Comments on: Mercedes Exploits the Daredevil Cyclist Stereotype

By: flp

flp — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:36:10 +0000

time was when culturally speaking, almost everything north of 96th street was considered harlem – up to 155th at least.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:06:12 +0000

Morningside Heights isn’t Harlem, and I don’t think it’s ever been considered Harlem. Harlem is to its east and north.

By: flp

flp — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:26:24 +0000

@mitch (#20), grant’s tomb actually is in harlem. its just that columbia u and the real estate industry have white washed morningside heights to disconnect it as much from its origins as possible. in a sense the same is happening with manhattanville which, contrary to what the CU board wants everyone to believe, is really west harlem a vital component of harlem and not just some long abandoned or forgotten neighborhood.

By: gecko

gecko — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:59:03 +0000

#29 NattyB, “just taking the hudson greenway”

Yes, have done this several times to essentially the same location and opted to bike across the Brooklyn Bridge and West Side Greenway instead of getting a free ride there by car using over the FDR Drive.

Cycling is nicer.

By: NattyB

NattyB — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:28:59 +0000

If you want to beat the car, just taking the hudson greenway. I’ve made it to the BK Bridge from there in 35 minutes before.

By: gecko

gecko — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:53:48 +0000

almost seems like an acknowledgement by mercedes that the bike is superior and trying to capture some of the panache.

actually, quite encouraging since kind of makes clear what is required to make bicycle and derivative transportation suitable as a welcome replacement for cars: comfort, practicality, ease-of-use and high accessibility

that messenger wouldn’t have to do all those hectic gyrations dodging in-and-out of cars if the city is made more conducive to cycling which is being done.

don’t really have to go that fast to be faster than other ways

comfort can be improved with clothing and vehicle on-demand enclosures

ease-of-use can be improved along with simple mechanical vehicle controls such as rails and guideways to move hands-free and in massive numbers when required.

and, of course there’s always music on an iPod or cell; even places to hold a cup.

By: jass

jass — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:52:26 +0000

Actually, I may have misspoken. I watched the second part. Was that three references to “doesn’t follow any traffic rules”? I don’t know if that tops that bad acting though.

By: jass

jass — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:47:07 +0000

It’s a shame that the mercedes ad overshadows the most ignorant thing on this page: the Hub and Spokes link.

By: kapes

kapes — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:07:30 +0000

Gross. Who would put their bagel down on a bench in Times Square, on a napkin and then eat it?
Clearly directed by Germans used to clean streetscapes. Those pedestrian plazas have made it safe to walk in Times Square, not eat off of it.

And since the guy in the video is (or was) a messenger and did often wear a helmet (and presumable has some self-respect) I’d say he is one self-respecting messenger who would wear a helmet like that.

By: BicyclesOnly

BicyclesOnly — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:51:45 +0000

I’m sorry, but it was completely gratuitous for Austin to ride on and off path in Central Park. There’s no way the diagonal steeplechase cut was faster than the straight shot on the Loop’s asphalt. I bet they just told him to do it b/c they thought it would look cool, and wanted to make sure he broke every possible rule to exemplify the stereotype.

By: Andy B from Jersey

Andy B from Jersey — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:37:41 +0000

Jeff,

As a German-American I couldn’t agree with you more. Mercedes would be vilified in the national German press if they tried such and advertising campaign like this in Germany.

I’m sure it came from Mercedes USA located just across the Hudson at 3 Mercedes Drive, Montvale, NJ 07645.

By: gecko

gecko — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:36:05 +0000

It’s a much nicer ride through Central Park and or down the West Side Bike Path along the Hudson River than along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway which the close-ups of the car driver and the aerial shots don’t show.

In truth, the comfort level can be higher cycling than riding in a car where the cyclist wins on both accounts.

By: Giffen

Giffen — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:18:38 +0000

LOL. It’s like the beginning of a bad porn movie.

By: Mitch

Mitch — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:47:15 +0000

Kind of a quibble, I suppose, but Grant’s Tomb isn’t in Harlem.

By: molly

molly — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:12:49 +0000

It’s images of cyclists like this one that get entitled drivers foaming at the mouth at community board meetings whenever the issue of bike lanes comes up.

By: J:Lai

J:Lai — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:30:53 +0000

I am really digging the idea that Mercedes Benz maintains a set of driver-agents in cities around the world specifically to deal with “challenges” such as this one.
Most auto makers would tell a random bike messenger to F-off when he calls up to challenge them to race through Manhattan. Not Mercedes. They have a guy ready to go.
It kind of makes me want to call them up to see what else I can get them to do. Maybe guy on foot vs. Mercedes S-class race to the top of the empire state building? Snowboard vs. Mercedes GLK big air contest?

By: nycbiker

nycbiker — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:56:23 +0000

oh, the biker won.
nevermind.

By: nycbiker

nycbiker — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:41:51 +0000

This HOWLER of a car commercial has to be the best corporate gift TA could hope for.

I haven’t seen part 2, but I wonder… what happens?

I hope TA will email their own “ad” (link above in a separate post) to Mercedes, and challenge the automaker to post the documentary on their corporate website.

If Mercedes refuses, how about TA proposing a public “re-match” to challenge the automaker? In this re-match, the cyclist and the driver would be required to use a route available to both cyclists and Mercedes drivers.

Should be a fun summer-project for TA, and would no doubt generate much coverage…

PS: what self-respecting NYC bike messenger would ever wear a helmet like that?

By: Brooklyn

Brooklyn — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:36:16 +0000

Holy crap is that awful acting. Nice that they start at Grant’s Tomb, however, a fitting homage to the racing that’ll be taking place there this weekend.

By: Rolando Peñate

Rolando Peñate — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:26:35 +0000

I miss the “Ad nauseum” moncker y’all used to prepend to stories about transit or bicycling in advertising.