CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

"If This Is Women’s Cycling, Include Me Out"

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    That's the title of the latest post on the unique Jacquie Phelan's blog.

    Anyone who's ever come across her, at races, in print or in person (she's been to Scotland/Edinburgh) knows that she is passionate about cycling - and getting more people to ride.

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    .

    Not only can she ride, (not quite as fast as when she was a pioneering Mountain Bike pro), she can write. But being past several 'certain ages' (and of course not male) her opinions can be sidelined.

    In spite of people like her, the bike industry still generally doesn't (even begin to) understand that on one hand women want to be treated as people, but that for biological/anatomical/social reasons may have different requirements.

    Jacquie's post links to another which picks up on a "reader's comment" - "a lot of women walk in not knowing what they want, they need to do research and ask the right questions”.

    Mtb shopping cartoon by Greta Snider

    Cartoon by Greta Snider

    Posted 14 years ago #

  2. Min
    Member

    Things have improved a lot in the last 10-15 years. Cycling magazines now have pictures of women in with their clothes on AND zipped up. I think in the mainstream press though, women sports stars still have to get their kit off to get any acknowledgement of their existance.

    (I'm still finding my posts are vanishing off the edge of the box?)

    ADMIN NOTE - fixed line end 'issue', but can't figure what's causing it.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  3. ravenbait
    Member

    Still get treated like dumb airheads with half a clue by a significant number of shop staff, though. I had to be dragged out of a shop-you-have-heard-of by a mate last year before I savaged the male salesperson like a rabid dog for being patronising.

    Sam

    Posted 14 years ago #

  4. recombodna
    Member

    I think bike shops treat everyone like that male or female!

    Posted 14 years ago #

  5. chdot
    Admin

    "Women in the Bike Industry, Who is to Blame?" « Bike Shop Girl -

    http://bit.ly/daF9p2

    Posted 14 years ago #

  6. Dave
    Member

    What I'd love to understand is, if bike shops / manufacturers are genuinely failing 50% of their customer base, it would seem like there is money on the table for new manufacturers/bike shops to step in with a better offering, or for one of the existing ones to sieze a chunk of this market.

    Why haven't they?

    Posted 14 years ago #

  7. chdot
    Admin

    "if bike shops / manufacturers are genuinely failing 50% of their customer base"

    I don't think "fail" is the right word.

    Clearly some manufacturers/retailers are better than others.

    There is also a difference between customer base and potential customers.

    There can't be many bike shops (in the world) where 50% of the customers are female - unless they are very deliberately catering for women.

    In general people who ride bikes are more likely to be male. Edinburgh is unusual - in many ways- seeing a high percentage of general bike riders being women is one of them.

    In the past a lot of bike shops weren't particularly friendly unless you were 'their sort of cyclist' - usually a road racer.

    It would be good if bike shops had more female staff - mechanics and sales. But I suspect that (for many reasons) girls/women don't apply.

    Posted 14 years ago #

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