There's a cycling purchase I made a few months ago which I keep meaning to write about (and it’s not in praise of). Knog porno patches.
So, I ran out of patches after an unfortunate affair involving tire levers that seemed to have mysteriously sharpened themselves (in case you're wondering, there is a limit to how many times you can patch an inner tube before it becomes unusable). A fellow Birmingham Bike Foundry-er said something along the lines of 'Hey, we're doing an order, why not get a Knog puncture repair kit? Everything they make is awesome' – I believe meaning lights. Little did I know...
Porno, as you might expect, means pictures of naked ladies. On patches. My first impression was that this was slightly odd, but maybe there was some kind of message here, something along the lines of women should be happy with their bodies whatever shape and size, we shouldn't be ashamed of being sexually liberated, go women cyclists-you rock...second impression, yeah, it's really not about that.
A quick google reveals that most of the marketing around the patches focuses on them being a bit sexy and a bit naughty.
A few choice quotes:
"It's proven that these saucy patches are lurking between the tube and tyre of over 90% of parish ministers' pushies. Oh heavens, another puncture!"
"A lab test revealed that if you give these kinky self-adhesive patches to girls they’ll fix their bike puncture quick smart and ride away with a bike as sexy on the inside as the outside, and that if you give them to boys they’ll stick them on their nipples. Nuff said."
Feel free to say I'm being uptight (it wouldn't be the first time), but I'm not really onboard for images of naked women being used to sell puncture repair kits, regardless of how clever the marketing is. It seems to me that images of naked women should be used to sell products relating to being a woman and being naked (do you think the Knog designers repair punctures naked? Personally I’d feel a little exposed). There is no empowering undercurrent here, this is just women’s bodies used to make money.
Even if you don’t see the design as problematic from a female perspective, is it really necessary to sex up puncture repair? I’m failing to see the point.
It should be noted, the patches feature naked cartoons, not actual photographs, but I don't think this really changes the issue. The cartoon women all seem to have skinny, shapeless bodies with tiny breasts…further weirdness. I believe there is also a male version, but I'm yet to properly see the images as they seem to feature less on internet marketing.
Looking at the rest of the kit the contents are less sexualised, but definitely not so useful in a puncture situation. The patches are pre-glued, so vulcanising solution and chalk are not necessary. There is a bit of sandpaper, but a crayon for marking punctures is absent. The tire levers are frankly crap. I’ve found that they just aren’t rigid enough to use on racing tire beading, and they do not have the useful little hooks that clip onto spokes. Unless you’re one of those people with steel hands who need a lever once in a blue moon, you’re not going to find these make for an easy time.
So - sexist, a bit tasteless but harmless, silly and impractical...or a great product? Any ideas?
Last weekend Birmingham played host to Bicycology, a collective of cyclists formed via a ride to the 2005 Gleneagles G8. The group has continued to meet and put on various rides and events; their activities range from film screenings to building bike powered generators, and from bike jewellery to accessible long distance rides
Their weekend gathering, before Bicycology went into important planning mode, kicked off with a public film screening at The Edge – Friction Arts in Digbeth. There were plenty of Birmingham cyclists in attendance; it was great to see a big range of people and bikes come together for an evening dedicated to being on two wheels.
The topics of the films put on (chosen using an innovatively democratic selection process) included street trials, amazing bike tricks, the building of tall bikes and other odd creations, asylum seeker-bike workshop projects, the best cities for cycling, and many more. Good stuff!
So, big thanks to Bicycology for the evening, and for adding to the amount of cycling stuff taking place in our fair city. Looking forward to finding out what you're going to do next!
For anybody who wasn't at the film screening, please check out the collectives' website.
As well as some interesting info about how Bicycology came to be and what they do, there are some excellent guide pages you can download. You've got your mechanics guides, bike arts and crafts, alternative energy, anarchy...what more could you want?
Location: St Philip’s Cathedral, (Pigeon Park)I have come to a realisation, an average week's cycling for me (daily trips to work and the city centre) probably isn't doing all that much for me in exercise terms. I'm not saying it's pointless, I'm definitely fitter than I would be if I didn't cycle at all. The thing is, the routes I take are generally pretty flat, and seldom more than 5 miles each way; I'm rarely getting out of breath!
New vow, unless we are once again hit by crazy snow, I will do one proper ride a week. Right now I'm not talking 70mile plus day long adventures, just a few hours good riding. Question is, where? Femme Pédale readers/riders, please help!
I've tried out the city's Sustrans routes, good for getting from A to B, but I'm really looking to get out into the countryside a bit more. Today I have cycled from Stirchley to the Bittell Reservoirs (see seasonally inaccurate pic), Lickey, and then back via Cofton and Longbridge. I'd thoroughly recommend this ride, very scenic and some not insignificant hills to get your heart going - if you're me anyway. However, riding somewhere new every week really appeals.
So, where do you like to cycle? Please leave any suggestions in comment form, and hopefully I'll soon be posting some pictures and accounts of rides in the lovely countryside surrounding our city.
