Cycling in Sydney Australia

Bikes as postive props in advertising / newspaper articles

I've noticed a few ads / articles that use bike as props in a positive way in the papers lately, the bike usually represent coolness / freedom etc. Yet journos like bagging cyclists whenever they feel the need to write an article about us.

A bit of a double standard don't you think?

eg this article, I quickly skimmed it but no mention of cycling... but a pretty picture where a bike is prominent

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Permalink Reply by Bernard on December 1, 2010 at 6:42pm

Re: the second link, I saw someone riding their bike with an umbrella at lunch time, he couldn't go very fast though due to the big umbrella he was trying to keep upright, he even had a raincoat on.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Martin on December 1, 2010 at 8:51pm

I've done it! You do have to keep the speeds down and it doesn't really work on the roads with cars...

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Permalink Reply by Paul Martin on December 2, 2010 at 8:41am

...and look what's in Australia's bid for the World Cup (ignoring the fact that it is all gag-worthy):

Melbourne Bike Share Bikes (minus helmets of course...)!:

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Permalink Reply by Paul van Bellen on December 2, 2010 at 9:17am

He he

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Permalink Reply by Paul Martin on December 4, 2010 at 2:33pm

I feel obliged to point out that the Terms & Conditions for Melbourne Bike Share clearly state:

2.1. You agree that You will:

(a) wear a bicycle helmet that complies with relevant and current Australian safety standards (presently AS/NZS 2063) and also wear suitable clothing at all times when riding a Bicycle;

(b) comply with all Victorian road laws, rules and regulations in force at the time You are using the Service (including, but not limited to, observing traffic lights and signs and refraining from riding on the footpath);

They have a specific item which refers to the wearing of helmets (a), quite separate from the road rule item (b), so technically they are in the wrong.

Brisbane CityCycle also has a specific item in the terms & conditions dedicated to helmet wearing, quite separate from the requirement to obey all road rules.

:)

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Permalink Reply by Jen on December 1, 2010 at 7:01pm

My current favourite is some kind of car/engine ad. I can't remember what it's for, but I recall the bike being ridden along at the same speed as the heart shaped engine. To me it shows that bikes travel just as quickly as a car.

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Permalink Reply by Dan on December 1, 2010 at 7:13pm

There is a lot of positive imagery around for bikes at the moment.

There was something in NW magazine about 'celebrities on bikes', I think it featured Elle McPherson. Bikes seem to be appearing in shop window displays quite a lot. Samsung have their velodrome cycling team sponsorship up on their billboards. Bicycles are cool at the moment.

And it's been happening for some time (remember last Xmas, when Industrie were selling a cheap fixie if you bought $200 of clothes), and I think it's a really positive trend, as it positions bicycles as desirable and normal, rather than a minority pursuit. Kinda a bit more Apple, and a bit less Linux...