Where were the women?

[GrasB]

Women cyclists? On my commute the last few working weeks a cyclist riding has been a rare event... that said I saw a sexy blond on her bike saturday afternoon, but does it count watching your other half just ride the bike down the road to check everything is in the right place after a service?

 

[just4fun]

on my cycle to work there is a stunning female cyclist but i have only seen her 3 times in the last year, i find this to be only one of the many perils of shift work.

 

[Wheeledweenie]

I saw two other ladies this morning but at least 10 men. AND one of the ladies was being a nobber, undertook me very close then ran a red light at a dangerous junction without looking. Sigh.

 

[WimbledonCyclist]

I suspect now that the low number of ladies (1) during my morning commute was just a freak chance of luck, because I saw quite a few on the way home.

I posted yesterday to see whether ladies were more prone to leaving the bike at home in the cold, or whether it was just the freak chance of luck it turned out to be ...

And Weenie - I never meant to cause you any blushes. My post probably lacked a clear pointe; I was merely having a general rant about the spurious label "serious cyclist". If I had wanted to cause blushes, I would probably have asked about the background to two bras in your panniers, but I would of course never do such a thing.

 

[Wheeledweenie]

And Weenie - I never meant to cause you any blushes. My post probably lacked a clear pointe; I was merely having a general rant about the spurious label "serious cyclist". If I had wanted to cause blushes, I would probably have asked about the background to two bras in your panniers, but I would of course never do such a thing.

I was joining in with the fun-making of 'serious' and no offence was taken

PS I could explain the two bras but feel free to let your imagination run wild!

 

[chap]

It is a shame that there aren't many women cyclists, although the rate is picking up in London. I guess, it could be used to judge how safe and efficient cycling is perceived to be in the capital. I doubt it is all about style, as some would argue - although that does play a large part role amongst the middle-class I would imagine.

 

[brokenbetty]

It is a shame that there aren't many women cyclists, although the rate is picking up in London. I guess, it could be used to judge how safe and efficient cycling is perceived to be in the capital. I doubt it is all about style, as some would argue - although that does play a large part role amongst the middle-class I would imagine.

Don't underestimate how important style is to a large number of women. Look how many of us choose to wear shoes that inhibit walking! There's a lot of retail space worldwide dedicated to women's clothes, hair and cosmetics - it wouldn't be there if people weren't buying it. There's a reason you see racks of glossy fashion and beauty mags but never a copy of "Practical Frump Monthly"

Basically we do get judged on what we look like so most of us respond to that by caring quite a lot about it. For example, it takes a lot more grooming for a woman to achieve the "professional female" look than it does for man to achieve the equivalent professional male look, and that sort of stuff genuinely does matter in a lot of jobs. That makes commuting by bike a bigger ask for a woman than a man.

Meanwhile, many of the women who aren't working have even more practical problems using a bike, AKA getting kids around!

Finally, for Londoners especially there is storage. I think lugging a bike up to a second floor flat may be putting quite a few ladies off as well. It's not that we can't, you realise, it's just that we tend not to see ourselves doing it.

Safety is certainly a part of it, but when I block out brokenbetty and ask the conventional ladee within to imagine herself cycling, I get an overwhelming sense that it is just - impractical.

What do we need to fix that?

• comfortable, stylish clothes so she doesn't need to keep changing
• improved cycle routes - not for safety per se, but to smooth the ride from a series of start-accelerate-stops to a slow, measured progression so the rider arrives calm and unflustered (interestingly, this brings provision for the lady cyclist slapbang into conflict with the more aggressive cyclist who will want to go as fast as the situation permits at any given time)
• ability to park the bike easily where ever she wants to go - this could be a stand and lock built into the bike rather than external racks
• some way of storing stuff securely on the bike so you don't have to haul your inner tube and tyre irons round Tescos. Or maybe something like the AA for bikes!
• dynamo lights
• secure external storage
• ability to increase luggage capacity easily if she buys a bit more than she intended to! Something like the bike equivalent of Ikea selling roofracks, though I have no idea what that would be.
• general acceptance that a helmet is not essential, especially given the riding style above
• lots of role models! The inner lady is a conservative creature, but if she sees a lot of people she identifies utility cycling she will gladly embrace it

Heehee - I just read that back and I think I've described Copenhagen! Which is interesting as the whole segregated bike thing is not something I personally subscribe to. But then I'm the sort of woman who will ride in London today, and maybe to make it a mass culture thing we do need to go down the segregated route and go for mass but slow.

Anyone else's inner lady have different ideas?

 

[chap]

Don't underestimate how important style is to a large number of women.

...

Thank you for your post, perhaps I did underestimate the importance of looks, and I guess for this the whole Cycle Chic movement may get a few more feminine bottoms on saddles (preferably Brooks.)

Although, I would disagree about your comparison between men and women on judgement and convenience, lets just agree to disagree there though as that would most certainly open up a nasty can of worms

I agree with your proposals though

 

[ttcycle]

Thank you for your post, perhaps I did underestimate the importance of looks, and I guess for this the whole Cycle Chic movement may get a few more feminine bottoms on saddles (preferably Brooks.)

I'm a bit torn about all this, I understand for a majority of women that appearance is very important (having fallen victim to this in my teens in one form or another but thankfully I left that behind) and looking good on the bike initiatives may get more women cyclists onto a bike but how do we move on from this if the subconscious message to women is always about how you look doing X activity. Yes yes, I agree, it is a factor to be able to present yourself well but surely, it's not the only factor in life. I'm all for getting more people on bikes but I don't know if these new niches are a long term healthy solution.

Take for example the Madison catalogue for clothes- the mens section is about utility and safety and the womens page was all about how to look good and to not look as if you've cycled in. Utter trash really.

I also think that this obsession with appearance is not limited to just women now...it's slowly spreading and becoming an insiduos part of society.

 

[chap]

I'm a bit torn about all this, I understand for a majority of women that appearance is very important (having fallen victim to this in my teens in one form or another but thankfully I left that behind) and looking good on the bike initiatives may get more women cyclists onto a bike but how do we move on from this if the subconscious message to women is always about how you look doing X activity. Yes yes, I agree, it is a factor to be able to present yourself well but surely, it's not the only factor in life. I'm all for getting more people on bikes but I don't know if these new niches are a long term healthy solution.

Take for example the Madison catalogue for clothes- the mens section is about utility and safety and the womens page was all about how to look good and to not look as if you've cycled in. Utter trash really.

I also think that this obsession with appearance is not limited to just women now...it's slowly spreading and becoming an insiduos part of society.

Definetly so, perhaps the fashion solution is not the best long-term approach. However, it could be an important catalyst - this is assuming that this is part of the problem.

I must confess, that many of my theories with regard to cycle advocation, rely on the premise that people will favour the most convienient solution, thus will adapt.

This I have noticed around parts of London where cycling has really taken off, in these places they have stemmed from the inefficiency of using a car for short journeys (or arguably any in London), the price and restrictions of public transport (although we do have one of the, if not the, best solutions in the country at a very good rate: £1.20 end to end), and flexibility in general. Thus, when more people start cycling, it shall become even safer, and they will recognise the benefits of it.

In this respect, I am hoping that if more women are convinced to cycle, the attrition rate will reduce, and behind such numbers more attention shall be spent focused on improving conditions for them. This could start with seriously tackling the HGV problem, rather than vapidly demanding more driver or cyclist education programs - something which should never be alone the totality or central part of the solution.

I guess on the fashion front, more inspired designers are required as well. If more women are getting into cycling, more cycling friendly clothes, accessories, and accoutrements should be made available. I know this is all sounding rather free-market capitalist, but there is already a visible drive towards this thing.

I remember not long ago on a commute having a nice chat, at the lights with a lovely lady on a racing bike wearing normal clothes.

 

[Tubbs]

When I speak to other women at work the main concern is safety and the fact that they've not been on a bike since they were about 5. I think boys tend to ride bikes more as kids, learning tricks and taking more risks, so probably feel more confident to ride as adults.

Some of the women are actually horrified at the thought of cycling on the road - but have said if there were completely separate cycle lanes they would consider it.

I don't think the sight of me arriving in the morning has anything to do it.... aherm.

 

[ttcycle]

Cycling advocacy is something very close to my heart.

In relation to London there are several factors. I think the rising costs of public transport in combination with the ease of using a bike and the C2W schemes have really pushed things in a positive direction. However, the one thing that also got people cycling was the tube bombings as there was a massive spike after then, this is according to a friend that works in the industry.

I think that the availability of cycling specific items should be determined by the people that want them and not through being pushed onto people. That I understand is a very grey area.

Odd however that cycling is percieved as not safe- if we're talking re statistics (which are in no way perfect) cycling is very safe, but why do people think it's unsafe- esp those that feel that is a barrier to cycling for themselves.That is what interests me the most- perceived safety.

 

[ttcycle]

When I speak to other women at work the main concern is safety and the fact that they've not been on a bike since they were about 5. I think boys tend to ride bikes more as kids, learning tricks and taking more risks, so probably feel more confident to ride as adults.

Some of the women are actually horrified at the thought of cycling on the road - but have said if there were completely separate cycle lanes they would consider it.

I don't think the sight of me arriving in the morning has anything to do it.... aherm.

That one crops up a lot- with friends of mine who don't cycle, male and female and I've agreed to lead them out on a ride one to one- since mos of them tend to be shorties like me they can borrow a bike of mine

 

[chap]

Cycle Chic in the UK

I realise that my vague musing may irritate without concrete examples, thus I have provided these links to illustrate what it is exactly that I am twittering on about

• London Cycle Chic - blog, now also a store
• Cyclodelic - womens fashion
• Bobbin Bicycles - fantastic!
• The London Paper article on cycle chic
• Article about Cyclodelic opening in Top Shop
• Guardian article about Brompton - 35-40% owners are women

 

[potsy]

Must admit I see very few women on bikes here on the commute,at work there is one woman who occasionally cycles in out of maybe 40 that work here.
I'm sure safety is a big part of it,although one woman, who I know rides a bike socially,drives in despite only living maybe 3/4 of a mile away.