further. BMX has steered many people in a better direction, whether they were suburban and privileged, or sub-urban and decidedly not privileged. Like Starboy, KK Money and S-King in Lagos, Nigeria. Instead of “…going to clubs, getting drunk, causing trouble and doing all
Way Back Home
November 16, 2015
This is the bike video that started it all for me. As I write this, it’s exactly five years to the day since this video went up on YouTube. Since then more than 36 million viewers like me have gaped, open-mouthed, at the astounding, sense-defying riding of Danny MacAskill as he makes his ‘way back home’ from
Danny MacAskill: Danny Daycare
February 19, 2020
Danny MacAskill is really having fun in this one. As is Daisy. And as are we, his amazed and amused audience. This is classic Danny MacAskill. Like Imaginate, it gets right inside a kid’s head and features the kind of gob-smacking riding you know Danny dreamed of mastering since he was a kid. He has
Afghan Cycles Trailer
November 3, 2018
It isn’t always such a fanciful notion to say cycling is liberating. Sometimes it is literally true. This trailer for the feature documentary Afghan Cycles reveals the risks women and girls in Afghanistan face simply by riding their bicycles. But there’s power in numbers and power in positivity, and bicycles have a history of advancing
Champion Mountain Biker Turned Drug Smuggler
December 9, 2018
The last time we checked in with Missy Giove was two years ago, when we profiled some of the bad boys and girls of cycling. She lives up to her image in that video, cursing up a storm and tossing back Red Stripe through most of the episode. Two years later, it’s a revelation to
Melody
June 22, 2017
Yesterday was Aboriginal Solidarity Day here in Canada and Mountain Equipment Coop (our equivalent of America’s R.E.I.) posted this 2015 video telling the story of member Melody Markle’s “healing journey of decolonizing my body”. Because, besides being an MEC member, Melody is also a member of the Long Point (Winneway) First Nation in Quebec. She is
Huck Naked – Celebrating the World Naked Bike Ride
November 26, 2021
It’s hard to go wrong with nudity but this celebration of The World Naked Bike Ride is really well done. Clever editing keeps it PG* and the riding is as good as any Race Face video out there. * As the video notes put it: “Warning: This video does include nudity but thanks to masterful
The Pro’s Closet Museum Series #14: Missy Giove
November 2, 2017
I’m posting this as part of a mini-overview of the bad boys and girls of cycling, starting with Josh Bender representing freeriders and Lucas Brunelle representing bike messengers and other urban cowboys (and cowgirls) but Missy Giove is probably the baddest of them all. How else do you characterize someone who raced with a dead
Car vs. Bike: Duking It Out In L.A. Traffic
November 4, 2015
She’s flying. He’s not. A fun Buzzfeed video that captures the rush of being faster than a car. Sorry, not a car—a Ferrari.
Still Lost in Peru
November 22, 2015
“That’s definitely not the only issue we have. We got a lot of issues.” Aaron Chase amps up the group dynamics on this follow-up trip to Peru and the result is a more engaging video. Even if you’re just looking for gnarly riding I think this has more than Lost In Peru did. (It finishes with a
Go Solo – You’ve Got This (Bikepacking Nepal)
March 17, 2020
It’s March 17, 2020 as I write this and Canada is entering a period of social isolation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thinking of all those isolated folks like myself at home on the internet, I was looking over my backlog list of videos to review and this title, Go Solo – You’ve Got
SPIN, by evalyn parry
April 29, 2019
This isn’t the first video VeloVID has posted that uses bicycles as musical instruments but unlike Frank Zappa’s early appearance on the Steve Allen Show, SPIN, by evalyn parry, is about more than just the novelty of a bike as a musical instrument. It is “a theatrical song cycle… starring the Bicycle as muse, musical instrument,
Escape, Lee Craigie
March 21, 2020
Professional Scottish mountain biker and Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist Lee Craigie left the sport of cycling behind to concentrate on the healing aspects of cycling that drew her to it in the first place. Now, as she says in this video, “A ride these days has to have an element of adventure and exploration to it.”
A Morning with an ELF
April 14, 2020
When I dream of the future, it looks something like this. (Unless I’m in a rowdy mood, and then it looks something like this. Either way, I guess I have a thing for e-trikes.) Really, what’s not to like about the ELF? A “a solar charged and pedal powered, electric assist tricycle with zero emissions”
Huntress
December 4, 2020
Half way through this video and I’m reflecting on how refreshing it is to watch a bike messenger video that isn’t wall-to-wall raging testosterone and bad behaviour. This is a thoughtful video about female bike messengers and the challenges they face—including being always asked if the job isn’t too tough for them. Literally at the
Blood Road
July 24, 2017
This trailer for Rebecca Rusch’s recently released feature, Blood Road, is powerful and dramatic. Rusch is one of toughest endurance riders in the world and the task she sets for herself—to bike the 1,900 km Ho Chi Mihn Trail in search of the 40-year-old wreckage of her father’s plane—is perhaps the most challenging she’s ever
Bikes vs Cars
November 22, 2015
This is a short trailer for director Fredrik Gertten’s film of the same name. As it begins, I’m thinking “I know that voice” and, of course it’s Rob Ford, Toronto’s infamous crack-smoking ex-mayor and equally infamous soldier in the ‘war on the car’. Ugh, I thought we were done with that guy. But the filmmaker’s point is
The Nine Wheels
December 12, 2022
This is such a touching story. One of the fundamental tenets of VeloVID is that a great cycling video is really about more than “just” cycling. This video may capture that better than any other on the site.
Choosing to Live
May 11, 2020
This one’s personal for me. It might be for you too. If you’ve ever lost someone close. If bikes have ever been a part of your recovery from anything. If not, it’s still a beautifully made video that tells a beautiful, tragic love story. I think it will resonate with everyone. Salsa Cycles released this
S’COOL BUS Timothé Sustainable Project
April 5, 2019
This is such a cool project but little-known outside France. Given that this is the only english video I could track down, language might be the barrier. It’s a shame because most of the passengers in this video are adults, likely along for some kind of promo ride. But there are many french videos out
MK1 – Tilt-action cargo trike
November 16, 2015
I know this is just an ad but, man, what a trike! Butchers & Bicycle’s MK1 could single-handedly make riding a tricycle the most totally bad-ass thing to do. I love the way this thing looks cruising the streets at night. If I had eight thousand extra bucks and room in the garage for a fifth bike, this
Nijmegen: The City That Tamed Cars
January 19, 2018
If you’re chosen as the Best Cycling City in The Netherlands*, it’s a pretty safe bet you’re also the best cycling city in the world. That’s the case in Nijmegen, the oldest city in the Netherlands, population 180,000 and proud as all get out about their transition to a cycling/pedestrian paradise over the last 40 years.
Bike Rider – Mungo’s Hi Fi
April 23, 2017
I love reggae music almost as much as I love bikes so this video works on a lot of levels for me. If you don’t like reggae, particularly dancehall, you might not be as enthusiastic. But the footage is fun and about half way through it turns into a pretty cool celebration of community bike shops.
MOTHERLOAD (Official Trailer)
February 2, 2020
MOTHERLOAD “is a crowdsourced documentary in which the cargo bicycle becomes a vehicle for exploring parenthood in this digital age of climate change.” I saw the full-length film recently at the ReFrame Film Festival in Peterborough and I was blown away. There’s a kind of magic when a talented filmmaker tackles the subjects they are
Bugout bicycle camper
December 13, 2019
Burning Man always attracts creative tinkerers and a lot of imaginative bicycles. So it’s fitting that Paul Elkins, who built this very cool bicycle camper mainly for Burning Man, describes it as “a playful Mad Max rendition of a post-apocalyptic home.” Maybe there’s something inherent in the very idea of a bicycle-drawn camper that inspires
Danny MacAskill: Danny Daycare
February 19, 2020
Danny MacAskill is really having fun in this one. As is Daisy. And as are we, his amazed and amused audience. This is classic Danny MacAskill. Like Imaginate, it gets right inside a kid’s head and features the kind of gob-smacking riding you know Danny dreamed of mastering since he was a kid. He has
Bicycle Ambulances in Mozambique
April 4, 2019
I’m not sure how this escaped my notice for so long, but the bicycle ambulance concept is brilliant. Besides Mozambique, many African countries have embraced the idea. Even London, England, as shown at the beginning of this clip.
ELF solar car-bike
April 14, 2020
I favour shorter videos on VeloVID. In fact, I’ve already posted a short video about the ELF that nicely captures what a charming ride it is. This is the long story. I found myself so fascinated by this e-trike that this 20+ minute mini-documentary didn’t tax my patience at all. Even if it is not as
Bicycle Anecdotes from Amsterdam
November 16, 2015
A great overview of how Amsterdam ‘rejected the car’ and became the ‘City of Bikes’. Riding in Amsterdam for the first time is, for most jaded North American urban cyclists, a liberating experience and this film will give you that same heady optimism. From StreetFilms.org, who produce “short films showing how smart transportation design and policy can result
North Shore-Style Beer Run
November 18, 2015
What a delightful sip of the North Shore this video is. Wouldn’t you know they make a growler cage for fat bikes? Just the thing for making a beer run to Deep Cove Brewery on B.C.’s North Shore, riding some of the area’s iconic gnarly trails in the process. You might need to let that growler
A Morning with an ELF
April 14, 2020
When I dream of the future, it looks something like this. (Unless I’m in a rowdy mood, and then it looks something like this. Either way, I guess I have a thing for e-trikes.) Really, what’s not to like about the ELF? A “a solar charged and pedal powered, electric assist tricycle with zero emissions”
Wide Path Bicycle Camper
November 12, 2015
I’m not sure I’d want to pull it very far and I’m sure I wouldn’t want to pull it up a hill, but this thing is pretty cool. Can’t go wrong with a Roger Miller soundtrack either. Update: Here’s the latest version of this camper. Update: I found another cool bike camper. Check out Paul Elkins’
Cycling to London With Cats
November 4, 2015
OK Thomas, you’re forgiven the awful pun in the title of this video* and the fact that your company is called Poopy Cat and that your your motto is “They’re full of it” and that in said video you ride ends at the launch of your “poop-up store”. You’re forgiven all these transgressions because you actually
The Couch
November 2, 2017
Clearly, Lucas Brunelle has had a fascination with risky urban riding since his college days. “Do I have common sense? I’ll leave that up to you”.
PodRide
January 10, 2019
This looks like a lot of fun. Practical for sure, but sliding out that rear end in the snow is what really appeals to me. It might be my new dream urban bike, beating out the MK1. Maybe not surprisingly, both bikes are Scandinavian. One advantage the MK1 has is that Butchers and Bicycles are
Volle Band – Soundbicycle Jam
March 28, 2020
I want to like Volle Band, I really do. The idea of motion-generated audio performed by riding bicycles is an awesome one in my eyes. But—I don’t know about you, but I’ve never much been a fan of ambient noise music and I can’t think of any other genre to describe Volle Band. The highlight
Bike Wheelieing Level Over 9999 !
June 4, 2017
Critical Mass-style wheelie riding is a thing in a lot of big cities and this is certainly big city riding with a big city soundtrack. On big wheels. And say what you might about scaring innocent bystanders, this kid can ride the wheelie. There are moments in this short video that look and feel as
Family Bike Shop
December 13, 2015
A clever commercial for a bike shop Crofton, Maryland. A family bike shop actually, so don’t be judging a book by its hipster cover. Definitely watch it to the end.
Union Fietsparkeerstalling – Bikers First
April 4, 2019
“Bikers First”. I do like the sound of that. And 8 bikes in one car parking space? City planners should like the sound of that.
The Couch
November 2, 2017
Clearly, Lucas Brunelle has had a fascination with risky urban riding since his college days. “Do I have common sense? I’ll leave that up to you”.
If I Ride (2010)
April 7, 2020
Shed The Monster, from PeopleForBikes.org, was one of the first videos posted to VeloVID and it remains one of my favourites. But I hadn’t looked at their video library much beyond that. If I Ride is a lovely, slightly pollyanna-ish love poem to the bicycle from a kid’s point of view. Interestingly, they re-released this
Cornwall’s penny-farthing postal service
March 19, 2020
Graham Eccles is an anachronistic entrepreneur, if there is such a thing. A penny farthing may not be much good for long-distance mail delivery but it sure works on a local basis. Drop off a later in the morning and, more likely than not, Graham will have it delivered by the afternoon. Quick! Must be
Bike Through Water In Limburg, Belgium
April 26, 2019
This looks so cool! Worth a trip to Belgium perhaps? (Not that one needs an excuse).
A Morning with an ELF
April 14, 2020
When I dream of the future, it looks something like this. (Unless I’m in a rowdy mood, and then it looks something like this. Either way, I guess I have a thing for e-trikes.) Really, what’s not to like about the ELF? A “a solar charged and pedal powered, electric assist tricycle with zero emissions”
ELF solar car-bike
April 14, 2020
I favour shorter videos on VeloVID. In fact, I’ve already posted a short video about the ELF that nicely captures what a charming ride it is. This is the long story. I found myself so fascinated by this e-trike that this 20+ minute mini-documentary didn’t tax my patience at all. Even if it is not as
Car vs. Bike: Duking It Out In L.A. Traffic
November 4, 2015
She’s flying. He’s not. A fun Buzzfeed video that captures the rush of being faster than a car. Sorry, not a car—a Ferrari.
Bicycle Ambulances in Mozambique
April 4, 2019
I’m not sure how this escaped my notice for so long, but the bicycle ambulance concept is brilliant. Besides Mozambique, many African countries have embraced the idea. Even London, England, as shown at the beginning of this clip.
Hinterland Who’s Who – Winter Cyclist
November 22, 2015
This is funnier if you’re Canadian, but, even then, maybe it’s not that funny to you. I dunno, I can laugh at that last line… Anyway, mercifully, this satire of our famous TV commercial series is short and has lovely relaxing flute music playing in the background.
If I Ride (2019)
April 7, 2020
Shed The Monster, from PeopleForBikes.org, was one of the first videos posted to VeloVID and it remains one of my favourites. But I hadn’t looked at their video library much beyond that. If I Ride is a 2019 re-release of a video they produced originally in 2010 and it is a lovely, slightly pollyanna-ish love
Line of Sight – Official Trailer
November 1, 2017
When I first discovered Lucas Brunelle’s videos I was fresh off a stint as a bike messenger in Toronto and was pumped to see someone capturing messenger culture in a wholly unsanitized way. Now, some 30-odd years on, I’m not as impressed—with Brunelle’s videos or the antics they celebrate. I’d like to think of it
Le S’Cool Bus
April 5, 2019
Most videos about this amazing project out of Rouen, France are in french, and this might be the best of the lot. I’ve also posted an english video which is more illuminating to an english audience, even if most of the passengers in that video are adults, not the charming school kids you see in