Is mountain biking still too misogynistic

Okay, so we’re thankfully beyond some the advertising cliches of the 00s (Marzocchi ladies in bikinis trying to flog you a Z1) but just browsing through eBay, presumably there’s still a market for stickers with strippers on them for your Rockshox (i’m looking at you, Dirty Decals)

There’ve always been great female ambassadors for the sport (Missy etc), and with the like of R. Atherton and T . Seagrave etc there are ladies competing who are properly fast – not just “fast for a girl”. Mountain biking’s no longer a boys-only club, but things like the above surely make what we do appear less accessible for women wanting to get into the sport. I know for one that my partner would be rolling her eyes if we got chatting to someone out on the trail and spotted a half nekkid lady draped over their Pikes.

Or am I just exercising my middle-class right to be offended?

There were a few articles on pinkbike a few weeks ago about manufacturers trying to get more women involved in bikes, at all levels, from casual riders to racers, then from mechanics to engineers behind the scenes.

The comments section shows that we have a VERY long way to go…

It probably is, most things are. What difference that has on women going out and riding mountain bikes, who knows – I would guess not much.

Wouldn’t worry too much about the pink bike comments.most of them are young kids.

Or am I just exercising my middle-class right to be offended?

Yes.

24% of all visits to Singletrack in the last 30 days have been from women, according to Google.

That’s 24% of 2 million visitors.

Good work.

@trumpton – what in their 30’s you mean 😀

Yebbut did they open the door, look inside, gasp “Oh my God” and leave to find another virtual bar?

24% of all visits to Singletrack in the last 30 days have been from women, according to Google.

That’s 24% of 2 million visitors

How does google know the configuration of my genitals?

My thinking is that there’s still a massive reluctance amongst a lot of girls to get mucky and sweaty doing risky sports.

Not that they can’t do it (clearly, Ms Atherton) but there’s still a cultural pressure from childhood for girls to be girly and boys to be rough and tumble.

If we fix that then participation rates will equalise somewhat. But there’s a long way to go.

There seems to be alot of women in Canada America and Poland from looking at the photos on pink bike.

I wonder if that perceived wisdom (it’s muddy / dangerous, girls don’t like muddy dangerous things) is what perpetuates the “boys club” mentality though – assuming that girls won’t like it anyway and then putting playboy centrefolds up on the walls of the proverbial club-house.

Or am I just exercising my middle-class right to be offended?

No, you’re virtue signalling.

I’d say that 76% of us really aren’t in the best position to say yes or no

If we really are getting 500,000 female visitors a month then that is a pretty low conversion rate to regular users. Even this place, which is a hotbed of liberal political correctness, can get quite misogynistic so it’s a struggle.

I wonder if that perceived wisdom (it’s muddy / dangerous, girls don’t like muddy dangerous things) is what perpetuates the “boys club” mentality though

It certainly perpetuates the myth that not liking getting dirty and liking pink fluffy things somehow determines gender.

I’d say that there’s a much higher ratio of women:men riding now than any time I can remember. That’s across all disciplines. Some of the riders most inspiring me are Jenny Graham, Lee Craigie and Leah Wilcox – and it’s nothing to do with their genitalia.

Of course it’s not, utter rubbish

24% of all visits to Singletrack in the last 30 days have been from women,

Photos please

Serious answer I don’t know, we have quite a good proportion of women in our road club but there is still a very long way to go. I’ve no idea with mountain biking as I just go out on my own riding easy cross country stuff. I’m actually seeing women riding now when I’m out which is a change.

Oh, and this place is not a hotbed of mysogyny. Far from it.

What’s the correct amount of misogyny, in your opinion, OP?

Does the existence of some silly stickers that none of us have heard of really breach that threshold?

Really?

I shouldn’t ask for a link to the stickers then?

One of the things I love about BPW is the variety of people up there, newbies, women, kids. All having fun and except the newbies all abilities. Seriously quick women doing the difficult stuff and the same for kids, as well as ones having fun on the blues. I love that, everyone is having fun, most are chatty and shit I miss it so much. Sadly when it opens I’ll be lucky to afford a cup of tea let alone the uplift.
No more weekly visits, it’s special occasion time.
Still feels pretty inclusive, very few non whites though. I’m as tanned as it gets some days.

I shouldn’t ask for a link to the stickers then?

Maybe STW has an affiliate link?

😀

presumably there’s still a market for stickers with strippers on them for your Rockshox

Ok but that in itself is not an indicator of the whole community – just that there are some people who don’t mind displaying sexy ladies for whatever reason. I mean it might not always be men who buy them for example.

I think the overall sentiment in the community is one of inclusivity, but I am sure there are pockets of unpleasantness as there will be everywhere. But I’m not exactly sure you can lump the local kids smoking joints at the top of some hand built trails behind a housing estate in with ultramarathon bikepackers and call us a ‘community’.

I’m guessing the lack of female riders is a symptom of attitudes endemic in wider society on both sides of the gender gap, similar to the lack of riders of colour. But then again maybe not as there are load of female runners and that’s pretty hard sweaty work.

Oh, and this place is not a hotbed of mysogyny. Far from it.

Well said that man.

Dunno. But the fantastic attitudes of bike shops certainly doesn’t help. It’s not 1970 anymore, although it certainly seems to be in some shops.

[mansplaining]

TBH if someone’s been riding mountain bikes long enough that they reach the point of needing new stickers on their forks, they’re not going to come across them and think “f*** it, I’m joining the WI instead”.

Also, it assumes that they’re overly sensitive. Are they also going to be put off driving by a low-brow bumper sticker?

I think that in general, the problem is cycling is a hobby done by groups of blokes. That’s intimidating. Your options are either, meet up with a load of blokes somewhere you don’t know, or ride on your own, also probably somewhere you don’t know. And even if that doesn’t put you off there’s probably an element of not wanting to interrupt a group dynamic. Anecdotally, the “ladies”* cycling group’s been a massive success in getting people out riding regularly who perhaps might only have come out once or twice or not at all.

*actually quite sexist, it’s just a slower group, there’s plenty of blokes in it too some weeks!

Well said that man.

Unfortunately, Poe’s law makes the meaning of that response undecipherable.

How does google know the configuration of my genitals?

it took 5 seconds using their search engine for me to find out the most likely configuration, so I would imagine they would be able to figure it out to 😉

Even this place, which is a hotbed of liberal political correctness, can get quite dull so it’s a struggle.

FTFY

This month’s Singletrack calendar pic is pretty cool.

24% of all visits to Singletrack in the last 30 days have been from women, according to Google.

To be honest that’s probably just me.

Maybe we should roundup women and force them into biking to show how equal and non sexist we are?

I think people often forget that men and women are just very different to each other in their traits. I have slowly been getting my fiancé into riding over the last 4 years and it’s been a bit of an up hill struggle, she enjoys a leisurely ride but struggles if things becomes to gnarly (for her, I would stay testosterone in men helps to make them more stupid and risk takers). By any means I have learned how to encourage her to try things out on the trail (generally with a lot of explaining and not being pushy) and do want her to ride with other women so she can see how good she is (because at the moment is is always comparing herself to me).

I have ridden with a few other women in my time and most of them have got into the sport because of their other half’s. The few that have got into biking on their own are more outdoorsy people to begin with (definitely think the whole toilet situation is a bigger factor than getting muddy or sweaty as to why there are less women than men).

I’d say that 76% of us really aren’t in the best position to say yes or no

Probably the most sensible comment on here. To be fair, this forum is great for stamping down on misogyny.

Role models are the key – I love some of the stuff Lee Craigie and the Adventure Syndicate are putting out about their with schools.

Our cycle club runs around 20% female membership, which we work really hard to increase, but that’s 3-4 times the British Cycling club average. We’ve had ladies join via our linked Breeze and council Cycle for Health rides, and 12 months later they are racing CX or heading out on Peak all day off roaders

Yes! Yes! Yes! It is. I’ve been the only woman working in a male environment and crude jokes are a laugh, and the smutty calendars in the canteen added a bit of colour (usually to the cheeks of my colleagues) but there’s some ugly misogyny in mtb that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. I accept that there’s physical differences which limit our power, but you often hear that women are too slow or precious in relation to mtb. Womens specific bikes are starting to address our different builds, but I think a sense of caution on the trails often kicks in for women as we reach maturity as we tend to have more responsibility in the home.
Women are greatly objectified in mtb and if they are successful they are treated like trophies. If you watch dh, they still have the pretty blondes handing out awards and interviewing the lads. Women downhillers have to have a certain image and qualification (brother/bf) to gain the right to ride, unless you have awesome skills, it is extremely cliquey.
Thankfully it’s a sport that you don’t need a membership for

It’s funny how we say girls don’t like getting sweaty/muddy/taking risks. Then you look at horse riding… surely something like eventing is pretty risky but the demographics there seem the inverse of mountain biking. I know it’s maybe not as accessible/mainstream as cycling but still I find it an interesting observation.

I think people often forget that men and women are just very different to each other in their traits.

Very true but some who would be into MTB may be put off by the culture of it. That goes for men as well as women.

Misogyny, racism and homophobia all exist within the mtb community. As a gay guy who rides DH I have been the subject of some pretty sickening abuse over the years. A good percentage of male bikers seem to think only HARD men can take part in the sport.

It’s not 1970 anymore, although it certainly seems to be in some shops.

Maybe it’s different in the cities or darn sarf, but it definitely doesn’t feel like that around here (D&G).

All of the bike shops I frequent are either staffed/owned by women (BreakPad/Studio Velo, G&G, CD Cycles all regularly have lasses behind the counter and/or in the workshop) – or are so laid back and friendly in general (Frothy/Ae/G&G) that it wouldn’t matter what you have between your legs; as the regular client base of all mentioned above would testify towards.

Sure, blokes outnumber girls out on the trails or on group rides, but it definitely feels like there’s been a turning point reached and there’s more women out on bikes than ever.

It’s a shame Jess and GMBN didn’t work out longer term, but her solo stuff is good – albeit patchy in regularity at times.

More of the same please; it’s a better sport and activity for it.

. It’s not 1970 anymore, although it certainly seems to be in some shops.

A chance to big up my lbs… Blazing Saddles… as they have never fallen into that trap.

A chance to big up my lbs… Blazing Saddles… as they have never fallen into that trap.

They wouldn’t last long in Hebden if they did.