Bicycle Mechanics - Women are better mechanics than men.

In my experience after many years of working side-by-side with mechanics, mentoring mechanics, hiring and dropping mechanics, women are:
- more meticulous
- more thorough
- more efficient in the use of their time
- don’t misplace tools
- don’t forget where they were when they get interrupted
- don’t give up before the job is done

Just my experience, and this week really proved it once again.

Of course one can only speak in general and from your own experience, but mine was similar in training mechanics and running bike co-op repair clinics. The biggest problem women had was having confidence in themselves and being brave enough to try something. The biggest problems men had were overestimating their knowledge, breaking things from overtightening, jumping to conclusions before analyzing a problem, and in the case of training/supervising mechanics a tendency to continue using their pet names for parts instead of the correct ones and inappropriate comments about women customers.

yes dear..........

Troll. Roger

Yeah but they don't know how to craft a subtle troll.

Troll
No, a troll would have posted the equally idiotic proposition that men are better mechanics than women, thereby inciting a flame war. What's interesting is that regardless of the truth of the proposition, is that the original post is sort of a "who cares", but the opposite would be politically incorrect, and start a war.

In any case, gender politics aside and regardless of the truth of the proposition, it's a meaningless generalization because it doesn't offer any way to tell if a particular mechanic (man or woman) is any good.

Women are better mechanics than men.

Sexism is evil.

Gender politics aside and regardless of the truth of the proposition, it's a meaningless generalization because it doesn't offer any way to tell if a particular mechanic (man or woman) is any good.

Of course, some men have no sense of humour.

:)

Is it Lilith Fair already? :p

I say the down fall of men is ego. Just watch Hell's Kitchen.

ya there are a very few women mechanics just like there are very few women drivers in NASCAR. they just don't have the same passion about it like most guys do.

Of course, you know what the say about women mechanics...

too bad most poster's aren't taking the bait - maybe they are all thoughtful and intelligent female mechanics?

Your are most likely right... women are better than us men at many things. This is why we oppress them - if they are allowed to do every job then we will all look like idiots.

On a related note, does anyone know where I can get a good deal on a burka for my wife? She's been acting a little too 'free' lately.

;)

Have you tested them on aluminum Simplex parts yet? That's the real test of skill.

-Kurt

I agree and am so happy they entered the work force.

They're better at other things too. Like making sandwiches. Seriously, my ex made a killer sandwich. I just make average ones.

I cannot speak for mechanics but they do make better Quality Engineers.

In my experience after many years of working side-by-side with mechanics, mentoring mechanics, hiring and dropping mechanics, women are:
- more meticulous
- more thorough
- more efficient in the use of their time
- don’t misplace tools
- don’t forget where they were when they get interrupted
- don’t give up before the job is done

Just my experience, and this week really proved it once again.

Does this mean that I need to go about a sex change operation?

:twitchy:


=8-)

Does this mean that I need to go about a sex change operation?

:twitchy:


=8-)

Maybe not. It's possible the individuals the OP is referring to had sex changes.

Maybe not. It's possible the individuals the OP is referring to had sex changes.


ROFL! Great touch back Retro...


=8-)

Whether the OP is a troll or not, the world really is changing. Women make up the majority of students in most medical schools now, and instead of gravitating to the traditional "pink-collar ghetto" (i.e., low-paid) disciplines of family practice and paediatrics, they are cracking formerly all-male preserves like thoracic surgery, neurosurgery and even urology. (And why not? Time was when nearly all OB-GYNs were men.) It is now not uncommon to have surgical operations going on where every single person in the theatre is female, (except perhaps the patient. ;)) More humane on-call work-hour regulations have helped make residency less killing for both sexes and probably safer for patients, but you still have to be really tough and really smart to get through a surgical training program. (I'm not a surgeon -- didn't have "the right stuff" for it.)

So it's hardly surprising that women can make excellent mechanics. No idea whether they really are easier to teach than men, but it's common knowledge in the profession that female doctors get sued for malpractice far less often than their male colleagues in the same specialty.

Women can do anything they put their mind to. Including bike mechanics.

But of course, there is the small problem where a woman who does the SAME amount of work as their male counterparts (often more) are still underpaid. I think that is an outrage myself, If a girl can do as much or more work than me, she deserves the same or more pay, its only FAIR. Because if I did more work than that girl, or another guy even, I would expect more pay...

In my experience after many years of working side-by-side with mechanics, mentoring mechanics, hiring and dropping mechanics, women are:
- more meticulous
- more thorough
- more efficient in the use of their time
- don’t misplace tools
- don’t forget where they were when they get interrupted
- don’t give up before the job is done

Just my experience, and this week really proved it once again.

+1

Sexism is evil.

Really? Then the good man enjoys sex only with himself?




Don't analyze the metaphor. It leaves scabs.

Okay...

when something mechanical breaks, most men will want to try and fix it themselves (regardless of their ability). most women will not (isn't it said that's why they keep men around?). this practically makes the question of whether a man or a woman would be a better mechanic question moot, at least when talking in a general sense of the sexes.

if someone can read a map, then they can probably fix a bicycle just as easily if the desire is there.

http://www.photopumpkin.com/wp-content/uploads/women-mechanic.jpg

Megan can work on my bike anytime.... :love:

http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/200910/megan-fox-is-man-s-f-1_460x0w.jpg

I think your generalization is too vague and ambiguous:

1. who are you including in your "women" group? ALL women? Or just the women who choose to be mechanics?

2. you also need to be more specific with your "better" criteria as well. Or more specifically, you need to tie your measurement metrics into industry-standards of time & hourly rates.

I've known people of both genders who were across the board as far as their mechanical aptitude goes. And that's only picking from people who were TIG-certified for my shop.

They look better bent over a fender,I know that .....

Your either mechanically inclined....or your not.