A bike manufacturer trying to appeal to women has been met with outrage thanks to their belief that “female cyclists do not generally need to push their limits.”

The ‘Superior Bikes’ website includes one ‘MTB Lady’ among their collection of race, full suspension and fat bikes (not for ladies one must assume).

The bike description reads:

Female cyclists do not generally need to push their limits, race against time and increase their adrenaline when riding rough downhill trails. They just want to enjoy the time spent in nature on the bike, and their expectations from the bike are completely diff erent than men’s. They look mainly for safe, easy and, of course, stylish bikes that have good and natural handling.

Bikes that can briskly ride on asphalt surfaces and are reliable even in a more rugged terrain. Bikes that can be easily mounted and safely dismounted at any time… Allow us to introduce our MODO collection, specially designed by women for women.

Each sentence reads like a painful blow to womankind and everything we stand for at TWC.

Of course, there are some women who DO just want to enjoy time spent in nature on the bike – but to claim all women shy away from the idea of increasing their adrenaline levels is ludicrous.

The bike’s ‘Technology’ tab contains a selection of diagrams, listing “Comfort Geometry”, “Comfortable Grips”, “Easy Handling Concept” and “Easy Step In”. Heaven forbid something ever be difficult or uncomfortable, clearly.

The page has been shared across the cycling community and has of course raised not just eyebrows, but large chunks of hair as some of us feel a deep sense of frustration in the industry.

We shared the page with our Facebook users, who chimed in with some great comments – to pass on just a few:

Karen: “It’s the corset and bustle that makes riding so difficult…oh no wait we’re NOT in Victorian England… Idiots”

Ju: “Think I broke a nail stabbing my middle finger at the screen just now…. Best not ride my bike then. It’s neither safe nor fashionable.”

Sharon: “Market research fail … The 1950’s called, they want their ads back.”

Interestingly, the company’s most recent Facebook update (posted 23 hours ago, after the first tweets began to appear) suggests a greater understanding of what women need from a bike – though the “SUP” on the rider’s downtube suggests it doesn’t belong to the ‘lady’ range.

What do you think is going on here – has someone in marketing lost the plot or is this just a harmless collection of typos in one short product description?