On your bike: time to backpedal on view cyclists are elitist
Something strange has happened to the perception of cyclists and cycling in the more than 200 years they’ve been around, Timothy Welch, of The Conversation, reports.
ONCE a novelty, riding a bike has moved from being a critical transport mode to a children’s pastime to now being popularly perceived as an elitist activity.
This was readily apparent after the recent ‘‘liberate the lane’’ protest on Auckland’s harbour bridge.
Cyclists who broke a police barrier and rode on to the motorway were variously described as privileged, white, entitled and, yes, elitist.
Ask most people what a cyclist looks like and they’ll more than likely conjure an image of the stereotypical rider — decked out head to toe in Lycra, absurd aerodynamic helmet, wraparound sunglasses and, of course, a futuristic bike capable of slicing through the headwinds.
But that image owes much more to marketing than reality.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the market was full of cheap and reliable steel 10speed bikes.
These were fantastic commuters with minimal sex appeal.
At that time, the stereotypical cyclist was just an average person.
Then the 1980s welcomed the newly invented mountain bike and the cycling world splintered into different camps.
Road cyclists split into highspeed racing, triathlon and longdistance subtribes.
Along the way, marketing and business were eager to sell more and more specialised gear.
But mainstream cyclists have always been there, wearing everyday clothing, obeying the rules of the road and riding modest bicycles. Their averageness has contributed to their invisibility.
For this mainstream, however, one thing always remained constant: cycling is cheap. environmental costs of car ownership.
A good ebike costs less than the credit available under the Government’s electric vehicle ‘‘feebate’’ scheme.