http://www.bikebelles.org.uk

I must say, as a girl I am less than impressed with this drive to get girls on bike.

I'm no feminist – far from it infact but a section on how to combat helmet hair (bunches do the job for me or I simply measure the messyness of my hair as the mark of a good ride – messier the better) and equally beauty tips for 'bike belles' is tripe….again, muddier face better the ride!

I would love more girls to get into riding, gives me someone to talk to when the men folk are dirt jumping and equally someone to chase on the downhills. Saying that though I do love chasing the guys down the down hill more so toward the end of a section when, if they see your face they realise your a girl. I'm not sure this website will help with the transition from buggering around on a town bike to moving onto more challening off road riding. Im not expecting people to start throwing themselves down the Marin trail straight away but there should me more in the website about other types of riding and its benefits and the fact that in my experience its a good way to meet nice boys…..Mr Dora the explorer included….he would concur this with having the shame of being overtaken by a girl softened by being able watch girly bottoms riding away in all their glory!

Don't think I am going to make any friends with this post!

I imaging it's (the hair point, not the whole site) probably aimed at cycle commuting, seeing as hair problems generally relate to work, not someone who's out MTBing.

i agree, but i figure leave them to it, if it gets more ladies on two wheels then great,

Personally, i think bruises/scuffed knees/helmet hair are sexy, and there is little in the world better than being overtaken by a lady with a nice bottom 😉

http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/
seen this site?
it rocks

doesn't bother me at all,if a woman is fitter than me.i respect anyone who is fitter(am quite unfit at present!!!).i still enjoy riding my bike.in fact yesterday i went out on a ride with some singletrack massive around pewsey(hello everyone),and cinnamon_girl kicked my arse.

but a section on how to combat helmet hair (bunches do the job for me or I simply measure the messyness of my hair as the mark of a good ride – messier the better) and equally beauty tips for 'bike belles' is tripe….again, muddier face better the ride!

It may not bother *you* but there are a LOT of women out there who say (half heartedly…) that they would ride (in a commuter sense) except it messes up their hair/they get sweaty/they get intimidated by blokes blah blah.
Something along those lines is needed, it's just that to some women a website like that will be patronising; to others it may be just what they're looking for to make that first step into riding.

And more people on bikes = good. 🙂

Olly that site is great, Copenhagan is a brilliant place to visit and cycle around. Da Vinci cycles is a great shop.

The woman of Copenhagan are just beautiful.

i like the what to wear section – heels, scarf and ear muffs, tights to cover modesty or leggings which can be taken off when you get to your destination 😀 that's so far removed from what i'd wear on a bike for commuting or mtb'ing.

as an aside, i overtook a bloke on a descent who pulled over the let me past, saying something like "on you go mate" then when he realised i was female, said "oh, your a woman, oh…" lol.

I do agree that anything that gets us lovely ladies out on bikes is a plus point – it was just that way it was written that caught my eye and after been told this morning that I shouldnt be allowed to have long hair as an engineer (I will add it was french platted down and under a hard hat and we were sat in the site office) because of the safety risk of it blowing around….I was very close to telling him that being
8 stone overweight is slightly more of a safety risk when trying to run away from a HGV chasing you up the hardshoulder!

Anyway I get sent to the difficult meetings because of my long hair….having a girl their seems to make them less agressive and keeps me up to date on the insider gossip….plus a free lunch!

I had a look at this site after shecycles disappeared 🙁

It's very much aimed at the city commuter market if you ask me and not proper riding (bring back shecycles)

If you look at the members of the panel and their ridingf experiance, you can see why the site is set up the way it is.

In short I agree with you, it's a bit too girlie and prissy for my liking.

But is the helmet hair thing really a genuine problem for many females or just an easy excuse to give when asked why they don't cycle? I think solve that problem and it'll just be replaced by another 'problem'

But is the helmet hair thing really a genuine problem for many females or just an easy excuse to give when asked why they don't cycle? I think solve that problem and it'll just be replaced by another 'problem'

Couldn't care less who overtakes me TBH, I'm faster than some people, some people are faster than me. As long as every-one's doing what they want then it's all good, no?

Made the punishing mistake a few years ago of getting the 'red mist' after being passed by a girl and blowing up trying to keep up. Turned out to be Fionn Griffiths…. never did that again!

I was very close to telling him that being
8 stone overweight is slightly more of a safety risk when trying to run away from a HGV chasing you up the hardshoulder!

LOL 🙂

Back on topic:

The hair thing is probably just an easy excuse but it is the one I hear a lot, along with the one about getting wet (RAIN!) or sweaty (glowing obviously).

That said, quite often I find that taking away excuses not to do something does actually induce a certain proportion of people to actually try something new. even if most only do it once, at least some will realise that it's actually not bad and do it regularly.

Sounds reasonable to me – patronising to some but probably not the people they're really aiming at.

Hat hair is far better than commuting with no helmet (which I see on a daily basis – men and women), so in that respect any tips to enable women to keeps their shiny locks in place and there skull intact is a winner.

I do stand corrected on my previous points though…

sweaty

Girls don't sweat, they perspire. Only men and horses sweat.

I thought women glow, Men perspire, and horses sweat…

Shecycles forum is still alive http://www.shecycles.net

Was just about to post that ebygomm

Yes the site does not talk to me, but I ride bikes a lot. Bike clothes are more normal to me than anythng else. I don't get the sort of riding this site is aimed at just as they probably don't get me!

Anything that gets more girls on any sort of bike is good to me!

Thanks ebygomm…

The bit that made me laugh was ' a scarf is an essentioal item of clothing'.
I couldn't think of anything more dangerous for any form of riding, male or female.
A buff is the answer.

' a scarf is an essentioal item of clothing'

Absolutely. Silk. Biggle style.

TBH, I don't really have much of an objection to that site – it's trying to create the idea of cycling as something which normal people do as part of their lives without having to have excessive equipment, specialist clothing or the general over complicaiton of most self-defined cyclists.

I could wear a nomex suite and a crash helment to drive my car. Or walking boots and gators to go to the corner shop. I don't *need* to wear lycra to commute.

I'd say that people would be better off cycling to work not wearing a helmet than not riding at all. We on this site are, on the whole, not a good judge of what they're aiming at.

OMITN puts it really well (except I think he means Biggles rather than Biggie).

Cycling doesn't have to be a race, and you don't have to dress up like a flourescent spandex rave clown to be safe.

And a scarf should be perfectly OK to wear on your bike, unless it once belonged to Tom Baker.

I recall having a conversation about this with someone from the inside, so to speak – you echo my sentiments at the time regarding this scheme.

How about a helmet with a built in hairdryer ……….to compliment the drive to get women on bikes – in bubble gum pink or course! 😉

Not sure I know what the answer is but I think I might have to move to Copenhagen 🙂

This is my favourite bit…

Longer, flowing skirts can be clipped in the middle with a clothes peg to keep them out of moving parts and to stop the wind blowing them up over your head.

8)

To be honest any girl that is worried about getting wet or having "helmet hair" clearly isn't up for mountain biking! they are normally the "girlie girls" who like having a nice manicure etc (nothing wrong with a manicure but have to be prepared to ruin it every now and then). I have tried persuading girls into MTBing but tends to be more outgoing, confidanting girls who aren't bothered have a ride with a mate or boyf and enjoy it. i've given up trying to persuade people to start and just enjoy it!

On the topic of overtaking men …. I discover they HATE it! Having gone on an organised MTBing trip to Morocco in April with 9 blokes … I was probably about half way in respect of skill etc doing DH .. they would NEVER allow me to over take them, they would cunningly fall off in front of me or the like! so I would hang back with the guide and watch them all ride like plums then hare down the hill to the looks of dismay that I was quite quick! Oh and regularly get the comments "you weren't hanging about" … no you're dammed right I've been MTBing for 15 years and proud to say I'm not especially fit going up but boy can I fly down! Enough but boys … if we are going quicker no matter being girls ..LET US PAST!

Rant on that topic over! 😆

Men hate being overtaken by anyone, be they male, female or something inbetween. AGain, comments such as "you were shifting" likely means nothing more than "I was shown up and feel I have to make comment so I feel better", not "you're a girl, you shouldnt be able to ride like that".

Its the same as car drivers that hate being overtaken by bikes. Or slow car drivers that hate being overtaken by faster car drivers. Or worst of all, fast car drivers being overtaken by slow cars. The only time anyone accepts being overtaken is when the overtaker is light years ahead in terms of performance.

What's the female equivalent of willy waving? 🙂

Im off to Copenhagen..

f…. Hmmm. Cl…. No, I wont go there.

Go on coffee you know you want to… 😈

I've been banned once for a short time, I've learned my lesson!

Best left unsaid then 😉

Flap flapping?
See you in a couple of weeks 😀

Ciao mark!

except I think he means Biggles rather than Biggie

You may be right. Or I may really be talking about a dead fat rapper.

A'ight.

8)

For the record I love being overtaken by women and often dawdle to make this happen if they're not quick enough (a low threshold anyway), and as for:

and to stop the wind blowing them up over your head.

I'm longing to witness this :o)

What's the female equivalent of willy waving?

would have to be Shakira-style booby thrusting 🙂
(according to her so small you don't mistake them for mountains)

lol, they should add a section to this maybe:

I think any encouragement to get girls on bikes is great. It is NOT a mountainbiking site, it really is for women who cycle in skirts and have a basket on the front of the bike…..I actually don' think it is patronising because anyone who actually rides a bike wouldn't use it!!! Bit worrying all the photos without helmets though………not really a good message!

By the way, my hair often looks better after biking than before ;-O