Dangerous sales hokum

Carl

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Jan 30, 2012, 8:00:14 AM1/30/12

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I've today received this information from a shoe maker's UK agent:

"The (maker's name) Rowing Shoe gives a stronger stroke cycle which
means a faster race. These premium shoes, strap on tight and feature a
stiff lightweight outsole for super efficient power transfer to the foot
plate."

I'm horrified by such nonsensical & dangerous nonsense.

How, precisely, does a shoe give you "a stronger stroke cycle"? Indeed,
what does that expression actually mean? What evidence can this
manufacturer provide to justify what would otherwise be a bogus claim?

Next: how do you transfer power to the foot plate? Without motion,
there can be no power. Since there is never any relative motion between
shoe & stretcher (or I presume they intend there to be none), clearly
there is no power transfer & no power loss.

But...
Which utter idiot, clearly ignorant about rowing and its dangers (which
begs further questions about the maker's understanding of rowing),
thinks it smart to "strap on tight"? Do they want their clients to have
a much-increased risk of entrapment & death in an accident?

Rowing is awash with fictitious claims of equipment performance which
remain unsupported by even a scintilla of factual evidence. Even so, I
would suggest that this one takes the biscuit for inanity & folly.

Sadly, a great number of rowers will be taken in by this promotion.
Never mind the meaningless technobabble, many of them will come to
believe that rowing shoes need to be well tightened - or they won't get
that illusory "stronger stroke cycle". In which case that advertising
may kill.

Carl
--
Carl Douglas Racing Shells -
Fine Small-Boats/AeRoWing Low-drag Riggers/Advanced Accessories
Write: Harris Boatyard, Laleham Reach, Chertsey KT16 8RP, UK
Find: http://tinyurl.com/2tqujf
Email: ca...@carldouglas.co.uk Tel: +44(0)1932-570946 Fax: -563682
URLs: www.carldouglas.co.uk (boats) & www.aerowing.co.uk (riggers)

Walter Martindale

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Jan 30, 2012, 9:38:32 AM1/30/12

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> Email: c...@carldouglas.co.uk Tel: +44(0)1932-570946 Fax: -563682
> URLs: www.carldouglas.co.uk(boats) &www.aerowing.co.uk(riggers)

Marketing people don't THINK customers are gullible...
They know it.

Roger

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Jan 30, 2012, 2:07:54 PM1/30/12

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> They know it.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

This is the only "stronger stroke cycle" I can think of.

http://www.rowbike.com/

You're right Carl, this has got to be the biggest load of tripe
pedaled (pun intended) by a rowing related company yet. They could be
perfectly good rowing shoes but who would want to buy them given this
sort of advertising.

Roger

brianc

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Jan 30, 2012, 3:54:26 PM1/30/12

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Sounds very like the shoes on display at the Masters in Poznan fitted
in a Carl Douglas boat.

Carl

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Jan 30, 2012, 5:51:14 PM1/30/12

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On 30/01/2012 20:54, brianc wrote:
> On Jan 30, 7:07 pm, Roger<edonrow...@aol.com> wrote:
>> On Jan 30, 9:38 am, Walter Martindale<wmart...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>

>>
>>> On Jan 30, 8:00 am, Carl<s...@sss.jjj> wrote:
>>
>>>> I've today received this information from a shoe maker's UK agent:
>>
>>>> "The (maker's name) Rowing Shoe gives a stronger stroke cycle which
>>>> means a faster race. These premium shoes, strap on tight and feature a
>>>> stiff lightweight outsole for super efficient power transfer to the foot
>>>> plate."
>>

>>>> I'm horrified by such nonsensical& dangerous nonsense.

>>
>>>> How, precisely, does a shoe give you "a stronger stroke cycle"? Indeed,
>>>> what does that expression actually mean? What evidence can this
>>>> manufacturer provide to justify what would otherwise be a bogus claim?
>>
>>>> Next: how do you transfer power to the foot plate? Without motion,
>>>> there can be no power. Since there is never any relative motion between

>>>> shoe& stretcher (or I presume they intend there to be none), clearly
>>>> there is no power transfer& no power loss.

>>
>>>> But...
>>>> Which utter idiot, clearly ignorant about rowing and its dangers (which
>>>> begs further questions about the maker's understanding of rowing),
>>>> thinks it smart to "strap on tight"? Do they want their clients to have

>>>> a much-increased risk of entrapment& death in an accident?

>>
>>>> Rowing is awash with fictitious claims of equipment performance which
>>>> remain unsupported by even a scintilla of factual evidence. Even so, I

>>>> would suggest that this one takes the biscuit for inanity& folly.

>>
>>>> Sadly, a great number of rowers will be taken in by this promotion.
>>>> Never mind the meaningless technobabble, many of them will come to
>>>> believe that rowing shoes need to be well tightened - or they won't get
>>>> that illusory "stronger stroke cycle". In which case that advertising
>>>> may kill.
>>
>>>> Carl

>>

>>> Marketing people don't THINK customers are gullible...
>>> They know it.- Hide quoted text -
>>
>>> - Show quoted text -
>>
>> This is the only "stronger stroke cycle" I can think of.
>>
>> http://www.rowbike.com/
>>
>> You're right Carl, this has got to be the biggest load of tripe
>> pedaled (pun intended) by a rowing related company yet. They could be
>> perfectly good rowing shoes but who would want to buy them given this
>> sort of advertising.
>>
>> Roger
>
> Sounds very like the shoes on display at the Masters in Poznan fitted
> in a Carl Douglas boat.

Since I was not in Poznan, & we have never fitted that particular shoe
(it is, in any case, a new-for-2012 model - & in bright red), I have no
idea which shoes you saw fitted, into which of our boats, or who the
said exhibitor might have been. Could you tell us more?

Might you be confusing them with the Clicko shoes, fitted at client's
request, into a very beautiful golden (Avodire veneer) sectional 2x of
ours - the one being raced so successfully by the Poles?

Which returns us to the utter stuff-&-nonsense of that sales spiel.
What sort of irresponsible ignoramus would promote a rowing shoe with
the advice that you "strap on tight"? Who formulated that inane
technobabble about "stronger stroke cycle" & "super efficient power
transfer"?

Is it that there are now no lies too great to use in promoting a pair of
shoes? Does the manufacturer believe that all rowers have had their
brains sucked out through their nostrils? And, can the heel restraint
attachments on those shoes actually take the kind of loads which the can
meet in a typical emergency release - whether or not some fool has
"strapped on tight".

When selling a product into a rowing market, in which the fundamentals
of safety are so little understood or enforced, a major manufacturer can
so easily, & maybe in just one advert, corrupt & undo years of good
safety teaching. After all, Company X are a huge business & they've
just told me these fancy red jobs have to be "strapped on tight", so I
have to do that or I won't get the "super-efficient power transfer" for
which I've just paid (& they wouldn't have lied to me about that, would
they?).

I'm appalled, & will be taking this further. The brand has 3 stripes.

Carl

--
Carl Douglas Racing Shells -
Fine Small-Boats/AeRoWing Low-drag Riggers/Advanced Accessories
Write: Harris Boatyard, Laleham Reach, Chertsey KT16 8RP, UK
Find: http://tinyurl.com/2tqujf

brianc

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Jan 31, 2012, 7:57:39 AM1/31/12

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> Email: c...@carldouglas.co.uk Tel: +44(0)1932-570946 Fax: -563682
> URLs: www.carldouglas.co.uk(boats) &www.aerowing.co.uk(riggers)- Hide quoted text -

>
> - Show quoted text -

I never assumed it was a recommendation by you. The ones I saw were
made in Japan.

Brian

Carl

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Jan 31, 2012, 8:22:31 AM1/31/12

to

>> Since I was not in Poznan,& we have never fitted that particular shoe
>> (it is, in any case, a new-for-2012 model -& in bright red), I have no

>> idea which shoes you saw fitted, into which of our boats, or who the
>> said exhibitor might have been. Could you tell us more?
>>
>> Might you be confusing them with the Clicko shoes, fitted at client's
>> request, into a very beautiful golden (Avodire veneer) sectional 2x of
>> ours - the one being raced so successfully by the Poles?
>>
>> Which returns us to the utter stuff-&-nonsense of that sales spiel.
>> What sort of irresponsible ignoramus would promote a rowing shoe with
>> the advice that you "strap on tight"? Who formulated that inane
>> technobabble about "stronger stroke cycle"& "super efficient power
>> transfer"?
>>
>> Is it that there are now no lies too great to use in promoting a pair of
>> shoes? Does the manufacturer believe that all rowers have had their
>> brains sucked out through their nostrils? And, can the heel restraint
>> attachments on those shoes actually take the kind of loads which the can
>> meet in a typical emergency release - whether or not some fool has
>> "strapped on tight".
>>
>> When selling a product into a rowing market, in which the fundamentals
>> of safety are so little understood or enforced, a major manufacturer can

>> so easily,& maybe in just one advert, corrupt& undo years of good
>> safety teaching. After all, Company X are a huge business& they've

>> just told me these fancy red jobs have to be "strapped on tight", so I
>> have to do that or I won't get the "super-efficient power transfer" for
>> which I've just paid (& they wouldn't have lied to me about that, would
>> they?).
>>

>> I'm appalled,& will be taking this further. The brand has 3 stripes.

>>
>> Carl
>>
>> --
>> Carl Douglas Racing Shells -
>> Fine Small-Boats/AeRoWing Low-drag Riggers/Advanced Accessories
>> Write: Harris Boatyard, Laleham Reach, Chertsey KT16 8RP, UK
>> Find: http://tinyurl.com/2tqujf
>> Email: c...@carldouglas.co.uk Tel: +44(0)1932-570946 Fax: -563682

>> URLs: www.carldouglas.co.uk(boats)&www.aerowing.co.uk(riggers)- Hide quoted text -

>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> I never assumed it was a recommendation by you. The ones I saw were
> made in Japan.
>
> Brian

Many thanks, Brian. The penny has dropped. I think you saw the Shimano
SRD system? Their European rep is a charming Japanese guy, Masahiro
Okoshi. He works with Dutch friends of ours (Heeres Boat Service, from
Utrecht) &, yes, he has one of our singles.

What I can say about Shimano's system is that the foot release works.
There is also a pivoting action, built into the shoes' mountings, which
is pretty original. User opinions are, of course, divided, but there's
no doubting the effort that Shimano have put into the venture (we've
discussed this system on RSR in the past).

Cheers -

Carl

--
Carl Douglas Racing Shells -
Fine Small-Boats/AeRoWing Low-drag Riggers/Advanced Accessories
Write: Harris Boatyard, Laleham Reach, Chertsey KT16 8RP, UK
Find: http://tinyurl.com/2tqujf

Peter Ford

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Jan 31, 2012, 9:35:10 AM1/31/12

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On Jan 30, 10:51 pm, Carl <s...@sss.jjj> wrote:

The power application they must be talking about is how fast you can
heat up the water by wiggling the rudder, everyone knows the quality
of rowing shoes is only relevant when you're toe-steering!
[/frivolous]

In a more serious vein, obviously this is pretty bad. The idea that
some shoes could be more efficient than others for the purpose of
pushing is pretty bizarre to me; my only experience with said stripey
brand is that their shoes are too narrow for me, even when several
(length) sizes too big. And that the steering attachment to said shoes
in our Aylings 4- is stupidly designed, but I don't know if that's a
function of Aylings or the shoe manufacturer.

Peter