CNN Article Quote

[Laru]

"Giant's Suede Coasting DX bike is a great women's commuter bike because it has an automatic transmission."
- caption under photo of said bike in this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24759055/


Wow, I guess us girls are so dumb we can't figure out what to do with those pesky shifter thingies.


--- oops, not CNN - it was MSNBC

[maillotpois]

I was ready to fume at the author of the article, but the exact quote is: "The coolest women’s commuter bike out there includes a new transmission from Japanese parts giant Shimano that shifts automatically." Not quite so bad as re-quoted here. The article doesn't state that it was a good women's bike because it shifts automatically - just that this was a feature of the bike.

[Laru]

The quote was the caption from under the picture. I cut and pasted it so it is actually the exact quote.

[KnottedYet]

Yup, scroll down to the pic of the women's bike, and that's exactly what the caption says.

My, I'm not sure how I want to react to that lovely caption....

[maillotpois]

Ah - sorry about that! I was focused on the article.

I wonder if the author of the article wrote the photo captions.

[mimitabby]

i have a male friend who bought a bike with an automatic and really liked it. it was rather heavy though.

[blondiebiker]

I don't like automatic in a car - can't imagine wanting it on a bike!

[NoNo]

We had this discussion Sunday. My brother, cousin, and I had just returned from a 30 mile ride, and the family picnic was in full swing. So I sat down and my aunt started asking questions. She's been known for some real doosies, so I knew something good was coming. Sure enough: "I don't get those numbers on the handles. What do they mean?" We tried explaining gears and how the ones on the left are for big changes, and the ones on the right are to fine-tune. "I don't want to do math while I'm riding! That's too much to think about!" I think that bike is marketed towards people like her.

[SouthernBelle]

Reporters seldom write the headlines or cutlines to an article. I told that to someone once near a group of reporters at a trial and I thought I was going to get mass hugged.

[cyclinnewbie]

I saw an infomercial a couple weeks back for a bike with an automatic shifter. Must be the same type of deal. Would be great for a beginner....

[OakLeaf]

Would be great for a beginner....

"Beginner" as in someone who's never, ever ridden a bicycle before, just like an automatic transmission in a car is good for someone learning to drive for the first time.

Once you have the basics of operation down so just balancing and steering aren't consuming your entire attention, it's time to learn about RPMs... Honestly because I drove a stick and/or motorcycles most of my life, I didn't understand how MUCH attention an automatic car takes, to avoid hard shifting, until I was in my late 30s. It's so much work a manual is simpler, IMHO.

But a bicycle with planetary drive (like my Prius)? That I could go for... None of this wishing I had a cog in between my 19 and my 21...