I’m Canadian so Alison Jackson is basically a Goddess in our pantheon now after winning Paris-Roubaix in 2023. Here’s the heartwarming ‘Backstory’, delivered with panache as one might expect from Rapha.
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 your ride ends at the launch of your “poop-up store”. You’re forgiven all these transgressions because you
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.
A clever commercial for a bike shop in Crofton, Maryland. A family bike shop actually, so don’t be judging a book by its hipster cover. Definitely watch it to the end.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
How can Lachlan Morton not be your favourite cyclist in the world? This video is longer than most on VeloVID, longer even than The Alt Tour, which saw him ride the entire 2021 Tour de France, unsupported, including all the transfers, and still beat the peloton to Paris. That was 5,510 km. The Divide is
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
Oh sure, The Simpsons is hilarious till it starts lampooning your tribe… Actually, it is pretty hilarious when it’s lampooning my tribe—even if it’s a bit like shooting fish in a barrel when it comes to roadies.
“What is crazy is that the women that I race against… were the reason I kept going.” Sarah Sturm said this after struggling to finish—and most certainly not win—one of the toughest races out there, the Leadville 100. This short film, from Rapha, is a bit of a “thrill of victory, agony of defeat” story
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
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
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
“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
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 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
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.
I absolutely love this video. It’s only about a minute long and it’s exquisite. It’s got so many things I like—cargo bikes, winter riding, that slightly unnerving GoPro point-of-view, great music, brevity—so my opinion might be slightly skewed. You might not find it as tiny and perfect, but I can’t imagine anyone begrudging the minute this
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.
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
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.”
This video makes me smile. It pokes fun at our stressed-out selves without being too smug or saccharine. Just the right tack to take if you want to get people back on bikes. Well, that and proper separated bike lanes, but don’t get me going. “When people ride bikes, great things happen.” No argument here.
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
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
This and “Bike Through Water“? To paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, “I’m going man, that’s all there is to it, I’m fuckin’ going!” Except we’re not talking about Amsterdam, as attractive a cycling (and hashish) destination as it is, we’re talking Limburg, Belgium.
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
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
Sadly, most of the world knows about the now deceased Rob Ford, crack-smoking mayor of Toronto. But not everyone knows how vehemently anti-bicycle he was, nor how anti-bicycle his former-hashish-dealer brother Doug currently is. Trouble is Doug has gone from being a city councillor in Toronto to now premier of the entire province of Ontario—and
If Canadians even think about the cycling paradise that is the Netherlands, they tend to think “We could never do that here because of our winters.” But everyone in the Netherlands actually lives further north than most Canadians and it does snow there. It can even snow quite heavily. This video was shot over one
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.
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
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”
Creative Rebellion. It feels like it’s at the heart of a lot of cycling disciplines—but perhaps none more so than that of the tall bike. They’re truly Hors Catégorie.
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
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.
Gravel events are real good community builders—much like mountain biking. And much like mountain biking (all cycling really), there’s a diversity problem. Nehemiah Brown knows you can’t be part of a community you can’t afford to join. Kudos to him for “creating a scholarship program so people who look like me can get access to
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.
It may not be Bruce Cockburn’s most brilliant song—there are plenty of those—but this one has bikes. And, to paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, having bikes goes a long way.
I love brilliant ideas like this. I love them even more when they’re close to home. This is a proposal for adapting the rail corridors set aside for Ontario’s GO trains to accommodate alternate transit—like cyclists. It could add 108 kilometres of world-class bike lanes to Toronto’s rather meagre supply. But it’s an idea that
More on the bicycle ambulance. If you’re a cycling advocate and want to help the poorest in the world, there’s little better you can do than donate to this project.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 feel like I’m lucky that I always have my wheelchair with me 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
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…
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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 your ride ends at the launch of your “poop-up store”. You’re forgiven all these transgressions because you
More on the bicycle ambulance. If you’re a cycling advocate and want to help the poorest in the world, there’s little better you can do than donate to this project.
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.
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
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
I absolutely love this video. It’s only about a minute long and it’s exquisite. It’s got so many things I like—cargo bikes, winter riding, that slightly unnerving GoPro point-of-view, great music, brevity—so my opinion might be slightly skewed. You might not find it as tiny and perfect, but I can’t imagine anyone begrudging the minute this
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
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
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
This guy is a winter commuter’s dream come true. Bike lanes are often the last to be cleared and sometimes even get filled by plows clearing car lanes. Nothing like taking matters into your own hands. Snowing or not, I’m impressed that he uses this cargo bike for his appliance repair business too.
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.
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
“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
More on the bicycle ambulance. If you’re a cycling advocate and want to help the poorest in the world, there’s little better you can do than donate to this project.
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.
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
This is as much about family as it is about cycling. After so many years the bond of family is strong here—but so too is the joy of cycling. A real sweet video. Is there something about French cycling that encourages longevity?
When I see this I can’t help but think “isn’t that why I have a city bike—because it’s so much more efficient than walking?” But the inspiration for the walking bike isn’t efficiency, or stability, or even novelty. Instead I think its inventor, Blaine Elliott, was going for beauty. He acknowledges being inspired by Dutch
Creative Rebellion. It feels like it’s at the heart of a lot of cycling disciplines—but perhaps none more so than that of the tall bike. They’re truly Hors Catégorie.
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
Keller is a YouTuber whose raison d’être is posting a video every day. This cute video of the first bike trailer ride of the season with his son is day 2987 and, as of the day I’m posting this, he’s up to day 3282. I’m amazed he has time to get out for a ride!
If you don’t have a bit of the weight weenie in you, don’t bother with this video, or this bike. But if you can appreciate this kind of stuff… This bike weighs less than 4kg! That includes the weight of the air in the tires—seriously, this bike weighs 3.986kg, including the 14g of air in
I love brilliant ideas like this. I love them even more when they’re close to home. This is a proposal for adapting the rail corridors set aside for Ontario’s GO trains to accommodate alternate transit—like cyclists. It could add 108 kilometres of world-class bike lanes to Toronto’s rather meagre supply. But it’s an idea that
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.
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
“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
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
The 2017 edition of the Red Bull Rampage just wrapped up. Predictably, it featured a massive drop that winner, Canadian Kurt Sorge, launched a full back-flip off of. Every year it seems the drops get bigger and the riders get more daring at Rampage. This is mainly a function of improving bike technology, course preparation and
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
Another amateur fat bike video from TheSuperMotoHooligan, who is no hooligan at all, as near as I can tell from his videos. I like their dreamy quality—his choice of music helps—but his fat bike snow riding videos are not rowdy, that’s for sure. And that’s a good thing. For all the macho posturing that often
Scotland has produced some pretty great riders and short cycling films. The key to an engaging cycling video, professional or amateur, is you to start with a love of the bike. This loving tribute to a Surly Pugsly certainly has that, but it also has a great soundtrack and benefits from some great Scottish scenery as
Why do I feel like I’m watching The Flinstones? I’m not sure who Tater is but he puts a lie to the myth that fat bike riders aren’t serious athletes. He’s going all out on those rollers. But 1:26 of this is about 1:16 too long. I was convinced of its WTF? quality right off the bat.
I’m a fan of self-shot amateur videos when they’re done well. This video makes great use of Creative Commons music to weave a meditative winter spell. Rivers make good metaphors in any narrative and a frozen one is no exception. This is from YouTube poster TheSuperMotoHooligan, who also made Winter Mountain Biking. These videos are best watched
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
I can’t help but feeling everything these talented Rocky Mountain riders do on their fat bikes would probably be more fun on skis, but the riding is still a hoot, the scenery’s great and the music has a nice retro vibe.
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
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
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
Well played Roostafarians. On 4/20, you release this fun video with music featuring young reggae lions Protoje and Chronixx, and you manage to have your nicely edited video come out to exactly 4:20. The sweet riding is a bonus.
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…
Oh sure, The Simpsons is hilarious till it starts lampooning your tribe… Actually, it is pretty hilarious when it’s lampooning my tribe—even if it’s a bit like shooting fish in a barrel when it comes to roadies.
This video makes me smile. It pokes fun at our stressed-out selves without being too smug or saccharine. Just the right tack to take if you want to get people back on bikes. Well, that and proper separated bike lanes, but don’t get me going. “When people ride bikes, great things happen.” No argument here.
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
I think this kid has inherited his Dad’s dry sense of humour. But he must be, like, three years old so it come out like Benny Hill slowed down instead of sped up, or something like that. I’m not sure what it is. But it’s awfully cute and funny.
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 your ride ends at the launch of your “poop-up store”. You’re forgiven all these transgressions because you
Well that settles it then. There’s no way to drop a chain on a balance bike so now we know the strongest rider really did win Stage 15 of the Tour in 2010. That drama is old now, and, by bike racing standards, so are Andy and Alberto. Andy’s stomach has definitely settled down. It
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
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.
This is a funny and brilliant response to the isolation we all feel right now. It’s a fine spoof of typical road racing commentary, complete with helicopter background noise. Which is something we all miss during this, the season of the Spring Classics. I’m writing this on March 23, 2020, the same day Ontario announced
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.
“What is crazy is that the women that I race against… were the reason I kept going.” Sarah Sturm said this after struggling to finish—and most certainly not win—one of the toughest races out there, the Leadville 100. This short film, from Rapha, is a bit of a “thrill of victory, agony of defeat” story
I resisted adding “gravel” as a category for a long time. “If it’s got drop bars, it’s a road bike” was my ‘dogma’, if you will. But there’s no denying it, gravel is a real ‘thing’ There is a lot of common ground between road biking and gravel riding but the gulf is wide between
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
How can Lachlan Morton not be your favourite cyclist in the world? This video is longer than most on VeloVID, longer even than The Alt Tour, which saw him ride the entire 2021 Tour de France, unsupported, including all the transfers, and still beat the peloton to Paris. That was 5,510 km. The Divide is
I find the music a bit annoying but the video is Danny MacAskill-style fun and the story is sweet. After his Grandma Joy died in 2021, Pat Smage and his wife Hannah made this video as a fond tribute to the family farm he grew up on.
Gravel events are real good community builders—much like mountain biking. And much like mountain biking (all cycling really), there’s a diversity problem. Nehemiah Brown knows you can’t be part of a community you can’t afford to join. Kudos to him for “creating a scholarship program so people who look like me can get access to
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
The Simpsons writers are clearly all kids at heart and never have forgotten the slings and arrows that go along with childhood, like when all the bullies are riding big boy bikes and you’re still more impressed with imitation motor sounds. Life lesson—don’t ever become a big boy bike rider. Fortunately, like any Simpsons episode,
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
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.
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
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.
What is it with 12-year-old bike racers these days? Xander Graham came first, in this video from the 2021 Tour of Britain. It was a heart-warming scene that quickly went viral in the cycling world. Maybe it was the symbolic passing of the bidon, but later that year, young Graham went on to become the under-14
“I feel like I’m lucky that I always have my wheelchair with me 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
This video makes me smile. It pokes fun at our stressed-out selves without being too smug or saccharine. Just the right tack to take if you want to get people back on bikes. Well, that and proper separated bike lanes, but don’t get me going. “When people ride bikes, great things happen.” No argument here.
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
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
Well that settles it then. There’s no way to drop a chain on a balance bike so now we know the strongest rider really did win Stage 15 of the Tour in 2010. That drama is old now, and, by bike racing standards, so are Andy and Alberto. Andy’s stomach has definitely settled down. It
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
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
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
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
I’ll watch anything with Claudio Caluori in it. Wait, make that I’ll listen to anything with Claudio Caluori in it. It’s not that his riding and the GoPro footage of it isn’t good, it’s just that his running commentary is really the star of the show. For the last few years he has been shooting
“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
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.
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
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
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
There’s something rotten at the core of VeloVID corporate headquarters. Rampant favouritism. This is one of my own videos and it’s no gem. So what’s it doing on VeloVID? Well, there’s that rampant favouritism I mentioned but it’s also an interesting time capsule in the sea of high-end GoPro videos that proliferates today. Shot in
Chris Van Dine is up to his old tricks in this amazing bit of urban freeriding from 2015, jumping gaps, wall riding and trying and failing, and trying again till he nails a soaring backflip in the narrow streets of Taxco, Mexico. A multitude of GoPro camera angles are edited to capture every moment as
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
A mountain bike more than a full kilo lighter than the lightest UCI-mandated road bike? How can that be? Well, according to this video, it’s a lovely, meditative process.
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
“What is crazy is that the women that I race against… were the reason I kept going.” Sarah Sturm said this after struggling to finish—and most certainly not win—one of the toughest races out there, the Leadville 100. This short film, from Rapha, is a bit of a “thrill of victory, agony of defeat” story
“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
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,
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
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
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
Age is no limit. Never stop riding—and don’t be discouraged if you get passed by Giuseppe Marinoni. Chances are he’s been at this a lot longer than you have.
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.
Safe to say Peter Sagan was already the most interesting man in the peloton before the 2018 Paris-Roubaix. While his first victory in this iconic spring classic was hard to celebrate after learning Belgian rider Michael Goolaerts died of a heart attack during the race, looking back it’s remarkable how many little things Sagan did
The Simpsons writers are clearly all kids at heart and never have forgotten the slings and arrows that go along with childhood, like when all the bullies are riding big boy bikes and you’re still more impressed with imitation motor sounds. Life lesson—don’t ever become a big boy bike rider. Fortunately, like any Simpsons episode,
“Help make our world a safer place to ride.” It’s easy, when taking on a topic like how vulnerable cyclists are on the open road, to take a hard line against one or the other. There’s Rob Ford (un)”apologetically” blaming cyclists for their own demise. And then there’s former pro Phil Gaiman blaming it all
Another extended length commercial that is really quite engaging. But it’s an ad nonetheless. After watching the triumphant launch (sorry, spoiler alert) of a glider using bicycle power alone, you’re unlikely to not notice that Red Bull makes energy drinks, Specialized makes bikes and BORA-hansgrohe makes—well, as is often the case with European team sponsors,
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
Phil Gaimon doesn’t mince words here. And why should he? The level of carnage cyclists, and pedestrians, face in North America wouldn’t be tolerated in Europe. Refusing to be an apologist for the automobile doesn’t make you anti-car, just pro-human life and limb.
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,
Although he finally passed in his 110th year, Robert Marchand was a dedicated, record setting cyclist till at least 107. Some of the records he set, like the hour record for cyclists over 100 and then over 105, were created for him—that’s how unique his accomplishments were.
Well that settles it then. There’s no way to drop a chain on a balance bike so now we know the strongest rider really did win Stage 15 of the Tour in 2010. That drama is old now, and, by bike racing standards, so are Andy and Alberto. Andy’s stomach has definitely settled down. It
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
Sometimes it seems like the Internet is nothing more than a repository for cute kitten images and videos, which is a pain if you’re looking for cycling videos. But what if you’re looking for both? Here’s your answer. Professional Brazilian cyclist Viitor Fonseca found an orphaned kitty on a training ride and couldn’t bear to leave
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
I find the music a bit annoying but the video is Danny MacAskill-style fun and the story is sweet. After his Grandma Joy died in 2021, Pat Smage and his wife Hannah made this video as a fond tribute to the family farm he grew up on.
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
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.
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.”
It’s only taken 10 years but we finally have a unicycling video on VeloVID. It’s from close to home for me—shot at the Harold Town Conservation Area, my favourite local mountain bike location, by local filmmaker Wayne Eardley and featuring his talented son, Wes—but it still feels foreign to me. Just like unicycling itself, watching
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
I love road riding. I had 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
It’s easy to see why the locals in Peru thought these guys were crazy. Taking on this isolated mountain range with its 16,000 foot passes, self-supported, in the rainy season, is a bit loco. Dangerous even, as it turned out. As riders and filmmakers, there’s a youthful earnestness about this team that’s pretty admirable. They tell an
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.
The GoPro world view captures the pro peloton particularly well. Its fisheye lens suits the schooling fish movements and group mind mentality. The last few pro bike seasons have seen a lot of these bike-mounted videos and this is one of the most palatable. There’s a “thrill of victory, agony of defeat” vibe going on in this video and the
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
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
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
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
This is a sublimely beautiful video of some sublime riders in a sublime setting. As a Canadian, I’ve always thought we and Norwegians were separated at birth, what with our long winters, love of cross country skiing, northern lights, and fjords. But, if we were, Norway is definitely the big brother. With darker winters, deeper
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’
This is as much about family as it is about cycling. After so many years the bond of family is strong here—but so too is the joy of cycling. A real sweet video. Is there something about French cycling that encourages longevity?
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
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
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
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
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.”
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.
I absolutely love this video. It’s only about a minute long and it’s exquisite. It’s got so many things I like—cargo bikes, winter riding, that slightly unnerving GoPro point-of-view, great music, brevity—so my opinion might be slightly skewed. You might not find it as tiny and perfect, but I can’t imagine anyone begrudging the minute this
A clever commercial for a bike shop in Crofton, Maryland. A family bike shop actually, so don’t be judging a book by its hipster cover. Definitely watch it to the end.
This guy is a winter commuter’s dream come true. Bike lanes are often the last to be cleared and sometimes even get filled by plows clearing car lanes. Nothing like taking matters into your own hands. Snowing or not, I’m impressed that he uses this cargo bike for his appliance repair business too.
This story is from my home. It’s made by local filmmaker LA Alfonso and narrated by Tegan Moss, executive director at B!KE, the community bike shop in Peterborough. It tells a story I didn’t know, even as a B!KE volunteer—the story of how a mural came to be painted on the brick wall in the
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
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
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
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
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.
It may not be Bruce Cockburn’s most brilliant song—there are plenty of those—but this one has bikes. And, to paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, having bikes goes a long way.
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 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
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
Wow, how did I not know about Beryl Burton? I’m tempted to say it’s because she was only ever an amateur cyclist, world records notwithstanding—but maybe she was only ever an amateur because she was a woman. A woman who took a moment to hand a liquorice all-sort to men’s British Best All-Rounder cyclist Mike
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
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
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”
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
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
“What is crazy is that the women that I race against… were the reason I kept going.” Sarah Sturm said this after struggling to finish—and most certainly not win—one of the toughest races out there, the Leadville 100. This short film, from Rapha, is a bit of a “thrill of victory, agony of defeat” story
“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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
Creative Rebellion. It feels like it’s at the heart of a lot of cycling disciplines—but perhaps none more so than that of the tall bike. They’re truly Hors Catégorie.
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
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
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
Whether you’re a Style Council fan or not, I think we can all agree that 80s rock videos can be pretty cringe-worthy. This is no exception, but it’s redeeming quality? A bike racing metaphor from start to finish!
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
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 letter in the morning and, more likely than not, Graham will have it delivered by the afternoon. Quick! Must be
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
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
When I see this I can’t help but think “isn’t that why I have a city bike—because it’s so much more efficient than walking?” But the inspiration for the walking bike isn’t efficiency, or stability, or even novelty. Instead I think its inventor, Blaine Elliott, was going for beauty. He acknowledges being inspired by Dutch
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
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,
Well that settles it then. There’s no way to drop a chain on a balance bike so now we know the strongest rider really did win Stage 15 of the Tour in 2010. That drama is old now, and, by bike racing standards, so are Andy and Alberto. Andy’s stomach has definitely settled down. It