B.I.K.E.

Today I went with my husband and three of our friends to see the Slamdance film “B.I.K.E.” This film is
an exploration of the Black Label Bicycle Club and the wider tallbike subculture that has grown up around it. Comprised mainly of artists driven by anti-materialism and a belief that the impending apocalypse will render cars useless and bicycles in power, BLBC battles mainstream consumer culture and rival gangs for its vision of a better tomorrow. The film chronicles the trials of co-director Anthony Howard (“Tony) as he tries to become a member of the club.
After the film the audience met with the filmmakers and held a discussion.

This was an interesting film. The Black Label Bike Club has chapters in Minneapolis, New York, Texas and a couple of other states. This film focuses mainly on the New York Club. Black Label members belong to this club to experience a self-sufficiency and a sense of family. Their meals come from dumpsters, they ride their bikes everywhere, and they take care of each other. One of the activities of bike club members involves “bike jousting” on the tall bikes (two bike frames stacked on top of each other, with the handle bar, pedals and seat on the top frame and wheels on the bottom frame.) To become a member of this club you have to “hang out” with the club for a period of time and also pass the initiation – the “jousting” test.

“Tony” tries for a year and a half to become a member but he doesn’t make any of the cuts mainly due to his troublesome behavior where he always needs to be bailed out or rescued. So he forms his own club, “The Happy Fuck Clown Club” as a rival bike club.

The New York Black Label Bike Club members travel to Minnesota to council with the club there. The hold a jousting tournament and declare a national winner. The film also follows a New York Club member to Amsterdam for an international jousting tournament.

Through the viewing of this film and the discussion that followed with the film makers I found it interesting to hear of the difference between the Minnesota and New York Groups. The Minnesota Club is more interesting in forming a community free from political idealologies, whose members are younger and from lower socio-economic classes (on the average) than members of the New York Club. Members of the New York Club are more interested in forming a more politically-oriented community that makes a statement through its lifestyle and actions. Also, the Minnesota group appeared to want to have control over who is “permitted” to form chapters throughout the country – something I found a bit disturbing.

Overall I liked the film. I felt it focused a little too much on the personal traumas of the main character. I would like to have seen less of that and more focus on the concept of communal living and political statements of the New York Group.

Although this lifestyle is not something I would want for myself, it is defnintely something I would want to share with people and I would defninitely recommend this film to expose people to this movement.