Breaking Away

Is Breaking Away in your Top Ten of All Time?

  • Certo! (Of course!)

    Votes: 4 23.5%

  • Nessuna maniera! (No Way!)

    Votes: 1 5.9%

  • What...?

    Votes: 12 70.6%
  • Total voters
    17
dmccormack

dmccormack

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
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Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
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Display name:
Dan Mc
I was just listening to some Rossini on Pandora and remembered that I think Breaking Away is one of the best films ever -- with one of the best soundtracks.

Who else is a fan? :smile:
 
I had to Google "Breaking Away" to figure out what it was. I can't recall ever having seen it. Here is the trailer in case anyone else is curious.

 
ScottM said:
I was in Bloomington in the fall visiting my niece. As I walked around town I kept thinking of that movie.
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Cool! I've only flown over it so far.

At the very end they credited the City of Bloomington, so I figured it was filmed on location.

The movie really captured the haze of summer -- though classes in session seemed to indicate the setting was early fall or spring.
 
Before that film came out I wore almost nothing but black wool bike shorts, a white t shirt, and a yellow campagnolo hat and practically lived on my racing bike. To say that I could relate to the film is an understatement! When people were gasping in amazement about the scene where he drafts the semi on the highway I was like "yea it's pretty fun and not as dangerous as it looks". Shaving the legs was harder to explain.

Watched it again a few years ago and it really does stand up as one of the best cycling films ever made. It's a great coming of age film too and has appeal as a well told story with good acting. One of my all time favorites for sure.
 
wby0nder said:
Before that film came out I wore almost nothing but black wool bike shorts, a white t shirt, and a yellow campagnolo hat and practically lived on my racing bike. To say that I could relate to the film is an understatement! When people were gasping in amazement about the scene where he drafts the semi on the highway I was like "yea it's pretty fun and not as dangerous as it looks". Shaving the legs was harder to explain.

Watched it again a few years ago and it really does stand up as one of the best cycling films ever made. It's a great coming of age film too and has appeal as a well told story with good acting. One of my all time favorites for sure.
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You copied my adolesence!!!!!

(I got into road cycling out in the Denver area when stationed out there in 1980 -- black wool shorts, campy yellow hat, toe clips, bar end shifters, long slogs out into the middle of no where...)
 
I had to go to Bloomington a couple of times before I was aware of the film. Rode my bike in all the same places.
It was on TV one night, and as the titles and credits and titles were rolling, I told my Wife, “I’ve ridden there a couple of times”. She didn’t believe me at first, because so many movies aren’t made where they portray.

Anyway, it’s a good movie; I just think there is too much gratuitous bad language. I certainly know people talk that way, but it could be just as good a movie without it. Even with that, I liked it enough to buy it.
 
dmccormack said:
You copied my adolesence!!!!!

(I got into road cycling out in the Denver area when stationed out there in 1980 -- black wool shorts, campy yellow hat, toe clips, bar end shifters, long slogs out into the middle of no where...)
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Man I loved those bar end shifters till they became un-cool (evil racers could reach them and slam your gears) Got on a tandem last summer with my wife and wow, bar end shifters are as good as I remember them!

I envy you riding in that location. I've never been up the mountains and not sure I could do it now. I went up Flagstaff hill at Boulder once and it was amazing. Always wanted to run the peak to peak highway.
 
"NO MORE 'INI' FOODS! I WANT AMERICAN FOOD!! BRING ME FRENCH FRIES!"

I remember seeing it a couple of times when it first came out. I think I've seen it once since.
 
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wby0nder said:
Man I loved those bar end shifters till they became un-cool (evil racers could reach them and slam your gears) Got on a tandem last summer with my wife and wow, bar end shifters are as good as I remember them!

I envy you riding in that location. I've never been up the mountains and not sure I could do it now. I went up Flagstaff hill at Boulder once and it was amazing. Always wanted to run the peak to peak highway.
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Our Cannondale Road Tandem has bar end shifters -- love 'em!

But I preferred the Brake lever shifters for racing.

Denver was ok -- but far too many rides turned into nightmares westbound with consistent headwinds.

The best place for riding is Lancaster County, PA where we lived 17 years. Many miles of little-used backroads creating a web that allows you to ride many miles with little traffic.

I've ridden some east coast hills in WV and NC, and found them more difficult then CO climbs as they are far steeper (Beech Mountain, anyone?)
 
bsdunek said:
Anyway, it’s a good movie; I just think there is too much gratuitous bad language. I certainly know people talk that way, but it could be just as good a movie without it. Even with that, I liked it enough to buy it.
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Agreed -- even Saving Private Ryan had more language than was typical even of WW2 infantry men (I asked them -- including MAJ Dick Winters).
 
I wouldn't say that it's in my top 10 list, but I will say that it is a charming, if not delightful movie to watch. I also recently watched it again.
 
dmccormack said:
Our Cannondale Road Tandem has bar end shifters -- love 'em!

But I preferred the Brake lever shifters for racing.

Denver was ok -- but far too many rides turned into nightmares westbound with consistent headwinds.

The best place for riding is Lancaster County, PA where we lived 17 years. Many miles of little-used backroads creating a web that allows you to ride many miles with little traffic.

I've ridden some east coast hills in WV and NC, and found them more difficult then CO climbs as they are far steeper (Beech Mountain, anyone?)
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I STILL have never used brake lever shifters!

Where I currently live in Iowa is pretty great for biking. I have a pretty good grid of county roads with little traffic. Not much for hills though within an hours ride time. Have to go farther for that. I hear a lot of complaints about traffic and many riders will only take the railtrails now. They bore me to tears. Talk about lack of hills! Nice sometimes but for regular workouts gotta have somewhere to GO, preferably a loop.

Yea, I figured the winds out in eastern CO would really suck. But, I've noticed that due to the lower density the same wind speed has less effect than down here in the lower dregs of the atmosphere.
 
wby0nder said:
I STILL have never used brake lever shifters!
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I went to them a few years back on my road and cross bike. WOW are they nice!! I never liked bar end shifters, preferring down tube ones. I currently run Ultegra on 2 on the two bikes with brake level shifters and it is rock solid. I must admit though that I do have Campy envy.
 
Frank Browne said:
I wouldn't say that it's in my top 10 list, but I will say that it is a charming, if not delightful movie to watch. I also recently watched it again.
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Ditto, except I haven't seen it in years. Is it even out on DVD? (Never mind, I could find that out myself.)

I can think of many, many that I would place ahead of it in a ranking of all the movies I've ever seen. But yes, it is one of the all-time great feel-good movies. Especially if you love bicycles.

edit: okay, brake lever shifters... yes, I have them and they're great.
 
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azure said:
Ditto, except I haven't seen it in years. Is it even out on DVD? (Never mind, I could find that out myself.)
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Yes it is on DVD - Never seen it so I added it to my Netflix queue.

I better like it or all of you are going to be in trouble!
 
I remember seeing black Cinzano merino jerseys at a local bike store a couple years ago. I wanted one, but it was kinda pricey, and too small.
 
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