i dont think a new thread was warranted… seems like the same style of discussion.
and to me it’s not about being intimidated that some mainstreamer is now going to be riding a fixed gear that looks flashy.
Its more about the whole ethos of a brand like this. Its all about exploitation.
Exploit the chinese to get the frame made, probably the environmental standards are poor so exploit that too, and exploit the consumer for being ignorant.
Its a company created because there was research done it was found that there was a potential market to exploit. It wasn’t a collaboration of riding engineers etc. It was a construct of fixed gear, with chrome drop outs, recessed seat tubes, use provocative shots for promo, and put them in shopping malls. It’s just a soulless piece of gloss, the Miley Cyrus of bicycle brands.
That’s why i say, if someone asks about POH, tell them POH is a condescending piece of shit and can go fuck itself.
I’m all for more people on bikes, it just makes sense. I want them in for the right reasons though.
“This is cool, I’m doing it” is not a great reason in my opinion.
We’re just going to end up with super shakey riders, not willing to change their thongs for real shoes before jumping on a fixie and instead of knowing the cycling community has your back, starting to have to worry about what everyone else is doing.
For example, iPhones.
I work selling phones and they are a great piece of machinery, however… the amount of people that get them that shouldn’t because their not going to use them for anything a normal phone can’t do in its sleep is horrendous. They are told this is the phone you want, and because the marketing is so good, they don’t question it. So now, when I go to work, I’m an iPhone technician, not a customer service rep/phone whore. /minirant.
The parellel I’m trying to make is, when you have something thats good for people, sell it.
But its not going to be for everyone, so don’t manipulate them (the consumer) and capitalize on it.
And I think (unless I’m completely wrong) thats what ellepea was getting at…
Petrol driven leaf blowers are awesome tools if your a horty.It’s the use of the engines on those infernal petrol engine MTB conversions that bogans ride that shits me.
On the topic of Industrie type fashion bikes and derivatives, I’d be curious to know how many of the kids that buy these as a trendy item, actually ride them for the first time and freak out and sell them or just ride S/S.
Do any of them actually get turned on to fixed gear riding and stay with it/upgrade, or become commuters, suffer from N+1 or retro fever?
Or are they just shallow , vapid fashion whores who buy what magazines tell them?
If you were the genius that tapped into this trendwhore market releasing low-quality cheap to maunfacter bikes or t-shirts with rehashed sparkly dragon-tiger thing tattoo designs or anything like that and could make a damn good buck out of it, would you complain? So long as you use your head and do not over capitalize, especially if the trend dies out or your shirts get bootlegged.
At the end of they day, whether the principal of the thing is right or not, that is your call. But in terms of marketing genius and good business, PoH are hitting it on the head.
From what I read and gather. Obviously their advertising is working because we are talking.
To confirm that you’re a legit cyclist when you buy a POH bike, you should be forced to ride up the hill leading to the road from the cinema carpark. If you can’t get up that, you aren’t allowed to ride a bike…EVER!!!
i don’t understand the emotions fired up by this bike. it’s just the bicycular equivalent to all the clothes that are on sale in the same shops.
cheap chinese stuff with a handy profit margin, no more, no less.
is it just the ‘cool’ factor ppl are concerned about? i don’t see anyone complaining about huffys/dunlops from kmart…
Exploitative, marketing of crap, solely to cash in on a trend and make money off ‘wanna be’s’.
The thing is, that for every piece of crap that is made, something is dug up or chopped down only to create what is essentially crap, that will end up in land fill after it’s short mechanical, or fad, life is over and the world is worse off for it having existed.
This stuff is the fast food of the bike world. Looks like the real thing, but ultimately will leave you unsatisfied and wishing you’d spent your money on some quality instead.
FFS, buy something of quality that you will either keep and appreciate, or pass on to someone else who will keep and appreciate it… and promote this whenever you get the chance to.
2c
EDIT: Huffys in Kmart fit the demand for bikes from the low end of the market. Kids will ride them and love them. These appear solely to cash in on a trend.
JlI6hQ~~_12.JPG)
