More and more, I’ve been noticing bikes show up in mainstream advertising. Sometimes they just happen to be in the background: a bike hanging up in the garage during a car commercial, or a quickly passing shot of grandparents riding with their grand kids in an ad for the latest arthritis medication. But every once in awhile a bicycle plays a larger role in the story line of a commercial. See below for a compilation of bikes, front and center!

1) Verizon Wireless: Kicking things off is a commercial that I’m pretty sure aired during the Super Bowl. Here a bike is used for a grand romantic gesture. And who wouldn’t want to ride all over San Francisco?

2) Ace Hardware: The bike is used to rally the troops and go into battle to reclaim the weekend!

3) Michelob Ultra: This is an older one, but including bikes makes sense if the spokesperson for your “active lifestyle” beer is the most famous cyclist in America.

4) Cars.com: A bicycle plays a small but formative role for Timothy Richman growing up.

5) Toyota: Bikes – the Social Media cure!

6) Subaru: Again, this commercial is focused on the “active lifestyle” segment and bikes are featured front and center throughout.

7) Quaker: Lesson learned from a 12 year old? All you need to have a great day is a bike and some oatmeal!

8) Kia: A car company actually suggesting drivers share the road?  Awesome!

9) Audi: I came across this Brazilian ad, and with it’s focus on mountain bikes, you wouldn’t even realize that it’s a car commercial until the last 10 seconds or so!

It seems like marketers think that including bikes, which are fun and exciting, help sell their products. So what do you think?  Where have you seen bikes in advertisements?

Tim Kelley is the former BikeArlington Operations Manager. He has since moved to Seattle to start new biking adventues on a new coast.