10 of Our Favorite Cartoons About Bikes
Radical Rick
Radical Rick (pictured above) graced the pages of BMX Plus! Magazine from its January 1980 issue through the early ‘90s, giving young BMXers the inspiration to “stay rad” and never been seen without a full-face helmet. There was nothing quite like watching Rick and his crew crush rival racers and shred their way out of trouble in Crushed Crank Canyon—and we’d love to see what kind of adventures a modern-day Rick would get mixed up in.
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin’s bike was always something of an arch-nemesis for the character—when left alone together, the bike would always come to life and attack him with evil intent. Calvin’s father, on the other hand, was an avid road cyclist who loved nothing more than getting up early for a long ride, spending the rest of the day in his optimal heart rate zone, and being relentlessly mocked by the rest of his family for his cycling kit.
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Triplets of Belleville
Madame Souza’s grandson, a Tour de France racer, is kidnapped and held hostage by the French mafia. With the help of three elderly singers, she embarks on a mission to save him. This quirky, French animated comedy—a must-see for animation fans who love cycling—was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003.
Hill Climb Girl
Hill Climb Girl is hardly the first cycling-themed Japanese cartoon out there, but it’s one of our favorites for its timeless portrayal of a schoolgirl who loves cycling so much that she channels the hill-crushing power of Bradley Wiggins to destroy her competitors. If it doesn’t inspire you to power up your next climb, you’ll at least by wowed by the incredibly detailed bike animation.
Yowapeda
Japan is killing it in the animated cycling film game—and Yowapeda is another prime example. The story of gifted young bike racer Onoda-kun, Yowapeda incorporates valuable advice for beginning cyclists with exciting race action footage. Plus, according to our Editor-in-Chief Bill Strickland—a super-fan of the show—“an entire generation of Japanese riders is discovering and embracing the sport thanks to the series.”
Rerun Van Pelt
Less well known than his siblings Lucy and Linus, Rerun spent nearly all his Peanuts airtime riding a bicycle—or more specifically, riding on the back of a bicycle helmed by his mom. While not given a whole lot to do in the strip, Rerun provided a voice for disempowered younger siblings everywhere, and a nostalgic reminder of how common it was to tote children by bike in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Bikeyface
When Bekka Wright sold her car in 2011, she drew the first-ever panel of her Bikeyface comic strip—a cartoon of herself at the edge of a cliff, arms raised in triumph as a generic-looking sedan plummeted to its doom. From then on, the Boston-based artist shared her vision of a car-free life on bikes—exciting, liberating, and funny. Wright never expected Bikeyface to resonate so deeply with the bike community, but after four years and dozens of strips depicting the highs and lows of commuter life—from romantic cycling dates to anthropomorphic potholes—she’s still going strong. Some of her best-known illustrations deal with how she’s treated differently by drivers and other cyclists based on whether she’s wearing bike-specific gear or her trademark commuting uniform of street clothes, boots, and a houndstooth riding helmet.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
What could be better than a cartoon about two kids on a bicycle? Two kids on a flying bicycle, natch. Kiki’s Delivery Service tells the tale of a teenage witch who delivers goods by broomstick until she loses her ability to fly. Her friend Tombo takes her for a test ride on his invention—a flying, propeller-powered bicycle. This feel-good 1989 anime film by famed director Hayao Miyazaki presents a powerful, self-reliant role model for young women.
Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery
If you’ve ever commuted through a Midwestern winter in the tire-spray-line of passing motorists—or lamented the increasingly complicated modern state of road cycling—then you’ll relate to cycling’s best known webcomic: Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery. Originally created by Cleveland cyclist Rick Smith in 2008 (and later co-written by Brian Griggs), the strip shares the adventures of bike advocate Yehuda as he takes on issues in his cycling community, as well as grumpy motorists.
Frazz
Created by avid cyclist and Ironman triathlete Jef Mallett, Frazz is the tale of a cycling songwriter-turned-school-custodian who loves nothing more than a 150-mile ride on a perfect spring day—and doesn’t care if people think he’s crazy for it. Mallett’s comic strip has been nationally syndicated in newspapers since 2001 and references Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes through both style and content.
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