So do women actually ride bikes?

[sickpup]

This week we have this thread (Clicky) and a couple of months ago I posted this one (Clicky).
Now I've been looking over the last few months at womens bike gear and it seems impossible to buy 3/4 length coats or coats with storm flaps over the zips or indeed any heavy weight bad weather gear so the question is does the industry consider women to be fair weather riders at best and pillion passengers at worst?

[fatpies]

The thing is motorbike riders are a comparably small demographic.

Women in this is even smaller a demographic, which just means that its not worth them tooling up their production line or more likely the nasty bloke holding the AK47 be given instructions to prod the poor workers in some hell hole sweatshop to serve this market. Just business sense like the Davidsilvers not selling bits for bikers newer than 2003.

Since biking is often borderline considered to be one of those things men do to impress women to get them to have sex with them. Like war, murder, imperialism and seemingly dangerous sports* and women can get 'serviced by merely walking into a pub.



*Skydiving has a huge number of blokes who do it merely to show off to their latest squeeze and nearly kill themselves everyweekend by doing so by swooping . Course you could put me in such a category but I don't actually jump in the UK anymore, nor do i have a squeeze currently.
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"It's easy to attack and destroy an act of creation. It's a lot more difficult to perform one"

[Bendy]

Demand?

Women riding bikes are definitely a minority and perhaps it just isn't cost effective to stock gear for this small number of customers. Clothing is a pain, you need to offer a lot of sizes, it might not be 'sexism' is might just be practicality on the part of the retailers.

Doesn't really bother me, if I can't get womens gear to fit I just buy mens.

(To back up my 'minority' statement, don't take an internet forum as a cross-section of motorcycling. Go to a meet, look around the next time you park up with other bikes and see who comes back to them, think who you bump into as you travel around. Minority.)

[Walloper]

You cannot please some/most wimin.
Scientific/biological studies suggest it would be impossible to design a range of apparel to suit even 20% of a female demograph.

Where as men will wear anything as evidenced by the gear you see some/most married men are kitted out in by their wives.

Sorry.




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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[haroman666]

I'm in agreement with the "Not worth providing as much, as women on bikes is a minority."

Seeing a female, riding, is always a suprise for me and that kinda re-enforces the "minority" thing.
If there were alot of female riders, i might not exclaim in such suprise everytime I see one
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The mistresses: 2000 Honda CBR600f, 2000 Honda VTR1000

[drzsta]

Simple case of Supply & Demand
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Current Bikes - BMW S1000RR ‘17 & KTM 690 SMC-R ‘12

[Snorty]

My girlfriend is a fair weather rider.

Not seen any chicks riding in downpour conditions before.
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Current: Yamaha FZ1 '07 | GSXR 750 SRAD

Past: CB125TDC | TZR125 | GPZ500 | CBR600F3 | ZX9-R | GSXR1000 K4

[DrDonnyBrago]

Not many motorcyclists
Lots don't use bikes in winter
Very few motorcyclists are female

We also don't get long harsh winters in the UK that makes investing in very heavy duty gear worthwhile for lots of us. I for example commute in the same gear all year and remove/add layers as appropriate, it's not perfect but I'm not saddle bound all day so it does me ok. A few weeks of a 1/2hr commute with jumpers and long johns under my gear for me doesn't warrant investing in better clothing. I'm assuming that most women can still find sizes to fit them out of the mens range, further shrinking the potential market.

In summary, it boils down to a small target population. Big names aren't going to bother and the smaller names probably get ignored. That you have struggled so much to find anything rather suggests that an economically viable market is not there to exploit.

[Bendy]

Plus, how high is the turnover in bike gear?

I had a pair of textile trousers for 8 years before I decided to replace them, I've owned 2 leather jackets in 12 years of riding, and that was only due to pie consumption.

I think most people have an initial 'buy cheap, buy several times' phase but once they pony up for some decent gear it won't be replaced on a whim, only if crashed or the pies get a bit too tasty to resist.


Some could argue they'd sell more if they offered more sizes and offered more range (leathers with slider patches? quite rare in the ladies range) but the manufacturers aren't gonna care if all that happens is you wander over to the mens rail and buy from there. They don't help their case (with me, anyway) by making half the ladies stuff in pastel shades.


Personally, I've found that leather jackets are the only thing where the cut really makes much of a difference - mens ones are usually too long in the sleeve, too big in the shoulders and not big enough round the chest. Textiles not so much, as they generally don't 'fit' as well in the first place. Trousers I can get away with either. For all you'd think it would be aimed at lanky Tyrolean types, podgy short-arsed me can wander into HG and generally come out with something that'll fit.

[robbieguy2003]

My other half rides in any weather, i actively have to stop her when it gets bad, although this year now she's got a car license she's much preferred that, and as she takes stuff about with her it does help.

Most woman i've known have tended to go in all weathers and be largely happy with rain/cold. Maybe i've just known mad ones lol.
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Current Bikes: Honda CBR 600RR - '07, Suzuki GSX1250 FA ST '11
Old Bikes: Suzuki Intruder 125 LC - '2001, Honda CBR 600F - '92, Honda CBR 600RR - '03

[sickpup]

A quick look at the M&P website shows they have 23 textile jackets, and 5 different leather jackets often more available in store.
Hein Gericke only have 4 different jackets at the moment as they are about to release a new range in the next quarter.
J & S have in the region of 82 different ladies jackets.

With the above in mind it would appear that supply and demand is not a problem and neither is volume of sales as the sales would be spread across the western world so my original question still stands.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[robbieguy2003]

[Bendy]

[Paivi]

A few years ago I asked GirlsBike2 why they didn't stock any Dainese trousers, and the answer was that they only stock trousers that have hip protectors built in, and Dainese refuses to put them in their trousers, as apparently 'women won't want their arses to look big'.

If you really want to face problems, try looking for women's winter (or even summer) gloves. Most seem to have no protection at all; one salesman even suggested that pillions don't need as much protection as the riders...

And don't get me started on pink...
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My other bike's a Monster...

[waffles]

[Polarbear]

My wife who almost never rides in bad weather has more textile heavy duty stuff than I have. Frank Thomas, GirlsBike2, Weiss and some others but other than the dayglo one, they are all female cut.

My daughter who rides in any weather spends even more time preening. It has to look good or she won't wear it, even if it's not as warm/protective etc.

Both of them have more bike clothes than I have even though I ride way more than them. I make do with my leathers or textiles, they have a fashion show before deciding what to wear and telling me to get their bikes out of the garage

Perhaps there is a bigger market than the clothes producers realise.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Paivi]

[Fizzer Thou]

Mrs.Fizzer rides in any weather,but prefers it to be nice so that she can enjoy it more

https://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/WiNot_Rhencullen/Earlydays047.jpg

https://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/WiNot_Rhencullen/BikesBikesBikes265.jpg

This was on the Mayday Run in 1999.It rained later in the day but she just got on with it after stopping for a few minutes to put on some waterproof trousers.
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[bazablue]

got some here what size you after?

[bazablue]

got some here what size you after?

[bazablue]

got some here what size you after?

[Clanger]

[calyx]

Wife has a Bering jacket which is what you are after I guess.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260922853431

It's been waterproof and warm for her for over 3 years.
But I think they don't produce this model anymore
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Boris - London

[hellkat]

I don't think I own a single piece of "women's" bike clothing.

But then ... ... I have a tendency to not go very far ...

... and also to get soaked thru to the skin
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.