The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name

Around my area, everyone knows what a recumbent is, it's an indoor
excersize bike. Thus the problem with marketing an outdoor recumbent
bike. I personally never even saw one until last year when I heard a
guy yelling "Yippie!" as he zoomed by me. I thought it was a crazy
'homebuilt" contraption. A year later I discovered them on the www by
chance. Some one had called it a 'bent'.
It needs a distinctive name, one that can't be confused with anything
else, especially with indoor excersize bikes. I don't have a marketing
brain for it but how about: Popcycle OR Mocycle (Mochet) OR
Accelerbike.

wrote in message
...
Around my area, everyone knows what a recumbent is, it's an indoor
excersize bike. Thus the problem with marketing an outdoor recumbent
bike. I personally never even saw one until last year when I heard a
guy yelling "Yippie!" as he zoomed by me. I thought it was a crazy
'homebuilt" contraption. A year later I discovered them on the www by
chance. Some one had called it a 'bent'.
It needs a distinctive name, one that can't be confused with anything
else, especially with indoor excersize bikes. I don't have a marketing
brain for it but how about: Popcycle OR Mocycle (Mochet) OR
Accelerbike.

My contribution is Woody Bike. Something some of the guys in the racing
bike newsgroup would be really glad to get.

wrote:
Around my area, everyone knows what a recumbent is, it's an indoor
excersize bike. Thus the problem with marketing an outdoor recumbent
bike.

Go somewhere that isn't a problem and it's still hard to market them.
The name is a minor problem.

I personally never even saw one until last year when I heard a
guy yelling "Yippie!" as he zoomed by me. I thought it was a crazy
'homebuilt" contraption.

There's your main problem: they're so rare that hardly anyone in the
wider scheme of things knows they're built commercially. People
stopping to look at my very professionally built one often assume it's
home made, and it can't be because I look capable of such good
engineering or the bike looks, well, home-made. It's because they never
see them in bike shops.

It needs a distinctive name, one that can't be confused with anything
else, especially with indoor excersize bikes. I don't have a marketing
brain for it but how about: Popcycle OR Mocycle (Mochet) OR
Accelerbike.

In NL they're called "Ligfietsen" (laying bikes), and AFAICT folk know
what that is. It's about the most 'bent aware country in the world, and
they're still very rare and hard to come by. Which means in turn that
they're relatively hard to source and expensive, expensive enough to put
off most casual enquiries.

It's a chicken and egg thing. In order to be more popular, they need to
be more popular. I don't think the name really harms them much.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
wrote:
[...]
It's a chicken and egg thing. In order to be more popular, they need to
be more popular. I don't think the name really harms them much.

Pete.

Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

What is really harmful is your god awful signature. Only a crazy nut would
take anything you say seriously. You have got to be the most pompous ass
alive to have such a confoundedly stupid signature. I urge you to get a
modest and humble signature like mine.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

On Jul 14, 3:41*am, Peter Clinch wrote:
wrote:
Around my area, everyone knows what a recumbent is, it's an indoor
excersize bike. Thus the problem with marketing an outdoor recumbent
bike.

Go somewhere that isn't a problem and it's still hard to market them.
The name is a minor problem.

I personally never even saw one until last year when I heard a
guy yelling "Yippie!" as he zoomed by me. I thought it was a crazy
'homebuilt" contraption.

There's your main problem: they're so rare that hardly anyone in the
wider scheme of things knows they're built commercially. *People
stopping to look at my very professionally built one often assume it's
home made, and it can't be because I look capable of such good
engineering or the bike looks, well, home-made. *It's because they never
see them in bike shops.

It needs a distinctive name, one that can't be confused with anything
else, especially with indoor excersize bikes. I don't have a marketing
brain for it but how about: Popcycle OR Mocycle (Mochet) OR
Accelerbike.

In NL they're called "Ligfietsen" (laying bikes), and AFAICT folk know
what that is. *It's about the most 'bent aware country in the world, and
they're still very rare and hard to come by. *Which means in turn that
they're relatively hard to source and expensive, expensive enough to put
off most casual enquiries.

It's a chicken and egg thing. *In order to be more popular, they need to
be more popular. *I don't think the name really harms them much.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch * * * * * * * * * *Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 * Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 * * * * * * *Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net * *http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

I'm reading the replies, and I look over at the google ads linked with
this post: they're mostly about indoor exercise bikes. Googles' ad-
linking put recumbent in with indoor exercise bikes. Hmmm . . .

On Jul 14, 10:44*am, wrote:
On Jul 14, 3:41*am, Peter Clinch wrote:



wrote:
Around my area, everyone knows what a recumbent is, it's an indoor
excersize bike. Thus the problem with marketing an outdoor recumbent
bike.

Go somewhere that isn't a problem and it's still hard to market them.
The name is a minor problem.

I personally never even saw one until last year when I heard a
guy yelling "Yippie!" as he zoomed by me. I thought it was a crazy
'homebuilt" contraption.

There's your main problem: they're so rare that hardly anyone in the
wider scheme of things knows they're built commercially. *People
stopping to look at my very professionally built one often assume it's
home made, and it can't be because I look capable of such good
engineering or the bike looks, well, home-made. *It's because they never
see them in bike shops.

It needs a distinctive name, one that can't be confused with anything
else, especially with indoor excersize bikes. I don't have a marketing
brain for it but how about: Popcycle OR Mocycle (Mochet) OR
Accelerbike.

In NL they're called "Ligfietsen" (laying bikes), and AFAICT folk know
what that is. *It's about the most 'bent aware country in the world, and
they're still very rare and hard to come by. *Which means in turn that
they're relatively hard to source and expensive, expensive enough to put
off most casual enquiries.

It's a chicken and egg thing. *In order to be more popular, they need to
be more popular. *I don't think the name really harms them much.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch * * * * * * * * * *Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 * Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 * * * * * * *Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net * *http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

I'm reading the replies, and I look over at the google ads linked with
this post: they're mostly about indoor exercise bikes. Googles' ad-
linking put recumbent in with indoor exercise bikes. Hmmm . .

Bicycle types: BMX, Mountain, Street, etc

How abouta new category: "Highway"
because:
The fastest bicycle in the world is the Varna Diablo recumbent which
broke the official world speed record on October 6, 2001 achieving the
incredible speed of 80.55 mph
Highway bicycles would be: Cannondale, Speedmachine, Trek, Rans, etc.
Get rid of the name recumbent.

wrote in message
...
On Jul 14, 10:44 am, wrote:
[...]
I'm reading the replies, and I look over at the google ads linked with
this post: they're mostly about indoor exercise bikes. Googles' ad-
linking put recumbent in with indoor exercise bikes. Hmmm . .

Bicycle types: BMX, Mountain, Street, etc

How abouta new category: "Highway"
because:
The fastest bicycle in the world is the Varna Diablo recumbent which
broke the official world speed record on October 6, 2001 achieving the
incredible speed of 80.55 mph
Highway bicycles would be: Cannondale, Speedmachine, Trek, Rans, etc.
Get rid of the name recumbent.

Recumbents are not about speed, they are about comfort. Therefore, recumbent
is the perfect name for them even though you are positioned on them in a
semi-recumbent posture. Young cyclists have no interest in them by and
large. That comes later when you get old, wise and cranky.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

On Jul 14, 1:40 pm, "Edward Dolan" wrote:
wrote in message

...
On Jul 14, 10:44 am, wrote:
[...]

I'm reading the replies, and I look over at the google ads linked with
this post: they're mostly about indoor exercise bikes. Googles' ad-
linking put recumbent in with indoor exercise bikes. Hmmm . .
Bicycle types: BMX, Mountain, Street, etc
How abouta new category: "Highway"
because:
The fastest bicycle in the world is the Varna Diablo recumbent which

broke the official world speed record on October 6, 2001 achieving the
incredible speed of 80.55 mphHighway bicycles would be: Cannondale, Speedmachine, Trek, Rans, etc.

Get rid of the name recumbent.

Recumbents are not about speed, they are about comfort. Therefore, recumbent
is the perfect name for them even though you are positioned on them in a
semi-recumbent posture. Young cyclists have no interest in them by and
large. That comes later when you get old, wise and cranky.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

snip Young cyclists have no interest in them by and
large./snip

I disagree with that comment. The Pacific Coast Chopper is
very similar to a highway bicycle (recumbent). Kids are riding them.
It isn't a diamond frame bicycle that holds the world land speed
record.
Granted, the PCC is taken from a motorcycle style but the
configuration
is very similar to a highway* bicycle (recumbent).

( *marketing) :-)

wrote in message
...
On Jul 14, 1:40 pm, "Edward Dolan" wrote:
wrote in message

...
On Jul 14, 10:44 am, wrote:
[...]

I'm reading the replies, and I look over at the google ads linked with
this post: they're mostly about indoor exercise bikes. Googles' ad-
linking put recumbent in with indoor exercise bikes. Hmmm . .
Bicycle types: BMX, Mountain, Street, etc
How abouta new category: "Highway"
because:
The fastest bicycle in the world is the Varna Diablo recumbent which

broke the official world speed record on October 6, 2001 achieving the
incredible speed of 80.55 mphHighway bicycles would be: Cannondale,
Speedmachine, Trek, Rans, etc.

Get rid of the name recumbent.

Recumbents are not about speed, they are about comfort. Therefore,
recumbent
is the perfect name for them even though you are positioned on them in a
semi-recumbent posture. Young cyclists have no interest in them by and
large. That comes later when you get old, wise and cranky.

snip Young cyclists have no interest in them by and
large./snip

I disagree with that comment. The Pacific Coast Chopper is
very similar to a highway bicycle (recumbent). Kids are riding them.
It isn't a diamond frame bicycle that holds the world land speed
record.
Granted, the PCC is taken from a motorcycle style but the
configuration
is very similar to a highway* bicycle (recumbent).

I have been around recumbents for 25 years and I can tell you that there are
very few young people who have any interest in this style of bicycle.
Serious young cyclists want to be fast and recumbents are as slow as
molasses going up hills.

Get back to me when recumbents start winning races like the Tour de France.
I think the Tour is in the Pyrenees today. There is no recumbent that can
perform worth a damn in the mountains. They are strictly for older folks who
want to ride a bicycle in comfort.

In any event, you are just terrible at thinking up new names for recumbents,
which do not need them. They are perfectly named as is.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

wrote:
...Rans...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOO!

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
1999 RANS Wave to Tailwind Conversion
2000 RANS Rocket