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Chapter 16
Bicycles: More than Pedal Power
Not so long ago, a bicycle was, well, just a pedal-powered way to get around. Today, the bicycle
is not just two-wheeled transportation—it has become a major industry worldwide. A growing
number of consumers are buying bikes for commuting, for fun, for status, for personal style, and
for environmental reasons.
Especially in developing nations, where incomes are rising and middle-class consumers are
looking for more than basic transportation, demand for better bicycles is rising year after year as
the product category takes on new significance as a sign of wealth and of interest in a healthy
leisure-time activity. “As people become more affluent, they tend to go to global brands,” says the
director of international sales for Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycles
[http://bi.galegroup.com/essentials/company/122781?u=tlearn_trl], “and that’s where global
brands have advantages.” Trek’s high-quality bikes are now marketed in two dozen nations, with
even wider distribution on the way.
Some top automotive firms are putting their brands on upscale bicycles. Porsche
[http://bi.galegroup.com/essentials/company/465283?u=tlearn_trl], for example, offers high end
bicycles with precision-made bodies and brakes so riders can glide smoothly on paved paths and
navigate off-road trails. Each carries the red, black, and gold brand badge positioned below the
handle bars, signaling that the rider is pedaling a Porsche.
Luxury designer brands are also involved in the burgeoning bicycle business. Gucci’s
[http://bi.galegroup.com/essentials/company/775289?u=tlearn_trl] creative designer has
developed a lightweight, high-performance bicycle and accessories (such as a helmet and riding
gloves) for Bianchi, decorated with the red and green stripes that are Gucci’s brand symbol.
Missoni’s colorful bicycle, marketed by cheap chic retailer Target at a more affordable price, is for
city-dwellers or suburbanites who want to pedal along in style.
Folding bicycles are increasingly popular, everywhere from Kentucky to Kuala Lumpur. On a
recent World Car-Free Day, cyclists rode folding bicycles along Kuala Lumpur roads to nearby
mass-transit stations, folded their bikes, and took them on board. They were not just demonstrating
a greener alternative to gaspowered vehicles—they were also showing the convenience and ease
of taking folding bikes on commuter trains. Another use of bicycles is for tourist transportation. In
Santiago, Chile, cyclists have ridden through the streets to promote environmentally friendly
bicycle tourism and encourage the construction of bicycle paths throughout Patagonia.
From the great outdoors to the inner city, bicycles are often used to show off the rider’s personal
style. In particular, youngsters who aren’t yet old enough to drive four-wheeled vehicles like to
cruise the streets in home-decorated two wheelers. One urban trend in bicycle bling is the “scraper
bike,” a small-framed bike with special touches such as dashes of color, duct tape detailing,
aluminum foil wrapped around the wheel spokes, and flashy, outsized accessories. A scraper bike
song by the California hip-hop group Trunk Boiz has attracted more than 3 million YouTube views
and spread the look’s popularity far beyond the West Coast. “It just makes you feel like a star,”
says one teen of the scraper bike he spray painted and outfitted with foiled wrapped spokes. A
gallery in Berkeley, California, even exhibited scraper bikes as objects of art.
Consumers who are serious about their bicycling look carefully at specifications and notice
which brands the top athletes endorse. Cannondale, for example, is endorsed by women’s triathlete
champion Chrissie Wellington. Many enthusiasts attend bicycle shows, watch bicycle races, test-
ride new models, and compare every technical detail before deciding what to buy. One purchase
leads to another as enthusiasts acquire all the gear they need—bike racks, locks, seats, tools, and
anything else they must have to keep their bikes looking good and working properly. No wonder
the two-wheeler business is gaining speed.
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CASE QUESTIONS
1. What emblematic functions can a bicycle serve? Be specific.
2. How can a bicycle be part of a social status transition?
3. Do scraper bikes derive their product meaning from the culture or the individual? Explain your
answer.
4. What sacred meaning(s) might a bicycle hold for a consumer? What are the implications for
marketers?
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