These films are entertaining, but one thing that does bother me a bit, judg ing by the few I have seen so far, is that they seem to be influenced heavi ly by the bike messenger scene, which seems to cultivate a bit of an outlaw image. Thus we see riders usually with no helmets, weaving in and out o f traffic with no regard for traffic laws, and little more for their ow n safety. Now the bike messenger culture does have powerful appeal, even , evidently, for no less a figure than Lance Armstrong, who seems to be tho roughly enjoying himself in this guest appearance. But one has to worry a bit about riders, particularly young ones, who see these films and try to emulate the riding there, but who possess neither the judgment nor the b ike handling skill of Lance Armstrong, or indeed of the other riders in the film.
This is strongly analogous to the outlaw image immulated by many motorcycli sts, most of whom are in fact pretty solid citizens who just indulge the ou tlaw alter ego on weekends. I'm well familiar with this, as Big Spring, Texas boasts the oldest Harley Davidson dealership in Texas, and Harleys an d motorcycles in general are very popular here. I must say most motorcyc lists are more curteous towards bicycles than the average motorist. But the outlaw image has not come without cost, in particular the practice of r iding without a helmet, which is now legal in Texas and several other state s. Just a couple of weeks ago, a guy who works at my refinery was headed home on his motorcycle when he collided with a car and suffered a serious head injury. He was not wearing a helmet.
I hope people will be able to enjoy the growing popularity of the new bike films without feeling compelled to go out and kill themselves on the road.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA
From: Tom Sanders <tesanders@comcast.net> Subject: [CR]More on these bike films To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Date: Monday, September 22, 2008, 8:49 AM
I wish I had thought to say in my first post that the driving stimulus for the appearance of these short independent bike films is the emergence of a Bike Film Festival scene around the country. I know that CR List Member Ti m Potter is looking into staging such a festival here in mid-Michigan at MSU , and I am offering what help I can in the endeavor.
I believe there is even going to be a West Coast meeting of Bike Film Festival Organizers soon that he is planning on attending.
Tom Sanders
Lansing, MI USA