Originally Posted by
timtak
I may well be, or rather, no you have convinced me. I am being histrionic but, I do think that this is issue is relates to life and death. That means that the over promotion of comfort bikes may be causing death but it does not mean that riding a comfort bike will kill you.
There's definitely an obesity problem in the West, but to think that even part of the problem is because bikes are too comfortable is bonkers. Comfortable bikes are actually part of the solution, because it encourages people to move more. It makes them work slightly harder for distance covered, but the important metric is moving time. 100w for 30 minutes is exactly the same workout at 8mph on a fat bike or 28mph on a super aero racing bike.
The real problems are related to lifestyle, usually compounded/forced by poverty. Working sedentary jobs, spending hours sitting in a car/bus/couch, eating junk food and so on.