Originally Posted by
PatrickGSR94
I personally was offended by the commercial specifically because it continues to spread that notion among the general public that bicycles are nothing but dumb toys to be used only by children and those fallen upon hard times, and really only to be enjoyed by children. And when bicycles are viewed that way by the general public, I think that also is partially responsible for the lack of respect we cyclists get on the roads.
Originally Posted by
AdamDZ
I really think it depends on the area/city. New York, Portland and other places where lots of people ride probably don't exhibit this as much. And as far as commercial are considered: yeah, most are pretty dumb, shooting for the lowest common denominator to sell their warez to the most gullible people.
+1. I was not offended, but it's such a common, American viewpoint. I bookmarked this post several years ago that expressed it well:
Originally Posted by
irwin7638
I've found that most Americans think of bikes in three ways: children's toys, exotic toys for fitness fanatics and transportation of last resort for the impoverished and disadvantaged. It's socially acceptable for an adult to dress up like a circus acrobat with friends once a week, run around in circles as quickly as possible with no other purpose or destination, but to ride a bike somewhere for a purpose implies some sort of need and is looked upon as an act of desperation.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
It took me a couple of readings to figure out that the adults who dress up like circus acrobats and run around in circles are joggers.
