#21
|
|||
|
|||
On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 03:44:46 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote: wrote: So what's the problem if those folks go out an buy one of these bikes? At least they're out riding and enjoying life. A few may even upgrade from the Land Rider to a better bike. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That's ONE possible scenario. Or, they might go out and discover that riding is more than just shifting, and get disgusted with the whole mess. The bike goes into a dark corner, and they go back on the couch in front of the TV. Next time someone mentions biking, their reaction is: "Oh, I tried that. It was no fun." Also, those bikes cost about 700 bucks- that's quite a bit for a product you don't even get to try out, it's not fitted for you and you have no idea what it's like until you get it. A friend of mine told me that she visited a friend in the country and they were all going to go out biking. She's not really much of a cyclist but can use a mountain bike. The guy has several bikes (he's pretty wealthy) and he gave a mountain bike to one guest, and gave her another bike. Some kind of road bike, I guess. She said she got so frustrated she just threw it at him and said it was too confusing. I said it's really not that confusing. "But you have a lot of experience" she said. I said yes, but I had to start somewhere at the beginning! It's not like I came out of the womb on a GT! It's like chopsticks, some people never learn how to use them, they try once and drop the food and give up. But even asians have to learn how to use them when they're little kids and they drop food on themselves. I guess this is a dopey comparison, but hopefully someone will get my drift... LOL. |
Ads |
#22
|
|||
|
|||
On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 16:34:35 -0400, Peter Cole
wrote: wrote: wrote: Have they started running those infomercials for "landriders" yet? I haven' t seen them. Maybe they don't exist anymore since most people discovered they're useless crap! The commercials have been running regularly in North Florida for some time. Like most infommercials, they exaggerate the difficulty of whatever the product is supposed improve upon. And while I personally don't find shifting all that tricky, some people are intimidated by the thought of it. So what's the problem if those folks go out an buy one of these bikes? They can get a much better "easy to operate" bike from a bike shop, including fitting and post-sales support. I rescued one of these from the curb on trash day. It was a complete piece of junk. I thought perhaps I could salvage some components, but in the end, threw out everything but the frame. That, while poorly made, with globby welds, heavy tubing and POS headset, was interesting in that it was a 26" wheel frame with slack angles, rigid fork, canti studs and rack braze-ons -- a very utilitarian configuration that's kind of hard to come by (at my price point). I threw some MTB components on it, fenders and racks, and my wife loves it as a commuter, although it's kind of heavy. The frame and fork (minus headset & BB) were all I could use, even on a beater. I've heard of people finding them in the trash and scavenging them for nuts and bolts. I know this woman in her late middle years who wanted to get a bike, but wanted to get something that's not too complicated. She's one of those women who teaches women's studies and worships the goddess and regards technology of any sort as some sort of insult...anyways she ordred one of those old fashioned swedish bikes that weigh like a ton. BUt they're so EASY... oy. ANd of course, you brake by pedaling backward. I had this image of myself on one of those bikes careening down one of the local hills and screaming."Where's the braaaaakes?" I bet she rides it maybe twice a year anyways. |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
"Leo Lichtman" wrote in
Having seen the recent infestation of the Sunday morning airwaves with these commercials, I can't help but be amused by the fact that they're advertising to people who won't even get out of the house to go to church, or to beat the Baptists before they exhaust the local Golden Corral ... Funny you should mention church, because I got asked about these bikes by a woman after church about 3 weeks ago. I told her they were overpriced junk and that she should look for a bike with a grip shift, explained how grip shifts work, and gave her the name of the bike shop I use and suggested she poke around the Giant Sedona or Cypress. Whether this advice worked or not, I don't know. People often ask for advice like this AFTER they have already bought something, so... |
#24
|
|||
|
|||
BLanshay wrote:
those bikes cost about 700 bucks Not even: http://www.lrbikes.com -- "Bicycling is a healthy and manly pursuit with much to recommend it, and, unlike other foolish crazes, it has not died out." -- The Daily Telegraph (1877) |
#25
|
|||
|
|||
BLanshay wrote:
I haven't seen the infomercials yet this year. I saw their infomercial late one sleepless night last year, but none since. -- "Bicycling is a healthy and manly pursuit with much to recommend it, and, unlike other foolish crazes, it has not died out." -- The Daily Telegraph (1877) |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
"LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0 m" wrote in message news:QpGwe.7303$8o.2690@fed1read03... BLanshay wrote: those bikes cost about 700 bucks Not even: http://www.lrbikes.com Exchange rate and taxes would make it close to C$700. -- 'What we've got hee-yuh, is a fail-yuh, to communicate' -captain |
#27
|
|||
|
|||
LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0 m wrote:
http://www.lrbikes.com I was looking into some of the endorsements they list: "Carrie Sisk, Professional Trainer and Cyclist." Carrie is a marathon runner in the bay area and I think she's taught some classes at a city recreational facility. I haven't found any contact information to ask her directly about the endorsement. It looks like a paid endorsement to me. "Liz Williamson, Retail Industry Consultant." That's a ringing endorsement, I'm sure. "Brad Hughes, LandRider Development Team." Well, duh. I say good things about my employer, also. "Vance Blume, Blume International, Bicycle Service School." Interesting. Is Blume for sale? "Bill Fields, Publisher, Bicycle Guide Magazine." I managed to find his contact information and I asked him about his endorsement via email. I'll let you know what he says if he responds. His current job is a bicycle retail consultant. I betcha Landrider hired Fields. RFM |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Infomercials | JJuggle | Unicycling | 6 | February 24th 04 05:49 AM |