Advocacy & Safety - Lizzy McGuire

Cute Disney children's show. Sort of teen. My daughter's watching it.

What grabs my attention? You got it--a bicycle. :D

These two kids want some "Tornado Blaster" bike, or something like that. Cool. :thumbup:

Kids go to Mom and Dad, who both have their reading glasses on.
Conversation goes something like this (author's license: )

"Can we get the Tornado Blaster?"

"How much is it?"

"One hundred and five dollars...each."

"There's no way we're paying one hundred and five dollars for a bicycle. Have you thought about earning the money?"

:cry: :cry:

I'd like to take those kids to a real bike shop...

By the look of their home, they could afford $1,000 bicycles.

:crash:

How long, how long will this go on?!?

(Really, Walt, what's happened?)

(This is in the Advocacy forum because a major children/teen oriented business is waaaaay out of touch with reality.)

How far will $105 go in a Disney franchise toy shop ?

How far will $105 go in a Disney franchise toy shop ?

Not far. I think it would cover the tax of the toy you bought! :D

Can't stand the Lizzie McGuire show myself... the star of the show is someone I'd probably not associate myself with ever. Plus, there's no basis in reality, which is probably why it does so well with the teen audience!

Originally posted by MichaelW
How far will $105 go in a Disney franchise toy shop ?
At X-mart, you can get some heavy (I mean, heavy, man) children's bikes for much less than that, with Disney character themes painted on them.

Hmmm...

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
[B
Can't stand the Lizzie McGuire show myself... [/B]

I would rather see the porn version- Lezzie McGuire :-)

Guys and gals, I think we've established that the show is a little under par, even for my seven year-old :)

My point is that a company as large as Disney would be ignorant
of the fact that a $105 bike is not worth throwing the money away buying it.

The really sad part is that Disney does a lot of kids shows that depict outdoor life with great activities that make nintendo look worn-out. Disney could really have a positive influence on the next generation to be active in the outdoors.

The majority of parents use television as a babysitter for their children .... therefore not watching the shows themselves. The kids watch and are entertained and enjoy the story behind getting something they can align with, a one hundred and five dollar bike from a toy or bulkgoods store. If Disney had done the show as the kids wanting a Trek or a Specialized and it only cost 1000.00 very few kids could align with that. The few that could would be the ones that had parents that rode bikes and were interested in it themselves. No non-cycling parent is going to buy their child a top of the line bike just to see it sit in the corner of the garage, if the interest is there and the bike is used eventually it will have to be replaced and then the real fun begins with bikes that are a better quality.

Get a grip. Tv is there for entertainment and will never cater to an audience that enjoys getting outside and creating their own entertainment because that's not who the target audience is. Besides, my first bike was a Toy's R Us bike ... a red and black bike that was as heavy as my car. It fed an appetite for two wheeled speed though and now I have several expensive bikes that I love. Would I go back to my Toy's R Us bike? Maybe it was a fun time in my life that I never want to forget and my parents were doing what they could. Did we throw money away by buying it... NO WAY. The only way you can throw money away when buying a bike is if you buy it and don't use it. I beat the crap out of that bike, rode it everywhere, and loved every minute of it.

I think some of us need to remember that we too were kids once, not always knowledgable cyclists. A bike is a bike is a bike, especially to a kid. Certainly quality differs throughout just like with anything else you can buy, but if you buy a bike and use it and enjoy it then who cares where you got it or how much you paid? If someone asked me what I would recommend there is no way I would recommend anything other then a bike shop, but for kids that don't know the joys of cycling, maybe it's their best option.

Well said! I really do feel that for our sport to prosper, we need to get more people out there riding. And did you catch ESPN's coverage of the Tour de Georgia???? Me either, so if our so called sports channels won't promote cycling, guess we'll have to look to Subaru and Disney for any help they can give! So far, in the last 2 years, I have overhauled and given away 3 bikes. Maybe all of them together are not worth $105....but if they get people riding, they are worth a million!! :)

Good job Bill! Can you imagine what would happen if all "serious" cyclists overhauled and gave away 3 bikes each year! :)

Originally posted by Ba-Dg-Er
Get a grip. Tv is there for entertainment and will never cater to an audience that enjoys getting outside and creating their own entertainment because that's not who the target audience is.
I disagree. I don't think we should dumb-down to the level of tv programming standards. There are plenty of high-quality, inspiring shows on television, and there could be a whole lot more.


Besides, my first bike was a Toy's R Us bike ... a red and black bike that was as heavy as my car. It fed an appetite for two wheeled speed though and now I have several expensive bikes that I love. Would I go back to my Toy's R Us bike? Maybe it was a fun time in my life that I never want to forget and my parents were doing what they could. Did we throw money away by buying it... NO WAY. The only way you can throw money away when buying a bike is if you buy it and don't use it. I beat the crap out of that bike, rode it everywhere, and loved every minute of it.
That's great. But I threw away money on those kinds of bikes for my own children, and I regret it. I ended up getting an older, bike-shop quality used Mongoose (made before they ended up in X-mart like Schwinn) for only $25. My 7 year-old rides the heck out of it. The x-mart bikes are rusty or have too many non-working parts.

When I was growing up, my folks got me a Schwinn Collegiate. Knowing what I know, I will avoid buying dangerous, overpriced X-mart bikes at any cost for my kids.

The only time you save money on an X-mart bike is when you decide you don't like cycling. Then, you've only wasted $89, instead of $289. But like others have alluded to, if you buy a decent bike, you can always give it to someone else if you change your mind about riding it.

Originally posted by Pete Clark
I disagree. I don't think we should dumb-down to the level of tv programming standards. There are plenty of high-quality, inspiring shows on television, and there could be a whole lot more.

I agree, we shouldn't dumb ourselves down to the level of the majority of tv standards... [un]reality tv is the biggest waste of time I have ever seen, but the majority of people have no problem dumbing themselves down to this level. The masterminds in charge of television programming know that these mindless drones are the one's they can manipulate and therefore that's who they cater the most to. Football, baseball, basketball, golf... that's all you see on the "sports" shows because that is what is popular, the majority of people are unaware of the cost of a quality bike and a kids tv show on Disney isn't the place to educate.



That's great. But I threw away money on those kinds of bikes for my own children, and I regret it. I ended up getting an older, bike-shop quality used Mongoose (made before they ended up in X-mart like Schwinn) for only $25. My 7 year-old rides the heck out of it. The x-mart bikes are rusty or have too many non-working parts.

My "x-mart" bike was well taken care of, it's what I learned to ride and what I learned to work on. Without it I may never have learned the love for cycling I now have. Certainly a quality bike is going to last longer then an "x-mart" bike, but it's all in how you take care of it... rust will form on any bike in the wrong conditions. You clearly didn't know any better when you bought all those "x-mart" bikes, and I am sure you would have been grateful if someone would have educated you, but regardless it fed a desire to learn and develop a passion for cycling both in you and your daughter.



The only time you save money on an X-mart bike is when you decide you don't like cycling. Then, you've only wasted $89, instead of $289.

And the majority of kids that end up with an 89 dollar bike love it while it's there and then move on to "sports show" sports. The majority of people realize that a car takes less work and end up not liking cycling, but for some these 89 dollar bikes are stepping stones... or the only thing a person can afford. You're welcome to have your own opinion about these bikes, but don't immediately attack someone that owns one of these bikes, nurture them and educate them until they are ready to move on. These "x-mart" bikes are certainly not what I would trust on a steep descent, but they did a good job of getting me into this sport and probably many others.



But like others have alluded to, if you buy a decent bike, you can always give it to someone else if you change your mind about riding it.

Great theory, if only more people would be willing to give their old bikes away... the majority let them sit around and rust.

Originally posted by Ba-Dg-Er
Disney isn't the place to educate.
If you followed Walt Disney's career, you'd notice he made a tremendous impact in public opinion. Bambi spurred a tremendous reaction to deer hunting, for good or ill. If television isn't the place to influence people's decisions, why do multi-billion dollar corporations pump so much money into tv advertisement, and why is tv such a big money maker? What about the money behind news programs?


You're welcome to have your own opinion about these bikes, but don't immediately attack someone that owns one of these bikes, nurture them and educate them until they are ready to move on.

See this post:


Originally posted by Pete Clark
You see, even if it's an old thread, we cyclists like to sit around like old veterans and talk about how much we hate these kinds of bikes. I know I love to! :D

But really, I just want to help newbies make good decisions. I don't want to insult anyone who buys one.

As for the "theory" of giving bikes away, it's not a theory. I bought a good Mongoose at a Goodwill store for $25. You can also look at yard sales.

Badger, I find your posts rather argumentative, implying I said things I never said. Let's let this sleeping dog lie.

Originally posted by Pete Clark
If you followed Walt Disney's career, you'd notice he made a tremendous impact in public opinion. Bambi spurred a tremendous reaction to deer hunting, for good or ill. If television isn't the place to influence people's decisions, why do multi-billion dollar corporations pump so much money into tv advertisement, and why is tv such a big money maker? What about the money behind news programs?


I said a kids tv show on Disney wasn't the place to educate. While certainly somethings that Disney has done have had good impact on things, the same could be said for a lot of other things on tv. I wasn't implying that Disney as a whole was bad, just that throwing an expensive bike into a Disney show wasn't going to get the point across that you were intending.



As for the "theory" of giving bikes away, it's not a theory. I bought a good Mongoose at a Goodwill store for $25. You can also look at yard sales.


Certainly there are exceptions, but it seems like atleast around here, the majority of bikes end up in a backyard rusting and falling apart.



Badger, I find your posts rather argumentative, implying I said things I never said. Let's let this sleeping dog lie.

They're not meant to be argumentative and I am sorry if you took it as such, merely thought provoking to hopefully allow a little more understanding to those people that end up with "x-mart" bikes.

Originally posted by Ba-Dg-Er
They're not meant to be argumentative and I am sorry if you took it as such, merely thought provoking to hopefully allow a little more understanding to those people that end up with "x-mart" bikes.
Good point.

Thanks, Ba-Dg-Er. As always, I enjoy your challenging input!

:beer:

People who ride a department store bike need not be marginalized because of the bike they ride. That's arrogant.

Thank you for your post Badger, it was well worth a read. To be honest, my view on the dumbing-down on TV is that it seems to be a fact of an increasingly lazy society. Think about it - people are (now more than ever) trying to find ways to reduce the amount of physical effort they put into things they do. I believe that applies to mental effort as well.

There was a time when I used to find news and current affairs to be thought provoking. These days, when they aren't getting in a cheap word for their sponsors, it all just seems to be on the level of a very basic troll. Just something people are saying in order to generate attention from the community. I eventually stopped watching it altogether because it reached the point where I only actually believed what they said if it coincided with my own view of the probabilities (I can work that out for myself thankyouverymuch).

Other TV shows are the same. The thing that gets me about "reality TV" is that anyone with even a rudimentary brain can see that it is anything but. It doesn't even look convincing. "Outback Survivor" at Beaudesert? You've gotta be kidding! Yet, rather than think about it, people would simply prefer to accept it as "reality" and simply be entertained by it. Does anybody really think when watching TV anymore?

***

I will admit, my first bike was also a "department store" bike. And like Badger, I got a lot of use and enjoyment out of it. Perhaps instead of trying to put-down people on department store bikes, we should be encouraging them and mentioning that they might get more out of cycling on a better bike in future.

Don't even get me started about TV "news". These programs are first about business, second about sensationalism, and rarely about factual, unbiased reporting. (One possible exception being Fox news.) TV has degraded itself to an abysmal low, and I for one, rarely sit and watch it.

However, enough valuable bandwidth wasted on an insignificant subject.

As a child, I don't recall ever having a new bike. All of mine were old beaters someone else had thrown away that I would drag home and ride. And, two years ago, when I started riding again, my first bike was a used Fuji. With tax, it cost $105.50. Now, three roadbikes later (and several times my original investment!) I'm out there having fun, and trying to spread the word.

And, when you get right down to it, isn't that what is really important?? Ride yourself, but try and get someone else off the couch, away from the TV, and out of the dark side??

Lizzie is a good show..I may go see the movie..LOL

Saw the movie..funny!!! Lizzie's little brother Matt is coolio!

Originally posted by cycletourist
I would rather see the porn version- Lezzie McGuire :-)


hahahhahahahha so would I:D

Originally posted by KleinMp99
hahahhahahahha so would I:D


Whatever dude!! :crash:

Maybe the writer knew about bikes, wrote in a 105 bicycle, meaning Shimano 105, and rewrite said something like oops- he left out the dollar sign.?