since her first trail 6 weeks ago, she has had me build her a kona four (ongoing) take her to the trails as often as possible (as long as we can get a babysitter) and is buying bike magazines and constantly talking about bikes/trails etc.
the other night she said to me "am i weird coz most women talk about handbags, shoes and babies and like to go shopping but all i want to do is ride my bike and buy new bits for my bike"
personally i think i am onto a winner and so does she but she can't find any friends that share the same interests, most of them talk handbags shoes and babies and they are all shocked that she wears trainers and uses my wallet coz she doesn't own a handbag.
are there any like minded women out there?
Let me get this straight from the start - no I'm not a like minded woman, unfortunately neither is my wife.
The downside to your wife being interested however is that your bike spend fund / spend now needs to go round 2 people instead of just yourself.
I hope you haven't shot yourself in the foot here 😉
haha the only downside is she will become " better" than you ,.....
introduced my missus to racing as shes always ridden bikes for transport - she thought she would hate it ....
she only goes and wins the bloody things these days !
Downside - she knows exactly how much my bikes cost !
upside - she looks after the house I look after her bikes that is i was-tune and repair them !
My wife is showing some intrest in getting out mountain biking, including getting involved with a womans cycling club here in Edinburgh.
So far I've had to build her a nice bike (14" Inbred with Float 100's) and buy her knee and elbow pads and a helmet with a chin-guard - so it's not a cheap proposition!
Get her to talk to [b]Mamadirt[/b], who buys another tiny bike every other day, and has just 2 pairs of shoes. Then she'll feel better. 😀
lol
too right splash-man, twice the bikes = half the money 🙁
trail-rat yes she will become better then me but hey there you go. like your missus she didn't think she would like it but is now completely hooked
yes she now realises when i bought stuff in the past why things cost as much as they do - she now wants a set of white fox float forks and thats just for starters, she is now telling everyone for xmas she wants CRC vouchers!!!!
Not weird as there appear to be more and more women taking up cycling. I've been at work for the last 3 days and drive alongside and pass a lot of cycle routes. I would reckon the women on bikes have outnumbered men 2:1 and there were several groups of 4+ with no men at all!
epicsteve - not found any womens biking clubs here in sunny west wales (it is actually really sunny today)
elfin - will do anything to get her to feel like she is not a freak (like she kept telling me i was)
i just see her bike ending up as something spectacular while i will have to sell my stuff and revert to an apollo with chilli forks 8)
Not wierd at all 🙂
woody i know its not weird but she thinks it is and no matter how much i tell her its ok she still aint having it
diane a fellow female member i presume, thanx
i guess i will have to get her to read this thread to realise its ok
I've been riding for about 8 years now, and I know more women who ride/are out doorsy than not these days. At one point I also had more bikes than my other half. However, I still like "girlie" things like shoes and handbags but I'm quite happy to ride/run in all weathers on and off road.
There's nothing better than packing up the bikes with your other half and heading to the lakes for a long weekend of mtb'ing 🙂
I'm the same tell her!! All my Birkins and Louboutins are now languishing in the wardrobe since I discovered mtb 🙂 a couple of months ago 🙂 got no-one to ride with tho as OH not interested
Get her to talk to Mamadirt, who buys another tiny bike every other day, and has just 2 pairs of shoes. Then she'll feel better.
..and both of those pairs are probably for riding 😉
You could introduce them to each other although Mama is from around Newport I believe...
DGOAB: Have you had anything to do with the Hervelo ladies?
#
Divagirl - MemberI'm the same tell her!! All my Birkins and Louboutins are now languishing in the wardrobe since I discovered mtb a couple of months ago got no-one to ride with tho as OH not interested
Posted 12 minutes ago # Report-Post
Women who love MTB and all things outdoorsy AND wear overdraft vapourising vertiginous heels are the holy grail as far as I'm concerned!
epicsteve, other than being on the facebook group, not yet. I've been meaning to go on a ride with them for ages, but have spent more time road riding/running with friends this summer. They seem like a friendly bunch with everyone catered for so i really need to go along soon - i'm sure your wife would be more than welcome. they do an easy social sat ride to south queensferry that might suit your wife? I'm liking the sound of their evening arthur's seat rides, i currently have an addiction to doing my hill reps there 🙂
DGOAB: She's been on one of their "Rusties" rides a few weeks back and is intending to the the South Queensferry one this weekend.
SWMBO is quite fit (fitter than me - she does a fair bit of hillwalking etc. with school groups) just not very bike fit yet (although she's done a couple of 20-25 mile rides recently). Her technical bike skills are however non existant - she can usually manage to fall off even on flat bits like the canal towpath!
[b]bravohotel9er[/b]Women who love MTB and all things outdoorsy AND wear overdraft vapourising vertiginous heels are the holy grail as far as I'm concerned!
😉
Yay! Really Glad to know I'm not the only one too!!! And my beautiful Yeti 575 gets far more money spent on it than I spend on myself, though having a husband who works in a bike shop helps! 😀
Not unusual ... I instruct lots more women than blokes, somewhere around a 70 / 30 split. The majority of them ride in their own right as it were and aren't just tagging along for something to do.
Some of the best riders I've seen have been women ... they have the ability to ride with their heads not just dangly bits 😉
pretty much the same as trail_rat here: high-achieving and super-slim wife here now.
One nice thing is she seems oddly more understanding of riding time and how much it all costs.
But she is a whisker off being officially faster than me. 👿
Crap I get to do the house and bike duties...
But she is a whisker off being officially faster than me.
mines not 😀 - but if i keep working abroad she likely will be 😀
At least mine still want to look decent on a bike. So I know she won't get serious and beat me (or at least I hope so 😉 )
My gf got into bikes after she met me. Her cheap ebay Kona quickly turned into a new Kona frame and custom build from wiggle, into a Gary Fisher Cake, into a Lapierre Zesty 514. So in our case it more than doubled our bike spend as most of my recent bikes have been second hand 🙂
I still have the upper hand though as she is slowly but surely building a collection of Radley handbags, and has a horse as well, all bike spend pales into insignificance when you are looking at £1000 for a replacement saddle as the old one no longer fits, £500 for its winter hay excluding feed, and nearly five years savings got sunk into buying it a trailer so we can annoy bank holiday traffic ;P
My Mrs has more bikes than me, is faster than me apart from d/h, and the only shopping she likes is bike shops,
It could be so much worse
My wife is totally into bikes and has just finished her first season of full-time guiding. She really trained hard and worked on her riding for it, to the point where the examiner on her final guide's exam had to ask her to slow down!
She asked for a Leatherman for her last birthday.
My wife rocks! 
But she is a whisker off being officially faster than me.
I suspect it won't take much practice for my wife to be faster uphill than me (she's already quicker when hillwalking) but I'm planning to keep adding heavy bits to her bike to slow her down...
too right splash-man, twice the bikes = half the money
Surely your bike parts come out of your fun spends, hers come out of hers, so no difference in funds?
Surely your bike parts come out of your fun spends, hers come out of hers, so no difference in funds?
doesnt work like that ;.....
all the spends seem to come out of my funds ... bike or house ....
that makes her sound evil shes not! - shes been a skint student up till 2 weeks ago so things may change.
MrsGnusmas need to get on here she'll soon realise she is amongst friends.........Orange5, P7, Giant Anthem and many a shoe owner here whilst other half has one bike (but 2 motorbikes!!) ;-D
Mrs Gnusmas here thanks guys the conversation that i had with hubby was about his friends lol great people but they all have girly wives and while hubby disappears talking bout bikes ect im left with the wives to talk about baby's, handbags ect and i was telling him i would rather be talking bikes lol. any yes it is getting expensive now we both want funds its getting worse now my 10 yr old is getting into it 2
its getting worse now my 10 yr old is getting into it 2
Give them another couple of years and you can move your bike to the kids and then buy yourself something new and spanky.
Just bought 2 x 16" frames this week to build up for my kids. The wife still can't understand it despite having a nice Cannondale parked in the garage........... 😥
I *do* own handbags but they are only for 'official business' (ie: when I have to get dressed up for work) I also own girlie shoes (same purpose) but I think if I totted up the 'girly' vs the 'outdoor' shoes, the outdoor ones would win. I would much rather be out getting muddy and going sideways than going shopping (aaaaagh) or having my nails done.
I do all the bike maintenance (well, when I say maintenance...) but he does all the cleaning.
And I am now starting to get up hills quicker than him too, which is just a bonus. (No, I haven't sabotaged his bike!)
You're not alone, Mrs Gnusmas. Most definitely not. 🙂
[b]TN[/b]
I think if I totted up the 'girly' vs the 'outdoor' shoes, the outdoor ones would win. I would much rather be out getting muddy
yes 🙂 with me, the rucksacks are definitely winning over the handbags these days
Result!
Result
Nothing is more attractive than a women in lycra or an outdoors loving women. Rather than one who doesnt like the smell of cow muck or "ewww its muddy"
I thought it was great earlier this year when my gfriend said to me "Hurry up going to the shop, Le Tour starts in 40mins"
Certainly not weird at all. We'd both rather talk bikes and riding than babies and handbags (although I'm sure they have their own place)
Last Saturday night we were at friends and spent the evening cleaning the bikes from the day's ride and setting up the new bike for the day after's ride. Part way through the evening we all looked at each other and said, 'is this a normal way to spend a Saturday evening?' We concluded possibly not but that we'd have it no other way.
lol maybe i shud meet up with yout wife cos my daughter thinks im wierd ! im not interested in going shopping or shoes'handbags etc (only rarely when i have to ! 😉 i like wearing comfortable outdoor type clothing rather than classy womens dresses etc...infact i havent worn a dress for years ! probably the last time i wore a dress is wen i got married like 25 years ago ...lol hey up its my silver wedding anniversary tomorrow ! lol how the hell i made it to that i,ll never know ! 😉
but yeah i started riding just about 2 and half years ago and luv it...b4 that i was a climber clambering up some high cliffs and doing some bouldering..
so nope your wife shud not thinks she's wiered at all...
whatever your interests are- if you luv what your doing ...go for it....MTB c,mon girls lets show the world we are up for this !!!!!hahahahhaha
just come back from switzerland - where it was great to see so many women on bikes (road and mtb).
Unfortunately I love shoes and dresses as I do good outdoor kit (though it's more the clothing. I can't get excited about buying a new chain set!), so it's rather expensive..
Sadly at the moment I don't feel like biking at all, so I don't beat anyone up (or down) hills 🙁
Ok so mrs Juan like shoes, handbag and having her nail done... As I mentioned above, I do the bike and the house duties (trying a fish in butter recipe as we talk). She hates going uphill which mean I have to go with her at the ski station for upflit days (needless to say she use my brand new dainese full face helmet). She as too many clothes for my liking (and shoes too), her bike is building from bit of mine (snifff) and she gets to ride my knee pads too.
Looks like no you are not weird mrs G, but I might want to reconsider the things around here 😉
Expensive taste in handbags and bikes here too. Met a few nice people for rides off here and twitter. Alas the house suffers, it leaks, it needs decorating, I hate cleaning it. I'd rather be riding my bikes - I own more than mrdomino.
In under a year my wife has gone from no interest to this:
[img] 
[/img]
On her Pashley Princess.
Driving back home she happened to ask "How long would it take to ride LEJOG?"
She has no interest in Mountain Bikes, or any other bike come to think of it, but it's great to see the excitement and sense of achievement she gets from riding.
Superb! Fantastic riding outfit! 😀
I think perfectly co-ordinated components on my DH bike is vastly more important than everyone else thinking I am weird because I shuffle around looking like a scally as I refuse to waste valuable MTB cash on clothing/shoes/make-up.
Weird - no. In the minority - yes. Someone said the minority is always right! I have no expensive taste in anything, nothing makes me happier than cheap bargains.
Mrs Flash's dress is FAB! Well, it suits her, I'd look rubbish in it like I'd been dressed by someone else. My OH does like clothes (biking and non-biking) whereas I'd rather look at bits of kit.
Does have an impact on budgets though. Thank the gods we've no kids 😉
I'll bake your weight in [s]brownie[/s] juan's most amazing brownie if you can convince the SO about that 😀
Three of us in the family are the same so dont think it weird. Kevin is out numbered.
Every one in this pic from 3 weeks ago is passionate about it
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=13pqxb&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
Tracey
tracey you don't have cheap 15-16" frame going on for sale by any chances 😉
Fabulous photo [b]Tracey [/b]- I want to be in your gang!!! 😀
Juan
Abigales 16" metalic pink Giant Reign frame will be up for sale when we come back from Joyriders mid October, was thinking around £200 as will a lot of parts taken from todays purchase
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=yv9eww&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=yv9ew0&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
Tracey
Divagirl
They are just friends we have made during our trips to Bike Verbier. We meet up in the UK for regular rides. The rides arnt just for girls, most are mixed rides, but all are fun.
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=yzw0t5&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
[url] http://kevinlawton6103.fotopic.net/ [/url]
Tracey
www.shecycles.net ...?
Tracey - that Bike Verbier website looks amazing - I'm not quite up to that standard yet - I'm very much a newbie to mtb. Your Above Derwent photos on your blog - you have a link to that route, is it very technical? <sorry for the hijack>
Your lucky mate, & your wife's not weird I envy you, all mine does is whinge and moan about my mountain biking and what it costs. Went mountain bike this weekend and camped over with some friend 2 of whom are a couple who met through mountain biking and are both as passionate about biking and go away on separate weekends one with the boys other with the girls, so they have a good balance.
""am i weird coz most women talk about handbags, shoes and babies and like to go shopping"
Its lonely at times isn't it?
I have no interest in handbags, hate buying shoes and know nothing about children and with some women (certainly not all of them I hasten to add) anything outside of these narrow subjects means the conversation is dead in its tracks 🙁
Worse, I have found certain types of women are resentful or scared in some odd way of other women who show interest in anything mechanical or physically active, other than weightlifting handbags! 🙂
Thankfully though there are some interesting and supportive women around and loads of men who are generous with encouragement and advice on things mechanical when you are learning. I have received much less prejudice and loads more support from men, who genuinely seem pleased to share knowledge and encourage beginner mechanics. The people of the Singletrack forum have been great on this too.
There used to be a lady on here who did her own motorbike repairs and loved it and I remember her saying she got bored when she had no mechanical stuff to do.
I do some of the servicing on my cars and all the servicing on my bicycles. I also do a lot of DIY in the house. Thanks to the encouragement of a male friend I bought a bike frame a few years back and all the bits and assembled it entirely by myself. It was hugely confidence building (I was struggling with depression at the time), as well as both interesting and terrifying to research and order all the bits. Sadly we fell out in the end over a pair of string strapped platform shoes with cleats set in the bottom - I said only an idiot would wear them or perceive them as anything but a joke, he wanted his girlfriend to wear such things! I had thought better of him 🙂
Anyway, your wife is not weird, she is brave. There is a lot of social pressure on little girls and adult women to be vacuous, vain, pretty and mechanically useless as it does not fit with what some people see as 'feminine'. They are wrong, we are right! 🙂
Tell her to have a go at her own mechanics/assembly - its fun! And get her to post on here as its always nice to get replies from women as well as guys.
Dont have a link to the route but its a figure of 8 on both sides of the res. Girls hve been doing it for years so you should be OK. Im sure some one on here can put a map up
Above Derwent
2004 aged 6 and 8
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=y2d1f2&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
2010 aged 12 and 14
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=131tyl&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
Verbier 2004, been back every year since
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=yfavrk&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
Verbier 2010
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=13pqxg&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
Dont they grow up quick
Tracey
great photos Tracey - thanks, also given me hope I can manage it!
Your wife is not weird, just in the minority.
Like most of the other ladies that grace the world of off road bicycling, I love shoes and handbags, in fact I make them as past of my business.
However I can't afford the shoes and handbags and lovely clothes that my non biking friends buy, 'cos all the money goes on bikes, weekends away etc.
It also depends where you live. If it's on outdoor type area she'll be among like minded females.
I've just taken delivery of two parcels. One from CRC and one from Wiggle. Both for my wife!! [url= http://www.novascotiabikeride.blogspot.com/ ]This[/url] was also her idea.
I am your wife - been doing it a bit longer though - a wee fire buring i ma belly all coz of biking! I love it and cant get enought! 😆
As midnighthours says! I have been MTBing for 16 odd years, having started as a girl at 13 years old. I got bullied at school as I wasn't "girlie girlie" had no interest in handbags, painting my nails (still can't!) shopping or boys (all my friends were boys). I spent all my time at school dreaming of being out on my MTB. I currently own more rucksacks and trainers. I have some Timbuk 2 "handbags" (2 of them!). There is nothing I want more than to head out MTBing, get muddy and smelly!! women at work can't understand my desire and love of MTBing and ALL things outdoorsy (climbing, running, adventure racing, swimming, surfing). Woman also don't understand why I'm not bothered about getting married and I don't want babies. I get patronising responses to "ohhh your bodyclock is ticking you'll change your mind". Maybe so but that's for me to decide and I won't be pressured. I'd still rather be out MTBing than at home looking after babies.....
I love my bike can't wait until tomorrow's ride ... rock on!! It's definately not wierd or odd you just end up with more blokes as mates than women from cycling.
hmmmmmm, i cant help but notice there's a lot of pictures and posts about women not in the kitchen?!
surely this is a trolling thread of epic MrNutt proportions?
Diawl - MemberI've just taken delivery of two parcels. One from CRC and one from Wiggle. Both for my wife!! This was also her idea.
Sorry I'm late 😉 - just got back from hols to 6 or 7 bicycle related parcels (too excited to count 'em) . . . this weekend I shall mostly be building a(nother) new BMX instead of preparing for return to work on Monday 😡 . . . and yeah, I have just one pair of non-biking shoes and one handbag but numerous backpacks/courier bags. Cracking thread btw!
philconsequence - Memberhmmmmmm, i cant help but notice there's a lot of pictures and posts about women not in the kitchen?!
Kitchen you say? There you go . . . 😀
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=136mwo&=1&nostamp=1&quality=70 [/img]
. . . and I don't care about the mess. I'm on holiday until Monday 😛
My biking weekend has consisted of
Friday
Drive to Knaresbrough to pick up Abigales next bike bought of ebay
[img] p7J14IFBMb6Kr0mfg~~_35.JPG)
[/img]
Saturday
Pick up Katies new forks bought off here
Pick Katie up from school history trip to America
Do the washing
Strip Abigales new bike down and take frame to bike shop ready for powdercoating
Go for a curry
Cut grass
Today
Fit Katies new forks
Clean up all parts of Abigales new bike, take photos and post in classifieds
Do all ironing
Cook Sunday dinner, ready in 15 mins
I need to ride my bike
Tracey
Hooray for the mountainbiking women of STW!
Should we get a ride together girls? I was thinking of going to Afan when my knee is better (six weeks).
Ha, sounds a bit like my day Tracey except I cooked beans on toast for Sunday lunch 😳 (no way was I going to do a roast on the last day of my holiday).
Bike looks good. What colour powdercoat?
Roast eaten. She is thinking in the purple/lilac area with white rockers but wont know till she gets there. Could change her mind at any time.
Rest of the bike will be swapped over apart from Ive got some white Hayes in the bits box
Tracey
I met my GF while riding MTB's. She is well into biking and no coercing was involved. 🙂
[img] 
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While I think it's great my wife has got into cycling and involved with a all-ladies group (Hervelo) in Edinburgh I did notice the following when she went out with them yesterday morning:
- I had to get her bike ready and loaded into the car
- I had to pack her hydration pack for her (but leave room for a small pack of cosmetics)
- I had to give her a lift to where the ride set-off from
- I had to await her call to be summoned to give her a lift home.
Any chance she'll reciprocate next time I'm heading to Glentress or the like...?
Karinofnine - you'll be upsetting that SimonFBarnes with a suggestion like that 😉
We've not ridden today, instead went to watch the 'Farmer John'DH races.
I want to marry Mamadirt. 😳