Cycling UK Forum

Hi all

The news feature that hit my email from cycling uk said "today there’s virtually no gender divide in clothing we sell in the Cycling UK shop"- unlike in the past. Only problem with this is..just check out larger cycling shops and online. Quite a bit of pastel colours, lilacs, pinks etc for the ladies. Not for the men- quel horreur. I have a white and giro pink jersey made by Gore- was bought online.You will never find this colour for a man in an actual cycle shop now.

It's the same with bikes. Very few lighter colours- lots of grey and black, and a few flo green (ugh). The women specific tend to have splaches of pink or pastel, but often with a lot of black.

Back in the day, road bikes were often done in more pastel colours eg the Carlton Continental which was done in lilac. And more recently you could have acquired a T mobile road bike in mid pink, to match the jersey colours. Up to a few years ago you could have acquired a Tifosi CK7 audax in pink- not now. The warehouse was lumbered with the smaller sizes in this colour they just couldn't sell.

Could be worse- the gender stereotyping in female athleisure/sportwear is ridiculous- try this for a gross-out https://www.sportsdirect.com/mizuno-phenix-three-quarter-running-tights-ladies-458080?colcode=45808043

IT is very simple.

There is lots of choice out there, the choice is then made by the individuals. If it is unacceptable for whatever reason, it will not sell.

As a woman I choose to ride a "man's bike".

There's no reason why a man can't choose to ride a lady's bike.

I see it a lot. Men on step throughs or MTBs with a lower top tube (also in what is traditionally considered as female colours).

Of course you could say Brompton is possibly the most gender neutral bike design.

In hiking clothing I did notice one brand offered women's waterproof colours that I found appealed to me. That year men's shell jackets were bright orange, green or Day-Glo. Women's equivalent were blues and more sober colours. I think it might have been a couple of brands I liked who put out new colours every year or so and that year the colours were absolutely disgusting IMHO. It proved because a lot of them ended up being sold off cheap at go outdoors a year or two later or in larger outdoor retail chains' sales rails very cheap when the new season came out.

atoz wrote:.........Could be worse- the gender stereotyping in female athleisure/sportwear is ridiculous- try this for a gross-out https://www.sportsdirect.com/mizuno-phenix-three-quarter-running-tights-ladies-458080?colcode=45808043

Both my youngest ultra marathon runnning daughters love short and 3/4 bottoms in garish colours similar to those and some quite "brighter"
My eldest cyclist daughter who likes to ride sportive is into ninja wear,though her bike is Bianchi Celest colour

It's just taste and fashion

EDIT,a while back I saw a chap wearing one red leg warmer and the other one yellow,similarly so with his arm warmers only opposite rides,and a green jersey the only thing that let him down was his black shorts
Love diversity