Influencers: Marketing asset or trap? 2/3

Special Report – Part 2/3, Before we continue, A quick recap of Part 1: we explored all the positive aspects that cycling influencers bring: inspiration, education, community, openness, accessibility… And if you missed it, we invite you to start with the first part of the report in the current timetablesAnd for today, we're going down the small plateau: We talk business, partnerships, promo codes, storytelling too polished to be spontaneous… and potential pitfalls.

By Jeff Tatard – Photo: @jefftatard

The commercial trap: when influence becomes a commodity

But… because there is a “but”.

…and it’s also the time to remember something essential: while many influencers are paid to testto showcase or highlight equipment, at 3bikes That has never been the case. Never. None of our four writers were paid to say anything positive about a product.When something is excellent, we say so. When it's not good, we say so too. That's our policy: honesty, transparency, and total independence.

Of course, each of us at 3bikes arrives with his own preferences, our own habits, our own cycling history. We all have our biases and we certainly don't try to hide them. On the contrary: we embrace them, because they are part of our sincerity.

Un test 3bikes is never that of a neutral robotnor is it a perfectly objective algorithm. It is that of a real cyclist, with his feelings, his experiences, his demands, his favorites… and sometimes his disappointments.

More Acknowledging our biases does not mean being complacent.This means being transparent. Saying Why We like a product, how to We used it, under what conditions, and with what expectations. This means: contextualizing, explaining, and taking responsibility for our point of view, rather than hiding it behind a pseudo-neutrality.

Ultimately, what we publish is not a universal truth, but an honest and deliberate interpretation of material by one of the media outlet's four editors. And that is precisely what distinguishes us from sponsored content. the freedom to say what we truly think, without anyone buying our enthusiasm or our reservations.

The influencer's business model, even very bike-friendlyeven the one who starts all his videos with "Hey everyone, I hope you're all doing well!" It is, however, based on a small petrol engine that we all know: the business.

Sponsorships, product placements, affiliate links, -10% with the code CYCLISTELIFE, new product launches "Limited edition", “premium gravel kit in thermo-structured ripstop”, "Ultra-tech rain jacket that's water-resistant, windproof, and won't break the bank.". Brief : The reward? A nice entry ticket.And like in a peloton when you're going 55 km/h, everyone's in a line: Everything becomes a little less clear in terms of aerodynamics..

And then, inevitably, the questions start flying:

• Is the content truly selfless?Or, perhaps, lightly scented with the bittersweet aroma of paid partnership?
• Are brands scrutinizing the audience, or authenticity ?
• Do followers buy because "That's cool.", or because it's useful, really useful, or because they are afraid of being the only ones who don't have The Apidura carbon-look bag mounted on the seatpost?

And then there are the more blatant cases: when a cycling influencer is paid to do a review "Honest and transparent" of the latest model to €1 400 the pair of wheels, the message becomes blurry like a windshield in the rain without Rain-X. Yes, high-end equipment makes sense. Yes, it's nice. Yes, It makes it go faster. But for whom? For everyone? Or only for those who want to show off a bit more than a Garmin computer on their handlebars?… The kind of people for whom having a Karoo 3, two power meters, and a GoPro 12 means "I'm a minimalist, I only take the essentials."

This is where we enter a technical zone, like a muddy singletrack: the slippery slope of accessibility. Basically, cycling is supposed to be simple. You get on it. You pedal. You breathe. You come back. The end.

More commercial influence can easily give the impression that is absolutely necessary:

• the pair of glasses full mirror Oakley Sphaera,
• the "Pro Team Aero Thermal Light Mk3" kit (Desert Sand color),
• the latest venturi-optimized aero helmet,
• And that handlebar bag that costs more than the first Decathlon bike of your childhood,

to be "a true cyclist".

And little by little, without even realizing it, we slideNot because of worn tires, no. Because of the pressure: to be part of the club, to look cool on Instagram, not to be "the only one in the group driving a 2012 aluminum car with wheels that don't rumble." We go from simple pleasure to a kind of market of the visiblewhere dopamine sometimes comes more from likes than from kilometers.

And yet, we haven't even talked about the ultimate: The sponsored challenges where they offer you a ride 300 km in 24 hours to try and win: “A PAIR OF ULTRA-EXCLUSIVE CARBON WHEELS (value: one minimum wage) – prize draw among finishers*” (Spoiler alert: there are 48 finishers and only one winner. It's not you.)

As if suffering had become the ultimate badge, the totem, the entry ticket into the temple of modern cycling.

The dissonant message: community versus consumption

In an ideal world, the cycling influencer would be an amplifier of simple pleasure. : “Get in the saddle, breathe, look at the scenery, bytagE"In the real world, there is often this double standard: “Get in the saddle”, and “Buy this, wear that, film that.”
And that's where some cyclists start to raise an eyebrow.The message "Freedom, air, breathing" is sometimes accompanied by "Get to X kilometers/h, equip yourself with Y accessories, be visible". The amateur cyclist may feel like Tom Thumb. facing an industry that is trying to convert him into a consumer.
Remember that scene from one of our recent articles (which we still love): the cyclist who sets off with his Oakley Meta sunglasses screwed onto his nose, a line between two cars as in Ninja Warriorand imagines that the 12 cm space is equivalent to a carroute. This cyclist may be influenced by what he sees on the screen. : “It's okay”, “That’s cool,” “Try it”. And we end up valuing borderline trajectories, the extreme style, and sometimes the unnecessary.

Between ethics, transparency and responsibility

So: how do we maintain a positive influence?

Firstly, by recalling that Influence is not a flaw in itself. What matters is how to We influence. Because showing a Zone 2 workout while filming the sunrise is beautiful.
Showing a bag of 14 products received through a partnership under the pretext of "minimalist simplicity"That's... something else.

So here are a few principles that could save the ecosystem before we all end up buying €600 titanium pedals without knowing why…

Basically : Style and technique: OK, but with a little intelligence, a touch of kindness, and a generous helping of ethics..

Because the best influence... is the one that inspires without encouraging consumptionwho guides without patronizingand which reminds us that cycling, at its core, remains a simple pleasure: two wheels, a crankset, and a dose of lucidity to avoid ending up prisoners of marketing on carbon rims.

To conclude:
"transparency", diversity of stories, simplification, community, nuance.

An influencer doesn't exist for YouTube statistics, but for those who follow them.
If he explains, motivates, and democratizes, then his role is beneficial.
If he sells, oversells and wraps it all in a false sense of authenticity… then that's something else entirely.

In the next part…

In the part 3/3We will go even further: extreme excesses, loss of objectivity, influence that extends beyond cycling.
and above all a very real anecdote, you will see, a scene that took place in Canada which is like a magnifying mirror of what unbridled influence can become.

=> Review Part 1 of our report 

=> All articles Mag

=> The economics of influence: understanding a system that has become indispensable