[Closed] getting women involved.

Do it right

Not suggesting that some have done it wrong! Sometimes, there is no right...

Got my wife a nice (used) women's Stumpjumper FS a few years ago.
We go off on a nice ride around Dartmouth - a nice leisurely ride with pub lunch planned, mainly a mixture of roads, bridle ways etc but there was a shortish good bit of Singletrack through some woods - best bit by far & I'm telling her how great it is and this is what it's all about etc.

We exit the woods and she decides she doesn't like the mud and can we stick to the road.

To say I was crestfallen..........

A couple of years ago Mrs hoppy had decided she definitely didn't want a mtb so we sold the blur xc I'd built her. She happily rode her hybrid on fire roads and stuff that I took my cross bike on when we took hoppy Jr in the trailer. At new year her friends did a girly ride on degla blue after a bit of time off after babies and she.went with them, they both have decent bikes so I lent her my Bandit. Straight after she was in the shop eyeing up bikes and now has a whyte t129s, don't do it.

asked my wife - she says under no circumstances consider letting her ride a bike unless it has a pukka female specific saddle. ideally a selle italia

Gave up on the binty nagging girlfriends who moaned about my bikes etc.. 😆

Take the easy route and meet a Dutch girl 😉
Born on a bike, my other half rides endurance horses and seems to have no fear on bikes, to the point i had to remind her to use brakes!,
Also Dutch as students were expert at cycling home drunk which comes in usefull when they move to the UK and get involved with the riff raff brigrade here, cough...

Did me proud last weekend while out drinking with the guys from Surly who came to Forth Fat, as Trevor said- shes a keeper! 😀

Got long legs too... 😯

Binners was a victim of hers many year ago,

My female friends who don't mtb dislike mud, the cold, the wet, the dark and would have a fear of falling off. So it does usually mean a women shows an interest off her own bat.
There are of course always exceptions and a bit of gentle encouragement will find out if she will or won't take to our fabulous sport.

Start small and gentle, ....... begin with on flat green or gentle blue graded trails

assuming your missus is more than 6 years old this may be starting a little bit too easy.

Don't underestimate the small stuff. Gears for example, turns out my partner had spent her childhood in the gear the bike came in. Had absolutely no idea about gears, perfect candidate for 1x10 actually, I think I cracked the right hand clicker but the left hand clicker goes the other way and can get stuffed.

Easy, find a woman/girl you like who leads an active/sporty/adventurous life and then get her lots of good kit(as good if not better than yours)in the colour they want (not pink or baby blue as most companies think girls want!) and teach her to ride. tart gradually, maybe a skills course with Jedi or similar and in a few years you have a girl that can pedal uphill faster than you and also jump better than you as well. The only advantage you have is the extra mass on the DH and more testosterone to get you through.

That's what I did and it's worked for me.

Tom KP

PS It helps if she has been pretty good at other adventure sports such as Kayaking/MX/skiing/climbing(delete as appropriate)so she isn't afraid to try and push herself physically and mentally.

Best thing I ever did ... Or maybe not, she's quicker than me... MrsMutt Is now at the stage now where she would benefit from tuition. Still get the odd wobble, she thinks she's iron woman neglects to tell me she's swam 60 lengths that morning and not eaten anything then tries to ride 30 miles.
Ride at her pace, be gentle, be patient and recognise that whilst you may know it all you may not be able to teach her.

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tart gradually

despite our first bike ride together ending up with her face planting in the road & me unable to stifle my ability to laugh at all the wrong moments 😳 she now has bike envy whenever I am out on my own & second frame in the post ready for me to build a hybrid for road stuff too 🙂

It can work (just remember the points above) and it really does depends on her.
This sort of thing helps, it's a womens riding weekend with 3x World 24hr Solo Champion Jess Douglas in Forest (as featured in this months magazine - which unfortunately the pics in there don't do it justice)
http://www.jessicadouglas.com/blog/just-how-do-you-get-more-women-riding-mountain-bikes
The weekend was a bit of idea from my missus who has spent the last 2 years riding with women off all abilities in a Women Only ride group. Helping each other out and becoming independent. The ability ranged from beginner to near elite but with a focus on fun. When I met them at the airport they had all had a great time.
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Yeah that's like really great if you can
A) be in the right loop to hear about it
B) be in the right area to take advantage of it ( see A)
C) be able to afford it

Meanwhile back in the world of reality.. I'll go with gentle spousal/partner encouragement

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That was 2 mins of "you can do it, I'll be there" and "if I disappear It's 'cos I'm going to be taking pics of you"

THAT sequence of pics in Spooky's at GT did more for Lynne's confidence than any amount of kit/money spent. It also said to her "I'm watching over you" to me if you love the lass then there just isn't an issue.

Sorry but I just don't get this.... This issue with your other half having a problem with what you do for fun...

If you love the lass/woman/girl you are with/married to then there shouldn't be any issue.
If she loves you and you love her where's the problem - unless of course you put something as shallow as your "job/lifestyle/mates" before your own future. It sounds to me like certain posters are working in the "me and my fun, my job, my family" in that order and wondering why they are having issues.

Sorry but amongst the grown ups on this forum. If you love each other and don't share the same interests then you should encourage the diversity, respect it and share what you have in common.

If there is still an issue then it's is mag to grid...

deleted post in the middle there?

Nah editing