In an old warehouse in Lyon, France, a group of volunteers patiently guide cyclists on how to realign their wheels, change an inner tube, and fix creaking pedals. A battered old commuter bike strung with tissue paper flowers hangs from the ceiling. The walls are lined with wrenches, pliers and screwdrivers, helpfully labeled in chalk. It feels different to bike workshops that I’ve attended before. Everyone here in the old warehouse identifies as female — even those running the workshop.
It’s this women-leading-women setup that makes the workshop so effective. And it’s a key element that’s missing in so many bike shops. Having women in leadership roles in bike shops seems like an obvious way to welcome more women into the sport. Yet women are alarmingly absent as both employees and owners. To welcome women into cycling, that needs to change.
Serving the population
Falmouth, the seaside town in Cornwall where I grew up, is full of cyclists. By default, it’s also full of bike shops. The old mining trails, high hedged country lanes, and a lack of public transport mean that on sunny days the Lycra brigade is out in full force. I’ve been regularly pedaling since I was seven years old, and as I’ve grown older my dependence on my bicycle has grown, too. I’ve visited my fair share of bike shops during my life, but this cycle workshop in Lyon is the first time that I’ve been solely in the company of women.
In the USA, 51% of adult bike owners are women. Although bike owners are a solid half of the population, just 10% of bike shop owners in the United States are women, so why are there just as many female bike owners as male, but so few women are selling and repairing bikes? Does the gender imbalance in bike shop ownership even matter?
Absolutely. Like countless other female cyclists worldwide, my experiences in bike shops have been predictably negative. Mansplaining, patronizing behaviors, an unwelcoming atmosphere, and even price disparities come part and parcel with being a woman in a bike shop. Less often, I have been received by friendly, helpful, informative bike mechanics. One common denominator has linked each of the bike shops that I’ve ever visited, though. Every single one was run by a man.
Fixing for felines
Every other Thursday, L’Atelier du Chat Perché (The Perched Cat Workshop) in Lyon holds ‘feline hours’, a volunteer-run clinic to empower all cyclists except cisgender men to fix and maintain their bicycles. The team is small, as is the turnout. Generally there are three volunteers for up to ten cyclists to ensure that they can give everyone individual attention. The team at the Chat Perché don’t fix bikes for their customers; instead, they teach them to carry out their own repairs, equipping them with the necessary skills, tools, and knowledge.
Lyonnaise local Myriam had been a keen cyclist until an illness left her handicapped in 2010. Unable to walk more than a few hundred meters without experiencing severe discomfort, two years ago she found a lifeline in an electric tricycle. Lyon is largely flat and well-equipped with bike lanes, and Myriam felt as though she had regained her independence.
Her bike often confuses people in bicycle repair shops. It needs to be elevated using a pulley as it’s too heavy to put on a repair table, and many bike shops don’t have pulleys. She was keen to learn how to do her own repairs and had tried attending mixed-gender clinics. They hadn’t been successful for her, and she had received little to no assistance. Myriam vowed she would never go back to mixed clinics, but at feline hours she no longer feels self-conscious about a lack of knowledge.
Kora and Carole, two of the volunteers running the workshop, are car mechanics by trade. They want to make the workshop as inclusive as possible, and want all marginalized communities to feel welcome.
“I’ve been running bike workshops for 15 years, originally all over France with Vélorution,” says Kora. “Initially I learned from men, but now when I want to brush up my skills I make a conscious effort to take women-led courses. I find that during our feline hours, the pace is less frenetic. People take the time to learn.”
Pacing is key
Slowing down the pace is something echoed by Noelle Wansbrough, founder of Canada-based Pedal Pushers, a company which runs bicycle workshops and coaches women cyclists to realize their full potential. A keen cyclist since childhood, Noelle raced mountain bikes for years before launching her company in Toronto in 2009. She now counts over 50 female athletes among her clients. She offers Diva Day Clinics to cover bike maintenance and custom seminars, alongside metabolic lab testing, to increase cyclists’ VO2 Max and overall fitness.
“Women-only clinics and rides are great because women often lack confidence in their abilities,” explains Noelle. “I’ve always sent out questionnaires to gauge levels before organizing rides. Women almost always downplay their abilities. Men do quite the reverse.”
These clinics are becoming more common globally. In the UK, The Bristol Bike Project holds weekly womxn’s nights. The San Francisco Bike Coalition organizes rides, coffee hours, and social events for women, trans, and non-binary riders.
Showroom faux pas and fixes
While those events are helpful, another hurdle for women cyclists visiting bike shops lies with the products stocked, says Sofi Carter, EU Retail Trainer at Brompton Bikes.
“When a woman is buying a bike, she needs to consider different things,” says Sofi. “Saddle shape, saddle firmness, suspension (if you’re lighter you can have less suspension which makes the bike springier to ride), frame height — there’s lots. Shops tend to stock mostly men’s garments and accessories; I’d really like to see more equipment and clothing for women.”
There’s plenty that men can do to make their cycle clinics and bike shops more appealing to women.
“Hire at least one woman,” says Noelle. “If organizing group bike rides, try to make it fun and non-competitive rather than intimidating. Women often get spooked by comparison, so emphasize that everyone will be going at their own pace.”
“Think about the way you act and talk to people who identify as female,” advises Carole from the Chat Perché. “Educate yourself, and don’t be condescending.”