"Grow it and Grey it?" - are men getting a taste of crap gender marketing?

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Just looking at new ranges of bikes for our store and it's great that there are some women's bikes out there, at an entry-level leisure/commute/casual road level that are not just pink and white small men's bikes. Some attention to detail, different geometry and some attractive colour schemes that wouldn't look out of place on any gender bike - with different colourways on each level in the range.

Then the men's bikes are grey. 3 levels of spec, all looking the same. Grey. Dull, boring, "John Major with his shirt tucked into his underpants" grey. Which might have worked for Edwina Currie once upon a time but....

So are men now getting a taste of the attitudes that used to plague women's cycling. Is women's cycling "on trend" now and instead of "shrink it and pink it" - is the attitude to some men's ranges from the marketing types now "grow it and grey it"?

 

[Red17]

As long as they still come in black its OK

 

[contadino]

I've decided on green for my next bike. That means it can be a Carlton, a Mercian or a Bob Jackson, depending on how much the wife lets me spend and when I spot a good one for sale.

 

[jay clock]

My grey RIbble CR3 arrived today. I like it. I am also happy with garish schemes as long as I have clothes etc to match

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I prefer an understated bike. The giddiest in my collection is blue.

 

[Tin Pot]

I do not understand this thread.

Is it because I'm a man?

 

[Dogtrousers]

I have a grey bike and a black one. When I bought my Brompton I went crazy and got plain metal lacquer, which is grey with a sort of not-grey metallic tinge.

Sorry, what was the question again? (Tucks shirt into underpants and wanders off confused).

 

[Jody]

Its just a trend. When black and grey bike sales slow down they will swap colour schemes again.

Its the same as when middle suburbia recently went mad for white cars but before that people wouldn't be seen dead in a white car. Yellow cars were very 1997 and green cars are having a resurgence.

 

[subaqua]

I want a dirt coloured bike , then I never need to clean it

 

[mrbikerboy73]

I want a dirt coloured bike , then I never need to clean it

Just don't clean your bike and it will soon become dirt coloured. Then you never need to clean it...

 

[subaqua]

Just don't clean your bike and it will soon become dirt coloured. Then you never need to clean it...

Nah tried that it just looks like a dirty black bike !

 

[cyberknight]

I thought this was a thread about middle age men with come overs .

 

[ColinJ]

I thought this was a thread about middle age men with come overs .

Hmm ... it's a long time since a woman rang to ask me if I wanted to come over to her place!

 

[Ian H]

Hmm ... it's a long time since a woman rang to ask me if I wanted to come over to her place!

That's an admirably unsmutty response.

 

[midlife]

I thought this was a thread about middle age men with come overs .

I hope you meant comb *Homer type shudder*

Shaun