Re: [Ebbc-Talk] Getting more women on bikes

Robert and all,

As in many other areas, the Bay Area is leading the country in the number of women-owned bike shops and bike-related businesses.

As you mentioned, women have relatively abundant resources available to them here in EBBC land, but the scales are still tilted in 
favor of men in terms of who owns the businesses, how much of the inventory in shops is women-specific, and how many of sales 
are made by and to women.

While it is certainly gratifying to see how much progress has been made in adequately serving female cyclists--and that progress 
has been significant, especially locally--the USA cycling market and cycling industry still have a very long way to go overall,
which was the point of the article I posted.

Just like with bikes on BART, having better bike routes and laws, etc., we are making progress but we're clearly not done yet....

Jon

 
On May 12, 2012, at 6:38 PM, Robert Prinz wrote:

> Women-owned bike shops. It has been mentioned before but there are a lot of great options in Oakland with Tip Top, Manifesto, and Bay Area Bikes all co-owned by women. I imagine it can be a big turn off for a woman to walk into a shop full of dudes who have little to no experience fitting women for bikes and might not take their concerns about urban riding seriously.
> 
> Also, without stereotyping too much, some studies have shown that women bikers tend to be more risk-averse than men, and prefer bike infrastructure with better protection from auto traffic, even if it results in a slightly slower ride.
> 
> Infrastructure and products that support riding with children and carrying cargo are also important, as despite all of our societal gains women still tend to take more responsibility for childcare and family shopping. (Again, these are generalizations, I know).
> 
> More women transportation planners, more women bike advocates, more women bike manufacturers, the list goes on and on...
> 
> -Robert
> 
> On May 12, 2012, at 1:45 PM, Eric McCaughrin <emccaughrin-/[email protected]> wrote:
> 
>> Appropriate gear? What does that mean? Unless you are riding for sport, there is no gear required.
>> 
>> 
>> ________________________________
>> From: Jon Spangler <[email protected]>
>> To: EBBC Discussion List <[email protected]> 
>> Cc: BikeAlameda List <[email protected]> 
>> Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 10:15 AM
>> Subject: [Ebbc-Talk] Getting more women on bikes
>> 
>> I'm glad I'm seeing more women on bikes all the time: yesterday at BikeAlameda's BTWD station at Peet's and at the Bike Away from Work Party in Oakland, 
>> for examples. But it is still more challenging for women to find appropriate gear and bikes than it is for men. And that's just part of it:
>> 
>> http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/05/getting-more-women-bikes/1984/
>> 
>> 
>> Jon Spangler
>> Writer/editor
>> Linda Hudson Writing
>> TEL  510-864-2144
>> CEL 510-846-5356
>> [email protected] 
>> www.linkedin.com/in/jonmspangler
>> www.twitter.com/jonmspangler
>> 
>> 
>> "She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life."
>>  —Frances E. Willard, in A Wheel Within a Wheel: How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle (1895)
>> 
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Jon Spangler
Writer/editor
Linda Hudson Writing
TEL  510-864-2144
CEL 510-846-5356
[email protected] 
www.linkedin.com/in/jonmspangler
www.twitter.com/jonmspangler


"She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life."
  —Frances E. Willard, in A Wheel Within a Wheel: How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle (1895)

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