some questions for a school project on women who bike

[short cut sally]

where do you live?: New York State

how would you classify your riding (commuting, leisure, competitive):
leisure and fitness

how long have you been riding a bike in the way that you do now? did you pick it up again after years of not riding?: 4 or 5 years I've been riding, picked it up after at least 15 years of being idle

what type of bike(s) do you have?: Road bikes x2

do you notice more females on bikes in recent years than before?:not really

do you notice more focus on females who bike in the media recently?:not really, but wish they would, it's very male oriented

do you think there are female specific concerns in cycling? what would they be? (buying appropriate bike/equipment, stigma, safety):finding clothes that fit, esp if you are not skinny minney. maybe when going into a bike shop, the staff talking down to you or not talking to you at all because you are a female in the "mans shop"

general comments and ideas:[/QUOTE]are you a male or female? Are you in high school or college as you said it was a school project? (just wondering) and Good luck on your project

[OakLeaf]

where do you live?:
eastern Ohio/central Florida

how would you classify your riding (commuting, leisure, competitive):
commuter, leisure & fitness

how long have you been riding a bike in the way that you do now? did you pick it up again after years of not riding?:
In the 70s and 80s I was a commuter, recreational rider and tourist (tourer?). In the late 80s and early 90s I raced. I burned out and did not ride again until 2003 when I bought a commuter bike. In 2006 I returned to road riding and have been steadily increasing my mileage since.

what type of bike(s) do you have?:
Carbon road bike, aluminum commuter (steel race bike - retired)

do you notice more females on bikes in recent years than before?:
no

do you notice more focus on females who bike in the media recently?:
no

do you think there are female specific concerns in cycling? what would they be? (buying appropriate bike/equipment, stigma, safety):
bike fit. Clothing fit is much less of an issue now than it used to be, although I still do see some small men's gloves branded as "women's" by marketers who don't know women's thumbs have a different placement than men's

general comments and ideas:
will you post a link to your results?

[TxDoc]

Here you go:
where do you live?: Texas.
how would you classify your riding (commuting, leisure, competitive): Fitness.
how long have you been riding a bike in the way that you do now? about 30 years more or less.
did you pick it up again after years of not riding?: not really, I never gave it up - just slowed down with the training here and there when I was feeling more lazy...
what type of bike(s) do you have?: road racing bikes x2.
do you notice more females on bikes in recent years than before?: No, just more cyclists in general.
do you notice more focus on females who bike in the media recently?: Don't think so - at least for competitive cycling. We have about the same news coverage we have always had, and usually men's competitions have better media coverage than women's.
do you think there are female specific concerns in cycling? yes.
what would they be? (buying appropriate bike/equipment, stigma, safety): Equipment!!! It is harder for a woman to find a proper fit unless you go custom. This is especially true for shorter women, since many good bikes start at a size 49 or 50. Your choice of models in 44 or 46/47 is more limited, and same is for some of the accessories. For example if you want a 40 handlebar you have hundreds of choices, but if you want a 38 or a 36 then the list is a lot shorter. So unless your team gives you a custom bike, you are going to have a harder time finding the right bicycle.
general comments and ideas: good luck for your project, and let us know how you did!

[Di bear]

where do you live?: Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula

how would you classify your riding (commuting, leisure, competitive): all three

how long have you been riding a bike in the way that you do now? 3
did you pick it up again after years of not riding?: yes, but I never rode like this before

what type of bike(s) do you have?: 2 mountain bikes - both Trek Fuel EXs, one is a 2005 EX7, the other is a 2008 EX8; I also have a Kona Jake the Snake Cyclocross bike

do you notice more females on bikes in recent years than before?: I think I'm one of those "more females on bikes in recent years"

do you notice more focus on females who bike in the media recently?: Yes. Trek has a whole campaign/line geared towards WSD (women's specific design)

do you think there are female specific concerns in cycling? absolutely
what would they be? (buying appropriate bike/equipment, stigma, safety):
many women need a WSD bike (different geometry), different saddles, and clothes. Clothes fit women so differently than men, so it's important to find clothes that fit a curvier body without riding up.

I race. I love it. I wasn't going to race because mountain biking was my way of simply enjoying life without pressure. However, I am very competitive person who also easily stresses. I like to ride very aggressively, and it makes me very happy and relaxes me. Cycling has made a huge, positive difference in my life.

[Bad JuJu]

OK, I'll play.

where do you live?: Northwest Florida

how would you classify your riding (commuting, leisure, competitive): fitness/leisure

how long have you been riding a bike in the way that you do now? I began adult cycling in the early 90s, stopped for a while due to a back injury, then picked it up again around the turn of the millennium.

did you pick it up again after years of not riding?: See above.

what type of bike(s) do you have?: A touring bike which I've fitted with flat bars for off-road riding and a dedicated road bike.

do you notice more females on bikes in recent years than before?: Yes, but that may be because I'm now riding with a club that has lots of women in it.

do you notice more focus on females who bike in the media recently?: Only when one of us gets injured or killed.

do you think there are female specific concerns in cycling? Yes.

what would they be? (buying appropriate bike/equipment, stigma, safety): Finding someone who can/will take the time to fit you properly.
Finding an LBS that will take a not-very-fit-looking, middle-aged woman cyclist seriously. It's getting better, but it's still true that in some shops, this kind of woman has to practically slit her wrists to get someone's attention.

general comments and ideas: We need to constantly talk to our legislators about getting on board with laws related to safe cycling. It's an activity that can take us anywhere, and that we can continue to enjoy as we get older, but we have to have safe roads to travel on.

[ehirsch83]

where do you live?:Ft.Lauderdale,Fl

how would you classify your riding (commuting, leisure, competitive):Competetive with some commuting sprinkled in.

how long have you been riding a bike in the way that you do now? about a year, but have been riding consistantly for 2 and a half years(started for fitness, this is my first serious year racing, got interested in racing last year but was not training specifically to race)

did you pick it up again after years of not riding?:umm rode for fun when I was younger, broke my collarbone on a bike when I was 13(got hit while on vacation) and I swore I would never ride again!! Yet now I can't imagine not having a bike in my life.
what type of bike(s) do you have?: I have a Specialized Tarmac Expert road bike and am in the process of figuring out which track bike to buy once I get my tax money back:-)
do you notice more females on bikes in recent years than before?:Yes I do! I work at an LBS and have noticed a signifigant increase in women who are cycling for fitness, many have come from spinning classes. We also have a beginners group ride every week and the amount of women on it is slowly increasing.
do you notice more focus on females who bike in the media recently?:no

do you think there are female specific concerns in cycling? what would they be? (buying appropriate bike/equipment, stigma, safety):I feel that there isn't really, except for equality in racing as Andrea has already discussed.
general comments and ideas:

[SalsaMTB]

where do you live?: Suburb of Detroit, MI

how would you classify your riding (commuting, leisure, competitive): all of these.

how long have you been riding a bike in the way that you do now? did you pick it up again after years of not riding?: Racing for 2 years. Riding for 5 yrs.

what type of bike(s) do you have?: Voodoo rigid mountain bike for racing, Quiring hardtail mountain bike for training, BMC FS mountain bike for fun, BMC road bike for training/commuting, KHS Cyclocross bike for training/commuting.

do you notice more females on bikes in recent years than before?: No

do you notice more focus on females who bike in the media recently?: Maybe a little. More female oriented designs and such.

do you think there are female specific concerns in cycling? what would they be? (buying appropriate bike/equipment, stigma, safety): Not really. For really small females (not me, I'm 5'8) frame size could be a concern, but I would assume really tall men have a similar problem. Apparel selection isn't great at most LBS for men and women, women's selection is always smaller but we're a significantly smaller segment. My main concern is the lack of female cyclists in general. I like to race, and it's just disappointing to show up to a race and have only one girl to race against.

general comments and ideas:

[samisslick]

are you a male or female? Are you in high school or college as you said it was a school project? (just wondering) and Good luck on your project[/B]

hi, I'm a female (Samantha, I guess Sam is ambiguous) and I'm in college, at The New School in NY. I should have given myself an introduction before asking questions of you guys!

Thank you so much for your responses. I haven't finished the responses yet but it's nice to get a broader view of women who bike across the country.