"Would a bunch of pretty ladies riding around on bicycles be so terrible?"

I was sent a link to the Copenhagen Cycle Chic blog a while back, but I wasn't sure what to make of it (Ladies, is this creepy?) so I was reluctant to post it, but then Streetsblog went and linked to it  - and to a story in the New York Observer about how fashionable bikes are becoming for women - so I had to include it here.

“Women are our best customers,” Mr. Bliss continued. “They know what they want. That’s all that really matters.”

And, pray tell, what do women want?

“Vintage,” replied the craftsman. “If it’s a unique color, that’s usually attractive.”

“Fenders matter to protect them in the rain,” he said. “A chain guard matters; you don’t want to get grease on your clothing. And they want a basket. They really want a basket. They’re using bicycles in a more practical way, while for men it’s more to stay in shape or it’s some other symbol of machismo—athleticism, let’s call it.”

Great, now my basket is going to make me look like a sissy. I must keep it filled with beer at all times (hard to do around my house). Loved this line though,

Susan B. Anthony said “the bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world”

Quick, somebody make that into a sticker for women to put on their bikes. The rest of the quote, " I stand and rejoice every time I see  a woman ride by on a wheel. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance."

Bike companies are marketing towards women, the article points out. I keep waiting for a store to market themselves as a bike store for women, that's when you know the market has gotten huge.

Comments

[Flaneuse in DC]

Creepy? Not at all - I find it charming! And the photos could've been taken in here in Washington. I see so many chic cyclists (of both sexes) around Dupont Circle.