Quote Originally Posted by KnottedYet View Post
But please don't put the "women's" helmets in there, or the pink Serfas floor pumps, or the pink pedals or baby blue cranks, or the wider "T" shaped saddles. Mix those in with the rest. Some women don't *need* a wider saddle. Some men do. Some don't *want* the uber-phallic pink floor pump. Some women have heads that don't fit in tiny helmets. Some men have heads that are too small for a "man's" helmet. Some men really like the hot pink cranks. Make women welcome through-out the entire store! The chickie on her way to buy her helmet might discover BuddyFlaps. (cha-ching!) The gal perusing the saddles might catch a glimpse of a rack. (cha-ching!) And then she'll see the Ortleib Backroller panniers and start really thinking (BIG $$$ cha-ching!)

If you isolate the women's gear (other than clothes) into one section, how many women will go beyond that section? How many will start thinking, "Hey, I can DO this bike thing! I think I'll buy my own damm Park Tool I-Beam, and my OWN tire levers! This entire store is for me, and I don't have to wait for hubby or son to maintain my bike! In fact, I'm gonna ask that mechanic over there to explain how I lube my chain and I'm gonna buy lube and degreaser and a Park Tool Chain Gang! I walk thru this whole store to buy things, so I'm not afraid to walk over to the mechanic!"

...

Free "Fix A Flat" classes are an awesome idea. If you can have a women's only class, and have it be taught by a woman, even better! The best Fix A Flat class I ever took was taught by a woman. She understood that our hands weren't as strong, our arms weren't as long, and our leverage just wasn't the same. She knew some tricks other than just muscling the tire and tube, and you should have seen the confidence level rise in that class! Pretty soon we're talking derailleurs and brakes and slinging back wheels and chains around fearlessly.
Amen to that. The only woman-specific thing I buy is clothes. My favorite LBS had a maintenance clinic and they really encourage women and men alike to take it. They have a stand where customers can work on their bikes and they encourage women to do that. When I bring my bike for a repair they always ask: do you want us to fix that, or do you want to do it yourself. I almost always choose the latter and while they have missed out on some repair charges they have sold me a lot of tools and parts.

Also I would like to see some decent cloth. Not for some waif or twiggy. You can't ride if you are twiggy.
Sorry, I just disagree with this. I fit this description by most accounts and I've ridden 4,000 miles so far this year, and I don't think I'm the only thin-framed woman on this site that has a *really* hard time finding cycling clothes because most are not built for tall women. Shorts are fine, but forget about finding tights and jerseys in a store that only stocks one or two brands. Women of *all* sizes need cycling clothes. If I owned a shop I'd carry clothing from a variety of mfrs.

Anne