Originally Posted by
sunstorm
hmmm.....I do bike commute a couple days a week. I have dragged my roommate and another best friend (both women) into riding, and my husband.
I can tell you what I find unappealing about biking.
I have shoulder length thick hair. In 100F weather, even a half mile is eneough to have my scalp drenched. To actually blow dry my hair is a 35 minutes minimum process. I'd love to wear a pixie cut, but 3 cowlicks make that a very unprofessional look for me. Air drying my hair creates a tangled mess that looks greasy. I don't wear any make-up, so that is easier for me. Clothing wise, I work in medicine; scrubs with road dust on them isn't acceptable, so I do have to change clothes. I do not have significant storage space at my work. It's easy to say 'chop the hair, drop the clothes, etc' but there have been several studies that illustrate that women are viewed negatively in the work place when they act in ways that are accepted or even expected of men (I don't have citations on me, and I don't have time to look them up, but the studies were really cool designs.) Like most ambitious individuals, I balance my ambition and what serves me best career wise with my own views and beliefs. One thing no one mentioned....for women where skirts are considered the preferred professional attire, bike can result in a lovely array of bruises, scrapes, and marks on one's legs. One of my lawyer friends gets very upset when she ends up with a bruise while riding (often from vehicles throwing up occasional gravel) because it looks 'unprofessional' in hose and skirt and her body type isn't well suited to pant suits.
I am in my 30's, pretty average looking, a little overweight. I have had guys cut me off intentionally, and get out of their vehicles to hit on me. That is a scary experience. When a van pulls off in such a way that you have to swing really wide in a heavy traffic road to avoid it, you do have the thought 'how far can they reach out to grab someone' as you go past the driver side (if you can even manage to do that.) I have had a guy reach out a car window and hit my shoulder, resulting in me wrecking and needing stiches. I have had guys throw beverages on me. I am in a university town. I think male riders don't get this as much because it's easier for a lot of jerks to confront a smaller woman (regardless of her actual abilities or strength) than a man. I do get some ribbing from my female friends, but it's pretty good natured.
Dealing with other cyclists. I find that mountain bikers are far more encouraging than road bikers. Commuters and tourers vary. I have yet to join any of the group rides in my area because I've heard so many negative experiences. I fear that I couldn't keep up with the group (as a commuter I tend to carry 30+ lbs of gear when I ride...I am not a speedy cyclist by any means.) It's easier to do my own thing than struggle to deal with a group that ride fast bikes that weigh 1/5 of what my bike weighs unloaded, then tell me that weight and styling have no impact on how fast they ride (yeah, uh huh, I may never be as fast as you are, but let's see you set a personal best on a 40lb bike.)
I do worry about breaking down. I've only had one flat, but I leave for my morning commute an hour early just in case. We have mandatory attendance (med school) and missing a class is a huge issue. I realize that there is the same risk with my car, but I can then catch a ride with someone else. Part of the reason I head out so early is so I can get hold of another person if I have to, to get where I have to be.
I do ride for 90% of my grocery shopping and local errands. Most of these rides are 1/2 - 3 miles one way. my commute is 5.5-6miles one way (depending on route.) My husband lives in a different state. For him to ride for groceries would be a 7 miles trip one way...to work isn't even possible (it's an hour drive.) I also find that the lack of places to lock bikes up bothers me. I'd love to slap a latte lock on my bike and think it wouldn't walk away, but I just don't trust that someoen wouldn't find it fun to just damage it for damagements sake (which is something I never experienced in other countries.)
There's no nurturing or kids for me to deal with, but if there were, I'd drop my bike commute days because the nearest day care is a 15 minute drive in the opposit direction. I don't care about fashion (I do care about professionalism.) I do have issues finding a bike that actually fits me (very long legs, very short torso.) I'm not afraid of street riding, but all my female friends are (I'm a very proactive bicyclist in street riding, I like to be visible.) Some of the things they are afraid of don't even involve vehicles: crossing rail road tracks, steep hills where sand and clay silt sit on the road, bad pot holes, blind turns, inability to trigger light changes. Some of this could be changed with experience, but that often means trying to find safer places for them to get that experience, which isn't always easy.
That's just my perspective on this topic. I'd bike commute daily if the temps didn't soar with high humidity (making hair a huge issue), and if I could find a bike that I am really comfortable on (not cnmfortable as in cushy, but comfortable as in frame fits my body.) Add in showers at my destination, or even a locker room, and I'd be willing. My friends wouldn't do it because it's too much of a commitment (time wise) with too many unpleasant issues (dealing with traffic and the after affects.)