Special Report: A light history lesson about Women and Bicycles

“Let me tell you what I think of bicycling…I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world”
-Susan B Anthony 1896

Chicks on bikes has always been a controversial issue. When bicycles were first introduced women were seen as frail, weak things with no tolerance for strenuous physical activity.

This was due in part (big part) to the corset. Ever heard the term “loose woman” or straight-laced”? These were directly related to the corset. A loose woman was one who wore her corset well, loosely, and therefore was less proper and even obscene. Someone straight laced was so proper and ladylike that her corset laces ran a straight line up her back. Corsets inhibited both movement and breathing, rendering women weak and unable to do much besides sit uncomfortably and generally just look pretty. Not exactly the best clothing for riding a bicycle.

Another dress issue were the long skirts that women wore, with no exception. These were dangerous for riding, so women started wearing what was known as ‘rational dress’, which turned into a movement against any clothing that "deforms the figure, impedes the movement of the body, or in any way tends to injure the health. It protests against the wearing of tightly fitted corsets, of high-heeled or narrow toed boots and shoes; of heavily weighted skirts, as rendering healthy exercise almost impossible.... "
This did not go over well.

Bicycles also gave women mobility and independence (gasp!). No longer were they at the mercy of horse drawn carriages (which many women had trouble driving because of the restrictive corsets). Women could go places when they wanted to, and were not forced to stay close to home. This clearly meant that they were going to go to bars and start stripping, right? That was the consensus. That women would get into physical and moral danger once they could go off on their own, innocent little things now at the mercy of the big, bad world.

As noted by Clare S. Simpson noted, "The independent mobility of cyclists raised genuine alarm for their physical, if not moral, safety; simply put, the bicycle could easily take women to unsavoury places where they might be endangered physically ... or morally. Drawing on previous knowledge of the kinds of women who deliberately made themselves conspicuous in public, that is, prostitutes, there would be a strong tendency to conclude that cycling women were far from respectable: not exactly prostitutes, perhaps, but possibly women of loose morals or with an undeveloped sense of propriety."

Women pedaled on. They were scorned as ‘harlots’ for the sexually provocative straddling of the seat and warned against the hidden dangers of the nervous troubles that concentrating on the road would bring to them. Their religious beliefs were questioned, as often they chose to take a ride on Sundays, seen as a direct assault on the Sabbath.

Women on bicycles have never completely shaken the stigma. Women who ride today are seen as tough, tomboyish types. Bikes ‘made for women’ are often just shortened versions of men’s bikes with larger seats (!).

However, things are changing. There is a fascination recently with fashionable women on bikes. Skirts and heels, although rare in the USA, are becoming more accepted on the saddles. And women on bicycles are starting to finally be seen as…women.

A welcome change indeed.

Confessions of a bike shopaphobic

Bike shops. Even saying those words makes my lips curl and my eyes narrow. Now, I love shopping (I sort of do it for a living!) and I really love geeking out about things I am interested in. You would think a bike shop would be a veritable candy store, full of treats and fun. Not so much. It is actually a torture that I continually put myself through and regret.

Here is how it normally goes:

I pull up in my little car, excited and hopeful. Maybe this time will be fun!
Walk in and hear the little bell ding, see the person coming running. Then watch their eyes fill with disappointment at a girl dressed in (gasp!) a skirt and boots. She must be here to look at bikes for her son or husband. Nothing interesting here, but probably an easy sell.

The rest of the experience involved my asking for things that I need, in non bike-tech terms, and the disdainful looks and short answers. So I don't know exactly what the name of the thingy I need is-isn't that what they are here for? Apparently not. If I walked in covered in spandex and clicking around on the tiled floor, I venture a guess that things would go differently.

Most bike shops talk of wanting a more cycling friendly city. I agree wholeheartedly. I also think that encouraging and supporting new riders is one step in making Birmingham more rider friendly. Bike shop snobbery only proves the stereotype that cycling is an elite sport that takes special skills and equipment. Doesn't feel like the way to promote cycling for transportation or fun.

I love supporting local businesses. There are great cycling shops in Birmingham (Cahaba Cycles is one of them), and I will continue to support them. For the ones that treat new riders and woman as an afterthought, well...
see you on the roads. I'll be the one in the skirt riding a bike I didn't buy from you, hoping for change.

If you're going to do it...

You might as well look good!

I love riding. However, one teensy problem with cycling as transportation has been figuring how to look cute when I get to, say Bottletree or Urban Standard. I am not a fan of spandex. At all. I found this great website, Copenhagen Cycling Chic, sort of a Sartorialist for cyclists and fell in love.

Leggings! Boots! miniskirts! Legwarmers! A dream come true for a girl on two wheels. Urban Outfitters, here I come.

Another little problem is that sometimes a girl needs some...ahem, padding to stay comfortable. All of the 'cycling pants' I have found in bike shops are spandex extravanganzas! So, I jumped on the internet superhighway. and found these:

and


All from Harlot, a women's cycling apparel shop. How can you not love a company who has this written on their website:

"Many people ask us about the name Harlot. Certainly, an old word for prostitute might seem like an odd thing to name a company after. We actually have a good reason that makes sense to us. It involves the history of women on bicycles, the reclaiming of a derogatory word, and little tongue-in-cheek fun."

I am going to be Rockin' the hot cycling gear in Birmingham soon!

For more urban cycling gear, check out these great sites:

Cordarounds. Nothing for women, but I talked to the guys and they will have womens wear in February or March!
Swrve
Chrome. Known for their bags, but the knickers look kick ass as well. None for women however.
And the brand preferred by Bike Messengers: R E Load

I am having trouble finding any cool urban cycling gear in Birmingham. If you know of any, please let me know! Please, Please.