PainTrain

I rely to some degree on marketers to keep me up on what's 'hot'. Lately I've seen cyclists featured in more TV commercials than I used to... or am I just noticing bicycles more?

• mtb over cliff in Ford ad
• guy on mtb has stomach attack in Immodium ad
• online broker ad with guys on club ride (my broker only calls me....)
• mtb one of the prizes featured from credit card (guy with pretend bike takes header)

I'm sure there are others that escape me now.

Are we seeing the rise of bikes in popular culture in North America?

FarHorizon

Yup.

Doctor Morbius

A couple of others I can think of

• older couple cycling while announcer guy talks about arthritis medication
• kid goes over ramp with BMX in digital camera commercial
• guy using water bottles is outclassed by riders with Camelbak (played constantly during TdF)

Zeitgeist? Yes I belive so. However, I also think it is indicative of many in our culture who are giving up the 60 hour work week in favor of a more leisurely lifestyle - i.e. less focus on career and more focus on personal endeavors. Lets face it, nobody wants to be micro-managed by corporate America anymore.

PainTrain

How could I forget the one where the couple is riding cruisers through the trees, celebrating the fact that her herpes outbreaks are under control?

Dr. Moto

Interesting that it's all mountain bikes in these ads. 'Cause that's what the kids are into these days. And if you're not marketing to the kids, well, then, you're all yesterday, old timer.

Bikewer

Comes and goes, apparently. I have a book called Bike Cult, which is sort of a history/encyclopedia of cycling. He has a whole section about bikes in advertising, both for the industry and as part of general pop culture.
Many folks today don't know that there was a "bike boom" in the late 1800s, with literally millions of units sold worldwide. Paved roadways, pneumatic tires...All developed for bikes, not cars. Even Mark Twain had one.

randya

There's supposed to be a Coke advert featuring tall bike jousting out now, too.

slagjumper

There are also the coke adds with the guys making indy films as they travel the us. In this one there are tall bikes. Interesting also in that the tall bikes are all clean and neat and stuff.

I think that if you see a bike in a car commercial-- look out they are trying to say see this brand is not so evil. Bike + car = nice car or if there are suvs it is saying see you need this to enjoy your bike. A gallon of gas still burns 5900 btu no matter if it is burned in a 4 cylinder civic or hummer.

slagjumper

Oops missed post 7 duh.

Doctor Morbius

There was a bike boom in the States and the UK in the 1970's also. That's when Schwinn and Raleigh were top dogs and manufacturing was done in places like Chicago and Nottingham. In the States the Schwinn Sting-Ray ruled supreme for the kiddies and the lightweights (an erroneous term at best) like the Varisty and Continental were for the big kids and adults.

It's so sad to see those days go. Those Sting-Rays lasted for years under tons of abuse. Now the best kids have to look forward to is Wally World crap. What went wrong?

caloso

Road bike: There's the guy who takes his allergy meds (Alavert?) while on a group ride. I think the point of the ad is that this is a great new pill that you can take without water.

(Gosh, how were the ad geniuses to know that every roadie carries water with him in a cage that's bolted to his bike?)

Wurm

Can we assume then that you can get herpes from riding a cruiser?

manual_overide

Well, that depends on where the cruiser has been.