To me, riding a road bike is one of life’s great pleasures and you don’t have to miss out just because you’re short. I’m a relatively short woman at 160 cm (5 foot 3 inches) but I’ve met quite a few female road cyclists who are shorter than me, and one of them mentioned to me that she, and other short stature women have trouble finding bikes to ‘fit’. From my perspective the women’s specific bike becomes more important the shorter you are, so women who measure in at 5 foot or below should really consider a women’s specific bike.
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Should I buy a flat bar road bike or road bike?
As regular readers of this blog probably know I work in a bike shop and one of the most regular questions I’m asked by both men and women is: Should I buy a flat bar road bike and a drop bar road bike. So I thought it would be useful to talk about the pros and cons of both types of road bike. Firstly I have to confess that I ride a drop bar road bike and love it, so I won’t be changing to a flat bar any time soon, but I can see some merit in them, and
Read moreHighlights from the amazing Eurobike in Germany
It was fantastic to visit Eurobike in Friedrichshafen in Germany last week. It is unlike any trade show I’ve visited before. Here’s a few statistics just to give you an idea: 1,350 exhibitors; 46,000 visitors from 100 different countries; 2,000 journalists including Women Who Cycle from 40 nations; 100,000 square metres of exhibition space. Huge is the only description I can give you. Hundreds of well known brands but also lots and lots I’d never heard of before. It took a whole day and a half to walk slowly through the major halls and I’m sure I didn’t see it
Read moreWomen’s cycling participation – the latest research
I’m always interested in research relating to women’s cycling. It helps me and others understand what barriers women see to cycling. Is it the lack of safe places to ride? Is it the blokey bike shops? Is it that they have to wear a helmet even for a short trip? (in Australia where I live helmets are mandatory for any type of bike). A US group called PeopleForBikes commissioned the US Bicycling Participation Study in late 2014. They measured all kinds of riding by all kinds of people, including women. Here are six important and interesting findings from the study:
Read moreIt’s not a ‘lady’s bike’, it’s a women’s bike
There’s been quite a lot of discussion of late about how to make bike shops and cycling in general more attractive for women, and while I’ve not weighed in to the various discussions until now I thought I’d put in my views.I’m reasonably well qualified to do so. I work in a bike shop and although I’m relatively new to it (two years) it gives me a unique perspective because I can still remember back to when I was a customer of women’s cycling gear. One of my own issues is actually about the use of the word ‘lady’ instead
Read moreSimple bike maintenance tips for women (and men)
If you’re a regular reader of this blog you probably know that I work in a bike shop. I’m not a mechanic, but I do just about everything else in the shop, including checking-in the majority of bikes that come in for repair. So as a result I’ve learnt heaps about simple bike maintenance and here’s a few tips: Keep it clean Keeping your bike clean has a number of benefits, and not just cosmetic ones. Of course it’s nice to keep your beautiful bike looking good, but keeping it free of dirt and grit will actually make it last
Read moreHow to find the right bike if you’re a short woman
One of the interesting/rewarding things about writing a blog is that you can check out how many people are viewing it. My analysis isn’t particularly sophisticated, but it is very interesting to see what topics are the most popular with my readers. By far the most popular blog posts I’ve written are about bikes for short women. I can’t be sure why this is occurring but my best guess is that short women are not getting the information they need when they visit a local bike shop. To me it’s a sad indictment of the bike industry because there are
Read more‘Wheel Women’ encourage a bunch of real women to ride in Adelaide
I arrived in Adelaide on Sunday to enjoy the annual Australian festival of cycling. The first thing I did was head for the tour village to join a women’s only ride led by Tina McCarthy from Melbourne. Tina runs her own business called Wheel Women and she’s one of the most enthusiastic advocates of women cycling I’ve ever met. So when Tina decided to visit Adelaide she naturally thought of organising a ride. She used social media to promote it and within a couple of days of announcing it she had 50 women signed up. It was a 30 km ride from
Read moreEvery woman’s guide to pack your bike for air travel
At this time of year if you live in Australia you’ll notice that road cyclists are all talking about who’s going to the Tour Down Under. I’m going this year and I’ve lost count of how many other Sydney-siders are heading to South Australia for the annual festival of cycling. Most people have done it a few times so they’ve got the bike packing thing all sorted, but there’s always a few new people going along. If you’re not really confident about packing your own bike then make a quick call to your local bike shop and ask them to
Read moreWomen Who Cycle’s 2014 Christmas Gift Guide
Every year I compile a Christmas gift list of things I like, and that I think other female road cyclists will like as well. So here’s the 2014 edition. Ginger & French mug These fine bone china mugs from England are not cheap but they are a cut above you typical coffee mug. I’ve already placed my order and will enjoy a lovely cup of tea from mine when they arrive. Gold bicycle pendant I already have one of these gold road bike pendants and always get comments about how nice it is and how appropriate it is for me
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