Watching 2 Seconds is like going to bike heaven – or at least to bike church. Reverence for bicycling permeates the film.

The movies typically portray bicyclists as off-beat, from idealists to weirdoes. Only occasionally do these oddballs overcome their flaws and turn out to be sensitive or successful. Even more rarely do they get the girl.

6 Day Bike Rider is a screwball comedy about a local yokel who takes on a slick out-of-towner. They compete in a six-day race – and for the town belle.

Predictable plot, sappy storyline and cheesy characters. But American Flyers’ saving grace is that it includes lots of bike riding from the silly (biking to the fridge to fetch a drink) to the sublime (an appearance by Eddy Merckx, one of the greatest bicycle racers ever).

BMX Bandits is so easy to criticise it seems unfair to review it. But trudge on, we must, for the record. The bike community deserves to be warned.

Beijing Bicycle is a fabulous film, with thousands of bicycles used throughout in myriad ways: to stalk and chase; to impress girls and intimidate rivals; to get around and get away.

Nine days and 33 minutes. That’s how long it took the winner of the 2006 Race Across America to bike 3,015 miles from San Diego to Atlantic City.

The Bicycle Thief demonstrates unforgettably that in certain times and places, bikes were a serious matter. They could mean the difference between a job and no job; bread and no bread.

It’s Not About the Bikes! Breaking Away is about growing up and going to college; losing your innocence and finding your way.

Is being handicapped or severely ill a blessing or a curse?

Hardihood starts slow, but stick with it. This documentary traces the long, sometimes tedious week in the professional women’s downhill mountain biking circuit. The rigors of travel and the need to re-hydrate are covered on Monday, followed by relaxation on Tuesday. But the week builds up to practicing on the race course on Saturday and the race itself on Sunday.

This documentary about the 2003 Tour tells two stories. The more compelling one paints an overview of the Tour de France – in all its splendor and mundaneness.

The most telling scene of I [Heart] Huckabees is when a burnt-out firefighter, who hates our petroleum-based society, rides to a fire on his bike rather than on a firetruck.

In Jour de fête – a film about technology and change – the bicycle represents traditional, humane values in a world increasingly dominated by powerful machines and driven by the demands of speed and efficiency. The film is a strong indictment of the headlong rush into the modern world immediately after World War II, but its message also applies to today.

Long before Lance, another bicycle racer was known by his first name: Eddy Merckx.

Bicycles seem to be a better medicine for melancholy than booze and drugs in this film that portrays the day after a one-night stand in the lives of two African Americans living in San Francisco.

You have to be a bike buff to enjoy Quicksilver, which spins its wheels on plot twists that go nowhere and characters that don’t ring true. Nevertheless, it redeems itself by offering fun and excitement on ten-speeds.

Short for radical, “rad” means “cool.” Rad rocks big time. Totally awesome.

It’s the story of how a small-town paperboy takes on the world’s best BMX riders in a $100,000 race on harrowing Hell Track. Bicycle Moto Cross was all the rage then, and Rad captures that excitement.

The Lone Ranger rides a trusty horse. James Bond rides a high-tech car. Max Fischer rides a beat up bike.

For 15 years, Steve Hogg has been one of Bicycling Australia’s most popular writers and seminar presenters. A world expert on cycle fitting, Steve presents a double DVD set that will help all cyclists, but will be especially helpful if you suffer from any form of injury or pain when riding.

In 1897, 22 soldiers of the 25^th U.S. Infantry biked 1,900 miles from Missoula, Montana, to St. Louis, Missouri, to test the feasibility of using bicycles in the army.

The Cyclist is a moving portrayal of the human condition and man’s willingness to exploit his fellow human being.

The heart wrenching story, which includes a lot of saddle time, pits Nasim, an impoverished Fagan labourer in post revolution Iran, against formidable odds. Hospital officials refuse to continue treating his wife unless he can pay for her care, which thrusts the itinerate worker into a desperate effort to earn some fast money.

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The Flying Scotsman tells the true story of Graeme Obree, who in 1993 broke the world record for distance biked in one hour. What made Obree’s feat so remarkable is that he was an amateur rider.

The Triplets of Belleville is an animated film – but it ain’t Disney.

Don’t expect a fun ride, with brave heroes, cute animals and light humor. Instead, this wacky yet charming film serves up inspired goofiness – a cross between Jacques Tati and Asterix.

True Fans is an unusual film, ostensibly about basketball, but bicycles are front and centre throughout. This original documentary tells the true story of three friends who bike from Venice Beach, Calif., to Springfield, Mass., home of the National Basketball Association’s Hall of Fame.

Wired to Win is inspiring and informative.

It offers fabulous scenes of the Tour de France and the beautiful French countryside as racers climb mountain peaks, round tight curves and fight their way through pressing crowds. On another level, the film shows how the brain functions during exercise.