"Speedy, the truth is our pedals are who we are. Riding is our life."
Bikes is a 2018 Spanish-Argentine animated film.
In a world of anthropomorphic bikes, Speedy is a young Courier mountain bike residing in the town of Spokesville who aspires to become a racer. When the local celebrity Rock Bikerson returns to the town, Speedy is excited to see him and hopes to train with him. Rock presents a new invention to the town: the gas motor, which ends up disturbing the city. Speedy and his friends must take action to keep their home free of pollution.
An English dub of the movie was released in 2019.
Bikes provides examples of the following tropes:
- Air-Vent Passageway: The bicycle pumps get into the jail by using the vents.
- All Asians Wear Conical Straw Hats: Chan is shown wearing such a hat to indicate he is Asian.
- Animate Inanimate Object: In additions to the bikes, there are living bicycle pumps too.
- Bad Guy Bar: Rock's three henchmen are seen hanging out at a bar before the final race.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: Romulus, Remus, and Rock all play the role of the main villains.
- Broken Pedestal: Speedy idolizes Rock Bikerson, but becomes disillusioned due to Rock's endorsement of the gas motor and imprisonment of those who cannot afford it.
- Evil Laugh: Rock does one after Speedy and his friends are put in jail.
- Fantastic Slurs: "Loose Wheel" and "flaccid chain" are used as insults to other bikes.
- Green Aesop: The gas motor is bad for the environment.
- High-Class Glass: Romulus is a banker that wears a monocle on his sole eye.
- Leitmotif: Montana is associated with a romantic flute, while Rock Bikerson is accompanied by an electric guitar.
- Magical Asian: Mr. Chan is a bike residing in Spokesville's Chinatown who is Speedy's mentor and gives him advice.
- The Mockbuster: Of Cars, though not as obvious since the characters are bikes rather than cars.
- Morally Bankrupt Banker: Romulus and Remus are bankers who want to take over Spokesville via conspiracy.
- Sentient Vehicle: The world is populated by sapient bicycles and other pedal-powered vehicles.
- Shout-Out: During the jailbreak, the bike pumps encounter a creature living in the vents that heavily resembles Pac-Man. They even have to run away from it in a maze.
- Vague Age: Speedy acts immature and sounds quite young, but he is shown having a job and living on his own.
- Wearing a Flag on Your Head: One of Rock's henchmen has an American flag paint style.
