Premiere of "Klunkerz" tonight

Bill Savage's documentary film "Klunkerz" opens tonight at the Mill Valley Film Festival. The two showings have been sold out since the day the tickets went on sale, largely because it is a local story. Everyone who is anyone in the local mtb scene will be there, and people have been begging for the tickets on the Internet.

The film collects all the original footage of the Repack races, and inteviews all the principals.

In connection with the publicity effort, yesterday Savage brought to Marin County the original members of the "Morrow Dirt Club," the guys from 50 miles south of here who in 1974 inspired us in Marin to add derailleurs to our old bikes. Although work prevented me from joining them, they took their original old coaster-brake iron up Repack for a ceremonial run down. Astonishingly, they had never seen it before yesterday, and I told them that they would end the day with a new respect for our hill, and they would know why it is a legendary course, deserving of its place in MTB history.

After work I cruised past Gary Fisher's house (on my '83 Ritchey BOTM), and there they were. Now they know, and they were willing to admit, that Repack is a special road, and a remarkable test for the bikes and the riders. Joe Breeze rode with them, and discovered what all of us originals have discovered; even on new bikes with suspension and great brakes, we can't come within a minute of our record times. We're no longer that crazy.

BTW, Gary is sporting a cast on his leg, after breaking his ankle on a local singletrack. The trail where he was injured is part of a local Boy Scout camp, and they were overjoyed to have an actual victim for first-aid application.

Here is a photo of me giving Gary his prize at a Repack event from 1979.

Be interested to hear what the movies like. Have you seen a preview? Does the maker have any plans to release it on DVD?

For those interested the website of the movie can be found here > http://www.klunkerz.com/


That must be one of the more, er, obtuse accolades you've received...

I have seen a short trailer. Bill says he hasn't even seen the final edit. He does not want to release it on DVD until he has had the chance to show it at a few film festivals, so a DVD is unlikely for at least a year.




It was this website that inspired me to restore it. I was riding it to the local coffee house this morning, because it is my usual town bike, and I was accused of showing off.

Saw the film last night, in the company of Fisher, Breeze, Ritchey, Sinyard, Otis Guy, Alan Bonds, Jacquie Phelan, Charlie Cunningham, and a few hundred others no one has heard of on the other side of the pond.

Any film with me in it is a "must-see" and I got the biggest laugh out of the audience with a line about Gary and me and another chap taking our first experimental ride on old bikes, two bikes and three guys, so one of us had to run and wait for a turn on a bike.

Director Bill Savage responded to a question from the audience regarding DVD availability by saying it would be late 2007 as currently scheduled. Until then he plans to show it at film festivals, hoping to line up a distributor for general release.

I am not at all objective about it, so I have no way of knowing whether people not directly involved in the activities depicted would enjoy it. Hopefully we'll see reviews from some of the others in the audience, and as soon as one turns up I will either link to it or copy it here.

The party afterward was EXCELLENT. These people have never all been rounded up and collected in one place with sufficient supplies of alcohol for great arguments.

As always, stunned!

Look forward to the DVD. You guy's probably know what an impact you have had and don't need telling again, but all the same...

Sounds like there was quite a crowd for the premiere....

If the film is anything like the trailer I'm sure there'd be a market for the film on DVD.

Here is the first review of the film from the local newspaper.

After selling out the first two screenings, "Klunkerz" was held over for an unusual third showing in the Mill Valley Film Festival's biggest screening room. Once again it was sold out long before showtime, and it seems likely that director Billy Savage could do good business in any theatre in the area.

The overwhelming positive response to the film will certainly give it "legs." Savage plans to shop it to other film festivals in hope of landing a distibution deal.

Good news . Hopefully that means we'll get to see it sooner over in the UK

Billy Savage kindly sent me a pic from the premeiere. As Billy himself says a picture speaks a 1000 words !



Picture courtesy of Wyro and Billy Savage.
LtoR Top: Joe Breeze, Steve Potts, Tom Ritchey, Bob Burrowes, Otis Guy, Gary Fisher, Fred Wolf, Alan Bonds, Charlie Kelly, Russ Mahon Chris Lang, James McLean, Robert Stewart
Bottom: Billy, Jacquie Phelan