"That's a woman's bike"

Freiheit

I was told today that I couldn't use a bicycle by a family member 'because it's a woman's bike' ,transgender or not who care's what gender label is on it if it's the right size and works?. Driven mad by a obsessively gendered world.:(

Annasopra

Freiheit wrote: »

I was told today that I couldn't use a bicycle by a family member 'because it's a woman's bike' ,transgender or not who care's what gender label is on it if it's the right size and works?. Driven mad by a obsessively gendered world.:(

A bike is a bike is a bike!

wonderfulname

A bike is not a bike, is not a bike, I like to cycle, and used to quite seriously, used to get "that's a man's bike", constantly, then you have to explain how women's bikes are an atrocious design centred around fitting an ankle length skirt onto the thing, and men's bikes are a proper design which don't go into a wobble at high speeds. Men's bikes are the frame shape bikes should have, I don't know why women's bikes even exist any more, you'll even notice women's bikes getting more and more like men's bikes, but of course we can't just do away with them??

/rant

I'd like to think your family member is like me and just doesn't want you cycling an excuse for a bike... that's not the case though is it? Would they have noticed if you weren't trans? I've never met anyone over the age of 7 who genuinely gives a crap about boys things and girls things, a lot of people will pass remark all right but only out of conditioning, they don't actually care.

SheFiend

I've encountered this attitude from adults over cycling a man's bike, and I'm a woman, not trans. I always preferred the man's frame, and specifically chose it when buying my recent bike. People are strange.

Freiheit

I agree with comments on frame,the male bike is much better designed. If I was buying I'd prefer to buy a man's for that reason. The cross-bar make's it much easier to control.

But yeah it's the principle that a penis or a vagina determines which framed bicycle one is allowed to cycle that drove me mad in this instance.

It wasn't for my cycling convenience that I was told I couldn't cycle the woman's bike,it was because I'm the owner of a penis. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

baby and crumble

The one thing like this that I always find really odd that people even notice is the way a shirt buttons or a pair of jeans zips up.

SheFiend

Hahaha yeah!!! That's seriously strange! Who decided males should button this way, and females that way? I'm totally looking into this one.....

Links234

SheFiend wrote: »

Hahaha yeah!!! That's seriously strange! Who decided males should button this way, and females that way? I'm totally looking into this one.....

supposedly because women were meant to have someone dress them, I think it dates back to victorian times or something?

SheFiend

That was very helpful and informative Links234. Makes a lot of sense!
And thanks for getting Rammstein stuck in my head

Freiheit

Yes I'm big believer in just wearing whatever clothes fit,what difference does a penis or vagina make if theyr'e a good fit?.....Yes I'd like to know 'what the reason behind the buttons on different sides is?'.

Incidentaly gave my niece a dolls head and make up kit for the doll for her birthday,Allah help my nephew if he decides he wants a go though!.

jaffacakesyum

wonderfulname wrote: »

A bike is not a bike, is not a bike, I like to cycle, and used to quite seriously, used to get "that's a man's bike", constantly, then you have to explain how women's bikes are an atrocious design centred around fitting an ankle length skirt onto the thing, and men's bikes are a proper design which don't go into a wobble at high speeds. Men's bikes are the frame shape bikes should have, I don't know why women's bikes even exist any more, you'll even notice women's bikes getting more and more like men's bikes, but of course we can't just do away with them??

Is a womens frame bike not easier if you're wearing a skirt/dress? Thought that was the only reason behind its frame shape.

OP I can't believe someone would care enough to comment on what kind of bike someone has. So stupid

That said, when my dad was testing out my bikes gears he did look a bit silly riding a womans bike

wonderfulname

That's the idea but what are you doing on a bike in a skirt anyway? Besides, aren't manly skirt/kilt things in vogue now? Shouldn't it be a skirt bike and a normal bike? With the skirt bike being an oddity... kinda like side saddles... next time I come across a woman on a horse I must remember to exclaim "that's a boys saddle!"...

Sorry I'm just back from seeing my little cousins, they're being brought up in a very simplistic world by very simplistic parents, they frequently exclaim things like "that's a boys X" while normal adults are having normal conversations, today's lowlight was the amazement following the revelation that not only do I have a drivers licence, but I can drive a tractor on it, despite the fact that their mother drives, and all their aunts, and every woman in our family is harassed into getting a category W licence, somehow, in their heads, only boys drive, especially farm machinery. I also mentioned I was in the middle of a bit of DIY, apparently I can't do that either, and should wear more dresses... and it's not even that they have two, equal, separate stereotypes in their head, they actually think there are loads of things men do that women are physically incapable of, and that where everything else is concerned, men are just better, except for with make-up that is! Their mother enforces this!! What freak of a woman does that? "Oh, that's right darling, I'm a lesser human, and one day soon you'll be lucky enough to be too." This crap is always going to exist in the black hole that is the midlands isn't it?

Aaaagh why did there have to be a thread I could rant in??

Freiheit

I really enjoyed your rant Wonderfulname,please continue!:)

rainbowdrop

baby and crumble wrote: »

The one thing like this that I always find really odd that people even notice is the way a shirt buttons or a pair of jeans zips up.

Do people still seriously notice that? Seriously?

I haven't heard that since I was in primary school (I'm 33) "rainbowdrop's wearing a boy's shirt na na na na na".

If someone said that to me nowadays I'd laugh in their face........

wonderfulname

Freiheit wrote: »

I really enjoyed your rant Wonderfulname,please continue!:)

Lol, I'll remember to come back next time I see them!

dreamer_ire

rainbowdrop wrote: »

Do people still seriously notice that? Seriously?

I haven't heard that since I was in primary school (I'm 33) "rainbowdrop's wearing a boy's shirt na na na na na".

If someone said that to me nowadays I'd laugh in their face........

They called you rainbowdrop in primary?

Because I wear both at times I can never remember which is which!

Shakti

Thing is the guys get their big macho 'car, bike, rifle etc.' then they give them girls names, go figure.

Bicycles can be objects of great beauty regardless,
I like this.

wonderfulname

^^^
Example of poor bike design I was raving about earlier

rainbow kirby

On the other hand, this is also a women's bike and a lot better designed... (and will be in my possession in about a week )

Freiheit

Cool Kirby,so the bar is now increasingly going across in ladies bike's? Is there any difference between that bicycle and one designated for men?.

For the record I inherited my uncles bicycle,it's about 40 years old,I've left it into a bicycle store to have it restored.

wonderfulname

Freiheit wrote: »

Cool Kirby,so the bar is now increasingly going across in ladies bike's? Is there any difference between that bicycle and one designated for men?

Precisely what I meant by women's bikes are becoming more like men's, a woman's saddle is different to a man's as well, and for good reason as the wrong saddle can hurt like hell if you're cycling for a long period of time, but saddles can be bought separately so I have a tendency to just find a bike I like and then sort out little things like that after.

Rainbow that is indeed a very pretty bike, you have me reminded of how badly I need one! My current dream bike just happens to be a mans bike, unlike you I don't see myself getting it any time soon though


Although for now I think I'm stuck with my reclaimed 40-50yo challenge bullet, looks like the bikes you see in videos of men cycling home from the pub in old Ireland Now that's a man's bike, I must look like some eejit going around on it! Speaking of design though I love it in that respect, the typography on it is just amazing.

Shakti

How about a 'Velorbis Leikier'

Freiheit

Oh the saddle is new to me!:).....I was going to throw out,give away my late uncles 40 year old bike but then thought struck me that an old bicycle,with rust and battle scars would look pretty cool!...the saddle ,well we shall see!:)

AssaultedPeanut

There isn't any real difference in women's and men's racing bikes besides the colour and the saddle, as already pointed out.
The step-through frames "for women" are designed for light/casual cycling. The frames aren't strong enough for anything else. Modern mountain and racing bikes aren't gender specific geometrically, and rightly so. To have a dropped bar on these bikes would seriously compromise the structural integrity of the frame over time (unless they're steel, but even then...)

I love how this thread is turning into a bike-porn thread, more pics of drool-worthy bikes please.

I'd love something like this myself. And it's a "women's" bike too :P

http://media1.roseversand.de/product/1850/1/7/1719637_1.jpg

Shakti

'Herskind Simplicity'

Aoifums

Shakti wrote: »

That is my bike I bought it because it's pretty and I don't think I'll ever do more than an hour and a half's worth of cycling on it at once. Besides, it has the comfiest saddle I've ever sat on.
But still, I don't care who my bike is designed for. If my brother's bike in the shed was small enough for me then I'd just borrow that.

Freiheit

Cool,great charachter there. My brother is an extremist,a fundamentalist. In ways I feel sorry for him because he is never really free,he's always worrying about what other people will think,rather than enjoying the moment.

Do photo's have to be uploaded to photo bucket? as a direct paste from email tends not to work?. I'l post mine when it returns from it's surgery!:)

Rick_

Sorry, there's a difference between the buttons on a male shirt and a female shirt? I did not know this, and apparently there are differences in zips too. Anyone care to enlighten, with pics even?

Freiheit

Was in a leather store closing down sale today,mens and women's sections were very close and I tried on a few jackets of both. One of the middle aged female staff came down and told me where the mens was,I told her I could see the signs and didn't need her assistance.

Very binary world,sadly one I won't be able to defeat,very frustrating at times. If something fit's,why should it matter whether it has a male or a female label?:rolleyes:

Aoifums

Paddy C wrote: »

Sorry, there's a difference between the buttons on a male shirt and a female shirt? I did not know this, and apparently there are differences in zips too. Anyone care to enlighten, with pics even?

I think so. Unless I was wearing jeans/a shirt, I wouldn't be able to tell. Then that'd only be because I could look down and see.

Freiheit wrote: »

Very binary world,sadly one I won't be able to defeat,very frustrating at times. If something fit's,why should it matter whether it has a male or a female label?

Some people take objection to buying a coat marketed to the opposite gender and then the sales person would have to deal with them complaining. Still, it's really stupid so don't get me wrong :rolleyes:

WonderWoman!

rainbow kirby wrote: »

On the other hand, this is also a women's bike and a lot better designed... (and will be in my possession in about a week )

I could never ride a bike like that . My back would cave.

Is that just a new fashion or are we expected to cycle like that?

rainbow kirby

That's a bog-standard female-specific road bike.

WonderWoman!

rainbow kirby wrote: »

That's a bog-standard female-specific road bike.

What makes it "Bog standard" so to speak?

rainbow kirby

Most other road bikes (or "racers") at a similar price point will have a similar shape and grade of components.