Pinarello apologises for sexist e-bike advert

Italian bike brand Pinarello has apologised for a sexist advertisement in which it suggested that women buy its new Nytro electric bike to be able to keep up with their boyfriends.

A post on Instagram earlier this week showed a picture of a woman with the caption: "I've always wanted to go cycling with my boyfriend but until now it seemed impossible. Soon anything will become possible."

The post was met with outrage on social media, and with some pointing out that the theme was also reinforced in Pinarello's press release accompanying the launch, which read:

Nytro aims at a wide target, from the one that has no time to train but would never miss a weekend ride with friends, to women who would like to follow easily the men’s pace, or even the ones who desire to experience cycling as a new way of life, climbing easily and going downhill safely, enjoying every single minute on the bike.

Many pointed out the obvious - that often, it's men who need to keep up with women.

For sale: 1x Pinarello track bike, has beaten men in races, motor not included https://t.co/N4qX2zVdea

— Christine Robson (@christinerobb0) November 22, 2017

Posting again to Instagram, Pinarello said: "Our recent Nytro advertisement failed to reflect the values of diversity and equality that are core to Pinarello. The Nytro is designed to make cycling accessible to more people and our advertisement clearly failed to convey that message. We sincerely apologize and have pulled the ad from all channels."

> Pinarello unveil Nytro electric road bike