TALKING POINTS
Who needs women’s bikes?
By Jake Voelcker, owner, Bicycleworks N
owadays we are more aware than ever of inclusivity and the importance of avoiding sexism. So it’s crucial for bike shops to stock a few female-specific bikes and
women’s accessories, right? Wrong! Our experience at Bicycleworks has taught us the opposite. Let me explain… Many female customers tell us that traditionally, too many
bike shops have been pretty intimidating and patronising places to visit. Even experienced cyclists and competent mechanics were ‘spoken down’ to simply because they happen to be female, and there was a dire shortage of bikes, components and accessories in sizes which suit many women. It was as if all cyclists were male, and female cyclists were not worth considering. To address this issue, the bike industry has introduced
female-specific geometry frames, and women-specific saddles (and glittery bells, and pink drinks bottles). Hooray! Long overdue, some say. But there are several problems with this approach. For a start, it doesn’t really solve the problem if the staff selling the female-specific bike are still intimidating and patronising towards women. And too often, the women’s products are one-size-fits-all,
literally and metaphorically. The range of women’s bikes is much smaller than the range of men’s bikes. What about taller women? What about all the women who don’t want a bike in pastel colours with ‘feminine’ logos and graphics?
www.bikebiz.com
The introduction of female-specific bikes and accessories means that some women have ended up buying these products when they would probably have been better served by the men’s version. And some men would prefer a wider saddle or a short-reach cockpit, but because these are labelled ‘women’s’ they don’t buy them. For most physical measurements that are relevant to
cycling (e.g. sit-bone width, or leg length, or peak power output) there is more range within each sex than there is between the sexes. In other words, the difference between the tallest man and the shortest man is greater than the difference between the average man and the average woman. So does it even make sense to split products into ‘men’s’ and ‘women’s’? At Bicycleworks we have found time and time again that many women prefer a so-called men’s frame. We also have male customers (and indeed some of our male staff) who ride ‘women’s’ frames because the step-through shape is so practical; men who prefer a wide and soft ‘women’s’ saddle; and men who just happen to like a pink bike. We therefore don’t call our bikes ‘men’s’ and ‘women’s’ - we simply say what they are: step-through and conventional. It is reassuring to see movement in this direction in some
other parts of the industry too. For example, Madison have switched from calling their saddles ‘men’s’ and ‘women’s’ to simply ‘standard’ and ‘short’. Everyone understands what these names mean. Nobody is stigmatised or excluded by
April 2022 | 45
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
