Mind the Gender Gap 06/30/09

Dottie and I make no secret of the fact that the number one mission of our blog is to show that city cycling can be a part of any woman’s everyday life—no special equipment or clothing, or even a special type of bike required (though after a few months of riding, you’ll probably want one — or two!). Over the past six months, we’ve talked about our own obstacles to commuting and given our personal experiences as examples of how women might fit cycling into their lives.

Lately the media has been obsessed with women on bikes—or, more accurately, the women who are NOT on bikes. Apparently, we
Picture 3need more women cyclists to pretty up the place. Why aren’t they riding?!? Is it the helmet head? Are women too scared to share the road with cars? Maybe they are afraid to sweat? The latest to join the discussion is the New York Times’ City Room blog. The article presents research from a professor at Rutgers that says men commute by bike at 3 times the frequency of women, and the percentage is even worse in New York City. Having never cycled in NYC myself, I can’t say whether his description of riding its streets as “like going into battle” is accurate. And I certainly don’t want to discount concerns about safety and fashion, which were issues for me when starting out and two things Dottie and I are trying to help others overcome.

What annoys me is that none of the articles I’ve read on this topic lately go any deeper into why those things present serious obstacles for women but not men, even though men have the same concerns (no one wants to show up for work disheveled and stinky after all). Why bother, when it’s so obvious that men are just much less self-absorbed and a million times braver? It couldn’t be that there are higher expectations for women’s appearances in the workplace, or that the burden of transporting children or household errands like grocery shopping more often falls to them—the first reasons that came to my mind. These are not insurmountable, of course (just ask these cycling superparents, both moms and dads, or the other stylish women bike commuters we know), but they require some thought, negotiation and planning that your average male might not have to overcome in his quest to bicycle commute.

But instead of giving weight to these concerns, or looking into others, these articles stay on the surface. Women are dismissed as frivolous and their absence is mourned not because of the missed opportunity to allow them to discover an activity that can improve their quality of life, but because their presence would improve the scenery. As a girl who likes to look good on her bike, I can’t argue with that statement, but I can argue with it being the number one reason we should get women on bikes—sorry, Treehugger.

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  • http://suburbanbikemama.blogspot.com/ Mamavee

    Hey- very nice!

    I only tried sadly to ride in NYC ( my hometown) and it was miserable and I got 10 feet before I came up to a city bus and a garbage truck. I freaked and got on the sidewalk and walked the 20 blocks to school. but that is neither here nor there. I like your post a lot!

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      Thanks, Mamavee!!

  • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com dottie

    My favorite part is your point that the media (including the blogosphere) takes as a given that men are “much less self-absorbed and a million times braver.” Such a foundational truth, it seems, that writers don’t even try to piece logic together in support of it.

    Clearly, the only way to get more women on bikes is to destroy the patriarchy. ;)

    • http://calitexican.blogspot.com calitexican

      haha! yes! clearly.

      seriously though, we must continue the sentiment stated by susan b. anthony over 100 years ago: “I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. The moment she takes her seat she knows she can’t get into harm unless she gets off her bicycle, and away she goes, the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.” word!

      we as (american) women cyclists have a good start, but with those numbers it’s very clear we’ve still got a long way to go! what are the percentages of female cyclers in amsterdam and copenhagen? from the looks of the blogs, seems to be more representative of the general population than our statistics here. if this is true, there is something more at work here in america.

      and faulty logic really drives me bananas, especially when it’s not explained and just taken for granted.

  • http://sheridesabike.com Karen

    As you know, I’ve also blogged on this subject a few times recently. I agree that expectations of women about our appearance are much higher than for men. I have always felt the pressure to measure up and on a couple of occasions been told my appearance was an asset on the job. Flattering yet troubling at the same time. As we become older our bodies change. Neither sex usually enjoys the changes but I truly believe women feel it hardest.

    Beanie (Brown Girl on a Bike) commented that she is planning to post images of attractive men on bikes as a counter to the use of sex appeal in the marketing of cars. It worked for the auto industry. Maybe it can work for bike commuting. Like it or not, human being respond to physical attractiveness and often seek to identify with people they perceive as physically attractive. Even babies have been found to prefer young, symetrical, attractive faces over those that are older, less symetrical, and predictably attractive. Luckily, most of us mature and get beyond simply relying on appearance to guide out decision making. I never would have considered bike commuting for myself, had factors other than looking pretty not entered into the decision.

  • Suzanne

    I’m in my 50′s now. The #1 reason I haven’t been riding a bike in the past 30 years is because I never had one that I felt secure on. Always too big for us shorter women. It is only now that I see that shorter, step-thru, comfortable bikes are much more widely available. True, I haven’t been in a bike store in awhile, but I haven’t exactly seen much out on the street to make me think, “Oh, I want to do that!”

    The whole “cycle chic” movement is starting to wear on me. I was initially drawn very much to it – all that fun! But lately I’ve been getting bored of the same old “pretty girl” images you see everywhere else. Just this time they’re on bikes. It’s always about the skirts and the heels, kind of like a fashion magazine with a new gimmick. I like fashion, just not that much.

    It almost reminds me of when women started exercising in their tight fashionable leotards in the late 70′s. How could we complain about all the images of tightly spandexed, young, fit women? After all, there was the excuse that they were showing how strong women were becoming. Condescending? Hell, yes.

    There is nothing wrong with images portraying sexuality. It’s just that when your gender is subjected to it over and over again, with very little to balance that with something else, you do tire of it after awhile.

    Anyway, thanks to the “movement,” I am now riding a bike again. And I love it! I’ll continue as long as I feel safe enough on the streets.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      Good point, Suzanne — I think for a long time the type of bikes many women would rather ride were simply not available here.

  • Sungsu

    You might be interested in the results of the following study:

    http://www.cher.ubc.ca/cyclingincities/survey.html

    Top five deterrents for a bike route (all genders):
    The route is icy or snowy
    The street has a lot of car, bus & truck traffic
    The route has glass or debris
    Vehicles drive faster than 50 km/h (30 mph)
    The risk from motorists who don’t know how to drive safely near bicycles

    Top five motivators:
    The route is away from traffic noise and air pollution
    The route has beautiful scenery
    The route has bicycle paths separated from traffic for the entire distance
    The route is flat
    Cycling to the destination takes less time than travelling by other modes

    The results, at least on the website and other publicly available materials, are not broken down by gender, but they might help explain why women are deterred from cycling.

  • http://www.cyclingisgoodforyou.blogspot.com anna

    Interesting. Actually, even in Vienna there are more men on bikes than women, although I think this is somewhat unusual compared to the rest of Austria. But there is only a slight difference, and from my daily experience I would even say that there are more women cycling in the summer, but much more men in the winter. So maybe it’s a comfort thing. Cycling in rain and snow doesn’t seem comfortable (and sometimes also more tricky) so many people don’t bother.

  • Adam Jay

    kudos! i agree with many of your points. this post really makes me want to dust off my copy of ‘The Dialectic of Sex’ by Shulamith Firestone.

  • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

    In addition to bravery vs frivolousness, perceptions of athleticism probably also play a role. Cycling is predominantly perceived as an athletic activity in the US, and women as less athletic than men. Therefore, women are less likely to cycle.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      I think that also has a lot to do with city cycling not being widely adopted in America. Men and women don’t see it as something practical vs. a leisure activity or sport. Hopefully with more varieties of upright bikes becoming available in the US, that will change.

  • http://roseread.wordpress.com/ roseread

    If not for cycle chic, and bloggers like you, I don’t think I’d be riding my bike. I’m not into bike racing, or mountain biking, and for the longest time the only cyclists I ever saw were those types, and bike messengers and fixie riding hipsters. I started looking into bicycling for environmental reasons, looking to cut down my car trips, but I needed to be able to run errands effectively. I thought a bike would be great, if only it were useful, if only I could carry stuff on it, but the bikes I saw around me (road, mountain, fixie) weren’t set up for usefulness. So I started searching the Internet and came across your blog, and others like it. It was a relief to see everyday people doing everyday things on a bike. I thought, if they can do it, then I can do it.

    I think the clothes I wear convey a certain message to other cyclists and drivers. Because I don’t dress in spandex and “cycling clothes” I give off a certain vibe, one that communicates I’m not going to run this red light, or weave in and out of traffic, or cut you off, or go the wrong way down a one way street. My everyday wardrobe is nice jeans or skirts, and t-shirts and sweaters. Not uber-chic, but nice. That also helps. I’m playing into certain gender stereotypes and using them to my advantage, and if it does anything to enhance my perceived (or even actual) safety, I’m ok with it.

    An unintended bonus of cycle chic is that I’ve let my subscriptions to fashion magazines lapse. No need to renew when I can get it for free online.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      Thanks, Rose! I do think the more examples out there, the better. That is one easy answer the NYT blog didn’t hit on. It’s good to hear we’ve encouraged someone to give it a try.

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  • http://www.peterbilton.com Peter Bilton

    You raise some good points that mirror considerations of gender stereotypes and inequality in general.

    After that article was published, the professor, John Pucher, sent an email to his friends and colleagues saying he was not entirely pleased with how he was quoted (you never are when the press is involved) and asking everyone to view his Fit City keynote to get a more complete picture of his views on gender and cycling. It’s here – http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/KEYNOTE08JUNE09.pdf

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      Thanks, Peter. I’ll look at that tonight.

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  • http://spindulys.blogspot.com Dave

    I think it is a case that expectations of women are different, and also desires of women are different.

    I think it is the case in general that more men are apathetic about their appearance than women – whether that’s inherent in the gender or due to social pressure, or a combination, I don’t know – I suspect a combination.

    I think more men also feel the need to be physically competitive (in a sporting sense), which I think has a lot to do with both the typical cycling gear stuff as well as their attitudes towards riding (faster, faster, faster!). I think this also partly has to do with inherent attributes of males, and partly with social pressure.

    Being typically viewed as a sport in the US, I think there are a lot of social expectations that come along with that, which I think has a lot to do with why more men do it – they are less concerned with aesthetics and more disposed to be physically competitive (for whatever reasons), so it’s a more natural fit (if it’s just a sport). I think the reasons those social expectations are there are varied and complex.

    It’s a pretty complex issue, I think, and one that would take a lot more thought than I’ve given it to come to real solid opinions, but I think as both men and women in the US start seeing more and more that cycling can be simply a means of transportation (as well as a sport or a leisure activity), they will all feel a little less awkward about just chilling out and wearing whatever they’re wearing to head to the store, or the library, or the opera or whatever.

    I think the whole “cycle chic” movement (at least in the US), is kind of a backlash against the lycra hornet image that cycling usually has here. Being a backlash, it tends to go to the extreme. I think the big emphasis in most of the world is simply that you can wear whatever you normally wear on a bike, no matter how casual or fashionable.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      Yes, I think the sport aspect has a lot to do with keeping both men and women off bikes, and keeping cycling off the radar as mainstream transportation. And I would agree that cycle chic is something of a backlash against lycra, though not in my personal philosophy. It’s just a different way of enjoying the same activity, and I feel just as inspired by women who ride that way, like cyclin’ missy for example.

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  • Peter Smith

    This post just sounds childish. If you think you know why women don’t cycle as much as men, then tell us what those reasons are.

    You think women don’t cycle as much as men because they have to pick up diapers at the grocery store?

    You think women don’t cycle as much as men because they’re busy toting their kids all over place?

    I’m not convinced. Make your case. Else, I’ll go with what seems intuitively correct, and what has been backed up by research — women don’t cycle as much as men because they are more risk averse. Simple.

    You can call it ‘cowardice’, ‘risk aversion’, ‘sanity’, whatever you want — I don’t care, but it’s not some grand conspiracy.

    Besides, some of us like the idea that there are people on this earth who are more risk averse than the people who currently rule and ruin the world.

    Hating on the ‘cycle chic’ meme? Fine — I’m sure you have your reasons — they don’t have to make sense to me.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com dottie

      Peter, thank you for taking the time to share your views with us. We are always up for good conversation! We value and deeply appreciate the opinions and comments from readers. Nothing excites us more than learning from others’ points of view. However, I must say that your aggressive and bullying tone is not appreciated here. One of the great aspects of this blog is that we are able to set the tone and we have always set a respectful and peaceful – albiet sometimes tongue in cheek – tone. We’d like to keep it that way.

      First, she did tell you some of the reasons women cycle less than men. The list was not exclusive, admittedly the first couple that came to mind. As you can see from other women’s comments, the reasons are varied. Risk aversion may play a role, but Trisha’s point was that recent articles have not examined why or to what extent.

      Second, she is not “hating” on cycle chic. Feel free to browse our blog and notice that cycle chic is a big part of what it’s all about.

  • http://elainenelson.org Elaine

    Child care, child care, child care, combined with sprawl. I’ve had several conversations with coworkers who are interested, but have to get their kids to and from various locations — detours from work, tight time restrictrions, etc. With the distances involved, it just isn’t feasible, even with a shower here at the office to help with the appearance issues. I even have one colleague who was bike commuting fairly regularly, but has had to cut back because of changes in her child care situation.

    Also anecdotally, I’ve noticed a lot fewer women on my commute route in the wintertime…and there’s a point at which I give up myself. (<30F or snowing) I'm just not that macho!

    Actually, it occurs to me that it was really hard to find good women's rain gear, especially when I was a larger size. The only rainpants I could find (and rainpants are a necessity here Nov-Mar) when I was a size 16-18 were for hiking. Dealing with the cuffs was a PITA. So that's a data point worth considering…much like Suzanne's comment about not finding a bike that was a good fit.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      You are so right, Elaine, about lack of gear for women. And the childcare. Just another example about how the larger inequalities in society trickle down into every aspect of life, as Peter #1 mentioned above.

  • http://eriksrailnews.com Erik Sandblom

    I think you missed the point. The point is that women are an indicator species. If females are a minority among those riding a bike in their daily urban life, that means people in general perceive cycling to be unsafe.

    For cycling to reach its potential, it needs to be perceived as safe for anybody. So that’s why we want to know how many women are cycling, as well as why or why not.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      David Byrne made that point recently in his review of PEDALING REVOLUTION and I think it’s worth considering. But neither of the articles I quoted went even that far in considering why women don’t ride. My point was that they went for easy answers and resorted to stereotypes about women rather than thinking more deeply about the issue. Your mileage may vary, of course.

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  • http://amateurearthling.org Zane Selvans

    Ha! Wonderful scenery is only the number one reason because of the currently skewed numbers. Probably the thing to do is look at places where no such gender gap exists, and try to learn from them. Copenhagen Cycle Chic is a good place to start.

  • Man

    Trisha -
    I totally get your point that the reporter(s) failed to do their job by digging deep for answers. I am glad you voiced your opinions on the NY Times blog itself (and here on your blog of course). I would suggest you follow up with the printed NYT edition if it in fact does come out on the printed version.

    Personally I think the issue goes deeper than gender roles and into a cultural issue. The “american culture” has not been trained over the generations to see the bicycle as a commuting option. America is a car culture.. therefore ultimately you will see less bicyclist son on the road and ultimately less women on bikes. One of the things I latch on to what Mikael at Copenhagen Cycle Chic states is that its about you – on – a bike, as part of your everyday existence. Unfortunately the state of the bike culture in the US is still not there; is still so much about about the bike you ride and your gear. It is a bike “culture” that dictate an all or nothing (athletic) attitude. A “culture” that looks down on others for not riding everywhere under every situation and every weather condition, or wearing or not wearing a helmet, or choosing to wear bike “clothes” or your everyday clothes. This is why the whole cycle chic attitude is so “abnormal” to so many people.

    I commute to work in a dark suit, on a vintage 3 speed bike, and no helmet. Guess what, I get the looks from the lycra geared racing dudes and even from the guys in their official “commuter” model bikes who wear reflectors galore and ankle straps. I am sure you ladies get the strange looks as you ride in your dresses/skirts from the guys as well; but really why is it? I believe it is because we culturally or not used to this “alternative” means of transportation….

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      Thanks, Man. I wrote my comment before I’d really had time to process the article, so I might have to go back and leave another one/read the other comments that have popped up in the meantime.

  • Melissa Miller

    As a 42 year old stay at home mom I recently spent a great deal of time researching bicycles that would fit my life style. I have an 18 month old son and wanted to spend more time with him outside of the car, something I could run errands with, and something that would be enjoyable for me. I don’t know anything about bikes and that includes changing a tire. I hated dealing w/ chains falling off my bikes and I wanted to wear whatever I had to ride because dealing with an active 18 month old I didn’t want to worry about changing my clothes just to ride my bike. I wanted freedom to grab my son and go. This lead me to the dutch style bike or something similar. What I found to be frustrating is no one at the bicycle shops were able to assist me and understand my needs. Most of the time I was referred to a couple of blogs. This became difficult for me because I was going to spend a lot of money (for me) on something that I was beginning not to feel so confident about because the sales people were not confident in talking to me, a women with different wants and needs then what they were used to hearing. Fortunately there are a couple (I wish there were more) great blogs that have women biking with their kids and Todd at Clever Cycles was awesome. He bikes w/ his family and was the only sales person I found that was helpful in answering my questions and making suggestions based on my needs. Unfortunately for him, I purchased the bike in Seattle and not from his store.

    I think this is a wonderful blog and appreciate everything you are sharing.

    I hope to see more women out on bikes!

  • http://bicyclingsd.blogspot.com Beany

    Long time reader and first time commenting.

    I agree with everything you said and what some of previous commenters have said. I think it’s the male centric-ness of the blogosphere that leads credence to the notion that women riders are superficial and just concerned with appearances and thus our only role is to provide eye candy (which I am okay with to some degree). But there are so many women riders that I know and have read about that have so much more gumption than many of the guys who go off spouting all sorts of nonsense.

    I’ve used my sex to counter men’s excuses on why they can’t ride. I mean if a silly, frivolous, wimpy girl like me can ride cross country, ride in the freezing cold and all other crazy weather, what’s your excuse? :)

    As Karen mentioned above, I do intend to post pictures of hot guys on bikes to counter the hot guys on bikes role. Sex does sell so many of my posts do deliberately have double entendres for that reason. But now I have to worry about weird stalker types bothering me online if I do decide to cross that road…

  • http://bicyclingsd.blogspot.com Beany

    oops…to counter hot girls..

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      Hi Beany, I eagerly await those photos! Thanks for commenting. Yes, we might as well use sexism to our advantage and if it gets more men on bikes! Weird stalker types are something to fear, but (and I hope I don’t jinx myself by saying this) we’ve yet to encounter one. If that makes you feel better.

  • http://wereonaroadtosomewhere.blogspot.com Adrienne Johnson

    You can put a lot of reasons into the blank here- bike shops who are more concerned with selling sports bikes (you don’t want that, it’s too heavy), an industry dominated by men (how many woman are making the major decisions at Trek or Specialized or Cannondale…) safety issues, vanity issues, childcare issues…. there is a loooong list of things that would fit here.

    My gut says, that despite that, there is one rather insidious , and quite subconscious reason underlying all of this- woman lack confidence in themselves. This is, of course, a blanket statement, but it makes sense in so many situations. It has been shown that a great percentage of woman do not have confidence speaking up to doctors, car mechanics, sales people…. So right off the bat, woman are intimidated by the process of buying bicycles (frequently from younger men who do not share their desire for comfortable and utilitarian bikes). Also, not knowing how a bicycle works or how to fix it, the bike mechanic becomes intimidating. Next, we get the need to be very confident and assertive in traffic (how many woman have I met that have purchased huge SUV’s for the perceived safety of them?). Put carrying a child on that, a situation that can garner a great deal of criticism from the public (you should hear some of the junk I field daily) and you have a perfect storm of intimidating, uncomfortable situations that can make riding be more than it is worth.

    The general need to teach girls their worth and strength (hello, girl’s sports programs!!!) from an early age is so important if we are to be a society with woman who recognize and honor their strength and value. Bicycling can be an aide in that, but the hurdles still have to be jumped to get there.

    • Christa

      I’ve read that companies with women as top executives are more successful. Women are more collaborative, less risky, and can sell better to other women (who make the majority of household purchases).

      At the same time though, it seems that her work-life balance is threatened in the modern corporation. She is working on the males’s terms – long hours, unflexable, and unemotional.

      Interesting that you should mention the male dominated bike industry. Seems so obvious now that you mention it. Hope this changes soon!

  • melissa miller

    as of today another woman is on a bicycle, me!!! i purchased an oma (and i live in hilly seattle). we installed my sons bobike seat last night and we were off today for a ride. it was wonderful. i’ve not had any issues with the hills probably because i am comfortable going slow. my son and i enjoy cruising along so much that there is no need for us to do anything fast. i live in what would be described as a transitional neighborhood. all that neighborhoods really need are more people walking and on bikes. we cruise along so slow that we say hi and smile at everyone. even the old lady who pulled right out in front of us while i was riding up a very steep hill (UGH!). it’s funny what a smile can do and i am teaching this to my son. he now says ‘heyo” (that’s 18 month talk for hello).

    i also have to say that just because i am a mom it doesn’t mean i don’t like to look nice on a bike. i decided to wear a dress for my first ride. a bit of a bad decision considering it was quite windy and the gusts kept pulling my dress up. oh well, it was hot and it felt good!

    have fun, we are!

  • http://wheeledweenie.blogspot.com/ Wheeled Weenie

    In London only around a quarter of the cyclists on the road are men and many of my female friends think I’m insane for commuting by bike. But I love it, and I’ve lost around 21lb in a year from cycling alone with no dieting. I reckon if more women realised the weight loss and purchase potential of cycling (there’s no end to the internet shopping for gear) more would take it up.

  • http://rocbike.com Jason Crane

    Great article — thanks for writing it!

  • http://www.rocbike.com Julie

    Hear, hear!!

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  • http://www.fullhandsx3.blogspot.com sara

    I don’t know how I missed this post the first time around. Thanks, Dottie, for posting some of the comments so I could look back at this.

    When we moved to New Haven two years ago, my husband immediately went searching for a bike to ride. He found one– in his parents’ apt. building basement, his dad’s 1967 Roadster– which he got cleaned up & started bike commuting. As a stay-at-home parent for the year (three boys), it didn’t even OCCUR to me that biking was an option, so off he rode and I walked or drove everywhere. Embarrasingly, I even made weekly trips to the library in the town NORTH of me b/c I found finding parking downtown too difficult.

    A year ago (June ’08), I took a job at a school just over 2 miles from our apartment. Two of my sons (twins, ages 6) were starting there as well in Sept. For months– all summer & into the fall– I tried to figure out a way to commute there without using a car but was coming up with nothing: no city bus route there, too far for the boys to walk, too busy streets for two young fellows who had recently learned to ride two-wheelers. Given that I had twins first (& singleton later), I never even knew any bike options I had once I became a parent of multiples– only those single back baby seats and the tag-along bikes & those wouldn’t work with two. Commuting that short of a distance by car bugged the crap out of me and I kept joking that I wanted to get a rickshaw (I seriously started surfing the web for pedicabs) but we were driving to school everyday. Given that I had twins first (& singleton later), I never even knew any bike options I had once I became a parent of multiples– only those single back baby seats and the tag-along bikes & those wouldn’t work with two.

    It wasn’t until October when I met up with a friend from Maine who is extremely environmentally conscious (think Maine winters, cloth diapers for TWINS & no clothes dryer….). When I explained our commuting dilemma, she said, “Why don’t you get a bakfiets?” I had never heard of such a thing & after that weekend, I came home, looked it up on the web and became a woman-possesed, contacting every person on the web who owned (or sold them) that I could find. Bought the bakfiets in February. Became a regular bike commuter. Bought a second cargo bike last month, an xtracycle Radish, because my husband & I found that we could bike & get our kids places.

    So my long story– there WAS a gender gap even in my family in terms of bike use at first: NOT because I didn’t want to mess up my hair or not look cute & NOT because I am risk-averse. It was the kid-transport issue & total lack of information about family biking options, especially for a family with three young kids… Now I know MULTIPLE options :)

    • http://www.fullhandsx3.blogspot.com sara

      Ohhh, of course I hate that I inadvertenly repeated that sentence “Given that I had twins first….” UGH. Sorry

    • Giffen

      Best story ever! Reading this made my day. :)

  • http://www.joannagoddard.blogspot.com joanna goddard

    i love love love riding my bike in NYC. i ride it all the time. and i have to say, it is kind of like going into battle. it’s intense with cabs pulling over suddenly, doors opening, delivery trucks, speeding traffic, pedestrians jaywalking or waiting in the street to cross, etc etc etc. but i love it anyway :)

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  • sarah r.

    I think people here in the states are programmed to think of biking as an exercise; hence, the need to feel like athletic clothing in necessary. We need to start thinking of biking as a normal mode of transportation.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com dottie

      Exactly! A normal mode of transportation that just happens to give you shapely legs (bonus!).