some questions for a school project on women who bike

[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: