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:

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 brownie 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

Tracey

tracey you don't have cheap 15-16" frame going on for sale by any chances 😉

Fabulous photo Tracey – 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

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.

http://kevinlawton6103.fotopic.net/

Tracey

http://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

2010 aged 12 and 14

Verbier 2004, been back every year since

Verbier 2010

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!! This 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 – Member

I'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 – Member

hmmmmmm, 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 . . . 😀

. . . 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

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. 🙂

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. 😳