Girls and Boys bike marketing « CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

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Girls and Boys bike marketing

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Started 13 years ago by SRD
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SRD
Moderator

via pinkstinks:

Oi! Sexist Marketing! On Yer Bike!!

The boys ‘Striker’ bike was described with “training to become the next England no 1 striker” and the MX14 “designed for the up and coming motoX star of the future“. Contrasted with this, the girls descriptions offer no sporting aspiration whatsoever, instead containing reference to the main features being their prettiness “equipped with great features: Molly bag, ribbon streamers with beads that glitter…” (Molly bike) and “your little angel will be exited about her new miss bike with a hot paint finish…“.

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

Sad that Raleigh is stuck in the 60s on this one!

Posted 13 years ago #
Nelly
Member

Yep, nothing like starting that stereotyping early.

Some of the words are really silly - I work in a large organisation, and can visualise almost exactly the ludicrous marketing brainstorms (or thoughtshowers now apparently??) they had before coming up with that guff.

Mind you, if I presented my son with a pink bike he would tell me its girls colours and refuse to ride it - he is 6 years old, so go figure.....

Pretty sure my first bike was 2nd hand, no name with coaster brakes, spray painted by my dad in a dirty silver colour - as he had some lying about in the garage !

Posted 13 years ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

I remember even the toilets at my primary school were painted blue for the boys and pink for the girls. At my work we're all adults, and everything is white tiles, cherry veneered doors and grey surfaces.

My very first bike was red, because that was the colour I wanted. I later upgraded to a black bike, then had a dark blue bike, then another dark blue bike, then another red bike, then a light blue bike, three more black bikes, a monstrous silver bike, and another blue bike. I think my next will be yellow, just because. Somehow pink never quite had a look-in.

I wonder what would the fans would say if Shanaze Lewis rocked up on a pink BMX? She once flounced around in a long green dress (and muckle MTB shoes underneath) but still looked suitably gnarly. Perhaps BMX is a bit too tough-and-rumble for princesses on velodromes?

Posted 13 years ago #
ruggtomcat
Member

Ive been thinking about a pink bike recently, also, black and orange.

And for this reason, I quite like 'girly' things, and G.I. Joe.

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

I had a pink Specialized about 20 years ago.

Similar to this -

Can't find pic of bike on-line anywhere.

Not this model Pink Team Stumpjumper (or color).

Posted 13 years ago #
crowriver
Member

Apparently the "Molly" bike is Raleigh's top seller. Stereotyoing is good business, it seems!

Posted 13 years ago #
Kirst
Member

Or maybe they don't offer an alternative. That's part of the thinking behind Pink Stinks - it's not that companies offer pink for girls, it's that they only offer pink for girls.

Posted 13 years ago #
wingpig
Member

What's the direct 'male' equivalent to tassles on the end of the handlebars, which even occur on those scooter things TBC were plugging before winter festive period?

Posted 13 years ago #
Min
Member

From the article it would appear that they don't offer an alternative. I know it is a cliche for grumpy old women like me to say they are glad they are not growing up nowadays but I am glad I am not growing up nowadays. I hated pink as a child (though ironically I have grown into it now) and it is so all-encompassing that there really isn't much of a choice.

Mind you Raleigh probably still hate women since Beryl Burton turned their contract down as it left her worse off than if she continued working.

Posted 13 years ago #
Roibeard
Member

Is it wrong of me to want a pink Brompton and matching pink Ortlieb bag?

Robert

Posted 13 years ago #
crowriver
Member

Raleigh offer a purple version of the Molly, one called Krush which is white with purple hearts (I know), and a turquoise bike called Tatty Teddy (comes with a teddy I guess). So there are options other than pink, even for young girls.

On the other hand their boys' offerings are all military themed or faux motorbikes!

Not sure which is worse...

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

How to get rid of the pink -

http://www.tipsquirrel.com/index.php/2012/01/changing-the-background-colour-of-a-photo-with-photoshop

Posted 13 years ago #
LivM
Member

My mother is reminiscing about the Raleigh Pink Witch bike that she coveted in the 1950s. (Photo not pink).
Bikes in those days were (apparently) black, racing green, blue or maroon. Not much in the way of bright colouring, so the Pink Witch stood out.

Posted 13 years ago #
crowriver
Member

Nice chrome carrier on the front fork on that bike.

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"

Pink Witch : A Raleigh bike, targeted specifically a young teenage girls.It was only available in pink and came fitted with mirrors, a shopping basket on the front and, I think, even a lipstick holder!

"

http://www.doyouremember.co.uk/memory.php?memID=10014

Posted 13 years ago #
Greenroofer
Member

I'm a chap. I really like pink shirts.

My daughter (now 6.5) started on a lime green Ridgeback MX14, which she seemed quite content with.

She's now got an electric blue MX16

There are girly equivalents of these, but she didn't mind the colours and we wanted ones that we could re-use for her little brother in due course.

So I think you can get bikes that aren't all glitter, tassels and pink, and which aren't completely covered in camouflage.

Could it perhaps be that at the bottom end of the market there is more stereotyping than the top? Can you get a pink Islabike, for example? Does Laidback's standard range include anything pink and with tassels?

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

It's worth noting that a key person at Raleigh from the 70s to 90s was female

"
3.3.7 Bicycles for women
Product manager Yvonne Rix believed that Raleigh needed ‘totally creative, stylish images and fantastic looking bicycles that people want to buy’. Evidence of this approach is particularly strong in her marketing towards women. The Wisp (not to be confused with the earlier RSW-based moped) was a Rix concept bike, with a mixte frame finished in pale blue with dark blue flashes and matching handlebar tape and saddle, both finished in blue suede. Launched in 1983, it sold 50,000 in the first year.
Rix shared the view that advertising aimed at women was very important. With the Raleigh Collection, comprising the Wisp, Cameo and Misty models, a PR company was used to present bicycles in the manner of a fashion clothing collection.
"

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/catfoodrob/choppers/history/history4.html

She was also responsible for 'inventing' the Pioneer range - pretty much the first 'hybrids' - and also producing quality bikes for adults generally after Raleigh had largely become the manufacturer of kids and traditional utility bikes.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/catfoodrob/choppers/history/history5.html

Posted 13 years ago #
Roibeard
Member

Can you get a pink Islabike?

Currently Blue, Red or Purple (looks Fuchsia to me).

Ours are red, and Mhairi spotted a couple of other Islabikes today up at Laidback's which were also red - probably the best option for cascading!

Robert

Posted 13 years ago #
Bhachgen
Member

I also had a pink Specialized. Hardrock Comp. '89 edition I think. Official name for the colour scheme was Magenta & Ivory. I used to wear a bright pink Castelli Jersey around the same time. I am male and am now married!

Posted 13 years ago #
recombodna
Member

Pink Planet X http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/readers-rides/your-ride/q/2421111441_stevo537_think-pink

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"pink Specialized. Hardrock Comp. '89"

If it's the one I'm thinking, that was too pink.

Mine was a Rockhopper.

I'm male and still married (as I was then).

Posted 13 years ago #
Min
Member

But you all had Action Man stickers on your pink bikes right?

Posted 13 years ago #
recombodna
Member

Pink Hardrock http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1204848&sid=1904221b6e833d4726710ab1ec4eca2a

Posted 13 years ago #
splitshift
Member

i bought an elkectric pink bottle cage, about 20 years ago,still got it, its been passed from one bike to the next, and I am a man ! so there !

Posted 13 years ago #
ruggtomcat
Member

OK i am officially put off pink bikes... bonus points for who coined the term 'think pink'.

Posted 13 years ago #
Uberuce
Member

I personally think I look awesome on my friend's powder blue Pashley Poppy...

Posted 13 years ago #
recombodna
Member

'OK i am officially put off pink bikes... bonus points for who coined the term 'think pink'.'

And so you should be. Pink s for girls AND GIRLS ONLY!!!!!

Posted 13 years ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

For example, in 1918 the Ladies' Home Journal wrote:

"There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger colour is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl."

Fashions change, bikes change, and will change again. Probably.

Nothing wrong with blokes riding pink bikes. If it's fluorescent pink, so much the better, because all fluorescent colours are rad.

Posted 13 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

thanks arelcat, i'd meant to post a similar comment/link but hadn't had time to find it!

Posted 13 years ago #

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