My wife occasionally rides without me, and I have implored her to be slightly self reliant. One problem is that her hands just aren't very strong. It makes a bigger difference than you might think. She will avoid fixing a flat if she can, but if she really has to do it, she will do it. And then she will be very proud of herself. And she deserves to be.

I would love to get my wife out riding more. It is hard finding her a bike that fits (she is 4'11"). I found a road bike last year and she went on a trip once with me and had a good time, though the pedals we got her were a little messed up and she had trouble unclipping and fell over twice. Took it all back to the shop I worked at, put her and the bike on a trainer and am 99% sure we got the pedals working correctly. I need for her to come riding again and remember the enjoyment she got out of it. If there are still problems, I'll ditch those pedals and give her a pair of my Shimanos to use instead.

I would love to find her an upright bike. I know eventually I will find one that will fit her.

Gender roles are nonsense, and I think the trend is that they are on the way out. my LBS has two employees, and both are women. It makes me happy to see that.

If your wife doesn't ride much, don't give her cleats. Just let her use so-called platform pedals. They're fine.

My wife can use toe clips just fine, but she recently decided to do away with them. Nothing wrong with that. She tried cleats and didn't like them at all and won't try them again. She cracked her elbow. Even though a recurrence is not likely, she just doesn't want to take the chance.

This is sadly a somewhat relevant thing. My hands are smaller than most men's hands. This means that some very few things are bloody difficult for me.

...but if the swearing is loud enough and lasts more than five minutes my completely non-mechanical man will wander in and loosen/tighten the whatever with his giant man hands.

He also gets things off the top shelves, for I am 5'3". He's a good one.

But, if things go otherwise wrong I fix them. When he rides alone I worry a little.

Had to do a double take when I read this.

the hands thing is kinda true - i'm definitely less in the know about bike maintenance than my hubs but i've tried to learn from him, his friend who bikes a lot and from free bike classes, but when it comes to changing a tube, i learned how to do it (by watching & instruction) but i haven't done it myself.

i can pump tires (which i do for my bike, our kids bike, and our bike trailer), and i will degrease the chain and re-lube them (hubs bike and my bike).

i kind of wish brakes were more sensitive to women's hands. gripping brakes definitely takes me more effort than hubs and our brakes are about the same. but my muscles are also just sore from riding, as much as hubs is sore.

[MENTION=397406]snow_echo_NY[/MENTION], some brakes require less hand strength than others. Modern V brakes and dual-pivot brakes should make you happy. What do you have?

i didn't realize there were different brakes other than disc and standard [MENTION=152773]noglider[/MENTION] ! it seems i have "light dual pivot brake"
both front and rear brakes are stock brakes that i got with my bike: Light dual pivot brake, Teflon pivots, forged alloy, w/ standard angle adjustable pads

i find it pretty responsive, but my hands do cramp up. i have noticed there's a lot of road chatter that travels up my wrists while i'm gripping on the stem/bar - and the hands end up feeling it. i've been using the advice of moving my hands all over the stem and drop bars and it's helped some. i think i just need to roll out my arms, forearms, and hands after riding to keep them limber.

what are modern V brakes? i'm off to google now...

There are no brakes called standard. I don't know what "light" means in "light dual pivot brake," but they are probably already high leverage calipers, so not much to do there. Different levers might be comfier. You might also enjoy a change of position. Maybe a taller stem would help. Do you read the Lovely Bicycle blog? The author has written about fitting herself. She was opposed to drop bars for a while and then discovered that they suit her well when her stem is tall enough. Have you had someone look at your position and offer suggestions? Women often benefit from a more upright position than men because your mass and strength are lower in your upper body.

LOL. I just re-read that, and chuckled aloud. No, I do love my wife dearly; she never complains about my bikes or my biking.

i do read that blog! that is interesting. drop bars are great, but yeah they can be in a more relaxed position. i'm already in a relaxed position, i can't imagine raising them more as i wouldn't be able to get as aggressive as i would like when i'm charging (mostly never, but hey it's nice when i get a chance!)

i might look into the levers part. it's mostly the gripping of the brakes. it doesn't help that my hands are tiny and there is almost too much room between the bar and the brake, making the gripping even harder than it has to be. i will gather thoughts. thanks!

oh and i took a look at V brakes, there is some disagreement on whether these are compatible with road bikes. sigh.

any advice as to where to get studded tires for a road bike? i need 700x25 for the brakes i have now (for the tire to fit). or is this not a good idea and do i just have to get a fatter-tire bike for the commute next year thru snow and ice?

my issue with commuting wear is that it's super/uber expensive: i've found levi's commuter makes women clothes and beta brand. but there's not much. i got chrome shoes and they're pretty wonderful, i used them today for the first time. stiff and responsive, i commuted in 5:30/mile which is unusual b/c i typically get stopped at every light making my commute 6-7 min/mile. i'm wondering if it's the shoes helping me. my complaint is that it's really a men's shoe (why don't they just make it unisex? what about a women's shoe?). and my commuting shorts (cargo) are in a men's style. both i'm not crazy about the looks. but whatever, it's technical without looking technical which i suppose is a step up.

putting a woman's touch on athletic gear i think has always been a challenge (example: women's running gear). i know men don't care as much, but for a woman, being mistaken for a man b/c of your clothing - well it sucks. it's like when people comment on your bald babies who all happen to be boys. well no, baby just hasn't grown in their hair yet.

A bike needs bosses for V brakes, otherwise you can't install them. Furthermore, V brakes need a different type of lever. Probably not for you.

Studded tires are for snow and ice. Are you thinking about winter already?

I don't wear bike specific clothing much any more. I do see young women wearing clothing that is practical, feminine and stylish. Have you noticed?

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Couple of thoughts here. The smallest studded tire I have seen is like a 32 mm, so a different bike will be needed. You don't need bike specific gear to commute. I like some of the Patagonia wool base layers. Got a REI near you? There are plenty of gear designed for women. Running type clothing as well as 2 companies, Jane Wear and Showers Pass. See also, Sheila Moon, Zoic, Ibex.

ok so it sounds like i'm going to have to get another bike specifically for snow if i really want to ride thru snow. thanks [MENTION=175466]Leebo[/MENTION]

i have been doing that, using MEC (Canadian REI but cheaper) and REI merino wool base layers. for right now tho, it seems i truly stand out tho wearing that stuff (technical softgoods i guess) b/c everyone dresses in "street" style or stuff they wear to work, so commuting-wear. i will check out those other brands, i heard good things about showers pass rain jackets.

I can't speak for all women, but the hand size/strength thing really applies to me. I will learn how to make a repair but when I go to try it myself, I find I can't turn whatever bolt needs to be loosened! Even things as simple as a seat adjustment can be difficult. I also agree a big hindrance to me is the lack of cargo space on a bike. I have 2 kids that I need to get to daycare and back, with all of their "luggage". One is only 4 months old, so even if I go the cargo bike route, which I'm considering, I wouldn't be able to start that until she's at least a year old. When my husband is able to take the kids to daycare I commute by bike, and am not fearful for myself (though my town is only moderately bike-friendly) but I don't know how comfortable I'd be with my kids on board.

I will say in my smallish office there are 4 regular bike-commuters, 2 of us are women!

[MENTION=407228]SpaceGoat[/MENTION], consider getting one of these. You can improve your strength. Also, there are ways to finesse things as a substitute for raw strength. For instance, if you have a quick release lever for adjusting your seat height, you can put an adjustable wrench on the end of the lever to effectively lengthen the lever. That will make the job extremely easy. There are also ways to position your hand to apply more force or feel less pain.

http://www.outdoorfun.com.tw/upload/...600283/300.gif

[MENTION=397406]snow_echo_NY[/MENTION], there is a winter cycling subforum here. This past winter, I asked for help with riding in snow. Some of the suggestions were very helpful.

http://www.bikeforums.net/winter-cyc...ride-snow.html

thanks i will look into it! i've been on icebike.org and a friend of ours in denver who bike commutes was giving me advice on riding in snow. i will have to review

I want to say for me at least, the distance from my brakes to the bar is really quite big for me. i would want my brakes closer to the bar as my hands can easily slip under the brakes but not as easily on top of the brakes. i think that's the design idea, b/c my husband's is similar in proportion for his grip but i can't help feel like this is not great for (at least) my grip, maybe other women feel the same.

and having the kids to deposit at day care and hauling their stuff - yeah this is not easy to just do. esp. since babies have to be at least a year old before you consider hauling them around by bike. i have people buzz by me and lean out of their cars to tell me i'm a bad parent for hauling my kid in a titanium trailer with a bright orange flag. what gets me is they probably wouldn't do that to a dad. it's beyond annoying. it's pretty much my nature as a mom to not want to bike with the kid, but when i face reality about getting around, the bike makes a lot of sense. now that she's big now, she can ride her own bike, but i would only feel comfortable with her biking on the sidewalk. no way to the streets - not even a cycling lane. no no no.

we've been walking tons so that in turn solves our bicycling issues. but it sucks. commuting with kids is something i would like to see but given that commuters by themselves sans kids is hard enough with the issues on the road with motorists - i don't see this environment changing anytime soon to make it a welcoming thing for parents and their cargos with kids. even so i see a bunch of parents on weekends doing this. cargo biking with the kids in Brooklyn. i love it and would like to see this as a part of the everyday.

After seeing some interesting posts to this I thought I might follow up with the diversity of bicycles parked around mine.

The everyday commuter rides a Novarra safari, second most rides an older( 8 years-is) rigid trek mountain bike with fenders and a really nice trailer, a cycletote. The rest are various upright hybrids with one notable exception, a 1960s Hawthorne with the rack and tank, when she isn't riding a vintage schwinn breeze.

A few years ago I started a thread asking what sort of barriers existed that made it difficult for women to commute. Mostly the barriers were the same as they were for men, just in different degrees. There were some exceptions.

I don't remember if the brake reach/hand strength thing came up but it highlights the reason why the questions like "why are there fewer women commuters? " should be asked. Now, I don't know if that's the kind of thing that stops someone from commuting but it very easily could make somebody less comfortable on a bike. Perhaps something like that in combination with enough other things that may be insignificant on their own is enough to make bike commuting not very appealing.

As a lefty I'm a little bit more sensitive to how the design and layout of things can be annoying for people who don't fit the mold. And the people that do fit the mold are often clueless that it could ever be an issue. But once it is recognized that it is a problem, solutions are often not all that hard.


Sorry that's happened to you. I'm a little biased of course but I think having mom or dad transport the kids is via bike demonstrating the sort of healthy lifestyle that a lot of kids in the US sadly do not get enough exposure to. I mean jeez, do you yell at parents when they bring in their kids into a McDonalds?

We got our own share of judgmental comments when we let our son ride his bike alone a couple of miles to school in 6th grade. We certainly had our fears as well but now he's a Freshman in high school who will hop on his bike to hang out with his friends a few miles away. They're outside and not plopped on the couch playing video games all day. I'm very happy about that.

[QUOTE=snow_echo_NY;17782068]I want to say for me at least, the distance from my brakes to the bar is really quite big for me. i would want my brakes closer to the bar as my hands can easily slip under the brakes but not as easily on top of the brakes. i think that's the design idea, b/c my husband's is similar in proportion for his grip but i can't help feel like this is not great for (at least) my grip, maybe other women feel the same.

I agree with the brake-to-bar distance being an issue, particularly on bikes with drops. In traffic situations I like having my fingers on the brake levers while riding, and that is uncomfortable for me on drop bar bikes. So, I tend to gravitate towards bikes with flat bars.

I try to get involved in city-planning public meetings and push for more bike lanes, but ideally more towns would invest in the separated bike lanes. That would make me feel comfortable biking with kids.

noglider- I used to do a bit of rock climbing back in the day, and had one of those squeezie things to work on grip strength. I need to find it and put it back to use! Thanks for the tip.

Yes, agree with this - i use drop bars and love them way more than flat bars for comfort reasons while riding - but the brake thing does bother me. i could see it bothering a more timid or newbie cyclist for sure.

that is great you're getting involved in city planning meetings and i agree with you that separated bike lanes are really the most ideal for riding with kids. i would let my kid ride in a lane that is physically protected from motorists. i go back to the Amsterdam example all the time and yeah, this would be ideal.

Haha thanks. in NYC, cycling here is another animal that is different.

http://bicycleaustin.info/justice/harassment.html < read motorist cuts off 8-year-old

and there are so many stories on kid cyclists getting in collisions here - and as a parent i just gravitate toward that - at least what seems normal in proportion to the population to me. far more adults in NYC but i am pretty sure adults are well and capable of being defensive cyclists here, where kids don't have that ability that young. i don't trust motorists around me, i'm certainly not going to trust them with my little one.

please link me to your post on barriers to women cyclists/commuters - i'm definitely interested~

I think a bakfiets should work well for carrying very small kids. I see a fair number of them in my neighborhood.

Making brake levers small enough must be hard. Once they make the levers small (small distance between lever and bar) then it may not be able to pull enough cable. They have improved, though, with clever curve designs. You may find that upright bars are better, because the lever problem there is solved. If you like bending over, get a low stem or use North Road bars upside down.

Driving your kids in cars is dangerous. It might be more dangerous than carrying them on a bike. This is counterintuitive, and since people don't use bikes much in North America, they tend to assume the bike is more dangerous. It's just ignorance.

But I do agree that letting them ride in NYC streets alone is not right. Not until they're around 13. When they're 9 or so, they can ride in the street with you, preferable with you in back so you can watch them and offer corrections. You can also "cover" for them.

Well, I found it. Scary, it's 5 years old. I've been here too long. Women of the forum: Were the barriers to commuting different for you than for men?

This is how I ride -- behind and slightly further into the street, to provide a more visible obstacle to cars, and to give them a wider berth in case they wobble around a bit.

I think that letting kids be out in front, is also a better way to ease them into the responsibility of riding alone.