I know that Sara wrote a killer article on WS rides the other day and I would like to expand on that whole deal, as there is more to be said. As I commented to Sara, men saying that WS bikes are men’s with pink paint jobs is like saying that women’s underwear are the same as men’s, just a different color. That is not the truth. I will say that in the beginning, WS bikes WERE just men’s frames with different color schemes. Sure, sometimes you would see smaller handlebars, but the differences weren’t as calculated as they are now. Thank God! Here’s a bit deeper take on the WS agenda.

My big brother in the industry, Tim Jackson; MasiGuy, Masi Bikes Brand Manager is currently creating a women’s line for Masi to launch in late 08/09. TJMG is looking to do it right by giving us the a good number of models and mix of styles (road, cross, tri, etc.) I would be willing to bet that the amount of time he is spending on this line could make his big name competitors nervous. Knowing Tim, they should be shaking in their Sidis over this one.

Tim’s famous cycling blog also put a survey out there for his readers’ view on WS bikes. According to this survey, the vast majority of his readers believe that WS is just marketing hooey. The second camp believes that WS is great. Jackson mentioned to me that cycling is predominately male and his views don’t follow that of his poll. “I am of the belief that WS fills a need for many consumers - real or perceived. It is also my belief that retailers spend too little time, in general, working with their female customers to find a perfect fit.” So we’ve got one guy in the industry who is looking out for us, ladies. Sorry ladies, there is a MasiWife, so spare me on the fan mail.

Terry Bicycles have made a big mark when it comes to women’s cycling. When asked why they went there, Georgena Terry responded with these words of wisdom:

“A woman’s body is not proportioned like mans. Not only is the length of her limbs different,
so is the amount of muscle and the distribution of body mass. In fact, anthropomorphic
studies show women to have roughly half the upper body strength that men do as a result
of our shorter torso, fewer and smaller muscles fibers and additional body fat. What that
translates to is a lower ratio of strength to weight and a disadvantage when it comes to
comfort and performance - most bikes have top tube lengths that are appropriate for men
but require a woman to sustain more force in her shoulders. For a man and woman of
the same height, she will be more comfortable on a bicycle with a shorter top tube.”

Ok. With that in mind, why shouldn’t women have their own bicycle frame? We’re not reinventing the wheel; we’re just trying to make this sport more comfortable for women. I accept that even the best female racers will never ride in the Tour de France (according to Bob Roll, this is because we’re too smart to do so) though riding should be delightful for us too. If we took into consideration how much time, money and effort goes into finding the perfect geometry for each team leader on a pro team, it would make women’s needs in cycling pale in this comparison. As I step down from my soap box, I hope my point is a little clearer.

As for gear, I’m still a bit on the fence. I have pair of Women’s Pearl Izumi Performance 3DPro Shorts ($119) that are pretty comfortable. My husband has the same ones in the men’s version. The chamois is a bit different in shape, besides that they are not much different. In fact, I believe I wore his shorts once or twice in my chub days and didn’t notice any major moderations. Big design distinction? No. Should there be? Now that’s a whole different question. These shorts are great. Really feel good, do I think they were “engineered” for me? No way.

Team Estrogen pulls together a lot of brands that cater to women and puts them all in one neat little place just for us. If Team Estrogen was in the grocery store it would be somewhere between Midol and Tampax. The things that just we as women cyclists need to deal with will be found here. Susan Otcentas, who started Team Estrogen, has some great points in her interview with TredHed. This was my favorite quote:

“Regardless of whether you are a man or woman, you will be more likely to enjoy a sport and keep with it if you are comfortable with both your gear and your clothing. A backpacker would not carry a pack that was overly large or did not sit properly on her hips, nor would she wear a pair of boots that was 2 sizes too small or large. These items would cause her much discomfort and she probably would not be too quick to go out for another hike. Similarly, a woman on a bicycle needs to be comfortable with her gear and clothing as well. An overly large or long bicycle, an ill-fitting saddle, or uncomfortable shorts will not make the cycling experience a pleasant one.”

If you are a company looking to get your women specific line out there, send me your stuff, I’ll be more than happy to talk about it on the site. I look forward to your comments! Thanks for stopping by!

Peace Out,
bk