I’ve been thinking about biking depictions in recent pop culture. Here are 4 characters I’ve seen in the last 3-4 years biking for transportation in television and why they’re problematic/underscore cycling as a fringe mode (not comprehensive, just shows I’ve happened to watch).

Jack Ryan: He makes cycling look sexy on his way to work, but is nearly killed by his (spoiler) not-yet-known boss in a sports car. Biking is used to show you his risk-tolerant edgy side. He is the exception not the rule in his bureaucratic desk job.

Conclusion: sexy but scary, not for normal folk /5

Kate in Workin’ Moms: I loved the first season of this for its hilariously honest depictions of motherhood. In a later season, Kate gets a job at a hipster startup and gets a bike to fit in. Biking is a disingenuous activity for her and she always looks silly/uncomfortable.

Also she never puts her kids on the bike. Her giant SUV is for that. Conclusion: biking is for young hipsters not 30-40-something moms /5

Mike in Suits: He’s a bike courier at the beginning, weaving through Manhattan traffic like the valiant young daredevil that he is. He continues to bike commute even after starting as a lawyer. The bike underscores his scrappiness and ...

...willingness to take criminal risks like like practicing law without a JD. Conclusion: (similar to Jack Ryan) biking is only for the very risk-tolerant, especially invincible white males under 30.

Modern Love: Anne Hathaway’s character joyfully bikes around NYC in her colorful clothes and front basket. However, if I recall correctly, she only bikes when she’s in a heightened, manic state. She is bipolar and does not seem to use her sparkly bike when she is low.

Conclusion: biking is fun, but a bit frivolous and only for when we feel good, not a constant object of simple utility to help cope with daily life. As an aside, biking was/is an important tool for me in battling clinical depression. /5