Something cycling advocates occasionally talk about is that the overwhelming majority of bike commuters seem to be men. Some areas measure the success of their bike promotion efforts by the proportion of women to men out riding their bikes.

I’ve always assumed it was a matter of risk assessment, that women who feel less safe are more inclined to drive rather than expose themselves in the open. Natalie Ramsland, the bike builder at Sweetpea Bicycles in Portland told me something this morning that really gave me food for thought.

I suspect that the broader scope of women’s responsibilities (work, caregiving, schelppin’) plays some role female ridership. It’s easier to be the heroic bike commuter if you’ve got somebody else picking up the drycleaning and shuttling Johnny off to soccer practice. It seems that too often that somebody is female.

This is certainly true in my family; while I’m busy self-righteously saving the planet, my wife is busy running errands and taking care of the household.

It’s time for me to be a little more appreciative of my wife and to evaluate how I can contribute more to the household, I think.

You can read more about Natalie in this interview at Commute By Bike.

I’ve posted these photos of the Swobo Del Norte already, but I figure it’s worth a repeat with the hundreds of Swobo fans visiting me today. Here’s Erin riding the new Swobo Del Norte singlespeed bicycle.

The Swobo Del Norte is an all steel singlespeed bicycle for urban riding, complete with fender and rack mounts. This is a pre production bike and the saddle got loose (hence the weird angle), but otherwise this bike will come equipped as pictured for $679. The 130 mm flip flop allows for a quick conversion to fixed gear, but you’ll need to add your own cog to the fixie side of the hub.

The Del Norte is named for the Del Norte ferry boat that runs between San Francisco and Larkspur in the North Bay. See Del Norte product details at Swobo’s website.

Many women I know prefer the more “feminine” look of skirts and dresses even while cycling; my wife is one of them. In the San Francisco Bay Area, I see a handful of women who dress up for work and ride their bikes in their office wear. One in particular I see almost every day dresses fashionably and rides to and from the office on an old white Peugot 10 speed. Even in her straight skirt on a bike with a top tube she manages to ride demurely and confidently.

A common way to stay modest is to wear bike shorts or tights under the skirt. Byron the Bike Hugger posted some links to handy tips for the ladies who might want to ride a bicycle in a dress or skirt. Pauline seeks to excite onlookers with her advice in Happy Woman Magazine in which she advocates stretchy, short skirts. Lisa offers somewhat more practical advice for the more modest cyclist at at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. She suggests an elastic band on the thigh to which you can safety pin your skirt to prevent wind-blown exposure. The Guardian notes that long skirts become short skits and short skirts become shorter skirts on a bike. Darcy writes she can ride in anything with no fear.

I’m glad to see more and more people who see cycling as an activity that can be done in any kind of clothing.

Top photo: “Santa Cruz Cyclist” by me.
Bottom photo: “Kirsty” by Hen Waller. See also the excellent Velocouture pool for many more photos of stylishly dressed cyclists.