As the Bicycle Film Festival wraps up here in Los Angeles I’m reminded of how exciting it is to feel a part of a subculture not yet discovered by the masses. Perhaps $4 a gallon gasoline will bring a few more converts, but I’m not holding my breath. The joy of riding a bike is a far greater incentive than economic necessity. I’d rather crest a steep hill with a sense of accomplishment rather than a winded desperation. The bike film fest is a celebration of an everyday physical virtuosity that will become more important as the crack-like cultural high of fossil fuels proves increasingly expensive and destructive. This is a film fest that sings the body acoustic.

After leaving LA the festival travels to San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo, Austin, London, Vienna, and beyond. Check the Bike Film Festival calendar to see if it comes to a city near you. Thanks to the wonders of youtube, if you can’t make it to the festival you can watch a lot of the films online. Here’s a few:

Macaframa
“SF’s most talented street track riders.”

Tico Jam 5
BMX bike porn in Costa Rica. I could watch these folks do their thing for hours.

D.I.Y. Emancipation 101
A nice animation about how the bicycle brought freedom to women.

Orange Bikes Take Manhattan
All about a misguided viral marketing campaign from DKNY.

The Way Bobby Sees It
A gripping story about a blind mountain bike rider.

Wolfpack Hustle: The Midnight Drag Race
2nd Street Tunnel single speed and fixed gear drag races in Los Angeles.

Waffle Bike
From the same demented duo who did a nice video about bike thievery in New York a few years ago.