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"So I did help… but by accident, as you might say."
― Percy

Mind that Bike is the twenty-sixth and final episode of the fourth series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book Really Useful Engines.

Plot

Tom Tipper is a local postman who collects letters and parcels from Thomas and Percy's post trains and delivers them to the residents of Sodor. He is very friendly and helps to load the mail vans whenever he can but knows he could never do his job without his trusty post van.

One morning, Tom is absent and his substitute dumps the mail bags on the platform and leaves on a bicycle without explanation. Percy's driver attributes his bad mood to having to use the bike for mail delivery. The next day, Tom returns and Percy discovers that he has also been given a bike as the postmaster decided that his van was too expensive to run. Tom is saddened that, because the rounds take longer on his bike, he no longer has time to help load the trains. Percy wishes he could cheer Tom up but is unsure how.

Just as Tom is about to leave, he is called to the Fat Controller's office to sign some important papers. Knowing this will make him very late, he rushes off and, in his haste, leaves his bike propped up against one of Percy's mail vans. Percy is alarmed and tries to get Tom's attention to no avail. Percy's driver, not knowing about the bike, starts Percy moving and Tom's bike gets dragged beneath the train. Upon hearing crunching noises, the driver quickly stops the train but Tom's bicycle is in pieces.

When Tom returns, Percy apologises for the accident. Although Tom understands it wasn't Percy's fault, he laments the fact that he will have to deliver the mail on foot. However, when Percy returns the next day, he finds that Tom has received a brand new van. Tom explains that the postmaster, after learning about the bike's demise, decided that a new van would do the job much better than another bike and was worth the expense. Tom is happy that he can always be on time again and cheerfully goes back to work. Percy is delighted that he did help his friend after all, albeit by accident.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • This was the last episode of many things:
  • This episode marks the first of several things:
    • The first series finale in which Gordon and the Fat Controller do not appear, although the Fat Controller is mentioned in this episode.
    • The first and only speaking role of Tom Tipper in the television series until the eighteenth series episode Samson Sent for Scrap.
    • The first episode without narrow gauge engines to use music previously associated with them, as heard at the start and end of this episode, excluding incidental music.
  • In the original Railway Series story, Tom props his bicycle carefully against the fence and asks Percy to keep an eye on it. Some boys arrive and one of them starts riding the bicycle just as Percy starts. The boy falls off and manages to get out of the way, while the bicycle is run over and destroyed. In the episode, however, the boys are not present and Tom carelessly leans his bike on Percy's mail train. This change was made likely due to the crew unable to properly capture the boys' actions with static models and/or to censor the reference to child endangerment.
  • The new postman and the Callan foreman share the same head.
  • This episode marks the only appearance of Percy's upset face in the fourth series.
  • This episode was not released on DVD in the US but was released digitally as part of Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 4 on Amazon Prime in 2016.

Goofs

  • Tom's van repeatedly switches between its "old" (scratched, faded paintwork and black hubcaps) and "new" (clean paintwork and red hubcaps) liveries in the beginning of the episode.
  • When Tom Tipper's van passes Bertie, his undercarriage is loose and a wire is also visible.
  • In the shot of Tom Tipper's post van driving down the hill towards Callan, the track in front of Percy is broken and, on Thomas' line, there is a van and a brake van in front of him, blocking him.
  • In the shot of Tom driving by the waterfall at Rheneas station, the camera lens is visible in the top left corner.
  • The shed and siding at Hackenbeck are missing.
  • The font on the station signs change throughout the episode.
  • Percy's left-hand splasher is missing in several scenes.
  • After Percy arrives at Callan when he sees the dumped bags, his cab roof is loose.
  • When James passes Thomas and Percy before the man tells Tom to come to the Fat Controller's office, the roof of his front coach is crooked.
  • When Tom Tipper says, "This is going to make me later still," he is smiling. This also happens when he props his bike up against one of Percy's mail trucks.
  • After Percy crushes the bike, there is a shot of his cab; judging by the amount of space and the shape of the side windows, it is actually Duck's cab.
  • When Tom drives away in his new van, part of the driving mechanism is visible underneath.

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Albanian Kujdes atë biçikletë
Brazilian Portuguese Cuidado com a bicicleta!
Chinese Mandarin 注意自行车
Czech Pozor! Kolo
Danish Held i uheld
Dutch Pas op voor de fiets
Finnish Pyörät mutkalla
German Wer bringt die Post?
Greek Προσοχή στο ποδήλατο
Hungarian A postásbicikli
Italian Tom Tipper il postino
Japanese ゆうびんやとバン
Korean 집배원 아저씨
Latin American Spanish Un favor accidental
Norwegian Pass deg for sykkelen
Polish Uwaga na rower (TVP3)
Uwaga rower (JimJam)
Romanian Ai grijă la bicicletă
Russian Осторожно с велосипедом
Slovenian Pazi na kolo
Swedish Tur i oturen
Thai บุรุษไปรษณีย์คนขยัน
Ukrainian Зважай на велосипед
Welsh Gwylia'r Beic 'Na!

Home Video Releases

United Kingdom UK

Story and Song Collection (direct-to-VHS)
The Complete Fourth Series

United Kingdom UK DVD Boxset

Classic Collection

Wales WAL

Help and 15 Other Stories

Australia AUS

Thomas and the Special Letter and Other Stories (direct-to-VHS)
Story and Song Collection
Series Four

Australia AUS DVD Packs

Classic Collection: Series 1 - 5
Series Three and Series Four 2-Disc Collection
The Complete Series 1-10

New Zealand NZ

Thomas and the Special Letter and Other Stories
Story and Song Collection

USA US

Thomas Meets the Queen and Other Stories
Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 4

Canada CAN

Thomas Meets the Queen and Other Stories

South Africa ZA

Henry and the Elephant (Volume Eight)

Malaysia MYS

Lady Hatt's Birthday Party and Other Thomas Adventures (Volume 18) (VCD)
Thomas and the Special Letter and Other Adventures (DVD)

PHL

A Better View for Gordon

Italy ITA

The Queen Arrives

Netherlands NL

Thomas and the Special Letter
Kids Favourites: Sport!
The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Percy and Gordon

Germany GER

Thomas & Friends Volume 9
Full Steam Ahead!
Who Brings the Post?

Germany GER DVD Boxsets

Thomas & Friends Boxset 2

NOR

Songs and Tales

Denmark DK

The Brave Engine and Other Stories

Sweden SWE

Engines and Gremlins

Slovenia SVN

James and the Trouble with Trees

Greece GRC

Companionship with Thomas (VHS)
A Day at the Station (DVD)

Greece GRC DVD Boxset

3 DVD Boxset 2

Thailand THA

Japan JPN

New Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 4: The Postman and His Van (direct-to-VHS)
Best of Percy
The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 2 Volume 3: Oops! Failure Edition
Thomas' Medal and Other People of Sodor Island
Lots of Percy for Everyone!

Japan JPN VHS Boxset

Best of Series

South Korea KOR

Thomas & Friends Volume 6

Hong Kong HK

Thomas & Friends Volume 11 (VCD)
Thomas & Friends Volume 7 (DVD)

Taiwan TWN

Thomas & Friends Volume 2

Episode

Reference