I found this 2011 article while researching one of my favorite bike shops in new york.

headline reads female bike mechanics on the rise in new york city

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/ny...york-city.html

5 years ago as a bike flipper I would give womans bikes away at the end of the season, this season I have sold about 14 bikes mostly vintage Schwinn light weights. About 9 were sold to woman.

this.

My wife would have a 3mile commute if it were not for needing to shuttle the little one to daycare and preschool. I work longer hours and have 12miles one way. The wife does morning jogs with the dog and yoga at lunch for her exercise.

I think that's wonderful, and I truly mean it. But I am sure you represent a small, very small percentage of women who do this sort of thing.

A growing number of women are doing this sort of thing, besides, what percentage of men build their own wheels?

It's also worth pointing out that we are not talking about women commuters, not mechanics. It's my opinion that the more you can do on your own, the better, but the actual number of mechanical skills required to commute are pretty small. I'd say you need to be able to put air in the tires. I would have said that knowing how to change a flat tire is a requirement, but with the advent of cell phones I'm not sure it really is. I now think of it as a highly recommended skill. Fixing a dropped chain would be right up there too. Maybe there are some other things that I'm missing but that's about it.

Fun fact since cavemen have been mentioned: New evidence suggests that Neanderthal women hunted big game along with the men.

There's a few women commuters here at a work. The only issue would the undergarments they choose to wear under the dresses... gets all the old farts all excited. Overall don't see any difference in men and women commuters.

You are right of course because that is the original post. Just as there should be an equal proportion of women who walk to work, drive to work, or take transit. Cycling is just a mode of transportation in this regard.

In my post was referring to the tinkering and gear aspect of commuting and cycle, which is still mostly a male domain.

I think mechanical skills are somewhat relevant. You need more mechanical skills to cycle than to drive a car. Cars need a lot less maintenance per mile traveled and even per hour used. Bikes must be less reliable, because to make them more reliable would make them too heavy to ride. I've known thousands of people who cycle and don't fix their own bikes, but I still feel that those who can do some of their repairs get more out of the experience.

Beyond being able to put air in the tires, what mechanical skills do you see as necessary for commuting (the key word being necessary) ?

The list of likely mechanical failures that one can be reasonably expected to deal with on the road is pretty small. Flats would be one of those mechanical failures. A dropped chain on derailleur bikes would be another. What else is there? A broken chain maybe? I think if the bike is well maintained, that is not terribly likely, especially with an IGH or single speed.

I've had a spoke break. If you have rim brakes and don't know how to open them up, then you might have to make a phone call. With disc, drum, or roller brakes you wouldn't.

Mechanical skills are probably relevant in that some people might avoid commuting partly because they're worried about a breakdown. But to me you have the same worry in a car. You can argue than cars have fewer mechanical problems per hour, but 30 or 40 years ago that probably wasn't the case, and people, including women, still drove cars.

You make fair points, tjspiel, but my opinion remains as it is. I didn't -- and won't -- use the word "necessary," because I think it helps to have the skills, but I can't claim it's necessary. Most people have a way to bail if the bike stops rolling. But it's more pleasant to get oneself rolling again.

Thursday, I broke a spoke, and my wheel was so wobbly, it wouldn't clear the chainstays. I had a multi-tool which had a spoke-wrench-like thingy. It wasn't efficient, but I managed to loosen the spokes adjacent to the broken one and get the wheel rolling again. Now that is an advanced skill which I wouldn't implore everyone to develop, but it certainly was better than carrying the bike to the subway. My bike is pretty heavy. Now, you could argue that that kind of breakdown is rare, and that would be a fair argument, so I guess my point is that the more skill you have, the more chance you won't have to bail. Bailing is unpleasant.

You want me to list the things that can go wrong? The problem is that there are many, many things, and no one thing is particularly likely, but it is very likely that one of them will happen before too long. My daughter's roommate's derailleur failed because the cable housing frayed enough not to "house" the cable any more. I don't see that often, but hey, it happened. Brake cables snap. Tires blow out. All kinds of unlikely things happen, adding up to a likely event of one kind or another.

I am not professing that everyone should become as skilled as I am. I'm saying the more skill you have, the better.

There is a great treatment of this subject in the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

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.