Bikes on screen are about more than getting from A to B. Their physicality and speed allow film-makers to play with the pace and rhythm of a scene, from the slow romantic bike ride to frantic chase scenes. They also do nifty stunts. Here's five clips on two (and three) wheels.

Bicycle Thieves

The brutal cruelties of poverty are front and centre of Bicycle Thieves. Antonio's bike is stolen on his long-awaited first day of work – the bike was a requirement for the job, and he and his wife pawned their sheets to get it. One for any reader who's ever had a bike nicked.

Belleville Rendez-Vous

Unorthodox training methods abound in this scene. Champion trains for the Tour de France under the strict, but loving eye, of his Grandmother.

ET

Bikes being chased down by police cars – that doesn't sound like it's going to end well. The special effects don't hold up so well nowadays, but I think every cyclist wants to fly over traffic. I'm also impressed that the bikes survived the landing. Henry Thomas, who played Elliot, said the flying scenes were “nowhere near as exciting to film as it was to watch!”

Stranger Than Fiction

The boy on the bike appears briefly throughout the film when he first gets the bike, and a near miss with Emma Thompson whilst she's buying cigarettes. You get the sense that he's important, but you don't see the moment coming.

The Shining

In case you thought it was safe to ride bike inside, it's not. Though, I'm pretty sure he could reverse pedal on that thing…