Dear Bike Companies:

[Meg McKilty]

I am fed up with looking at new WSD bikes and finding nasty, unserious colors on them, such as "Tangerine Orange" or "Caribbean Bayou Blue".

Do you think I am not a serious biker? Or perhaps you should add a big pink honkey-horn to the front to match my Canari Yellow threaded plastic basket on my roadie or triathlon cycle.

Please stop trying to make me look like an *** when riding with the boys. I do not appreciate donning Precious Purple when attempting to be taken as a professional, grown-up rider in a line of cool Steel-Gray Blue, Pewter, Black, Burnt Orange, Maroon, or Ivory/Creme -colored boy bikes.

I refuse to purchase a bike that is tailored to me with Seafoam Green splashed on it. Why don't you hire Lisa Frank to add some puppy and dolphin stickers on them, while you're at it?

Barely Cordially,
-Megan S.
(What else pisses you off when you look in bike catalogs or stores?)

[mimitabby]

um, Meg, SOME of us think Tangerine orange is a hot, fast color!
Just last year I went into a bike store and all he had was black bikes!!
I am glad some colors are leaking back into the mix. but I agree with you
about more cool colors for us gals!

[KnottedYet]

I tried not to laugh out loud when I saw the pink floor pumps with hibiscus blossoms all over them at my LBS this weekend. Lots of pink floor pumps on display, but only a couple regular colored ones left.

Unless a woman is doing a pink theme (like PinkBike), I don't see the appeal of a pink floor pump.

(phallic imagery can be taken just a little too far...)

[mimitabby]

I saw those things too. It might be a fun gift to give to a too macho guy (like my younger son, but he already has a good pump)

[farrellcollie]

I somewhat agree (actually I really want an orange bike - it is pastels that i despise as well as flowers, or ladybugs or butterflies on a bike)- I do not understand why all the bikes from same company and which are the same model- both wsd and non-wsd - are not the same color. I am not criticizing anyone who wants a pastel bike or even those who enjoy bug or flower designs - I just don't want it foisted on me because the bike company has a stereotyped vision of women.

[bouncybouncy]

Forgive my ignorance...but don't most bikes come in basic colors as well as (what you call) unserious colors??? Every bike I have looked at lately has had a "serious" color option as well. (I am looking at mtbikes so that may make a difference)

btw: I consider myself a pretty serious rider (did over 13 hours and well over 100 mountain miles last week...doing a pretty serious ride tomorrow and training for a really serious ride in a few weeks (the website warns riders of the difficulty of the ride several times!!) ALL of this on my TANGERINE ORANGE SANTA CRUZ with PINK cables and a PINK saddle:eek: ....and my training road rides are on a ROSE QUARTZ GUNNAR (yes...PINK!!!)

I am not trying to sound blunt but I think there are just as many of us who like color (crazy colors even) and of course it would be great if the options were endless...sometimes custom is the only way to get exactly what you want. No one has treated me any less of a rider cause I ride wacky colored bikes...in fact I get noticed a little more...your performance on the bike is going to ultimately prove what kind of rider you are!

Finally...I must say I would whole-heartily agree that bikes (WSD & non-WSD) should have a few more color options!

[Kimmyt]

Is there such a thing as an unserious color?

;) Seriously, your riding should speak for itself. I've seen DUDES riding pink bikes. It's silly looking, but it doesn't seem to phase them.

Anyway, though, I do agree with you on the girly color thing. But for every one of us out there that hates 'typical' girly colors, there are those that say, 'hey i'm riding a GIRLY bike and i'm passing your ***, so why don't you kiss it (if you can catch up!)'.

I think the WSD bike market has it difficult, you know? Because we're all so split. Some women really go for feminine colors on a bike. Some loathe them.

K. (who rides a teal... effing TEAL bike and hates the color, but loves the fit)

oh, and the pink floor pumps, explained to me by a salesguy as 'its supposed to be easier for women to pump up their tires', to which i said, 'well i don't have any problem pumping up my tires, and even if i did i wouldn't buy it because it was pink' to which he responded 'please? we haven't sold a single one and i want to know if it really is easier!' :D

[mimitabby]

that's really funny about the pump.

My DH bought me a JOE BLOW floor pump for St Valentine's day a few years ago.
I LOVE IT! (and i loved the gift)

[Trek420]

Wondering about the other side o' the gender spectrum issues because .... I think about these things ... are there macho bikes? Bikes that whether by color or design say to you "yeah, I'm wearing lycra, so? You gotta problem with that?" :cool:

[mimitabby]

Yes, MTB's are macho.
and what about the cruiser with the can opener built in onto the frame?

[IFjane]

Meg - While I do agree that you should be able to get a bike in a color that you like, let your riding speak for you. No matter the color of your steed, if you are the strongest chick the guys have ever seen, they won't notice the bike.

[Deanna]

My husband works in a shop that has a couple of the pink pumps. He thinks their silly, but the company says they are sized differently or something. Neither one of us is sold on that (and neither are the pink pumps in the shop!).

[lizbids]

Sorry, just wrote a huge post to find that it's gone! Stupid computers. :mad:

Anyway, this subject is a sore spot for me. I don't feel I fit into what is considered masculine or feminine, and I believe many will agree with me. I wrote to Jamis bikes asking why their women's bikes had such a limited color pattern, especially in baby blue or pinks. I told that some of us may like the lighter colors and of course, others like darker colors (like me). It's like the bike companies are trying to remind us that we should still be cute and "lady-like" while trudging through mud or sweating a lot on an open highway...we live in a binary world that makes it hard for people to really just be themselves. It's a shame that there even has to be definitions of masculine and feminine. Why can't colors just be colors, that anyone can pick? Oh, and I do want to add that if lighter and typically more feminine colors and patterns are your thing, I am by no way wanting to step on that, or judge it. I'm just talkin' from the ol' noggin today.

Jamis told me that they do have more colors available outside of what their web site calls for, but when I bought a Jamis through my LBS, the colors were still limited. Jamis then went on to tell me that the owner of the company is a woman, but to me, that's like saying, "The boss is black; we couldn't possibly be racist!" To me, women often fall into stereotype myths and perpetuate them--and they don't do it maliciously. But Jamis' argument annoyed me, b/c I think we as women are all so unique, and I don't think one voice should speak for us all.
That's my rant of the day. :p

[missymaya]

I like the fact that there are colors out there! Yeah, I HATE pastels and "cutsee bugs" and such, I'm glad that bike companies are trying to change it up a bit. I looked on the Trek website the other night and noticed their paint job options on some of the bikes (both wsd and mens). I like that they provide an option (granted for some $$). For me, right now, I don't care if the bike is pastel purple with a seafoam green seat and pastel yellow bar wrap, if it rides like a charm and fits like a glove, damn I dont care (as I go to my pearl white with aqua marine green and fuscia pink accent bike with pink pedals and handle bar wrap; those crazy 80's colors:rolleyes: ).
Anything is better than real rust!

[Meg McKilty]

While, true, my riding should speak for itself, I had a pink Huffy when I was 10. I have moved on to a grander color scheme since then.

I want darker colors, such as the ones I named in my letter, and if you want to decorate them with maroon Hibiscus flowers on a dark gray slate background, fine. I only ask they stop giving us only elementary colors. I have't carried around a Care Bear lunch box in years; don't make me look Sunshine Bear with my bike.

In the catalogs I have looked at with WSD cycles, I have found very few other color options, and in most, none others at all to choose from.

[DarcyInOregon]

Wow, but I love my pink WSD bike. Why would the color be "unserious?" I put in a lot of miles every week on this bike.

I never even thought about colors as being serious or unserious. I can care less what others think of the color of my bike. I like the pink bike because I am VISIBLE to motorists; I don't blend into the background. Where I live it rains a lot, and thus visibility is poor on many of my daily rides. Lots of cyclists in Oregon have been killed or injured by motorists, and I don't want to be one of them.

But this concept of a bike color being serious or not serious totally flabbergasts me. I just can't imagine why it would be important as to what total strangers might think of the color on your bike. It only matters what YOU think and what makes YOU happy - so get a bike in a color that makes you happy! And don't judge others for the color of their bike. That doesn't make sense.

Darcy

[Meg McKilty]

I feel as if that almost perpetuates their cause further- women need super feminine colors that could be seen at night without reflectors.

I enjoy darker colors, usually those considered more masculine. They are rarely represented in catalogs or on the internet sites, if at all. Sorry to say that having something that feels as good as it looks, I am all for it.

It's like wearing a business suit tailored to you in your favorite business color; it says volumes about your tastes and choices to others. You feel better when you are wearing this "power suit". It just so happens I don't want my suit in purple or teal, but it seems people are only making them in uber-femme colors. I am asking for equality in colors, here.

If pink or cosmic yellow makes you feel happy, then great. Pewter and Blue Steel colors happen to thrill me, but few WSD bikes come in those particular colors.

[HillSlugger]

Why can't colors just be colors, that anyone can pick?

Of course, that's the way it should be, but I'm afraid we have a ways to go with our society. Back when my daughter was around 3 or 4 she came home from daycare and told me "Blue is a boy's color and red is a girl's color". I tried to explain that they are just colors and that both boys and girls were allowed to like and use either one. I'm sure this talk was completely lost on her given her age. What I'm trying to illustrate is that this sort of thinking is drilled into us early as a product of our binary gender view. Those of us who don't want to be defined by others are stuck in the middle fighting a tough fight.

[Aggie_Ama]

My fabulous Cannondale came in two color schemes. Mine does not seem overly feminine (although it is GORGEOUS for carbon) but the other was black. That is as far from girly. I think the problem is not so much that pink and orange are offered, but that others are not.

I LOVE the Cannondale R1000 Dragonfly paint scheme and would have gotten that girly bike if it were aluminum. They just need to offer us more options. I love the girly bikes but as we have established- one color does not fit all!

I am pretty sure if you drop the boys they would take the tangerine seriously. :)

[mimitabby]

Meg, actually, bikes that can be seen at night without reflectors are a pretty good thing. I know you meant that in jest, but honestly, why not?
There's a guy near where I live that has a florescent yellow bike. And i know it's not because he likes daisies. it really shows up well as he's going down the road.

I do understand where you are coming from, the women's bike palette seems to be quite limited unless you go custom.

So you like the exact opposite colors that I like and we both were frustrated.
(So where did you find a WSD bike in orange?)

[mary9761]

I understand what Meg is talking about. I absolutely fell in love with Pele (the Lava Red 2006 Trek Pilot 1.2 WSD that I wanted to get). When the 2007 WSD's came out they were Mineral Blue NOT my color. The color has somewhat grown on me and if I was to end up getting one this year, she's told me her name is Lady Ice, but it's just not the same as that Fiery Red! When the new catalog came out and I saw the color, I said to Jimmy, that's a ***** colored bike! (not that there's anything wrong with those who LIKE those pastel colors) I just wanted something BOLD and Pele was ready to burn up the road!

[mimitabby]

I understand what Meg is talking about. I absolutely fell in love with Pele (the Lava Red 2006 Trek Pilot 1.2 WSD that I wanted to get). When the 2007 WSD's came out they were Mineral Blue NOT my color. The color has somewhat grown on me and if I was to end up getting one this year, she's told me her name is Lady Ice, but it's just not the same as that Fiery Red! When the new catalog came out and I saw the color, I said to Jimmy, that's a ***** colored bike! (not that there's anything wrong with those who LIKE those pastel colors) I just wanted something BOLD and Pele was ready to burn up the road!

Perhaps as more of us vocal ladies are buying bikes, they will listen..

[Deanna]

What it comes down to is marketing. A line of WSD bikes (or any new product) is a big investment for a company, market research and surveys of the target market probably led to the color choices. They're not going to invest a lot of money without doing at least some of this research. It's just not feasible to make bikes in every color somebody could possibly want, so they'll go with the color their studies show would be the most popular. My suggestion is to find a good frame painter and customize to your hearts content.

[northstar]

Last year when I bought my hybrid, the only one they had in my size was black. The salesguy assumed that I would want a different color, so he knocked some $ off the price. When I told him that color really didn't matter to me, he practically high fived me!

I think the only color I just couldn't go with would be pink (not that I haven't seen lots of hot looking pink bikes here...it just doesn't suit my personality).

[Trek420]

Yep, decorate to your hearts content. Don't pick based on color, although it can be hard to ignore a bike in your favorite or or pick your least favorite color. Find the bike that rides and fits you best. Don't let marketing dictate the way it looks, have fun making it yours. .

Even valve caps come in custom colors so whether it's too pink or not pink enough or.....

Now here's a macho/macha bike, even the logo is tough

www.anvilbikes.com/gallery/details.php?image_id=19

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have been intrigued by the geometry of Terry bikes from time to time. But I've seen them in person, and tempting though the WSD fit issue might be, I wouldn't be caught DEAD riding a bike with those fluffy bunny colors and frou-frou flowery swirls or whatever they are on it. I'm not ten years old.

Never did like Barbies either. :cool:

[Meg McKilty]

I have been intrigued by the geometry of Terry bikes from time to time. But I've seen them in person, and tempting though the WSD fit issue might be, I wouldn't be caught DEAD riding a bike with those fluffy bunny colors and frou-frou flowery swirls or whatever they are on it. I'm not ten years old.

Never did like Barbies either. :cool:

My name is Meg McKilty, and I support this post.

[Meg McKilty]

(So where did you find a WSD bike in orange?)

In "Feel It Orange", baby.
http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/06/CUSA/model-7RWA3T.html

And who could forget the K2 jetstream with accompanying hibiscus flowers?
http://www.rscycle.com/s.nl;jsessionid=ac112b1b1f4318de44c5e03648a99301ac1230bb8550.e3eTaxmKbNaNe34Pa38Ta38La3z0?it=A&id=12870&engine=shopping.com

[Kimmyt]

Haha

K2 luvs them some hibiscus flowers (haha... skiiers out there get it?). Personally I'm sick to death of the hibiscus. It is on every type of female-specific gear. Give me a daisy, a rose, a venus flytrap, SOMETHING else. it's one of the reason i've pretty much refused to even buy from their highly-acclaimed women's ski line.

Also, re: the orange cannondale, I wouldn't think of that as feminine coloring, just hideous (i actually kinda like it!). In a gloriously roadie-way. I could picture many of the guys I ride with going for that color scheme, but then I've always carried the opinion that the average male roadie has as good a taste in color as a colorblind 5-year-old.

:)

K. <--- who has always been tempted with the idea of putting handlebar streamers on my purty teal and silver bike

[SouthernBelle]

I liked Midge. She had freckles like I did. I had a Barbie and a Barbie dream house. Barbie frequently committed suicide by jumping off the roof of her dreamhouse leaving the house and contents to Midge.

I don't really want a pastel bike.

[mimitabby]

i wish i could get a closer close up to the hibiscus bike. thanks for the orange bike links. my faith in orange-ness is restored. Yup, i'd like either of those bikes in my stable.

But wait until you see my custom orange bike coming up soon....

[Meg McKilty]

I liked Midge. She had freckles like I did. I had a Barbie and a Barbie dream house. Barbie frequently committed suicide by jumping off the roof of her dreamhouse leaving the house and contents to Midge.

I don't really want a pastel bike.

I do believe you were meant to do law dealing with property claims and people's wills.

[stacie]

I dunno, I think it would be fun to drop guys while riding a pink hello kitty bike. :p i

[LadyinWhite]

I think Terry does a great job on their paint. Their bikes are subtle, classically colored but with just the right hint of feminine touches in the paint to keep them looking elegant, delicate and yet powerful. As far as paint is concerned, they are my favorites.


Just my .02

[MINIskirt]

And who could forget the K2 jetstream with accompanying hibiscus flowers?
http://www.rscycle.com/s.nl;jsessionid=ac112b1b1f4318de44c5e03648a99301ac1230bb8550.e3eTaxmKbNaNe34Pa38Ta38La3z0?it=A&id=12870&engine=shopping.com


Haha

K2 luvs them some hibiscus flowers (haha... skiiers out there get it?).

:o I have a K2 mountain bike with hisbiscus flowers....
http://images.rei.com/media/612428.jpg


Personally I really love that my road bike (Specialized Dolce) is black and white with just a couple pink accents. :) Feels like just the perfect amount of girly-ness. :D

[sarahkonamojo]

Well, whatever, I ride red and black bikes. I'd go for a sage and silver bike...

I don't mind being marketed to, but I want quality! It bugs me when I see the choices in bigger size bikes that I can't find in my size. Like NICE components. It is getting better every year. I have money that I want to spend on things other than color, but if I like the color, all the better.

sarah

[mimitabby]

If I were a bike designer, I would be beside myself reading this thread. It's like herding cats.
I wouldn't want to make the decision to make a powder blue bikes for ladies...with a hibiscus.. blam!

[northstar]

Love it! That would be quite the combination!

I was in a guitar shop the other day with my brother...they had two or three Hello Kitty guitars hanging on the wall. I'd love to see a little girl out rock some tough guy on one of those...

It's just inspiring to see a strong woman on a bike that suits her, physically and personality-wise.

[spokewench]

I've never been a fan of girly colors in bikes or clothing, but that's my personal preference.

The irony is that I have never owned a women specific bike, but my last bike that I bought (my TCR Giant (Men's frame)) is black with LOTS OF PINK! So, at least, we know the boys have to suffer too with colors they may not like.

I bought the bike cause it was exactly what I wanted and it was last year's model (in pink) so I got a deal. I'd take the deal any day to the color that i wanted, so Now, I own a pink bike! Horrors!:eek:

[xeney]

Am I the only person who finds this conversation kind of disheartening? I hate flourescent yellow, but I wouldn't describe that color in the sort of disparaging terms I'm seeing here. The stereotypically feminine colors are being equated in this thread, by women, with youth, frivolity, a lack of seriousness ... who says? Isn't that the spin that stupid sexists put on the color pink? Why do you have to buy into it? Can't you just not like the color?

I love my pink bike and my pink and gray mountain bike, but this attitude is one of the reasons that I am really dreading the baby clothes we are going to receive now that people know we're expecting a daughter ... pink is such a loaded color, and I think that is just such a shame. There is nothing wrong with pink, but it carries all this baggage: not only is it practically mandatory for little girls, regardless of whatever their actual tastes might turn out to be, if anybody who is not a little girl decides they like pink, they are somehow being girly (in the perjorative sense, if we're talking about a guy), frivolous, or silly.

It's just a color. Don't ride it if you hate it, but you don't have to disparage everyone who does like it while you're at it.

[jobob]

Well, a few years back, someone posted to the Rivendell email list that they had a used custom Rivendell road bike for sale, with the fancy lugs and the cool cloisonee headbadge. The frame color was advertised as "champagne pink". Some photos were posted and yep, it sure looked pink.

Some of the guys on the list chucked over a pink Riv but I thought this was a great chance to own an honest-to-goodness Rivendell at a great price so I responded to the ad right away. (Oh, and for what it's worth, the previous owner was a man. I never met him because he had passed away and a friend was selling it on behalf of the former owner's family)

I'm not a pink person but I figured, at the price they were asking, I if I didn't like the color I could have the frame repainted and still be ahead of the game.

Well, the frame turned out in real life to be a lovely dusty rose / mauve rather than a real pink, and I really liked it and it remains that color to this very day. And it's an absolutely wonderful bike. :cool:

If it weren't pink, I bet someone would have snapped it up before I ever saw the email. So, yay for pink !

[SadieKate]

Guess which bike all the male mechanics at my shop like?

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b310/SadieKate/Priscilla1_fix.jpg

My husband loved it when he was walking along Silver Creek (a particularly hard to fish far and fine stream) looking for me and someone asked him "is she the one in the pink hat catching all the fish?"

I love pink. Wear/ride/flaunt the colors you love and the heck with others.

[pooks]

I'd love a great orange or yellow or burnt orange.

What I really want, though, is a bike all glittery and red like Dorothy's ruby slippers.

(I agree with Xeney -- it's just COLOR, skip the baggage.

OTOH, I agree that I get annoyed when I see that Jamis Quest in a lovely copper that I love (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/07_bikes/quest.html), and then see that if I need the WSD it's a color that only a Bianchi-lover could love (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/07_bikes/questw.html).

(Have I insulted enough people? Do I need to keep going? Or just -- GO?)

Anyway, I think the "insult" is when the two bikes are supposedly the same, except for the WSD part, and you see they chose a color that they think women would more likely want -- and it's not a color YOU care for, and then you're insulted that they think YOU would want such an insipid color, and how disrespectful, they sure didn't do that to the guys!

"YOU" meaning "ME" when I checked out that Jamis Quest, of course.

[SadieKate]

Pooks, it is far too early in your test riding career to be getting your undies in a bundle over color. Go test ride a ton of bikes! Feel the ride, feel the fit, caress those hoods under your handles, tickle the brake levers. Worry about the color last. Not everybody needs a WSD and every company has a different take on "WSD". Go friggin' ride! Have I said it enough? :D

[pooks]

SadieKate, you totally underestimate the size of my frillies. I have enough fabric to get twisted over color, over type bike, over geometry, over availability of matching jerseys!

Just sign me --

Twisted Knickers in Dallas

[SadieKate]

Oh gawd. This project is going to take forever, isn't it? :p

[pooks]

Oh, and love that bike! (By the way there are so many shades of pink. I've seen some pink bikes that I thought looked hot and some that I wouldn't ever want. I tend to love strong colors, jewel tones.)

And I'm amazed nobody has made that Ruby Slipper Bike.

[pooks]

Too bad there's not a "mooning" emoticon, SadieKate.

Just use your imagination.

OO

;)

[spokewench]

Pooks buy a bike that fits you and that you like the ride of. Don't worry about the color - As I posted above, that is what I did and I have a pink and carbon bike. Not my fave but it is what it is. Too bad people are not supposed to have an opinion on this forum!

spoke

[SadieKate]

And I'm amazed nobody has made that Ruby Slipper Bike.Don't you be moonin' me, missy. Ask and ye shall receive.

Run, don't walk to your nearest Gunnar dealer. These are wonderful bikes made by Waterford. Miss Yellow just got a Roadie. Take a look at the website. They do this nifty thing with colors of the month, year and so on. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out May's color: Sunset Red over Fine Gold.

http://www.gunnarbikes.com/

Close enough? I think you'd be very happy with one of the Gunnar models. So pull your shorts back up. It's blinding.:p

[pooks]

I'm sure I'll buy a bike that fits, perhaps THE bike that fits.

But while the world is my oyster, I can dream, right?

(Ruby Slippers.)

[pooks]

Take a look at the website. They do this nifty thing with colors of the month, year and so on. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out May's color: Sunset Red over Fine Gold.

http://www.gunnarbikes.com/


I'm verklempt!

[nicole309]

My bike is Orange and all the guys drool over it. Seriously, the guys all think my bike is cool. Since I am new to all of this, I'm still not really sure why.
I have had two guys ask if I am selling it anytime soon. One guy just wanted to buy my rims. One guy who says he has been riding a bike for 50 years stood by my bike outside the CO-OP just to see who would come out and claim the bike. The bike has been whistled at and flirted with!!;)
Seriously, I never get this type of attention when I am not with the bike.
Orange is a serious color!!

[divingbiker]

What I really want, though, is a bike all glittery and red like Dorothy's ruby slippers.

I have a ruby slippers bike! This picture doesn't do it justice, but it's a deep glittery red, just as you described. Personally, I don't think bikes should be any color but red, but then I don't rule the world.

[pooks]

Nicole, I love your bike, and the color!

And divingbiker -- is that glittery? It's a gorgeous red.

[RolliePollie]

My uncle rides a bubblegum pink Turner bike...he thinks it's cool!

But he works for Turner and it was a dented frame so I think he got it for free.

He is a very masculine guy too, by the way.

[mimitabby]

I am loving this conversation said the gal who didn't want a Riv because of the color. I'd love to see JObob's bike though

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Am I the only person who finds this conversation kind of disheartening? I hate flourescent yellow, but I wouldn't describe that color in the sort of disparaging terms I'm seeing here. The stereotypically feminine colors are being equated in this thread, by women, with youth, frivolity, a lack of seriousness ... who says? Isn't that the spin that stupid sexists put on the color pink? Why do you have to buy into it? Can't you just not like the color?

I love my pink bike and my pink and gray mountain bike, but this attitude is one of the reasons that I am really dreading the baby clothes we are going to receive now that people know we're expecting a daughter ... pink is such a loaded color, and I think that is just such a shame. There is nothing wrong with pink, but it carries all this baggage: not only is it practically mandatory for little girls, regardless of whatever their actual tastes might turn out to be, if anybody who is not a little girl decides they like pink, they are somehow being girly (in the perjorative sense, if we're talking about a guy), frivolous, or silly.

It's just a color. Don't ride it if you hate it, but you don't have to disparage everyone who does like it while you're at it.

We really dislike the fact that "most" bikes made for women are painted these same "loaded" colors that you yourself describe as being "practically mandatory" for little girls. You're right- sadly, those colors ARE practically mandatory for little girls! Should we all go along with them being mandatory for women as well? Society forces those colors onto every girl baby all the way through high school. Go into any JC Penney, Target, or WalMart girls dept...if your eyes can handle the sea of pale pink, shocking pink, and lavender.
We don't ask that "feminine colored" bikes be eliminated...simply give us a couple of the same color choices that non-women get as well- red instead of just pink or lavender, forest green, a strong blue instead of just baby blue, black or charcoal instead of just white. All we want is a choice.
I am not intending to attack any particular person- I dislike the colors that are being pushed at me just because I'm a woman. (and who gets to say what "feminine colors" ARE, anyway?-another interesting question for discussion)
I've bought cars for myself that were blue, red, black, maroon, and white. I never saw a new pink, baby blue, or lavender car for sale when I was car shopping. I wonder why they do this with bikes and not cars? If there were certain cars that only fit women, would they be only in "feminine" colors? VW beetles come in a great variety of colors, from cream to black to red to lime to baby blue. Women's clothes tend to come in all colors.
All interesting things to ponder...
But yes we are annoyed and frustrated by the very limited color choices decided for us based on woefully dated marketing.

I hear what you are saying, and I don't disagree with everything you said. But if I say that I don't want a pink or baby blue or lavender bike because it's too little girly or reminds me of Barbie or whatever, I don't think that's a terrible thing to say here. Everyone likes different colors for different reasons. I won't get upset if you say you don't want a fluorescent yellow bike because the color makes you hurl and looks "cheap". :)
I remember when I was in 1st grade...I had a big 64 box of Crayola crayons. I picked out the color that I hated the most...it was mustard. I remember thinkning that mustard color would make anyone just throw UP. I threw it away. Ironically, a few years ago I decided that my very favorite color in the world was.......mustard. Now I like even more colors than that. -And I just LOVE my pink tulips in the garden! ;)

And sometimes- I like movies that are SO bad they cross over into GOOD. And sometimes I admire bikes that are SO ugly they become things of bizarre beauty...and they can be any color to qualify for that!

Pooks...if you get stuck buying a "girly looking" WSD bike, maybe you can make a frilly lacey rain cover for it out of one of those bundled knickers of yours. :D

[mimitabby]

This is all about self-expression for some of us. Just like some people would not be caught dead wearing, say, a red dress, or even a dress period :D
some people don't feel right about being on a blue bike, an orange bike, a black bike, etc, etc, etc.

To me, if I'm going to pay more than $1000.00 for a bike, it's got to say BUY ME LOVE ME RIDE ME GAZE LOVINGLY AT ME. And for me, if that was a black bike with silver/grey trim, it would say to me, turn away, how boring.


I think Pooks is coming from this same direction. (and Pooks, that's part of why I went custom!)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Yeah, it's like if you buy a dress that fits you REALLY WELL and is really comfy, etc....but in a color you just dislike- well heck you are not going to be wearing that dress too often- you just won't feel good in it. A bike is like that for me, but way more so because it's so much more expensive! Colors are very important to me- they affect my mood every day.

[SouthernBelle]

Meg hasn't been back cause she's been at my house practicing on her new clipless pedals. :cool:

[divingbiker]

And divingbiker -- is that glittery? It's a gorgeous red.

Oh, yes, it's glittery, just like Dorothy's slippers. And much less orangey than in the picture.

[mary9761]

Too bad there's not a "mooning" emoticon, SadieKate.

Just use your imagination.

OO

;)

How about THIS one??? http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/mary9761/My%20Smilies/Booty.gif
Or maybe THIS one?? http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/mary9761/My%20Smilies/moon.gif
Sorry I couldn't resist! :D

[pooks]

Mary, those cracks crack me up.

[mary9761]

Ar, ar, ar... cracks cracking you up mooning :D ;) :p

As for Orange, it's not WSD, but I fell in love with this bike when I first saw IT, it's actually a strong duo tone

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/mary9761/misc%20pics/1000_flare.jpg

[Meg McKilty]

It's all fine and good for people to enjoy girly colored rides. However! It seems everyone is honing in on pink and orange.

I do not care if you ride in pink or orange or any other "girl-esque" colorings, but I wish for something a little more, how could I put this... business professional.

I like dark, hazy colors, like a Sunset Burnt Orange, or Deep Red, Metallic Pewter, or Steel. Why don't womens bikes come in these? I am all for supporting the making of WSD cycles, but please please come in more choices for those of us not wanting Sea Urchin Purple hues or Butterfly Blue (i am making these names up, though I highly doubt they don't exsist on some WSD bike already).

/laugh already, people.

[colby]

My first "gear bike" was this awesome blue metallic color, like a royal blue (very similar to the blue in the base of the flames in that picture). I can still see the color, and remember touching up the paint whenever there was a scratch.

My first (current) road bike is green, which I don't mind, but it's a little pastely for my tastes. It also has the requisite flowers on it, which I could do without. Needless to say, my dad has the mens/unisex version of the same components, and it's not pastel green with flowers -- it's actually ORANGE. :) This year's model of the same bike is yellow. Still pretty neutral, but still with flowers.

As I said with my snowboard boots (that have pink on them), I'm "man enough" to take it. ;)

[xeney]

I guess I'm not understanding the complaint, really. It's hard to find a bike that fits, that has the components you want, that rides well. My husband's road bike is not the color he'd have chosen had he gone custom, and neither is mine. The women's specific bikes I've test-ridden were dark red, dark purple, medium yellow, and black with pink flames. The WSD bike I lust after is deep red. (There is a pink titanium bike I like a whole lot, but part of the reason I like it is that it's so unusual looking.)

I guess I just haven't seen this sea of pastels, or at least I haven't noticed that men have a whole lot more choice except that they have more bikes to choose from in the first place. And really, that's what I'd rather see, a wider range of fits and sizes, in lots of colors.

But I do agree about the Terry bikes; I think they are really hideous. But that's not about color so much as it is about the busy patterns that look like grandma's curtains to me.

[teigyr]

Lots of orange :D

I have a glaringly orange bike. I am not so much a fan of orange nor am I a fan of festive, which my bike is. It's an Orbea Marmolada. I got this bike not because it looks like the remnants of a smashed pinata but because it is an awesome bike. The bike has personality and I guess I see it like I'd see a person; it is what it is and I love what it is. The bike gets more attention than what I'd like because I'm not the flashy sort but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

That being said...I like simplicity! And I love Celeste! My Bianchi...now THAT is a bike I got due to the color :)

Dunno. I can see why people don't want to be stereotyped by gender (my bike isn't WSD though) but ride what suits you structurally. And I think the bike color thing goes WAY beyond bike colors because women are expected to like certain things from when we were little on up. I can see being riled - I have my own issues like when people say "lady" instead of woman. Makes me want to go all violent and stuff!

Have got to say though I LOVED that glittery red!!!! Pretty. Very pretty.

[mimitabby]

Lots of orange :D

I have a glaringly orange bike. I am not so much a fan of orange nor am I a fan of festive, which my bike is. It's an Orbea Marmolada. I got this bike not because it looks like the remnants of a smashed pinata but because it is an awesome bike.
.

Your bike doesn't look like a smashed pinata, it looks more like a Hawaii Postcard :D :D :D

no really, I like it. it's orange. :D :D :D :D

[Veronica]

So send your bike off to Joe Bell and get it painted.

V.

[jobob]

Yep, that's precisely what I would have done, had I not liked the color of my Riv.

She's actually due for a paint job, and I might even keep her the same color...

[Veronica]

I have my own issues like when people say "lady" instead of woman. Makes me want to go all violent and stuff!


You'd hate being a student in my class then. I don't call my student boys and girls when I want their attention. They are ladies and gentlemen.

V.

[Velobambina]

So send your bike off to Joe Bell and get it painted.

V.

Amen (from the proud owner and frequent rider of two fast pink Lunas)

[GLC1968]

Can I just say that everyones PERCEPTION of what colors are girly kills me?

Move to North Carolina and try to tell ANYONE that light blue is a girly color...you'll get your block knocked off in half a heartbeat. Carolina Blue is 'girly'?...ha, ha, ha, I don't think so.

Funny thing is, I bought my goregous, rides like a dream, fits like a glove Terry Isis in spite of the color. I liked the swirl pattern and the silver colors of the new bikes, but I didn't particularly like the light blue on the previous years model. But, I knew better than to pass up the deal on a titanium bike that would actually fit me. I get MORE compliments on that bike...both for its components/features as for it's colors. And so far, every single person who has lusted after my bike...has been a guy. Seriously, I've had more guys ask "Does Terry make that bike in a size big enough for me?".


So the moral of my story? Go ahead and complain about not seeing the colors YOU want on the bikes you like. But please, stop perpetuating stupid stereo-types. Honestly...not buying a bike becasue the color doesn't suit you is a pretty 'girly' thing to do...is it not? :p

[crazycanuck]

Ok..I have to agree with Meg.

The next bike I purchase will NOT be PINK or any other wierd colour. I just want a bike that fits and isn't a blech clour. Black will do me just fine thanks.
If i had a lot of $$$ it's possible i'd have Jonsey at Riders Choice here in Perth build me a road bike in simple colours.

I will not ride a green or purple bike. I will not eat green eggs and ham. Sam I am..Oh wait..this isn't a Dr Seuss book..

I don't like flashy colours when it comes to clothes, bikes, cars & hair. Just let me have my black or blue or red items thanks.

C

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

But please, stop perpetuating stupid stereo-types. Honestly...not buying a bike becasue the color doesn't suit you is a pretty 'girly' thing to do...is it not? :p

No, guys do it all the time. And NOT buying something you don't like if the marketers decide to give you color choices you detest is not 'girly', it's assertive! :)

[Crankin]

I never even considered color when bike shopping (and i have bought 3 road bikes in 6 years). My road bike is black carbon, my mtb is dark brown, and my commuter (previously my husband's mtb) is bright yellow. All I care about is fit. I definitely would NOT buy anything with swirls, flowers, designs on it. I like things plain; modern furniture, no "gee gaws," or frills. I do wear clothing in bright colors both on and off the bike, but I find black to be comforting!
And by the way, i had a serious Barbie addiction up until age 9 or so, but I also had a full set of "Army gear," i.e. a tent, canteen, fake weapons, boots when I was about 5 or 6. I used to march around the neighborhood with a trail of boys behind me screaming, "Come on, march, we're the army!" Then I would make them jump over snow banks.
Oh God, now i know why my son joined the Marines...

[pooks]

I don't see orange as girly at all.

Right now orange is a hot color. It's on cars, bikes, interiors, etc. But I have never in my life considered orange a "girly" color. Pastels and pink tend to be the girly colors, mainly shades of pink and purple, though.

I want a bike with personality. I want a car with personality. I like things that are a little different.

If I saw a deep Welch's grape jelly purple bike, I'd love it. But if that was the primary color that Trek was using this year and all the bikes were that color, probably not.

I'm difficult that way.

[xeney]

I don't know, I think the main color most guys absolutely avoid when buying a bike -- and I mean a bike where everything else is perfect, fit, price, everything -- is pink. Or anything else that's stereotyped as "girly." Which sort of gets us back where we were ... nobody wants to be associated with anything deemed "girly," because of course "girly" really means weak and lame and second-rate.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I don't know, I think the main color most guys absolutely avoid when buying a bike -- and I mean a bike where everything else is perfect, fit, price, everything -- is pink. Or anything else that's stereotyped as "girly." Which sort of gets us back where we were ... nobody wants to be associated with anything deemed "girly," because of course "girly" really means weak and lame and second-rate.

I don't think "girly" means "weak and lame and second-rate" at all....rather it means exactly what it says-- "girly"- as in little girls! So when I say i don't want a pink bike with swirly flowers on it because I'm not ten years old, it's not a put down against anyone. I can see that some might interpret that as a put down, I suppose.

The whole point though is really simply that we should have some varied color choices, and that bike designers should not make their WSD bikes in only "girly" colors.

[Veronica]

The owner of my local bike, a MAN, has a Specialized Epic (mountain bike) that is totally pink. Even the handlebars are carbon with pink grips.

I say stop perpetuating color stereotypes.

V.

[fultzie]

I don't know, I think the main color most guys absolutely avoid when buying a bike -- and I mean a bike where everything else is perfect, fit, price, everything -- is pink.

i have to chime in here... because i know a LOT of guys who love pink for the same reasons i do. it's amusing! and by amusing i mean i think it's fun/silly/slightly obnoxious (in the right shade)/kinda pretty.

indy fab's bubblegum pink color option? named after a *dude* mtber (who happened to clean the field at collegiate nats last year-- on a single speed).

one of my best friends just purchased the pink King headset for his very macho black 29-inch single speed (called a "Q-Ball") that has a bottle opener on the back.

another friend of mine, who also owns/rides a Q-Ball, happens to have *another* custom pink single speed (he's a single speed addict, apparently)

even the not-so-fast guys on my team like pink (and don't get slammed for it). one of the guys rode an old pink shwinn on the road for a while. he occasionally took out the end of the paceline when he crashed, but was otherwise tolerated.


I dunno, I think it would be fun to drop guys while riding a pink hello kitty bike. :p i

aw heck yah! i love hello kitty-- and the whole cult surrounding her. again, pure amusement.

then again, another mtbing buddy rides a pink wsd trek, and loathes the color (she named the bike "the pink wonder," i think to be ironic).

all that said, i currently ride two black bikes. my messenger bag is pink/brown/black, though, and my next mtb will be pink with green flames :D

[PinkBike]

great thread!
my trek came the typical red/white/blue/u s postal/clonestrong that EVERYBODY had. mine's now pink because its the only one of its kind. because everyone recognizes it. because it makes the guys laugh when they see me out on the road. because EVERYBODY has to comment on its color. because it's mine.

i don't like riding a common bike. the color is very important to me, that's why i changed it right off. my mountain bike was a stumpjumper in red and black and i always thought of it as some high school boy's idea of cool colors. so i got it painted. my other trek came in a solid blue that i absolutely love and wouldnt change for anything.

i think the point of the thread is the conception that bike designers think "girls bikes" have to be all girly. and that girly is definitely second class. and i totally agree that this perception is so skewed. so fight it by riding a manly/studly/rough/"serious" colored bike, or by painting hearts and flowers on your bike and riding hard and serious, or by poking fun at the stereotype by overemphasizing it and showing its absurdity.

i am so NOT girly. i'm a mechanic, never wear makeup, can throw a baseball, and love discovery channel howto shows. the pink bike was a lark but now i love everything about it!

ride what you like.

[pooks]

I heard about a local high school football team whose coach wanted them to play soccer in the off season to stay in/get into shape. Big burly guys, most of whom had never set foot on a soccer field and weren't very good.

They called themselves the Rosebuds, wore pink jerseys with red rosebuds on them, and nobody dared laugh at them (though I'm sure everybody laughed with them).

Um. And I'm sure they all rode bikes.

(Sorry for the drift.)

[Ciao]

Meg, I am SO with you on this! It's my number 1 pet peeve.... in fact it's more than a pet peeve... I'm completely frustrated. It's not that I don't like the color pink used in moderation... but COME ON MANUFACTURERS! You are selling to WOMEN not to girls.

Just got back from a GrandFondo this weekend... In the vendor booths, ALL the products for women were pink. Clothes, bikes, you name it, they had pink. (Ok, I take that back, one manufacture, Gore, had adult colors for gear. So I shopped with them.)

Saw the new Scott Contessa CR1 pro which has a beautiful paint job and looks very tasty, but of course it uses pink instead of the silver, red, white or yellow that I see and prefer on their other bikes. It's exactly the same geometry as the men's... so, why the pink? I wouldn't mind so much, but it's the only option.

I am not and have never been "girly". Feminine, intelligent, driven... sexy even... but girly, never. Manufacturers, if you want to convey a product is for women pick a color scheme that doesn't reducing us to select from colors and designs that would appeal to an 8 year old.

Thank you for listening :D

[imdeanna]

((((Wow...this is a year old thread!!)))))



Awww man....all this time I've been thinking I was SO cool...with my Caribbean Bayou Blue WSD bike.....and how I customized it with a PINK Saddle...and PINK Speedplay pedals.... DOH'!!!


:eek:

(I've never been able to play with 'cool' kids!!) :D

[mimitabby]

I think there's plenty of room for those of us who like pink and those of us that don't!

Your liking pink doesn't make you any less cool than me (queen of uncool)

[katluvr]

I do NOT like pink. Note girrly pink. I wanted a "real" bike w/ 700c wheels (previous with 650c). So i got what i wanted...carbon, 700c wheels and fast AND great fit. But it is HOT PINK (w/ black). So I have "embraced" my "pinkness" with a pink helment and saddle bag. Big sigh......I still wish it was not pink. But other people think it is very cool! But I agree w/ the beginning of the thread....why all this pink and floral, etc. Is it to get more women riding? Are we "women" still so easily persuaded by flowers, pastles, etc? I really don't get it.....so I think we need more "options"...for the rest of us who don't really like pink!:D

[aicabsolut]

The saddest part of it is that there are plenty of guys out there who would benefit from "wsd" geometry. I don't fit WSD bikes at all, but my bf feels pretty comfortable on my friend's WSD Madone. Would he ever buy a WSD bike? Hell no. Why? Because they are girly (although that Madone is a hot shade of dark metallic purple). So these guys go with a bike that doesn't fit as well. Even if there's a guy who likes pink (and real pink, not T-Mobile pink), is he going to buy a pink bike with flowers? Hell no. I find it odd that when you look at racing caliber bikes especially, manufacturers still seem to think that a fast racer is going to care about how cute the bike looks and not how BADASS it looks.

I'm glad I don't need to buy WSD bikes. It's not that I want to avoid pink necessarily, but I like that I get a decent SELECTION. If I want to put pink bartape and tires and whatever else on there I can, but I can also keep the look classic with white.

On a similar note, I'm glad that most women's cycling clothing doesn't fit me either. It's either black or some pastel color with the flowers.

[Bluetree]

I have two female friends (one a tremendously strong climber) who have pink bikes.. and I mean EVERYTHING is pink. Great for them!

Personally, I hate pink. I would never buy anything pink. I prefer colors that kill and intimidate. The main difference is, my friends had the option to buy pink. Or powder blue. Or other pastels. The colors I liked were not as readily available for me, except when I went up the WSD carbon fiber food-chain or looked at men's bikes.

My LBS dealer told me that the higher quality of bikes for women, the less "pastel-y" they become. In fact, the women's team he sponsors unanimously asked that none of their bikes/kit had any pink in them.

My S-Works is stealth black and my Pinarello is black-red-white. To me, those are women's colors! ;)

[imdeanna]

I think there's plenty of room for those of us who like pink and those of us that don't!

Your liking pink doesn't make you any less cool than me (queen of uncool)

Phew!!!! I was going to start riding with a full face helmet so no one would recognize me!!!! :D

Funny thing...I've never really liked 'pink' for myself....it just happend to be what I dressed 'her' in....(my bike is VERY feminine!!!) :)

[imdeanna]

My LBS dealer told me that the higher quality of bikes for women, the less "pastel-y" they become. In fact, the women's team he sponsors unanimously asked that none of their bikes/kit had any pink in them.


I can relate to this .... this is my first....and not knowing how far I'd go with cycling...was on a budget to give it a try.....so it was the highest quality I could get for my buck....

BUT...now that I know I'm loving cycling....when I get financially able to buy my next bike.....ya...your right....it's not going to be a 'girls' bike...... when I go into the LBS...I drool over the dark sleek colors...and the hot curves...of the BIG TIME bikes!!!

[Bron]

Having a bianchi makes it easy - bianchis are celeste and nothing else goes with celeste, so I can forget colour co-ordinating myself. Yes I know there are some bianchis in other colours....


I heard about a local high school football team whose coach wanted them to play soccer in the off season to stay in/get into shape. Big burly guys, most of whom had never set foot on a soccer field and weren't very good.

They called themselves the Rosebuds, wore pink jerseys with red rosebuds on them, and nobody dared laugh at them (though I'm sure everybody laughed with them).

Um. And I'm sure they all rode bikes.

(Sorry for the drift.)

Um, is this a cultural difference? Why would anyone think that men are girly for playing soccer?

[bouncybouncy]

I have not read this thread in its entirety (sp?) but I read most of it when it was first posted...my $0.02:

colors could go either way...I personally hate red! Don't want blue (hubby's bikes are blue and/or green) I like white...but not good for mtb even though that is what I got! Any and all components are pink, pink, pink, and um some pewter that look lilac in color!!!! Yep, I like pink!!! I also like orange...my previous bike was orange with pink components!!! You read correctly...pink & orange! They are mtbikes...tough, cute, girly, and can take a beating!!!

My roadie is pink too...but just the frame...the components are silver...it is a little more classy than my dirty girls!

Point is...I like I have the choice! I could have had pink, black, Yeti turquois, nude, or a redish color...but I had a choice!!!!

[OakLeaf]

Would he ever buy a WSD bike? Hell no. Why? Because they are girly.

Um.

Madone 6.9: http://www.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/2008/large/madone69_pearlwhite.jpg

Madone 6.5 WSD:http://www.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/2008/large/madone65wsd_pearlwhite.jpg

Ruby Expert Compact: http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/2008/bikes/9082-66_l.jpg

Roubaix Comp Triple:
http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/2008/bikes/9083-35_l.jpg

To round out your mass-produced bikes, Cannondale does have completely different paint schemes for the WSD bikes vs. the men's bikes, but most of them aren't what I'd call "girly." Some of them are. Most not.

Unfortunately I think it goes back to what another poster said. It's the homophobia, or something similar. Most men wouldn't buy something branded as "WSD" even if it was cosmetically identical to a men's design. Even if it was identical in fit (as unfortunately a lot of so-called "women's" gear used to be, and some still is). There's absolutely a stigma attached to being female or appearing feminine.

[Tokie]

I cringe when I see pastel bikes in a sea of other color bikes at the bike store.My first thought is that those are the low-end bikes in the store, aimed at women who don't know much about bikes. I do like some of the colors that Orbea uses on their women's frames. They are a bit feminine but look like the type of paint job you would see on a really high end bike. Tasteful and understated - in my opinion. I just want a great bike! I want a bike that fits with all the features offered on comparably priced bikes that are not women specific. I am pleased that the Specialized Ruby bikes have nice paint jobs that don't scream "girly bike". I don't mind that the name "Ruby" on the frame is in a feminine font. I love pink and feminine stuff. But I don't want a pastel car or a pastel bike. I can wear girly colored bike clothes, but don't put me a a girly color bike. Just me. Attract me to a women's specific bike with a great frame,components,fit and quality! Tokie

[GLC1968]

And yes - look at what's changed in a year. Ask and you shall receive...Think that Georgena read this thread? ;)

There's nothing 'frou-frou' or 'girly' about these paint schemes:
http://www.terrybicycles.com/product_images/bike_site/performance/fastwoman.jpg

http://www.terrybicycles.com/product_images/bike_site/performance/isisproP2.jpg

http://www.terrybicycles.com/product_images/bike_site/performance/isissportP2.jpg

Unless, of course, you find white to be too offensive. :rolleyes:

[Aggie_Ama]

I already weighed in a year ago on my opinion of bikes. I recently purchased a new Giro Atmos helmet- in pink. However, even with my love of the helmet I was completely annoyed with the Giro "Women's" Packaging. It looked like pepto bismal had been poured on the box with clouds and swirlies. Ummmm, a $150+ helmet is not your second grader's helmet. It made my girly helmet seem like a child's toy. I still like my pink helmet! :)

I notice the girly only color issue is mostly found in the entry to mid-range area. Higher end bikes seem (and I may be wrong) to be a little less floral, pastel or offer multiple frames. I know Cannondale does, the new Trek Madone that is pink is very subtle and the others are even less pastel. The Orbea diva comes in a white (last time I checked). I think the problem is selection, if you need a WSD frame you pay more for the same components and less choices. Slap a WSD badge, slightly modify the frame and charge more. That is what I find ANNOYING!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Glad to see that Terry is dropping the girly-swirls and flowers motifs that really turned me off when I was first bike shopping several years ago. They always reminded me of Laugh-in and sugary 'Up, Up With People' stuff from the 70's.... :rolleyes:

[Meg McKilty]

I am astounded this thread is still going a year later.

I still do not care for pink, and The Ice Princess (my Jamis) is a gorgeous bike. The ice blue really grew on me after a while.

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/08_bikes/08xenithcompf.html

Edit: I did change out the seat and the bar tape to black, though.

[spokewench]

I think I've stated this before - I am not a pink person! BUT, I do own a black (carbon) and pink (Bright Fuschia sp?) Giant road bike - AND IT IS A MEN's BIKE!

Most of the boys on my old team hated riding the pink bike when they were sponsored and had to ride them.

For me, it is not the color of the bike, but the way it performs so I've come to grips with the fact that I ride a pink bike cause I LOVE MY BIKE! IT is sooo light and fast. That is what is important to me. So far, no one has been able to talk me into color coordinating with clothing i.e. jerseys (NOT), but one of my girlfriends as a joke bought me some white socks with pink flowers around the cuff so I could match my bike. I grin every time I put them on for the thought that was given to that gift!:D

spoke

[Andrea]

I love raw carbon fiber with any color accenting it- especially with some custom touches :D

My current crush is my Blue Rc7. It's plain carbon w/blue, silver, & white, and I managed to find custom headset spacers in blue and silver as well as "install" metallic blue and white handlebar tape in a "harlequin" style weave on the drops. It's pretty flashy, but I think that custom touches on any bike really give it personality, no matter what color it is.

Edit: oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I found carbon waterbottle cages that have some silver on them as well... and they were on sale!!!

[aicabsolut]

I already weighed in a year ago on my opinion of bikes. I recently purchased a new Giro Atmos helmet- in pink. However, even with my love of the helmet I was completely annoyed with the Giro "Women's" Packaging. It looked like pepto bismal had been poured on the box with clouds and swirlies. Ummmm, a $150+ helmet is not your second grader's helmet. It made my girly helmet seem like a child's toy. I still like my pink helmet! :)

I notice the girly only color issue is mostly found in the entry to mid-range area. Higher end bikes seem (and I may be wrong) to be a little less floral, pastel or offer multiple frames. I know Cannondale does, the new Trek Madone that is pink is very subtle and the others are even less pastel. The Orbea diva comes in a white (last time I checked). I think the problem is selection, if you need a WSD frame you pay more for the same components and less choices. Slap a WSD badge, slightly modify the frame and charge more. That is what I find ANNOYING!

That was my point. Of course, my bf wouldn't buy a Madone period because he hates Trek, but I wasn't trying to go there--he'd probably like the white one as far as paint scheme, but I digress...

So the bike manufaturers are starting to use the same or similar paint schemes for race caliber women's bikes as on the equivalent men's bike. I don't even know if I'd include the Ruby, though, as the Roubaix is essentially the same bike, just one size off. So a guy who would like a Ruby would go with a Roubaix to get the right width in handlebars for roughly the same geometry.

There's still a problem of selection. Say you want a Trek. Say you want something better than a 4.x series Madone. The 5.1 is your price range. Well, it's pink (or has girly pink accents). The 6.5 is not girly (as pictured above), but can you afford it? The men's Madones are all pretty neutral colors. Red, white, blue, yellow, black.

Cannondale and Specialized and Cervelo and Ridley and other manufacturers often give you paint scheme options per level of men's frame. Specialized does that for the top level Ruby frames. The Ruby Comp? Carbon with pink stencil. Again, what if you don't have $3k+ to spend on a bike? You have one paint option, and it's got pink.

If you LIKE pink, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with liking pink. What I think this thread is supposed to get at is what if you don't like pink? What do you buy at certain price points?

[mimitabby]

you know, it's funny; we don't have this problem with cars!
cars can be marketed to women in the same colors as those for men.

[gnat23]

I, as a representative of the "other" side, usually rant about how difficult it is to find high-end equipment that is pink. I'll fuss about how the lower-end frames have the pink and the flowers and the swirlies, but after a certain price range it goes all primary colors and daggers again.

Of course, there's really not much choice in frame color schemes in any given year, period. Even the guys may only get "silver" or "blue" for a particular model. Either we can wait it out and see what they offer for next season, or have it custom painted, or beg and plead that more places offer things like Trek's Project One (http://bicyclesinc.com/page.cfm?PageID=184/) engine.

Don't get me started on shoe color availability. Hello, Sidi, we need to talk.

-- gnat! (I miss my T-Mobile Magenta Men. *snif!*)

[kfergos]

Funny that this thread popped up when it did... My mother just bought a brand-new Giant OCR w 3 (http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/women/1247/29272/zoom/), and her only complaint: "It's girly blue! I hate that color!" Personally I thought it could've been much worse, but she wanted a zippy red bike (which is the color I happen to have, and yes, it does feel faster)... I don't have much to add, except that I wouldn't let color dictate my choice, but given a choice I would tend to avoid flowers, traditionally feminine colors, and suchlike decoration.

Several people have mentioned custom paint jobs on bikes. I'm curious: How much does that usually cost? Where does one find a custom bike-painter? (I've thought for a long time flames would be *so* cool on my bike; plus I've had a lifelong love affair with that iridescent green/purple/blue color that you see on really customized cars and motorcycles (I hear that costs $$$ per pint, but how many pints would you need to paint a bike anyway?))

[aicabsolut]

http://www.joesbicyclepainting.com/

[Kimmyt]

I hate the color on my bike. It's what I like to call 'My Little Pony Teal'. I'm considering putting pink or orange or purple handlebar tape on it, to complete the obnoxious color scheme thing.

I figure, if it's already ugly, I might as well have a little fun with it.

K.

[SouthernBelle]

Lynskey has their frames painted by motorcycle customizing shops.

[kat_h]

Honestly I don't even like the term WSD. I'd rather see them identified by what actually makes them different, smaller frames, narrower bars, whatever. I'm friends with a guy who is fairly short and really struggled to find a touring bike that fit. He probably would have done well with a WSD bike, but it didn't occur to him to look at them, and it didn't occur to bike shop guys to point him towards them. If they'd been labelled purely by size he might have checked them out.

[li10up]

Just to throw in my 2 cents... I too don't like the color schemes on most WSD bikes. I'm not 10 anymore and don't typically like my sporting equipment to look like they are marketed to young girls.

My other pet peeve about marketing to women....why do all the jerseys in the catalogs look like they belong on a woman with scoliosis? I and none of the women I know have ever stood in that position - all bent to the side.... I think it looks rediciculos....like we wouldn't know it's a woman's jersey if she wasn't posed all crooked...geez!

[OakLeaf]

even with my love of the helmet I was completely annoyed with the Giro "Women's" Packaging.

What's different about a women's specific helmet???

(honest question from someone who's never heard that the crowns of women's heads are shaped differently from men's)

ETA, my 2 cents: Women and men ARE shaped differently, and not just from chest to crotch, and I think manufacturers SHOULD label their products when they're made to fit a set of proportions that is much more likely to belong to a woman than to a man (and my understanding is that the difference in frames is more in the STA and the top tube length). What I have a problem with, is when WSD products are labeled as such, but products designed specifically for men's bodies are not labeled. As though everything is "really" unisex but there are some b*tchy feminists who refuse to accommodate their bodies to wearing men's clothes and riding men's bikes.

[GLC1968]

What's different about a women's specific helmet???

(honest question from someone who's never heard that the crowns of women's heads are shaped differently from men's)

In my experience? Nothing, except that they are in 'pretty' colors and they don't come in 'Large'! :p

I'd be curious of the real difference, too...maybe they have ponytail openings?

[BarbaraAlys]

[QUOTE=farrellcollie;191925]I somewhat agree (actually I really want an orange bike -


My new Trek is orange and cream :) It is a 2.1 WSD (not the Pilot 2.1, just 2.1)

Barbara

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

In my experience? Nothing, except that they are in 'pretty' colors and they don't come in 'Large'! :p

I'd be curious of the real difference, too...maybe they have ponytail openings?

Men's helmets in small are too large for me. Women's helmets in small fit me just right.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

What I have a problem with, is when WSD products are labeled as such, but products designed specifically for men's bodies are not labeled. As though everything is "really" unisex but there are some b*tchy feminists who refuse to accommodate their bodies to wearing men's clothes and riding men's bikes.

Tell me about it. I was in a nice bike shop 3 weeks ago helping a woman friend to bike shop- she's not overly bike savvy. I asked the man there (who seemed very nice and somewhat knowledgeable) if they had any women specific bikes there, and he said "No, but all these bikes are Unisex and we can fit them to either men or women."....(basically meaning that all the MEN'S bikes in the store would fit all women).
GGGGRRRRRR.........
It's the old syndrome of thinking that any body can be made to 'fit' any bike in their general size regardless of frame geometry or body proportions....it can all be made to fit perfectly by tweaking stems and other minor adjustments. Hogwash I say. This dogma is all to the advantage of bike shops wanting to sell what they have on the floor- which is usually an abundance of long top-tube men's bikes made for long armed guys. Pfffftt.
My friend is still shopping around, but she knows more now than she did 3 weeks ago.

[indigoiis]

Dear Bike company (okay, Specialized...)

Did you really need to put a bright red sticker that says, "Always wear a helmet for safety sake" on the top tube of my bike? A non-removable sticker? I tried to get it off and it was like removing nail polish.

The red doesn't match the blue.

I ride along and look down and read that and then, as is the way with thoughts while riding, it becomes a chant. "Always. Wear. a helmet..."

And then my brain screams out, "I AM ALREADY!!!"

It's all wrong.

*SIGH.*

[GLC1968]

Men's helmets in small are too large for me. Women's helmets in small fit me just right.

Really? Interesting! I never bothered trying on any women's helmets for the reason I mentioned before - they never come in Large. Well, then...even more reason for me not to bother looking at them.

But see, now that pisses me off! Women have smaller heads? Says who? Jeeze!! :mad: Why can't they just make helmets in head sizes like they do hats? Why should a men's small be any larger than a women's small? That's just stupid unless there is a real shape difference (like for shoes).

[Flybye]

Dear Bike Company,

Thank you for making such a wonderful bike. You put hours of research and design into putting together a great bike. It is evident that many in your company must love to ride as much, if not more than I. I love everything about the bike. I love the freedom that I get from riding such a great piece of equipment. I love to walk by it when it waits in the rack. I love the way it looks. I love that I can ride it 75 miles without worrying that it is going to fall apart. I love the fact that the women's specific brakes are easy on my hands. Thanks for putting a great seat on the bike, too. How great is that? Thanks for having such a passion to build something so awesome and sturdy that can bring so much delight, freedom, and fun to my life. You have done a fantastic job with metal, rubber, carbon and grease!

In Gratitude - Fly

[mimitabby]

Really? Interesting! I never bothered trying on any women's helmets for the reason I mentioned before - they never come in Large. Well, then...even more reason for me not to bother looking at them.

But see, now that pisses me off! Women have smaller heads? Says who? Jeeze!! :mad: Why can't they just make helmets in head sizes like they do hats? Why should a men's small be any larger than a women's small? That's just stupid unless there is a real shape difference (like for shoes).

the average woman does have a smaller head (and a smaller brain, smaller feet and smaller hands) than the average man.
Those are undisputable facts.

It never occurred to me to buy a woman's helmet. The Bell small fits me with a slight adjustment off the rack.

[teawoman]

My big square teutonic head fits a men's medium helmet.:p

Ditto on the girly colours. My bike is a wsd, but I don't think the colors are especially girly except for maybe the saddle. I'd prefer black.



I'm not fond of the pink and flowery stuff though...maybe the odd time in a jersey.

[GLC1968]

the average woman does have a smaller head (and a smaller brain, smaller feet and smaller hands) than the average man.
Those are undisputable facts.

It never occurred to me to buy a woman's helmet. The Bell small fits me with a slight adjustment off the rack.

Well, sure...they also typically have smaller bodies. But my point is - is the head shapped any different? Why have two different standards? Why not just go by hat size (in inches or cm)?

Women's shoes make sense since women's feet are not just smaller, they are shapped differently. Same with women's bodies, obviously.... But heads? I wouldn't think so. Maybe women's heads are more oblong or more narrow...or there is some other differentiating characteristic. It just doesn't seem like there would be any developmental reason why they would be different, you know?

[Aggie_Ama]

What's different about a women's specific helmet???

(honest question from someone who's never heard that the crowns of women's heads are shaped differently from men's)



From what I can tell? It is pink and has an opening to stick a ponytail through.

I was nervous when I realized the pink was "WSD" but it fits just like my size medium non-gender specific Bell. The Giro "Mens" Atmos had the same dimensions as my Bell. I ordered the "WSD" without being able to try one on.

So my thoughts? It is pink, in a Pepto Bismal box and has a ponytail hole.

[KatyLady]

Several people have mentioned custom paint jobs on bikes. I'm curious: How much does that usually cost? Where does one find a custom bike-painter? (I've thought for a long time flames would be *so* cool on my bike; plus I've had a lifelong love affair with that iridescent green/purple/blue color that you see on really customized cars and motorcycles (I hear that costs $$$ per pint, but how many pints would you need to paint a bike anyway?))

I'm in the process of getting a custom paint job now. I was cautioned by my bicycle frame builder not to take the steel frame to just any auto paint shop. I looked around a bit and found a local automotive paint shop that has the equipment needed for detail paint work. The shop owner is almost excited about the opportunity to paint a bike frame and has taken it on as his personal project. He says he can do flames, fades or virtually anything I want - but I'm more interested in a classic bike design.

[CarbonCandy]

Men's helmets in small are too large for me. Women's helmets in small fit me just right.

Me too! I've got an uber small head...and can pretty much fit in kids helmets.

And to throw in my two Lincolns about color and what not, a couple things. Now I dont want to make anyone angry and Im 100 positive there are going to be some of you disagreeing with me, but I work in a LBS and we had this Trek pink 2200 (http://shop.devercycles.co.uk/images/prod_2046.jpg) in a 47cm that we just couldn't sell. No one wanted it. Scratch that. Everyone who wanted it, wouldn't fit on it. So any women who were along the lines of my size (5'8" or so) LOVED the bike. Anyone who could fit on the 47cm didn't want anything to do with it. Anyone see where I'm going with this...?

For myself, I bought a men's Trek 5000 (before I knew the new Madones were coming out grrrrrrr) and plastered it in pink. As you can see from my avatar.... pink pedals, cages, and bar tape :]

I've got a bone to pick about Trek hybrids. All the wsd 7000, 7100, 7200, and 7300 bikes, all come in a step through frame. That means if you want a womens specific bike that fits you well, you have to get a step through?? Come on cant we just have a proportional "mens/unisex" frame??

Now Im rambling....

[uforgot]

I also find that the wsd helmets fit me better than men's. The men's were too big and the kids were too small. I also look for the ponytail holder. It's so much more comfortable.

As for the Trek step through frames, it's not like that is the only line that Trek makes. I think there are probably a lot of women who would like those bikes for their retro feel, and it's good that there are options for everyone. Personally, I'm not crazy about those bikes. No problem as I wound up with a 7.2fx a few years ago. Not a step through, and there are many other options for women in the Trek line also. I like the fact that there seem to be so many choices out there, and the choices are growing!

I guess I'm just tired of the whole WSD, pastel color debate. If you don't like a certain bike, or product, then don't buy it! It's not like you can't find something else, or another year with a different paint job. Not everyone is going to like the same thing, and why would you want everyone to be the same? I think that you should just ride.

Hey, I can ramble too!:D

[OakLeaf]

Well, here's one who specifically wanted the mixte frame on my Trek hybrid (Navigator 200). That's the bike I use for going out to eat and church, among other things, and sometimes I like to wear a skirt.

But it's not pink, it's maroon, the exact same color as DH's diamond-frame Navigator 100.

Back in the day I used to ride a diamond frame bike in dresses all the time, but it had to be a pretty full skirt, and it was awkward regardless.

[7rider]

Women's shoes make sense since women's feet are not just smaller, they are shapped differently. Same with women's bodies, obviously.... ?

Smaller??? Ha! Try FINDING women's bike shoes in size 11.
Ain't gonna happen. Oh yeah...it's that bike thing: Women cyclists are petite, skinny, little things with tiny hands, tiny feet, tiny heads.

[imdeanna]

Women cyclists are petite, skinny, little things with tiny hands, tiny feet, tiny heads.

That's why I bought MY bike!!
(sooo...it's been a couple months now...when do I get the tiny bod????) :p

Does it come in the mail or something?? LOL :D

[OakLeaf]

Women cyclists are petite, skinny, little things with tiny hands, tiny feet, tiny heads.

They got little hands
Little eyes
They walk around
Tellin great big lies
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet

[teawoman]

That's why I bought MY bike!!
(sooo...it's been a couple months now...when do I get the tiny bod????) :p

Does it come in the mail or something?? LOL :D

+5 :D

[Torrilin]

I've got a bone to pick about Trek hybrids. All the wsd 7000, 7100, 7200, and 7300 bikes, all come in a step through frame. That means if you want a womens specific bike that fits you well, you have to get a step through?? Come on cant we just have a proportional "mens/unisex" frame??

After a year of struggling with a diamond frame, I got a step through. I am *tired* of staring at my bike, dreading having my hip scream at me for daring to throw my leg over the top tube. On really bad days, I'd only have 1 leg joint out of the full six not *****ing at me. Ow. Such are the joys of a 17 degree hip rotation and malformed bones in your feet. The arthritis kicked in when I was 16.

I'd be pretty ticked if I *had* to get a diamond frame again. Once I'm *on* the bike, the movement helps my arthritis. Take that away and I'd get pretty stabbity.

The part that ticks me off with step throughs is that taller men can't get them even if they need them. They're "girl's bikes" not "bikes for people with bad hips". (same thing with WSD in general... no WSD bikes are made large enough for someone 6' tall. that means my dad with a WSD body can't get a good fit very easily. he's riding a diamond frame bike that's just about perfectly sized for me and I'm 6" shorter.)