The issue isn't simply of 'marketing', it's one of _understanding_ what women want/need in the cycling community and being willing to provide it. I thought that finding 38.5 Sidis locally was a bear; everything was mens mens mens mens. . Womens shoes, sure- how about some nice ones that look like tennis shoes or hikers-. So even while the shoes I want exist, finding them at a local LBS is problematic. The few that have a pair want full list! No wonder I am buying more and more on the Internet. I want to support the local LBSs but not at full list price. So you girls who need size 10 or 11, trust me, we woman with normal feet aren't doing much better with the local LBS. Unless you want hiking MTB shoes.

My beef with 'womens' stuff is gloves. They make them pink and call them 'womens'. Padding is an inch thick in hard lumps. So I buy mens small (Rock Racing gloves are the bomb). Don't the manufactures get it? Some women want performance gloves. Pearl Isumi is the worst offender- their womens gloves are horrible and I don't care if they are pink and light blue with flowers, thank you.

Again, the LBS; womens saddles? Sure, big wide beach cruiser weighs 5lbs. Great. Another sale lost to the Internet.

Yes things are better than they were 20 years ago. I own two new bikes that are sized to fit women. The toptube isn't longer than the Titanic. The drops are shallow and the crank arms are 165. They aren't beach cruisers. And I found them both in stock at the LBS, הַלְלוּיָהּ! But they didn't have the shoes...