Offered without comment: New York Times today on women cyclists

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anne on October 11, 2012 at 8:03pm

can't...comment...choking...

to recycle an old quote: a woman needs a Citron Gogo Dirndl like a Fish needs a Bicycle

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Permalink Reply by Lugo on October 12, 2012 at 10:21am

Reading a book to learn how to ride a bike is as helpful as a book on how to ride a bike as a female. Barf.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 12, 2012 at 11:17am

Regardless of how you feel about the book, the fact that such a book exists (that cycling is becoming enough of a mainstream option) is an encouraging sign that a lot more people may join us on 2 wheels in the near future.  Having more cyclists on the roads increases our visibility, along with the message that cycling matters as a transportation option.

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Permalink Reply by Reba 4.0 mi on October 14, 2012 at 12:57am

Cycling as a fashion statement (female) v. cycling as a statement of one's economic, ecological, and political choices (male)... hmmm, and what year is this again?

I'm sorry, but I can only find this offensive. When women cyclists are reduced to their appearance and typed according to their clothing/style choices any credibility as equally intelligent citizens of the cycling community is tossed out the window. Let's face it, sex sells and this article is titillating at best.  

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 14, 2012 at 6:01am

I was trying to make lemonade out of the sexist lemons.

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on October 14, 2012 at 9:02am

Bikeyface just did a series of comics on this phenomenon. 

I won't snag them all but here is a sampling:

And conflating Mixte with Step-through frames is one of my pet peeves -so not the same thing  

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Permalink Reply by Bill Savage on October 14, 2012 at 9:25am

Bikeyface is my new hero.  Hilarious.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 14, 2012 at 10:02am

I've loved Bikeyface for a while, for this brilliant observation and so many more.

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Permalink Reply by MagMileMarauder on October 14, 2012 at 10:15am

"Even her heels have heels".... hahaha

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on October 14, 2012 at 10:19am

I think the line, "come back when you look like a woman,"  pretty much sums up the real problem with this phenomenon to me. 

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Permalink Reply by Reba 4.0 mi on October 14, 2012 at 10:25am

I agree, Ann, that's a more constructive choice. Cranky old feminists (me) aside, it is fantastic to see so many women on bikes in the city! 

Anne Alt said:

I was trying to make lemonade out of the sexist lemons.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle S on October 14, 2012 at 10:48am

I don't understand the negativity directed at this article, book or the movement in general. If women choose to wear their everyday clothing while riding their bikes, isn't that a good thing? It reflects that bicycling is no longer a fringe activity requiring special clothing, that women are given the freedom and choice to wear what they want to wear, and that women are choosing to ride bikes. If they want to wear jeans, that's fine, but if they want to wear skirts and heels, that's OK too. I know I do both regularly. The nice thing about living in a big city is that you can pretty much ride whatever bike you want and clothe yourself however you want to -- male or female -- and no one looks at you askance. I just want to see more women out there on their bikes.

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