I recently moved to go to school in a different city where I don't have a car and public transit is too expensive for me to use all the time. I've always loved bikes and biking but I've never used my bike as transportation as much as I do now. I really love riding my bike to get around, I feel incredibly empowered using my body to power my vehicle and being able to transport myself for free. I want to learn more about my bike it and how it works so I can fix it if anything goes wrong. I also want to build stamina, and get stronger so I can go on longer rides.
When I started looking for women-friendly/feminist resources for grrls like me who find empowerment in biking I didn't come up with much. No books. No zines. No blogs. Maybe a few co-ops and shops here and there.
How can this be so!? I figure I must not be looking hard enough - or looking in the right places.
Sooo, I was wondering if any of you out there in the feministing universe had some resources you could share?
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Where I was an undergrad, we had a feminist alliance and organized a feminist bike maintenance workshop. It was really informative. If your school has a feminist alliance I would suggest that as a project, as we had a good turnout and it did spawn some local zines about bike maintenance and culture. For exactly the reasons you mention, biking can be really empowering. There is a tendency though, at least in the cities I've lived in, for the culture surrounding it to be sidelined by status (expensive bikes/cool fixed gear bikes only) and sexism (really: "why are all these girls in the alleycat this month?") so you're right to seek out feminist resources. I hope you can find some.
Good luck!
thanks!
I would recommend that you head to your local bike shop and ask if they have any classes or workshops that teach bicycle maintenance. Oftentimes these will be offered for very affordable rates, and if your town has an "Alternative Transport Week" or something there will likely be a few FREE classes at that time.
I would encourage you not to rule out a resource just because it isn't explicitly feminist. I've learned a lot from the guys at my local bike shop, and I've never felt like they were treating me any differently because I'm a woman. It's my impression that when people are very enthusiastic about something (in this case, bikes) they will often just be happy to share their knowledge with anyone who wants to learn.
Check out the zine Dames on Frames! It deals mostly with the overlap between feminism and bike culture and is written in both English and Spanish. You can get all three issues through Microcosm Publishing for a couple bucks each.
Thanks for sharing the Dames on Frames info, I'm definitely going to check this out.
I just ordered all three issues!
I just starting using my bike as my main transportation 2 years ago, I've never owned a car. Often times it's faster than taking the bus. I live in Houston and it isn't very bicycle friendly so it's hard to get around on by bike sometimes. It can be intimidating to ride the streets because Houston is dominated by so many cars/SUVs. Riding my bike everyday to work makes me feel great and I do feel empowered, especially since I'm the only person at work that rides to work.
I don't really have any feminist/bicycling resources, I didn't know such things existed. Though I'll be checking out the Dames on Frames that likeclaws recommended.
What can male bikers do to make biking more feminist friendly? Promoting biking here in Minneapolis is a major concern of mine, and if there are elements that specifically discourage women from using bikes to commute or just have fun they need to be addressed.
I think the best thing you can do is offer your support and expertise! I think if more women feel like they can be self reliant when it comes to their bikes - that they can repair them, that they know how they work and what all the parts are called, they know the rules of the road, and they feel they can deal with any situation that arises when their riding - that they will take to the streets in greater numbers.
In my city I know the bike scene can be really intimidating. It's easy to feel like an outsider when you're new. Right now I'm at that stage where I really want to be more knowledgeable so I can be more confident on my bike and feel like I can ride with the 'big kids' and talk about my bike in the right terms and not have to ask for help when something goes wrong. Most of all it would be nice if I had a comfortable environment to learn and connect with other bikers like myself.
great question. i think clementine is right on, but i just wanted to mention one other thing. i don't know too much about bike maintenance so i appreciate all the help given to me. however, i have a friend who is pretty bike-savvy and she frequently complains of getting badgered when she goes into shops to use their tools to fix her bike. she doesn't mind when they offer once, of course, but it seems like in her experience, the [predominantly male] employees keep coming over to offer to fix the bike for her. this really bugs her as she's trying to get faster and better at fixing it herself. so, i guess my advice would be to take a girl's word for it if she says she doesn't want any help.
oh, and i would also love it if there were an open dialogue for women bikers on street harassment. i know i've been yelled at more than once while on my bike, and it might be cool for women bikers everywhere to be able to connect over that type of stuff (and for male bikers to be aware of that as an issue, and possibly address it within their own circles--though it is not typically other bikers who are yelling catcalls or epithets).