Technical ? on movie Breaking Away

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Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

I just reviewed Breaking Away and am confused on a technical point. In the fixed gear bike race the bikes had no hand brakes yet I noticed that in some scenes bikes were moving yet pedals were not turning. It is possible to have a fixed gear bike rigged with a freewheel but without any brakes safety would be a real issue.

Is there anybody out there who can clarify this point?

Anonymous's picture
Herb (not verified)

Hi Hank

Yes it is possible. You can have a BMX cog that spins like a freewheel. On my track bike, I have a fixed cog on one side and a freewheel cog on the other. When I want, I can flip the wheel and be able to coast. But I would never ride without a brake. I don't know how the messengers do it.

BTW, congratulations on your marathon.

Anonymous's picture
<a href="http://www.OhReallyOreilly.com">Peter O'Reilly</a> (not verified)
cutters

"Is there anybody out there who can clarify this point?

The single speed bikes you describe probably have a ""coaster"" or ""skid"" brake. I don't recall that detail from the movie. The coaster style brake typically has a metal arm which extends from the hub and latches onto the rear chainstay. I had a couple of such bikes as a kid and they were quite common for BMX bikes back then, too. They're freewheel and you apply the brakes by pedaling just a few degrees backwards.

Good observation though. Hank, did you notice at one point while he is motorpacing the big-rig, he is doing so while in the small ring?
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Anonymous's picture
Mordecai Silver (not verified)
Breaking Away

"""Little 500"" bikes were AMF Roadmasters, single speed, coaster brakes, block pedals, about 35 lbs. All teams were issued identical bikes and equipment, to keep the playing field even.

Why is Dennis Christopher in the small ring while pacing the Cinzano truck? I think that they just didn't catch the mistake. Dennis C. could probably not spin fast enough in the big ring to make his legs look like a blur. The stunt double in this scene, Gary Rybar, was riding very fast, in the big ring. If you watch closely, when the scene was shot with Dennis it's sunny out, when it was shot with Gary it's overcast."

Anonymous's picture
Shymember OK (not verified)

"And all of the shots of Gary are long shots, no face really. You can see the road just zooming by. He was moving quickly! The shots of Dennis are close and not only ""face"" shots, but they do NOT show the white lines and the 12 mph (?) he was going. Ah, Hollywood, film and editing."

Anonymous's picture
Art (not verified)
Breaking Away

">>And all of the shots of Gary are long shots, no face really. You can see the road just zooming by. He was moving quickly! The shots of Dennis are close and not only ""face"" shots, but they do NOT show the white lines and the 12 mph (?) he was going. Ah, Hollywood, film and editing.<<

""Everybody cheats. I just didn't know.""

Art

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Anonymous's picture
Richard Goldberg (not verified)
Breaking Away

After 25 years as a film/sound editor and a great fan of Breaking Away, my studied opinion is that, simply stated, it's only a movie.

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