New bike dilemma

DonDaddyD

TommyEss wrote:

Each to their own - I'd rather be behind Athena than Odin or Thor, but like I said..... :?

Mate, Wilier already made a bike model called Thor


Lovely bike.

So tell me, would you rather ride a bike called Thor.

Now if Campag made a gruppo called Mjolnir, sweet jesus.....

TommyEss

I hearby categorically state I have no desire to ride Thor....

....even if he is just dweamy!





:oops:

jonginge

TommyEss wrote:

I hearby categorically state I have no desire to ride Thor....

....even if he is just dweamy!





:oops:

*thunderous applause*

DonDaddyD

So are we all settled that Athena is a girls name and men who have bikes graced by her loveliness should be secretly laughed at...

wgwarburton

DonDaddyD wrote:

So are we all settled that Athena is a girls name and men who have bikes graced by her loveliness should be secretly laughed at...

No

DonDaddyD

OK,

it's generally accepted that the following are girls cars:

Nissan Micra
Peugeout 206cc
Vauxhall Tigra
Ford Ka

They're not marketed as girls cars but they are. Equally pink is generally (except for cycling purposes) a girls colour.

Athena is a girls groupset.

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

OK,

it's generally accepted that the following are girls cars:

Nissan Micra
Peugeout 206cc
Vauxhall Tigra
Ford Ka

They're not marketed as girls cars but they are. Equally pink is generally (except for cycling purposes) a girls colour.

Athena is a girls groupset.

Girls cars? So they're not marketed as c0ck substitutes? Oh dear.

If you don't feel you could wear pink without threatening your masculinity, then that would suggest that said masculinity is a little fragile in the first place. Frankly, so long as it was any good an worth the money, I'd buy it if it was called Campag' Nancy.

lost_in_thought

I would definitely encourage any blokes to shed their foibles about 'girls' cars', 'girls' bikes' etc.

You're only showing yourselves up by bringing it up.

Oh, and Tommy,



You owe me a new keyboard.

stuaff

DonDaddyD wrote:

So are we all settled that Athena is a girls name and men who have bikes graced by her loveliness should be secretly laughed at...

No. Utter twaddle. And this from someone who (a) bought a bike called a Kharma (misspelt, sounds a bit girly/new age to me ) and (b) called it not (for example) Johnny, Clint, James...but Karen. And WTF does Ultegra mean anyway? More's the point, who, apart from you, actually cares about this stuff?
Anyway:IMHO, naming it after the goddess (not girl, goddess!!!) of
'war, civilization, wisdom, strength, strategy, crafts, justice and skill' is better than a name that sounds like a corporate rebranding exercise. And it still has precisely zero impact on the performance of either the groupset or the sexuality of the user. As for colours, every rider on the Giro wants to wear pink!!!!!

stuaff

rjsterry wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

OK,

it's generally accepted that the following are girls cars:

Nissan Micra
Peugeout 206cc
Vauxhall Tigra
Ford Ka

They're not marketed as girls cars but they are. Equally pink is generally (except for cycling purposes) a girls colour.

Athena is a girls groupset.

Girls cars? So they're not marketed as c0ck substitutes? Oh dear.

If you don't feel you could wear pink without threatening your masculinity, then that would suggest that said masculinity is a little fragile in the first place. Frankly, so long as it was any good an worth the money, I'd buy it if it was called Campag' Nancy.

+1.

tailwindhome

rjsterry wrote:

Frankly, so long as it was any good an worth the money, I'd buy it if it was called Campag' Nancy.

No you wouldn't

Would you buy Campagnolo Gaylord?


DDD is wrong about Athena -it's a neutral name, but entirely correct about girl's cars.

You are less of a man if you buy one of the cars he lists. FACT

ETA Pink is a different issue....it's like wearing white football boots, you instantly look like an ar5e if you haven't the legs to back it up. ANOTHER FACT

rjsterry

TailWindHome wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Frankly, so long as it was any good an worth the money, I'd buy it if it was called Campag' Nancy.

No you wouldn't

Would you buy Campagnolo Gaylord?


DDD is wrong about Athena -it's a neutral name, but entirely correct about girl's cars.

You are less of a man if you buy one of the cars he lists. FACT

ETA Pink is a different issue....it's like wearing white football boots, you instantly look like an ar5e if you haven't the legs to back it up. ANOTHER FACT

Fairly sure I would, but it appears you know me better. As for Campagnolo Gaylord, what exactly are you suggesting there? That Someone might market a groupset specifically at the LGBT market? I'm sure some people who've seen me cycling in tights and a close fitting jersey have thought I looked gay, but that's never really bothered me - why would it be a negative thing if I was?

Sure, certain cars are marketed more towards women, and others towards men, but I'd like to think I define myself with something more fundamental than some car marketing. BTW, my wife drive's our Peugeot 207 (I don't drive), so does that make me or her more or less of a man/woman?

Who says we can't do serious on Commuting Chat?

TommyEss

JonGinge wrote:

*thunderous applause*

Thank you, you're too kind...

lost_in_thought wrote:

Oh, and Tommy,



You owe me a new keyboard.

...no please, stop.... I'm blushing... :oops:

tailwindhome

rjsterry wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Frankly, so long as it was any good an worth the money, I'd buy it if it was called Campag' Nancy.

No you wouldn't

Would you buy Campagnolo Gaylord?

Fairly sure I would, but it appears you know me better. As for Campagnolo Gaylord, what exactly are you suggesting there? That Someone might market a groupset specifically at the LGBT market?

Nothing sinister, just that you might not buy something because of the name irrespective of quality or value and that you may be influenced by what the product 'says' about you.

Let's use your example. You pull up at the lights beside another rider. He/She looks at your bike and says "Nice bike, what's the groupset". Are you telling me that you would be happy saying "Why, it's the new Campagnolo Nancy"?

Who says we can't do serious on Commuting Chat?

Sweet Jaysus I hope you're not taking any of this remotely seriously

rjsterry

TailWindHome wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Frankly, so long as it was any good an worth the money, I'd buy it if it was called Campag' Nancy.

No you wouldn't

Would you buy Campagnolo Gaylord?

Fairly sure I would, but it appears you know me better. As for Campagnolo Gaylord, what exactly are you suggesting there? That Someone might market a groupset specifically at the LGBT market?

Nothing sinister, just that you might not buy something because of the name irrespective of quality or value and that you may be influenced by what the product 'says' about you.

Let's use your example. You pull up at the lights beside another rider. He/She looks at your bike and says "Nice bike, what's the groupset". Are you telling me that you would be happy saying "Why, it's the new Campagnolo Nancy"?

Who says we can't do serious on Commuting Chat?

Sweet Jaysus I hope you're not taking any of this remotely seriously

Nobody has ever asked me about my groupset, and to be honest, I get slightly embarrassed when anyone makes any comment, complimentary or otherwise, about my bike so there'd be no change there. I agree that the marketing team would have to put in a few extra hours to market something with a silly name, but once that something had established a reputation for quality, the association would change.

Don't worry not taking it seriously, but I have been getting a bit of a bee in my bonnet recently when buying things for our daughter, and EVERYTHING comes in either blue or pink with no neutral alternative. Talk about brainwashing.

Greg T

rjsterry wrote:

That Someone might market a groupset specifically at the LGBT market?


Who says we can't do serious on Commuting Chat?

London non Gearer Bike Talk (LGBT) was the ill fated and shortlived moniker of LFGSS

UndercoverElephant

The Toyota MR2 was a notoriously bad seller in France, due to the fact that the name, when said in French, sounds like the French word for shite.

Same goes with the Vauxhall Nova in Spain, "No Va" meaning, "Doesn't go".

I for one wouldn't buy the Shimano, "Chuff-monkey", no matter how good/cheap it was.

DonDaddyD

Like it or not a lot of effort goes into the names of products.

It's not by chance that Apple fell open iPod instead of simply 'Pod'.

My bike has a girls name (Karen) because it is my subconicious way of expressing and associating her beauty through my sexuality. I can say Karen is beautiful as I'm naturally hetrosexual. I wouldn't say Darren is beautiful as that would mean nothing to me.

This is completely different to buying an item. When going to buy some aftershave, well for starters I buy aftershave and not perfume. Why? There is no physical or biological reason preventing me from buying perfume except that I'm told, its marketed and society generally accepts its for women (its smell is nonconsequential as that is subjective).

Now do you think a perfume called 'Zeus' would sell in the millions? Or do you think it would fare better as an aftershave?

Now if we take this one step closer to bikes, if a bike company decided to make a womens specific bike and called it Zeus do you think that would inspire the female conciousness or do you think Aphrodite or Hera (or even Athena) would have the greater desired effect.

And if you can begin to see my perspective then you can begin to understand why I would be more open to buying Campag Chorus or even Centaur and I'm less open to considering Campag Athena.

AND if your still struggling to see my point I don't think its by chance that Wilier make a Womens specific bike version of the Izoard and call it Mimosa and why Specialized call their female Sirrus, Vita and why they also have Dolce, Ruby and Mika. which in mens is Allez, Tarmac and Rockhopper respectively.

I agree with the ideology of male/female specifc marketing being just that, a marketing tool and whether you think we'll evolve into one big yellow asexual species is another issue. But the evidence about gender specific marketing influencing concious/subconcious purchases is there and ultimately, Athena is a girls name.

itboffin

So tell me where does one get this camp gaylord? And does it come in black?

;-)

il_principe

itboffin wrote:

So tell me where does one get this camp gaylord? And does it come in black?

;-)

Only available in pink darling.

tailwindhome

itboffin wrote:

So tell me where does one get this camp gaylord? And does it come in black?

;-)

*paging DDD to this thread.

itboffin

Il Principe wrote:

itboffin wrote:

So tell me where does one get this camp gaylord? And does it come in black?

;-)

Only available in pink darling.

Brown perhaps? :roll:

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

Like it or not a lot of effort goes into the names of products.

It's not by chance that Apple fell open iPod instead of simply 'Pod'.

My bike has a girls name (Karen) because it is my subconicious way of expressing and associating her beauty through my sexuality. I can say Karen is beautiful as I'm naturally hetrosexual. I wouldn't say Darren is beautiful as that would mean nothing to me.

This is completely different to buying an item. When going to buy some aftershave, well for starters I buy aftershave and not perfume. Why? There is no physical or biological reason preventing me from buying perfume except that I'm told, its marketed and society generally accepts its for women (its smell is nonconsequential as that is subjective).

Now do you think a perfume called 'Zeus' would sell in the millions? Or do you think it would fare better as an aftershave?

Now if we take this one step closer to bikes, if a bike company decided to make a womens specific bike and called it Zeus do you think that would inspire the female conciousness or do you think Aphrodite or Hera (or even Athena) would have the greater desired effect.

And if you can begin to see my perspective then you can begin to understand why I would be more open to buying Campag Chorus or even Centaur and I'm less open to considering Campag Athena.

AND if your still struggling to see my point I don't think its by chance that Wilier make a Womens specific bike version of the Izoard and call it Mimosa and why Specialized call their female Sirrus, Vita and why they also have Dolce, Ruby and Mika. which in mens is Allez, Tarmac and Rockhopper respectively.

I agree with the ideology of male/female specifc marketing being just that, a marketing tool and whether you think we'll evolve into one big yellow asexual species is another issue. But the evidence about gender specific marketing influencing concious/subconcious purchases is there and ultimately Athena is a girls name.

What, like Lego?

My point was not that things aren't marketed to one sex or the other, but that this is often deeply patronising - take the toolkits with flowers on them - and you don't HAVE to take any notice of it if you don't want to. I'm also not suggesting that I'm completely immune from such marketing, but in the case of a groupset, I think I could live with whatever silly name they choose to call it. Personally I prefer numbers over names.

By the way, one of my favourite cars is the Citroen DS. You'd think that was fairly neutral, but it's a pun on the French word for godess, so there you go.

prawny

TailWindHome wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Frankly, so long as it was any good an worth the money, I'd buy it if it was called Campag' Nancy.

No you wouldn't

Would you buy Campagnolo Gaylord?

Back to canoeing again!

During my junior career I was the proud owner of a Gaybo Cougar a Gaybo Midas and a Gaybo Jaguar.

I think I would buy a Campag Gaylord groupset if it was good. With pink carbon levers.

DonDaddyD

rjsterry wrote:

What, like Lego?

Actually I meant these guys:

My point was not that things aren't marketed to one sex or the other, but that this is often deeply patronising - take the toolkits with flowers on them - and you don't HAVE to take any notice of it if you don't want to. I'm also not suggesting that I'm completely immune from such marketing, but in the case of a groupset, I think I could live with whatever silly name they choose to call it. Personally I prefer numbers over names.

By the way, one of my favourite cars is the Citroen DS. You'd think that was fairly neutral, but it's a pun on the French word for godess, so there you go.

Don't get me wrong I'm not completely driven by marketing, branding and product image and I agree that done poorly it is deeply patronising. What's even worse is some of the half-baked reasons they come up with - womens watches that are so small (yes they have smaller wrists but still) or improperly shaped that you simply cannot effectively read the time.

But no one is completely immune because at some stage we have to buy an item and from that comes choice and sometimes the decision is made based on what best represents or exudes us as idividuals, whether its our aspirations, values or thought processes.

I am not defined by my purchases but the things that define me as a person drive the decisions I make when choosing my purchases.

Given the choice, which I would have, I wouldn't buy Athena for the reasons stated. Its partly the same thought process as to why I wouldn't buy a Skoda over a Golf or Tudor over a Rolex. But then I have been known to by £30-£50 suits from Primark as to me they don't seem that different to the £100-150 Next charge for their suits.

TommyEss

rjsterry wrote:

By the way, one of my favourite cars is the Citroen DS.

Chapeau!

rjsterry

TommyEss wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

By the way, one of my favourite cars is the Citroen DS.

Chapeau!

Do you know DS World by the Queenstown Road roundabout? Mrs RJS and I hired a chaufeur driven ex-ambassador's (presumably French) DS, complete with siren, when we got married. 8) It's the one shown on the wedding hire part of the website.

TommyEss

Very cool - Been on their website but not actually visited - would love to have a ride in one - and maybe one day own one (though I gather you need to be quite the mechanic to keep them running!)

itboffin

I hate to be the one to throw this thread wildly back OT but I just had an email from ribble with an extra 10% off campy groupset

Now then it's just a matter of do I go with the gaylord or the nancy?

UndercoverElephant

itboffin wrote:

I hate to be the one to throw this thread wildly back OT but I just had an email from ribble with an extra 10% off campy groupset

Now then it's just a matter of do I go with the gaylord or the nancy?

If you bought Athena, it would forever wind DDD up. :twisted: