# The Cannondale V4000 that I always wanted, sort of - A bike from the movie The Giver



## cbustapeck (Nov 25, 2020)

I first saw the Cannondale V4000 in _Wired _magazine, in the early to mid 1990s, and so wanted one. If you're not familiar with it, check out this detailed look on Pink Bike. Square tubing, single-side-mounted wheels both front and rear, and so incredibly futuristic. Think _Tron _crossed with some of the most crazy downhill bikes of that period. 

I just came across this bicycle, from the 2014 movie adaptation of Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal-winning novel, _The Giver_. The following photos were supplied by Hanlin's Auction Service, in Quincy, Illinois, who is offering the bicycle as part of their sale this Friday, November 27, 2020. 










It's super futuristic, featuring square tubing, single sided forks and rear stays, wheel discs, and more. It's everything that is appropriate for a book, and bike, of the 1990s. 

Bidding starts at $250, with a 23% buyer's premium plus 5% sales tax.

The photo is the same one used when it sold at Premier Props in 2014, for $402 after tax and buyer's premium.

User Kevjh on Your Props has photos of two other examples, which provide a somewhat better idea as to what the bicycles look like. 

I'm sure that the bicycle handles like a tank, but I'm plenty used to older bicycles like that. My real concern would be that, as a prop, this bike was not built to be disassembled, and that you wouldn't be able to replace the tires or tubes without drilling / grinding out welds. Likewise, I wouldn't be surprised if the bearings were completely inaccessible. 

Please understand: I'm not saying that the above bicycle has any of the liabilities that I mention, just that they're things that I would check prior to purchase that might not come up on a regular bicycle. For more on what a vehicular movie prop can be like, be sure to check out Tavarish's Fast and the Furious Lamborghini.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Nov 25, 2020)

what makes you think it can not be disassembled?


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## cbustapeck (Nov 25, 2020)

49autocycledeluxe said:


> what makes you think it can not be disassembled?



Primarily, Tavarish's Lamborghini, mentioned above, with all that was done to it, the understanding that it was built as a prop, as well as my own (albeit limited) experience with things that only have to be used as props once. 

I'm not saying that it cannot be disassembled, just that that can be an issue with movie props and possibly worth investigating prior to purchase.


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## Cycleoflife (Mar 6, 2021)

I actually own one of these and I spent a few months totally redoing it. There were only three of these in the United States and purportedly the third is a child size on display in Jeff Bridges house. The bike was in rough shape and the wheel covers were yellowed on one side. They supposedly spent years in the rain, then in a storage facility. I upgraded the drivetrain to a belt drive by Gates but that took some major figuring out. I get the parts back from powder coating in a week. If anyone is interested, I’ll post photos of the finished bike.  Happy riding.


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## cbustapeck (Mar 7, 2021)

Cycleoflife said:


> I actually own one of these and I spent a few months totally redoing it. There were only three of these in the United States and purportedly the third is a child size on display in Jeff Bridges house. The bike was in rough shape and the wheel covers were yellowed on one side. They supposedly spent years in the rain, then in a storage facility. I upgraded the drivetrain to a belt drive by Gates but that took some major figuring out. I get the parts back from powder coating in a week. If anyone is interested, I’ll post photos of the finished bike.  Happy riding.



I would love to see! Please!


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## Cycleoflife (Mar 7, 2021)

If either of you want to know ANYTHING at all about this bike, bring on the questions.  It’s my pride and joy really. I was such a fan of The Giver when it was released in bookstores and when it came out in theaters, wow, what a great movie! I’m a mechanical engineer by trade and my free time has been spent welding and redoing most of the bikes infrastructure. I would have done the powdercoat myself but seeing as how I lack the appropriate oven for it... When I got the bike, I shipped it from California to North Carolina. It is a heavy beast indeed. For a movie prop, it’s pretty substantial. The one sided nature of the construction made doing the Gates Carbon Drive, pretty easy after I figured everything out. I can certainly say there’s a bunch of custom parts and going to a regular bike shop won’t go very far at all. Any parts that are/were on there, were Shimano. Japanese Shimano to boot. Why on earth they put top of the line hydraulic brakes on there, is beyond me. I may eventually figure out how to put brakes on the rear.  When I replaced the rear ratchet cassette, I lost the ratcheting part of the system so I took care of that by replacing one of the bearings with a ratcheting Bocca bearing. It works perfectly. Such a smooth ride. I even considered adding a sound to my bike, not unlike a Prius, but I don’t want to be too gimmicky. I just want people to be able to hear me. Otherwise, I’m in stealth mode. Thoughts, opinions?


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## cbustapeck (Mar 8, 2021)

Cycleoflife said:


> If either of you want to know ANYTHING at all about this bike, bring on the questions.  It’s my pride and joy really. I was such a fan of The Giver when it was released in bookstores and when it came out in theaters, wow, what a great movie! I’m a mechanical engineer by trade and my free time has been spent welding and redoing most of the bikes infrastructure. I would have done the powdercoat myself but seeing as how I lack the appropriate oven for it... When I got the bike, I shipped it from California to North Carolina. It is a heavy beast indeed. For a movie prop, it’s pretty substantial. The one sided nature of the construction made doing the Gates Carbon Drive, pretty easy after I figured everything out. I can certainly say there’s a bunch of custom parts and going to a regular bike shop won’t go very far at all. Any parts that are/were on there, were Shimano. Japanese Shimano to boot. Why on earth they put top of the line hydraulic brakes on there, is beyond me. I may eventually figure out how to put brakes on the rear.  When I replaced the rear ratchet cassette, I lost the ratcheting part of the system so I took care of that by replacing one of the bearings with a ratcheting Bocca bearing. It works perfectly. Such a smooth ride. I even considered adding a sound to my bike, not unlike a Prius, but I don’t want to be too gimmicky. I just want people to be able to hear me. Otherwise, I’m in stealth mode. Thoughts, opinions?



Pictures, please! All the pictures. Pictures may lead to questions, I am sure.


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