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.

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:

This has really reached an unusual turn with the mention of the commercial. I don't remember seeing that commercial, most of the bicycles I see in commercials are of people riding cruisers and hybrids along tree covered streets with shops and coffee houses, etc. advertising a new drug. Most Americans (including cyclists) look upon cycling as strictly recreational. I was in my bank late last March after a brief late season snow storm. The tellers are accustomed to seeing me park my bike by the door, I went in and everybody was complaining about the weather, "where was spring?" you know. My teller looked up from the conversation and said," I felt so sorry for you having to ride a bike in this!" I said "Why? I could always drive my car if I wanted." You would have thought I dropped a bomb in there. The entire lobby froze with their mouths hanging open while I walked out. I have conversations like that all the time with people. It is simply beyond their imagination to choose to ride a bike rather than drive.

Marc

Well yeah that's true. The commercial I'm thinking of may have just been for this market, which before just a couple of years ago had very few cyclists. Memphis is on the up-and-coming list for cyclists, but the surrounding suburbs have MUCH to be desired. As I mentioned in another thread, in my 31 mile round trip commute, I'm pretty much THE ONLY person riding a bike in that entire distance. Occasionally I might see one guy just out for a ride, or another guy on a cheap bike trying to get somewhere (usually salmoning, etc). Otherwise I'm a loner around here when it comes to commuting.

Yeah I tried and tried to find that commercial on YT but no luck.

Just yesterday I went out on my bike during lunch to make a bank deposit. I used the drive-thru teller, which has a little screen where the person inside can see me and vice versa. I asked the lady if they ever get anyone else come through on bikes and she actually said occasionally, which surprised me. Again I thought I was the only one. :P

This has been an interesting and thought-provoking thread to read through.

I will chime in as follows: Virtually anything anyone does anywhere can be perceived to be offensive. You listen to loud music when driving? That offends me because I feel it makes you a distracted driver... You wear Nike shoes? That offends me because a child-slave in Taiwan was forced to make those... You subscribe to the theory of evolution? That offends me because the bible says differently... (I'm not actually offended by any of the statements above, just using them as examples).

I truly feel that those who take offense to the minute nuances of those they share society with are better left unacknowledged. There are things that others do that I, personally, take offense to. I do not expect them to change per my suggestions or variance in opinion. I do my best to remain open-minded to the opinions and decisions of others and I sincerely hope the rest of society can do the same. Empathy is a difficult skill to hone, but when judging others based on how they differ from you, a tall glass of empathetic "shut the hell up" is sometimes all it takes to realize that we are all human beings living complex lives that are connected in more ways than we care to realize.

Actually, I’m not sure I saw that particular commercial either, but you described it well, Patrick, and I'm sure I have seen one similar.

At a local hospital I have seen a poster advertising a new type of joint replacement surgery (Makoplasty) on which is a picture of a smiling middle-aged couple with the man’s hands on bicycle handlebars. So while bicycling can be depicted as a pitiful act of desperation in some commercials, other ads use cycling as a desirable paragon of health. :D :thumb:

Nice.

I find it offensive when people DON'T commute by bike. I observe a distinct positive correlation between the percentage of bike commuters and the quality of life.

This is filmed (not by me) within a few hundred metres of my flat in CPH.


Where I live in the UK, not as many people commute by bike, which is sad, but the infrastructure doesn't exist :(

This thread is meaningful for people concerned about what other people "think". If you commute by bicycle, for whatever purpose, just go ahead and commute by bicycle. We have our reasons, and there is no purpose in trying to figure out what others think about it or what kind of impression we are giving. A free human being cannot form their lifestyle based on what others "think".

This is true.
I think Genec put up figures of how profits increased for business establishments who are based close to cycle tracks or some such bicycle infrastructure, so the benefits are financial, too, in some instances.

I have my own theory about autocentricity and negatives it has visited upon the USA from a psychological point-of-view, but its too boring and off-topic for this thread, so I will do a favor, and keep it to myself :P

Welcome back AdamDZ. I'm glad you have returned.

When I lived in Germany, the cyclepaths between the large cities (Frankfurt and Mainz) were jammed with places to eat and drink!

In fact, the weather is great today so I'll cycle to the closest thing to a beer garden:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=367761

Thankfully it's less than 50m from my front door in the UK!

:beer: have a nice ride!

Years ago, my Wife and I wanted to move to France for an adventure, but couldnt due to family issues/responsibilities.
Now. closing in on retirement, I think we need to revisit that (European) thought process for our last years . . .
:)

Depending on your financial situation, just having a house in certain countries like Spain gives one permanent residence and access to citizenship (Green Card in the US). So, it's something to consider.

€500K in Spain
€300K in Cypress
€70K in Latvia

personally, I'd rather be in Latvia!

something to consider :)

To be a bit more accurate, this thread is about the OP's concern about what he thinks other people might be thinking.

To be fair, it's quite important to understand how others perceive your actions. Whether or not to act on that understanding is a different question.

Me too.

I am also of the opinion that the premise is all screwed up.

I always feel privileged when I have a week or even a month to go back packing or bicycle touring in the woods. The less privileged are those without the free time from work.

Same with cycle commuting. The route I would drive in has again been named the second worst traffic commute in the USA. It certainly not a privilege for those motorist who will not consider cycle commuting to sit in their cages on the freeway while I am enjoying riding a bicycle.

What "understanding" (not guesswork or fabrication) of anybody's perceptions was revealed in the OP other than the OP's vague memory of having read or heard something, somewhere about the OP subject?

Hey :) Thanks!

You sounded very dismissive of the value of perception by others. I think that's very naïve and am stating it, for the record :)

Okay.

If you have a house, don't camp, because you will offend homeless people who actually cannot afford a house.

If you have a car, don't bike, run, jog, or walk to work, because you will be offending poor people who actually cannot afford a car.

You know what, if you can sit down, don't stand up, because you will be offending poor people who actually have to stand all day in their jobs.

By the way, if you can stand up, don't sit down, because you will be offending unfortunate people who actually cannot stand up and are bound to wheelchairs for life.

Also, don't stay up late, because you will offend people who actually truly suffer from insomnia.

Did I mention don't sleep? You will be offending people who actually suffer from chronic fatigue sleep disorder.

And finally, to that punk show guy: if you can't think, don't speak, because you will offend people who can actually think.

i walk or ride because low occupancy motorvehicles kill and maim, cause disease, and poison our shared environment.

I read a study that calculated CO2 produced/kcal eaten ... and if someone burned 1000 extra kcal/day ... and ate more food to replace those kcals ... it wasn't super green compared to efficient public transport :(

I do like to bike though :)

edit: crap summary is here: http://timeforchange.org/eat-less-me...ission-of-food

essentially 1 kg of meat is roughly 6L (1.5 gals of fuel burned).

it is interesting to think that way, however, I know you state that you're vegan.

I actually saw it as being about what other people feel. It's all well and fine to go through life not caring what other people think. It's something different to not care about what other people feel.

I would agree with that if we were referring to one of many social issues that are critical - racism, or bigotry against certain lifestyles, etc. However, we are talking about riding bicycles to work, which shouldn't offend anyone. In that context, it's silly to worry about what people think; and people that would "feel" any hurt because a bicyclist would ride even though they own a car has their sensibilities misplaced.

and for essentially the same reasons...

FWIW, I'm not actually sure those value take into account transport.

I tend to garden in front of my flat, but that's because I'm lazy and England has no understanding of spice.