Keith99

More they underestimated the speed of the fat guy in spandex. Some fools don't realize us big guys can go pretty fast on the flats, still it is hard to run down a car.

Honestly even the skinniest scrawney guy is enough to stop harassment before it ever starts, as long as he is right there. The biggest meanest guy you can imagine is no tenough if he is 20 feet away.

slowandsteady

Fat guy in spandex huh?

Keith99

I'm calling myself big from now on. On the fat scale I have been dwarfed.

idoru2005

We challenge each other all the time and call each other on the BS we each spew. It's called being honest with one another. One thing both of us despise is laziness and excuses. I'm not saying you don't have that kind of dynamic in your relationship, but we certainly do. And no, it doesn't always lend towards an easy and non-confrontational existence. But at least we push each other to be the best we possibly can in any given situation.

hshearer

Getting back to the harrasment thing, it does happen, and it can be off-putting. I double-flatted once in a downtown area. Walking my road bike, I got a few whistles, etc. That, I don't mind too much, since it's pretty harmless, and there were lots of people around.

But I think even the most fearless women (and I'd say I'm one) experience feelings of caution in certain situations. It's not a nice feeling, but we grow up being taught to be cautious. I was once riding an isolated rural trail, and I passed a couple young guys sitting beside the trail on their home-made motorized mountain bikes. A few minutes later, I heard them coming up behind me. I started to wonder if something bad was about to happen, like maybe just a slap on the bum as they passed, maybe worse, and so I watched my mirror very closely. I realized I was feeling vulnerable because I was alone and 'slow'; being fast is a big part of the reason I feel confident riding alone on the trails. These guys changed the dynamic by using motors (not allowed). Of course, the worst thing that happened as they passed was that I inhaled some rank fumes. But you never know. What if they'd just been waiting for a single woman to come along?

I can easily imagine, if I was slower than your average guy on a bike, I'd be a lot less likely to want to go for a solo ride. We frequently see news stories about men exposing themselves to women riding bike trails... the guy usually has arrived on a bike himself. That would be enough to put me off of riding isolated trails solo.

slowandsteady

Let me guess, you also tell her the truth when she asks if her butt looks big in a certain outfit? Women(people) want to be heard and supported, not called out. Your's sounds like an exhausting relationship the way you describe it. How long have you been married?

I can't imagine being "confronted with my BS" or "pushed" for 50-60 years. Motivation should be intrinsic. I don't need nor do I want some other person dragging me through life as if I were a toddler being told to finish her peas or else there is no dessert. Some people seem to confuse a marital type relationship with a parental relationship.

idoru2005

Slowandsteady, this last post is getting out of hand. It's none of your business how long I've been married. Stick to the topic.

crhilton

There are group rides that don't use pace lines? Boring!

redeyedtreefr0g

I'd like to contribute my two cents to this topic. I've gotten a new bicycle for my birthday and would like to ride it more, but for several reasons I haven't done so.

About the bike first: it does matter to me what it looks like. I chose the bike from Target after I decided that I liked biking enough as an exercise option that I should get something better than my (rusty) mountain bike. I wanted skinny tires, having never had them before and wanting to go a little faster. I wanted a chain guard, since my mountain bike loved to grab my jeans. I wanted a rack on the back that I could attach a basket to to take my jack russel along, or to get a bag of groceries or something.
I was looking at Target.com when I found the cheapest hybrid I could with all that. I was not willing to put down $200 for it. I asked for it for my birthday. My mom surprised me a lot by ordering it online when we couldn't find it in the stores and paid an extra $50 in shipping costs. I would love to have a green bike (my favorite color, plus lime green would be pretty and very visible) and eventually I might paint it. The men's version was a gorgeous sparkly brown.

It was difficult for me to ride for several reasons even after I got a bike I liked. My husband is very worried for my safety and protective. The six miles it would take to commute to work is along a 55mph highway where he and most others speed. There is also a bare stretch which can get very dark. There is a shoulder glorified by signs to be called a bike lane part of the way. (The shoulder doesn't change, but after a while the "bike lane" ends, for some reason.) I can understand why he would not like me to ride to work at 5am alone.

I also am currently the only one in the house with a bicycle. It is very hard for me to leave a house and just go out for a ride. I had nowhere to go, for one thing, and I would feel odd going out by myself.
When I was alone with the dogs I would sometimes take my little 4-wheeled peddle car (no bike at that time) out for rides. I went 9 miles accidentally one day, but again, I felt bad leaving my dogs home alone when they would much rather have my company. The beagle wasn't thrilled about the bucket I put on a trailer to take him with me- he howled endlessly and I wasn't in the mood to work with him over it.

Now that we have moved and work is only 3 miles away and we have nice wide roadways here with low speed limits, and a much better area, I'm very much looking forward to commuting to work. I could also use the bike trail to go 6 miles to downtown, where there is a library and a game store. I have an enclosed child trailer that I hope to use to convince my roommate to ride with me. She has a nearly-one-year-old daughter. I'm partly nervous about going out in a new area, but mostly I have not ridden yet because we're back to having to abandon a household of people to do so. I also have a slow leak in the rear tire and its a convenient deterrent when I know I'll have to spend a bunch of time using the tiny frame pump to get the bike ready to go.

For me the vulnerability is a big factor. I am small at 5'2" and have never been in a fight in my life. I know size doesn't matter- my husbands aunt is an inch shorter and could beat the fight out of an aggressive horse and does so on a regular basis. If I knew for sure that I could at least defend myself against an attacker, perhaps I'd have more confidence to ride alone. The chance is remote, but as another poster pointed out, we are taught from a young age to be wary of being caught alone. I plan to learn some form of karate once we're settled in here.

I never really considered a bicycle as a form of transportation before. Or recreation, really, since we're back to going out alone is a strange thing to do with two sisters who could go with you. We went to McDonald's once for ice cream. The bike seats hurt us for 3 days afterwards, I remember. We didn't try that anymore, though it was a neat idea. If my mom had encouraged us to ride more and gone with us or organized trips, perhaps we'd have kept up with it. As it was, a bike was a christmas present to be used a few times a year and then sit collecting dust and rust until we got a new one.

alicestrong

Good for you! I have some pepper spray velcroed to my handlebars, as I commute daily in an area with stray dogs and other threats.

That slow leak may be a teeny, teeny tiny thorn in your tire..

Keith99

I've never had a case of somethgin staying in the tube. Tire is a different story.

A slow leak in a tub can easily be found if yuo have a sink. just fill it and hold the tube (or in practice a part of the tube at a time) until you see bubbles. Even the slowest of leaks is visible. The chance the the leak is in the valve should not get forgotten.

If the tires are installed professionally then the decals on hte tire will line up with the valve. Why? because that way once yuo find a leak in hte tube yuo can line up the tub and tire again and check for thorns of glass where the leak is. (A quick check of the whole tire is worthwhile also.

One of the most annoying things to pickup in a tire is a bit of steelbelt material from a car tire. It can be very difficult to find and remove. I've had it happen three times and only once found it on the first try.

rekmeyata

Very interesting comment. A lot of people get married unconsciously thinking the other is a parent. I see the "parent" spouse on forums all the time whenever the subject of a road breakdown comes up. The broken down rider carries no tools but does carry a cell phone, so they call their "mommy" to come rescue them. I've only had to call my wife twice in 30 years of marriage due to a bike problem, the first time I had crashed and called her from the hospital...thought she might want to know where I was! The second time I got diarrhea so bad that even the two Imodium AD's I carried failed to dent it, so after about 13 or 14 bouts it left me too weak to ride the remaining 12 miles back home, so I called her to come get me. I've seen guys calling their "mommies" because they can't even fix a flat! Why is an adult who is incapable of fixing a flat riding a bike at all?? They ought to be taking up a different sport like basket weaving.

redeyedtreefr0g

The idea of using water to find a leak by air bubbles is a good one. I hadn't even thought to check it yet, but Grandad uses soapy water all the time to check the bead of car tires. We even have a little doggy pool so I can dunk the whole tube at once. I'll be sure to do that, thanks. I happen to have a patch kit that came with a multitool

And just so you know, I am definitely looking forward to getting some skirts and riding in them. I'm a beader and I thought I could make gorgeous sparkly skirt guards instead of crocheted ones. My husband and roommates and I just started P90X and I'm a sewer. I plan to get some patterns after the 90 days and make some awesome clothes to go with my improved physique. It's amazing how simply changing diet will improve your mood and therefore self-esteem. Exercise of course contributes, and I know I'll get to that point soon, this is a restart for my husband and I. We'll make it this time!

alicestrong

Yeah I meant tire,sorry not enough caffeine I guess..

hotbike

I beg to differ with you, but have you seen the bpstealth?

https://www.bpstealth.com/

It's a Carbon Fiber Monocoque frame, and it only has a single frame tube! It has a lower step over height than a diamond frame mens bike. Though clearly, it is not marketed to women as a "Ladies Bicycle", the BP Stealth Monocoque frame design shows how Carbon is uniquely suited for manufacturing or building light-weight, high-end, ladies bicycles.
I would say that the BP Stealth design could be re-designed with an even lower step over height, at a cost of only a few extra grams of Carbon.

Did you know that Carbon Fiber tubes, of large diameter, can be filled with Foam ? , to prevent crushing , allowing the wall thickness to be extremely thin? It kind of works like air in a tire- when it's filled, it keeps its shape.

In the mean time, if anyone asks for a copy of the Fiberglass Ladies Bicycle designed by Mellisa, I will tell them I am not currently building anymore bikes, but then I will direct that person to https://www.bpstealth.com/

Heh, the only thing is, the price is not listed on the BP Stealth website, and you know, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it".

hotbike

I have just now sent this letter to BP Stealth, telling them what I think:


I hope you are doing good business. I have included a link (above) which shows a photograph of a very early (c.1991), monocoque frame design. It was designed by my Daughter. I have been telling people that Carbon Fiber will someday allow a Ladies Bicycle to be built which would be as strong as a Mens Bicycle.
I am not currently building bicycles, as I don't have the floor space anymore. However, If anyone asks about availability of "Fiberglass Ladies Bicycle designed by Mellisa" a.k.a. "Type 9", I think I should do you a good service by directing said potential customers to your website.
I believe you could make lucrative business by marketing a spin-off of the OCRR frame, to women, as a High End Ladies Bicycle.
I would beg to ask, what is the exact height of the OCRR "Top Tube"?
I can visualize a similar frame, just with the tube lowered approximately 4 inches, and your Company could have claim to "The Worlds Premier High End Ladies Bicycle".
Your website does not reveal a retail price, so I will refrain from giving you any market research data here, but please reply and tell me what you think.

James D_________

NFA Vehicles

__________

Glen Head, NY 11545

chrisb71

So does mine, I guess we are lucky. Though I don't say "fat" I'll say "you look fine" since I'm not trying to make her feel bad, but she would be more upset if she went out looking silly.

We've been reading a John M. Gottman book lately and according to him the couples that survive the best have a ratio of about 5 positive feedback statements to 1 negative statement. More negative and you're being too mean, too positive and you're not being honest. I find it really hard to keep saying positive things. She is better at it than I am.

BikeStyleSpokan

Tundra Man, has she ever tried the ride? There's no reason a 2-mile ride needs to leave anyone sweaty and in need of a shower, ridden at a comfortable pace. If you ride with her on a quiet Saturday--NOT to "get her to try bike commuting"--but to go get coffee somewhere (at no more than 10-12 mph pace or whatever she's comfortable with), she might get a different impression of what's involved.

I ride 2.5 miles to work with hair, makeup and clothing all set for work and don't have to do a thing when I get to work because I don't ride fast enough to sweat. It's uphill on the way home so I may sweat then on a hot day, but at that point it doesn't matter. The Cycle Chic movement is a bit over the top but it does signal that people wearing the kind of clothing women already have in their closet can ride a bike.

However, your wisdom after 17 years of marriage is not to be discarded lightly .

The comments here are all on target with concerns about appearance, safety, and self-image, along with the Mom Taxi duties that parents are afraid to give up because they have the idea that they endanger their children if they raise free-range kids who walk, ride their bikes or take transit to get places.

Biking has also been marketed as a highly technical activity--kind of funny, really, since the Wright Brothers would recognize most of today's bike mechanisms, unlike Henry Ford and a modern auto with all its computerized controls. Women are typically not socialized to think of themselves as mechanically capable. Being able to fix a flat tire or deal with a dropped chain has freed me from that limitation (on my bike--I can't say I'm capable of tackling the same types of issues on a car).

The industry itself needs to answer for this. Imagine being the woman B. Carfree thinks is the "average" American woman and send her into a bike shop staffed by people who think that same way. What am I saying--send her in? She won't even look at the door as she goes past the shop because she's expecting either to be scorned or ignored. Either way, she knows that's not a friendly, welcoming space. Women-only clubs, special ladies' nights at bike shops, and other women-only events are essential to breaking out of the stereotypes about cycling.

If cars were sold the way most bikes are sold only men would drive, and they'd all drive Ferraris wearing special outfits for driving. Car manufacturers figured out a long time ago that women influence most of the car purchases in America and they market accordingly. women make up over half the population--that's a lot of lost market share.

--barb
@BikeStyleSpok
bikestylespokane.com

gcottay

Thank you for the post, Barb, and for the link to bikestylespokane.com

buzzman

Likewise. An informative post. Thanks.

chipcom 

I think I love you, Barb...don't tell my wife!

Great post.

Tundra_Man 

We've gone on short casual family rides many times. A few weeks ago we were going to a cookout about 1.5 miles away and my son actually managed to convince her that being a beautiful evening with the temp in the mid-70s we should all just ride our bikes there.

We did wind up riding our bikes, and probably never broke 8 mph the whole trip. When we arrived, her first observation was, "I feel sweaty and gross. We should have driven." I'm pretty sure nobody else at the cookout thought of her as sweaty and gross, but that didn't change her perception.

We all have our areas where our perceptions don't match reality. That happens to be one of hers. At my age I've decided I don't want to expend the energy arguing about something that is a pretty minor issue in the grand scheme of life. So she wants to shower more often than me? Big deal. So she'll never be a bike commuter? I didn't marry her expecting her to become one.

My pendulum swings the other direction. I'll ride to the point where I am sweaty and gross but am too thick to realize that I could use a bath.

BikeStyleSpokan

I've been commuting for several years in all kinds of clothes, including skirts from straight to full. I have a road bike and just try not to flash too much as I get on, but I would much prefer a step-through design complete with skirt guard and chain guard.

I'm riding a Specialized Dolce with a woman-specific design but it's not a "woman's bike" in the sense of having a much lower bar--may as well be a guy's bike. Bike designs that interfere with just going out and riding in whatever you're wearing are one of the barriers to making biking a more mainstream means of transportation and more approachable for women.

hotbike

https://www.techi.com/2011/09/ford-de...ctric-bicycle/

I think the photo in this article shows a good example of a "carbon-based" , Step-Through Frame.

So it's NOT just my Daughter designing Carbon Fiber Bicycle Frames. This one is in Production, and it's being made by Ford, the Automaker, no less!

Quote:
"The recent Frankfurt Motor Show played host to some innovative new concept cars featuring eco-friendly powertrains and advanced in-vehicle communications. And among the advanced concepts on display was Ford’s first foray into the world of bicycling.

The E-Bike Concept demonstrates how Ford’s automotive design language can translate to a bicycle. The bike’s frame is made from aluminum and carbon fiber and weighs just 5.5. It also features a carbon fiber Giant SLR stem, Selle Italia SLR XC saddle, Mavic Elipse wheels, Shimano Alfine 11-speed internal gear hub and Shimano..."

Actually, I thought Ford has produced E-Bikes before, under the "Think" brand name, whatever happened to that? Anyway, you've got to click on the link and compare the Ford creation with my Daughter's bike...

https://www.techi.com/2011/09/ford-de...ctric-bicycle/

ghostgirl

I do too, but I have a step thru bike frame.