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Setting Off
Remember your first bike? Those first faltering moments after the stabilisers came off? A lifetime of cycling starts here.
The cycling bug bites early. Getting that first bike - be it racer, tourer, mountain bike, Chopper or BMX - is as much a rite of passage as the first day at school or swimming without armbands. Cycling means a chance to travel, to explore, and spend time away from mum and dad. These films evoke all the joy of a childhood on two wheels: the exploits and escapades, the stunts and tricks. But youthful exuberance has its risks, and film can be a powerful tool in making cycling safer. Armed with a cycling proficiency certificate, a well-tuned bike and the lessons of a legion of public information films, the youngsters of yesteryear could ride with confidence - always remembering to keep an eye out for that dastardly villain, the bike thief...
Riding on Air Riding on Air
Documentary 1959 16 mins Location: London
A beautiful and evocative survey of cycling's golden years.
It's a Bike! It's a Bike!
Sponsored film 1983 21 mins Location: Yaxley
A ripe slice of 80s cheese: a lively, rapping cautionary tale for the young cyclist.
BMX BMX
Magazine and Review show 1983 5 mins Location: Adderley Park Sta
Riders from the Birmingham Wheels Project show off the tricks and techniques of the new BMX craze.
Riding Abreast Riding Abreast
1940 23 mins Silent
Three carefree schoolgirl cyclists learn the dangers of 'riding abreast' in this quaint cautionary tale shot in idyllic countryside.
Cyclist Turning Right Cyclist Turning Right
Instructional film/TV programme 1983 1 mins
Two young BMX-ers nearly come a cropper in this short and shocking cycling safety film.
Boy and Bicycle Boy and Bicycle
Drama 1965 28 mins Location: Hartlepool
Ridley Scott's first film features his younger brother, the late Tony Scott, as a schoolboy playing truant for the day to meander around Hartlepool on his bicycle, lost in his own thoughts.
The Ballad of the Battered Bicycle The Ballad of the Battered Bicycle
Children's 1947 9 mins
Henry demonstrates his two-wheel tomfoolery, but there's no happy ending for this bike.
Good Cycles Deserve Good Riders Good Cycles Deserve Good Riders
Public Information Filler 1950 3 mins
The car-free, Kodachrome streets of 1950s London offer an idyllic environment for acting out the 'wrongs' of cycling safety.
Mike Gets the Message Mike Gets the Message
Amateur film 1966 6 mins Location: Aberdeen
Mischievous Mike's dangerous bike antics on the granite streets of Old Aberdeen prompt a chain reaction involving police and a cycling proficiency test for teenage schoolboys.
Raleigh School of Cycling Raleigh School of Cycling
Industry sponsored film 1955 14 mins Location: Nottingham
Nottingham youngsters Pat and Adrian learn to ride the Raleigh way.
Be a Good Cyclist Be a Good Cyclist
Public Information Filler 1950 3 mins
Invaluable advice for the careful cyclist in a quintessentially British safety film.
Stringing Along Stringing Along
Amateur film 1947 4 mins Silent Location: Barnet
Careless cyclists beware! This award-winning amateur film lays out the perils and pitfalls of the road for young riders.
Cycling Proficiency Scheme: Father and Son Cycling Proficiency Scheme: Father and Son
Advert 1959 1 mins
"Dad... I want a bike!” Fun animated campaign aimed at 50s parents and their over-eager offspring.
A Boy Goes Cycling A Boy Goes Cycling
Amateur film 1963 15 mins Location: Catford
Pedal power saves a dad's day in this colourful cycling safety film set in a sunny 60s South East London.
Pedal Cyclists Pedal Cyclists
Public Information Filler 1947 2 mins
A witty, eccentric guide to safety on two wheels under the watchful eye of a pedalling angel.
Road Signs and Signals Road Signs and Signals
Instructional film/TV programme 1947 mins Silent Location: Leek
Cycling safety, 40s style, in a charming and unexpectedly exhilarating film shot in and around Leek, Staffordshire.
Cycling Proficiency Cycling Proficiency
Training film/TV programme 1949 8 mins
Kids learn to ride like the pros thanks to Britain's first cycling proficiency tests.
Tony Buys a Bike Tony Buys a Bike
Promotional 1942 17 mins Silent Location: Harringay
A lucky schoolboy gets a brand new bike for Christmas in this charming wartime promotional film.
No Short Cut No Short Cut
Children's 1964 17 mins
This paean to the virtues of the Cycling Proficiency test is unusually told from the point-of-view of the bicycles themselves.