Bikes for boomers

By Yokota Fritz


That's the title in this week's Newsweek article on comfort bikes. "Geared toward baby boomers, comfort bikes are ideal for cruising bike paths and pedaling to the corner grocery." Newsweek features the Trek Lime, Electra's Amsterdam, and Sun Bicycle's recumbent EZ Sport.

It's good to see this kind of stuff mentioned outside of bike enthusiast circles. Bikes Belong announced the "Remember Me" ad campaign targeted to non cyclists. According to Bikes Belong, the ads will appear in national magazines and on billboards around the United States.

Bike retailers tell me they've sold more cruiser and townie style bikes over the past year than they've sold over the past decade. They tell me most buyers are slightly older folks who mostly are looking for a way to combine trips to the coffee shop with a little bit of a fitness activity; they see cycling as the perfect way to combine short trips with exercise. According to these retailers, advertising has been limited to setting the bikes out on the sidewalk in front of the shop.