Women on Bikes

[PotomacCyclist]

More cycletracks! That will get more people, female and male, on bikes.

[americancyclo]

I asked the Lady last night why she doesn’t bike commute and her answers were:

1. wardrobe
2. makeup
3. transporting our 6 month old

She’s a sole proprietor, so appearance is very important, and she doesn’t have a separate entrance to sneak in unseen. she’s expressed interest in cycling again when the weather gets warmer, so that’s promising, but her issues rule out all but the nicest of days.

[dasgeh]

I caught whatever bug our daughter brought back from London, so missed the forum on Monday. I was bummed, but am glad to hear it went well.

It’s interesting that the Lady brought up transporting the kid as an excuse not to bike — our 1-year-old LOVES the bike. She definitely prefers it to the car, even in the cold (we have a bobike mini with a wind screen, so it’s much warmer than what we feel). The kid has to be able to sit up well for the seat to work, but once they can, it’s awesome! We’ve already been researching cargo bike options for if/when our family grows – those can accommodate infants in car seats!

I had hoped to raise questions of family biking at the forum — my biggest complaint is the lack of local retail geared towards family biking (if anyone knows where I can test ride a bakfiets around here, PLEASE let me know). The irony is that my husband, who’s at home with our daughter, is the one who usually bikes with her, so in our family, biking with kids isn’t really a woman’s issue.

Maybe we could have a family biking forum in the future (I laugh as I type this, knowing that it would be a challenge for so many parents to attend)…

As far as women’s specific issues, I don’t understand why wardrobe and makeup would prevent someone from biking. Ladies all over Europe bike, and most of them are much more stylish than me. With a step-through bike, a willingness to change shoes after locking up your bike and an understanding that you’re not going to race anyone, there’s no reason you couldn’t bike in most outfits.

[KLizotte]

@dasgeh 12009 wrote:

As far as women’s specific issues, I don’t understand why wardrobe and makeup would prevent someone from biking. Ladies all over Europe bike, and most of them are much more stylish than me. With a step-through bike, a willingness to change shoes after locking up your bike and an understanding that you’re not going to race anyone, there’s no reason you couldn’t bike in most outfits.

That depends on how far you are going. As usual, here in the US, we do everything BIG and those folks that live in the suburbs usually have fairly long bike commutes. Also, our hot and *humid* summers aren’t usually experienced in Europe, at least not northern Europe. The Netherlands and Denmark usually experience very mild climates and are flat, flat, flat.

If I were only biking around DC, thus short distances, I would probably wear street clothes most of the time. I tell people that if you can walk comfortably outside, there is no reason why you can’t bike just as comfortably for short distances in regular clothes/makeup.

I do think women have a harder time of it though when it comes to wardrobe since they often need/choose to haul jewelry, hair accessories, pantyhose, matching shoes/belts, make-up, etc. in their commuter bags. And hair that is any longer than a buzz cut is a royal pain in the arse to style quickly at work.

[americancyclo]

@dasgeh 12009 wrote:

It’s interesting that the Lady brought up transporting the kid as an excuse not to bike — our 1-year-old LOVES the bike. She definitely prefers it to the car, even in the cold (we have a bobike mini with a wind screen, so it’s much warmer than what we feel). The kid has to be able to sit up well for the seat to work, but once they can, it’s awesome!

Yeah, our six month old is just now starting to sit up, so we haven’t started looking for a trailer yet. I’m sure we’ll have one by the time she’s a year old though.

I like the idea of a cargo bike with me pedaling, the Lady on back, and the little one in a child carrier on the rear deck, but again, probably not until at least next summer.

[dasgeh]

I definitely recommend the BoBike Mini over a trailer. It’s one of those “front” seats, so the kid is in front of you, you can talk to him/her, see his/her face as s/he notices all the cool stuff in the world. Plus, it’s a great way to show off a cool kids helmet.

(I also don’t trust the drivers around here not to run over trailers, but that’s me being paranoid).

[americancyclo]

@dasgeh 12022 wrote:

It’s one of those “front” seats, so the kid is in front of you

our nephew had something like that, the neon green one. The idea of the kid in front makes me uneasy. tiny little airbag.

[dasgeh]

@americancyclo 12023 wrote:

our nephew had something like that, the neon green one. The idea of the kid in front makes me uneasy. tiny little airbag.

I think that’s the iBert. I also thought they looked dangerous, before I really started researching it. It’s actually more safe, especially for younger kids, because you can see and interact with the kid. If you think about it, it’s safer in crashes (your arms are around the kid; back seats have the whole see-saw effect, trailers tip over and don’t have the visability of a seat). Besides, with a kid on the bike, you’re not going to be flying around super fast, weaving through traffic, riding on busy roads.

The worst scare I’ve had was actually when I was out jogging with the jogging stroller on a sidewalk, and I can came flying down a ramp, out of a parking garage and almost mowed me and the baby down. Had nothing to do with the bike.

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 12024 wrote:

I think that’s the iBert. I also thought they looked dangerous, before I really started researching it. It’s actually more safe, especially for younger kids, because you can see and interact with the kid. If you think about it, it’s safer in crashes (your arms are around the kid; back seats have the whole see-saw effect, trailers tip over and don’t have the visability of a seat).

How does the bike handle with the extra weight on the front? And what do you do with it when there isn’t a child in it? I have a Co-Pilot II and I drop my daughter off at daycare in the mornings and ride the rest of the way to work with an empty seat. I feel odd enough riding around with an empty rear seat and think an empty front seat would be even stranger.

[dasgeh]

@Tim Kelley 12027 wrote:

How does the bike handle with the extra weight on the front?

I don’t really notice a difference, and my husband says he thinks it handles better. We have the seat on a dutch style bike (a biria citibike), so the rider’s weight is pretty far back. Having the extra weight on the front helps. It’s the most stable bike that either of us have ridden at slow speeds.

@Tim Kelley 12027 wrote:

And what do you do with it when there isn’t a child in it?

I don’t know about other brands, but the bobike has two parts — a base that attaches to the bike’s stem, then the seat (and wind screen, which is optional), that slides into the base. Without the kid, the seat is really light, and isn’t high, so it’s like riding the bike without the seat (so a little less stable). You could easily leave the seat with the kid when you drop her off, or take it off and put it in a pannier/strap it to the rack.

There may be an issue with riding a long distance with the seat on — depending on the bike geometry, you may be bowing your knees a bit (on our bike, I don’t notice it, my husband does). It’s easy to forget about the knees with the kid in the seat, because you’re talking to the kid, but without the kid there, you could get annoyed. But you could also just take the seat off.

I would never take the windscreen off in this weather — it really does keep you warmer. In fact, if I could put one on my road bike…

[ronwalf]

@Tim Kelley 12027 wrote:

How does the bike handle with the extra weight on the front?

Like butter. It takes some getting used to, especially the starts and stops and turns are a bit wider, but the extra weight up front balances the weight between the wheels a bit better and irons out much of the road’s bumpiness. You can’t stand in the saddle or bunny-hop pot holes anymore, though.

And what do you do with it when there isn’t a child in it? I have a Co-Pilot II and I drop my daughter off at daycare in the mornings and ride the rest of the way to work with an empty seat. I feel odd enough riding around with an empty rear seat and think an empty front seat would be even stranger.

Dunno, I always leave the seat with the child. It pops off and on easily. The iBert has a mounting bar that I only occasionally curse. It’s not the obvious problem (racking – never done it, doubt it’s really an issue) but it comes far enough back that my knee can hit it on the turns or when mounting.

[americancyclo]

@dasgeh 12038 wrote:

In fact, if I could put one on my road bike…

you’re straying dangerously close to recumbent territory….

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 12038 wrote:

There may be an issue with riding a long distance with the seat on — depending on the bike geometry, you may be bowing your knees a bit (on our bike, I don’t notice it, my husband does). It’s easy to forget about the knees with the kid in the seat, because you’re talking to the kid, but without the kid there, you could get annoyed.

I hadn’t even thought about bowing of the knees–I’d have to make sure the geometry of the bike/seat give me enough clearance as I’m pretty tall. (Tall enough that Dirt and I make each other feel normal sized!)

[Tim Kelley]

@ronwalf 12040 wrote:

Dunno, I always leave the seat with the child. It pops off and on easily. The iBert has a mounting bar that I only occasionally curse. It’s not the obvious problem (racking – never done it, doubt it’s really an issue) but it comes far enough back that my knee can hit it on the turns or when mounting.

I guess that’s one issue, since my wife and I sometime trade who does the drop off and pick up each day.–I always need to have the empty seat with me.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I’ve loving this thread, by the way.

My Torker Cargo T would be a great bike for transporting kids. They’re step-through with Dutch geometry and cost about $600 list with a 3-speed. Here’s a pic of (an upgraded one) with kid-carriers:

http://www.joe-bike.com/cargo-bikes/torker-cargo-t/

My kids are too old for this type of setup, but the bike is a perfect platform for it.

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