BICYCLE          

5 x 23’ or 6 x 20’                      
Documentary series
Good for TV, DVD, CVD and Video
Release 1991

Probably the most comprehensive series ever produced about the bicycle.  A global tour de force celebrating our greatest invention.  History, sport, design, technology, business, the environmental friendliness of the cycle.  Filmed in the Far East, North America and Europe, Bicycle is fast-moving, stylish and visual.  Topics include the evolution of the mountain bike,  the Tour de France, the multi-billion-yen business of Japanese Keirin racing, the world-beating Taiwanese manufacturers, future bikes, and the obsessions of those who live by the bicycle.  “Riveting” - London Daily Telegraph.   “Full of joyful revelations” - London Daily Mail.  

Bicycle 5 x 23’  (Updated 1995)

1  INVENTION
The history of the bicycle - from the blueprint discovered among Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts to the English safety bike that in 1885 “set the fashion to the world”.  The German running machine of 1817, the first pedal bicycle developed by a Scots blacksmith in 1840, the reign of the French velocipede, 2,200 high-wheelers in procession at London’s Hampton Court in 1882.  

2  WHEELS OF CHANGE
How the mountain bike swept the world.  But is it simply a variation on a design dating from
1885?  The recumbent really is radical bicycle engineering - with the rider semi-supine, back reclined and feet pointing forward.  With less wind resistance, the recumbent is already the world’s fastest bike.  But is it the machine of the future?

3  THE BUSINESS
How mighty manufacturers like Schwinn (USA), Raleigh (UK), and Peugeot (France) have lost their pre-eminence to Japan, Taiwan and mainland China - and how the European and American industries fought back.  The racing business of Japanese Keirin where cycle superstars race in 50 stadiums, attracting 27 million fans and supporting one of the world’s biggest betting industries.

4  FREE SPIRITS
The sweetspots and obsessions of those who live by the bicycle.  From the Californian cycle computer nomad to the London guru Richard Ballantine, who has enthused a generation about the joys of cycling.  Also: Beryl Burton, history’s greatest woman cyclist;  Elaine Mariolle, who cycled across America in just over ten days;  Nick Crane, who rode a mountain bike to the top of Kilimanjaro.

5  VEHICLE FOR A SMALL PLANET
The world’s 800 million bicycles outnumber cars two to one.  Bikes in Asia transport more people than do all the automobiles on Earth.  Yet clean air, road space and fossil fuel are sacrificed to the motor vehicle.  The worst offenders are the USA - where there is one car for every two people - Western Europe and Japan.  A plea for a mass return to the bicycle, the perfect green vehicle for a small planet.

In this 5 x 23’ configuration of Bicycle, episodes 2 to 5 conclude with a three-minute segment called Tales of the Tour - stories from the world’s greatest race, the Tour de France, as witnessed by the producers.  Episode 1 concludes with a three-minute promotion for the rest of the series.  For buyers preferring BICYCLE 5 x 20’, the end stories can be cut from each programme with a simple edit.  “Perhaps the best cycling documentary ever" - BICYCLING magazine, USA.


Bicycle 6 x 20’  (Original version 1991)

1  INVENTION
The evolution of the modern bicycle - from the blueprint discovered among Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts to the English safety bike which in 1885 "set     the fashion to the world".  The German running machine of 1817, the first pedal bicycle developed by a Scots blacksmith in 1840, the reign of the French velocipede, a re-enactment of 2,200 high- wheelers in procession at London's Hampton Court in 1882.  A visual history of the bicycle.  

2  WHEELS OF CHANGE
Bicycle design today and tomorrow.  How the mountain bike has swept the     world and now accounts for up to 45 per cent of bicycle sales in affluent markets.  But is it simply a variation on a design dating from 1885 ?  The recumbent really is radical bicycle engineering - with the rider semi-supine, back reclined and feet pointing forward.  With less wind-resistance the recumbent is already the world's fastest bike.  The machine of the future ?

3  THE ULTIMATE
A season with Greg LeMond - riding with the magnificent Tour de France and its uncertain American imitator the Tour de Trump.  Who makes the money ?  Do competitors take stimulents ?  What's in it for the riders, the sponsors, the camp followers ?   Plus some bitter exchanges between LeMond, Tour de France winner in 1986, 1989 and 1990, and former champion and five times Tour winner Eddy Merckx.  The Americanisation of the greatest roadshow on Earth.

4  THE BUSINESS
How mighty bicycle manufacturers like Schwinn of the USA, Raleigh of England, and Peugeot of France have lost their pre-eminence to Japan, Taiwan and China - and how the European and American industry is fighting back.  Plus the multi-billion yen racing business of Japanese Keirin.  The 50 tracks where cycle super-stars attract 27-million spectators who support one of the world's biggest betting industries.

5  FREE SPIRITS
The sweetspots and obsessions of those who live by the bicycle.  From the Californian computer nomad who pedals the ultimate high-tech recumbent bicycle - to the London guru, Richard Ballantine, who has enthused a whole generation about the joys of cycling.  Also featuered:  Beryl Burton, history's greatest women cyclist;  Elaine Mariolle, who cycled across America in just over ten days;  Nick Crane, who rode a mountain bike to the top of Kilimanjaro.

6  VEHICLE FOR A SMALL PLANET
The world's 800-million bicycles outnumber cars two to one.  Bikes in Asia transport more people than do all the automobiles on Earth.  Yet increasingly clean air, road space and fossil fuel are being sacrificed to the motor vehicle.  The worst offenders are the United States - where there is one car for every two people - Western Europe and Japan.  This final programme argues for a mass return to the bicycle, the perfect green vehicle for a small planet.

 Director  ALLAN JEWHURST
Producer / writer  DAVID TAYLOR
Narrator  DAVID YIP
Music  ERNIE WOOD

Produced by York Films of England
in co-production with
BBC (UK)
KRO (The Netherlands)
NHK (Japan)
S4C (UK)
TVO (Canada)
YLE (Finland)