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The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name



 
 
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  #11  
Old July 15th 08, 08:24 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
Peter Clinch
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,852
Default The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name

wrote:

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.


Half right IMHO.
I think a lot of the problem is that keen cyclists see most bikes as
functional types: you have a city bike for the city, a touring bike for
touring, a racing bike for racing etc. And that leaves as a "recumbent"
as, well, something you lie back on? It's divorced from what the bike
actually /does/, which could be city, touring, racing etc.

I think it would help if "recumbent" was seen as an adjective rather
than a plain noun. I ride a recumbent tourer. It's very different from
a recumbent racer. You'd not get most cyclists confusing a tourer and a
racer, but they lump recumbents all together regardless of functional
design.

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/
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  #12  
Old July 15th 08, 11:16 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
Edward Dolan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 14,212
Default The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name


"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
wrote:

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.


Half right IMHO.
I think a lot of the problem is that keen cyclists see most bikes as
functional types: you have a city bike for the city, a touring bike for
touring, a racing bike for racing etc. And that leaves as a "recumbent"
as, well, something you lie back on? It's divorced from what the bike
actually /does/, which could be city, touring, racing etc.

I think it would help if "recumbent" was seen as an adjective rather
than a plain noun. I ride a recumbent tourer. It's very different from
a recumbent racer. You'd not get most cyclists confusing a tourer and a
racer, but they lump recumbents all together regardless of functional
design.

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/


This jerk wants to rename recumbents when he has got the worst signature in
Usenet history. If he wants to rename something, he should begin with his
signature. I don't know about you, but I sure do hate pompous asses!

Regards,

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



  #13  
Old July 15th 08, 03:53 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
Roger Zoul
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Posts: 1,118
Default The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name


"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
wrote:

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.


Half right IMHO.
I think a lot of the problem is that keen cyclists see most bikes as
functional types: you have a city bike for the city, a touring bike for
touring, a racing bike for racing etc. And that leaves as a "recumbent"
as, well, something you lie back on? It's divorced from what the bike
actually /does/, which could be city, touring, racing etc.

I think it would help if "recumbent" was seen as an adjective rather
than a plain noun. I ride a recumbent tourer. It's very different from
a recumbent racer. You'd not get most cyclists confusing a tourer and a
racer, but they lump recumbents all together regardless of functional
design.


The only people confused by any of this are the noobs (feel free to decide
which type of noob)..

I have a cycling buddy who has a RANS Stratus XP and a Catrike 700 which he
has both configured for touring (they don't need to be). He also has a
Velocraft VK2 that he considers a good metric century road bike even though
he just completed the 1-day STP on it. Of course, he had a Trek Project
One, two other Treks (one is for off-road use).

Now, which ones are recumbents and which are not?

BTW, which could be good for racing (just pure racing, not anything
"official")?

Bottom line: the word recumbent really has little to do with the marketing.
Recumbents are just such rare things and most people are willing to blaze
trails.


  #14  
Old July 16th 08, 02:44 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 76
Default The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name

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.


Oh, slow on hills ? ? ?

you better not watch this then . . . heh heh

http://www.lightningbikes.com/lcd-climb.mpg
  #15  
Old July 16th 08, 03:02 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 76
Default The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name

On Jul 15, 3:24 am, Peter Clinch wrote:
wrote:
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.


Half right IMHO.
I think a lot of the problem is that keen cyclists see most bikes as
functional types: you have a city bike for the city, a touring bike for
touring, a racing bike for racing etc. And that leaves as a "recumbent"
as, well, something you lie back on? It's divorced from what the bike
actually /does/, which could be city, touring, racing etc.

I think it would help if "recumbent" was seen as an adjective rather
than a plain noun. I ride a recumbent tourer. It's very different from
a recumbent racer. You'd not get most cyclists confusing a tourer and a
racer, but they lump recumbents all together regardless of functional
design.

Pete.


You make a lot of sence. Or a highway recumbent, a street recumbent,
an off-road recumbent, a flying recumbent, oops, that's an ultralight
recumbent. ;-)

  #16  
Old July 16th 08, 08:15 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
Peter Clinch
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,852
Default The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name

wrote:
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.


Oh, slow on hills ? ? ?

you better not watch this then . . . heh heh

http://www.lightningbikes.com/lcd-climb.mpg

Plus of course what goes up, must come down. And going down hills my
rather flabby touring 'bent with no pretensions at speed can cruise past
most uprights freewheeling...

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/
  #17  
Old July 16th 08, 02:33 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
Edward Dolan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 14,212
Default The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name


wrote in message
...
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.


Oh, slow on hills ? ? ?

you better not watch this then . . . heh heh

http://www.lightningbikes.com/lcd-climb.mpg


I never bother with viewing anything about recumbents going fast uphill
because I know that it is impossible unless you put forth enormous effort.
Who am I to believe, some jerk who spends his life trying to get fast going
uphill on a recumbent, or my own experience?

I refuse to work hard on any kind of bicycle but I can tell you that
recumbents are infinitely slower going uphill than are uprights. It is the
main reason that young people have no interest in them.

Regards,

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



  #18  
Old July 16th 08, 02:37 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
Edward Dolan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 14,212
Default The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name


"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
wrote:
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.


Oh, slow on hills ? ? ?

you better not watch this then . . . heh heh

http://www.lightningbikes.com/lcd-climb.mpg

Plus of course what goes up, must come down. And going down hills my
rather flabby touring 'bent with no pretensions at speed can cruise past
most uprights freewheeling...


That is due to the slight aerodynamic advantage which recumbents enjoy over
uprights. But the main reason folks get recumbents is for the comfort and
not for any other reasons.

Regards,

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


  #19  
Old July 16th 08, 06:05 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 76
Default The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name

On Jul 16, 3:15*am, Peter Clinch wrote:
Plus of course what goes up, must come down. *And going down hills my
rather flabby touring 'bent with no pretensions at speed can cruise past
most uprights freewheeling...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch * *


That's why I still think marketing is everything, and because they are
faster
they need to loose the 'recumbent' and negative short form of 'bent.
If a name didn't mean much then Marion Morrison would never of
bothered to change his name.
If a name didn't mean much then the automakers wouldn't bother
spending millions to get just the right one.
Imagine if a Toyota Corolla was a Toyota Snail. Who wants to drive a
snail? Or an Echo for that matter.

The obvious advantage of the bicycle referred to now as the 'bent, is
it's superior aerodynamics to the diamond frame design.
A better name for the design would be along the lines of Aerodynamics.
I notice you call other bicycle designs 'uprights'.
Some descriptive words to consider combinations of:
Fast, streak, quick, rapid, swift, speedy, race, or: lightning,
rocket, missile, rush, surge,
bullet, arrow, zip, zoom,

  #20  
Old July 16th 08, 08:06 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
Edward Dolan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 14,212
Default The Problem with Marketing the Recumbent isThe Name


wrote in message
...
On Jul 16, 3:15 am, Peter Clinch wrote:
Plus of course what goes up, must come down. And going down hills my
rather flabby touring 'bent with no pretensions at speed can cruise past
most uprights freewheeling...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch


That's why I still think marketing is everything, and because they are

faster
they need to loose the 'recumbent' and negative short form of 'bent.
If a name didn't mean much then Marion Morrison would never of [have]
bothered to change his name.
If a name didn't mean much then the automakers wouldn't bother
spending millions to get just the right one.
Imagine if a Toyota Corolla was a Toyota Snail. Who wants to drive a
snail? Or an Echo for that matter.

The obvious advantage of the bicycle referred to now as the 'bent, is

it's superior aerodynamics to the diamond frame design.
A better name for the design would be along the lines of Aerodynamics.
I notice you call other bicycle designs 'uprights'.
Some descriptive words to consider combinations of:
Fast, streak, quick, rapid, swift, speedy, race, or: lightning,
rocket, missile, rush, surge,
bullet, arrow, zip, zoom,

Recumbents overall are not fast. They are slow. They are especially slow
going uphill. But they are comfortable. That is why they are called
recumbents. It is not possible to improve upon perfection. They are
perfectly named as is. I suggest you leave well enough alone.

Peter Clinch of Dundee, Scotland is a jerk who does not know his ass from a
hole in the ground. His signature tells you all you will ever have to know
about him.

Regards,

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


 




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