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Two people ride bicycles down a narrow country road, looking ahead with focused expressions. A third person follows closely behind them in the distance.

Photography: A blog of old-school actors on bikes? Yes please

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Date
17 July 2013

I’m not sure how we’ve never come across this Tumblr before but no matter because our tardiness only means that there’s a massive archive of the ebullient Rides A Bike for us to enjoy. The brainchild of American film critic Steven Rea, it’s a collection of images of well-known faces on two wheels taken predominantly on film sets during the silver screen’s golden age. It’s also a book and an app if this fails to provide enough of a supercool-celebrity-cycle fix but as a starting point – if you’re late to the party like us – delve into this treasure trove of a blog and ponder this – nobody has ever looked as cool as David Niven on a bike (and nobody ever will).

A person with a cigar in their mouth rides a bicycle down a city street. They wear a dark blazer over a sweater and light-coloured trousers.
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Victor Borge rides a bike

A person smiles while sitting on a bicycle outdoors. They wear a dark jumper, a light-coloured scarf and a hat.
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Angela Lansbury rides a bike

Sharon Tate rides a bicycle with a front basket down a narrow city street. She wears a light-coloured T-shirt and dark trousers rolled up at the ankles.
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Yvette Mimieux rides a bike

Four people ride bicycles side by side down a sunny driveway. They wear coordinated light-coloured short-sleeved shirts and skirts.
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Minerva Griswold, Jane Hopkins, Rita Hayworth and Virginia Hovey ride bikes

A person rides a bicycle through a wooded area. They wear a light-coloured jacket and dark trousers, looking off to the side.
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Warren Beatty rides a bike

A person wearing a bowler hat and waistcoat stands with a bicycle on a dirt path. Behind them is a rustic fence made of tangled wooden branches.
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Paul Newman side-rides a bike

A person in a dark, vintage-style two-piece swimsuit sits on a bicycle. They look off to the side with a smile against a plain, light background.
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Mary Beth Hughes rides a bike. Backwards

A person in a white suit and hat sits on a bicycle with a large wire basket on the front. The bike frame features the text “Michael Todd Co.” and “Niven”.
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David Niven rides a bike

A police officer in a traditional custodian helmet gestures towards a person standing with a bicycle. The person wears a dark double-breasted suit and looks on with a concerned expression.
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Donald Sutherland rides a bike

A person in a light-coloured suit and tie sits on an early model bicycle in a grassy field. In the background, a rolling landscape stretches towards a distant treeline under a pale sky.
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Dick Van Dyke rides a bike

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

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