looking at bike sizes today

[WoTmania]

and noticed this not sure quite what to make of it. Maybe women's bikes need to be differentiated from 'real' bikes?

The link goes straight to Evans general page, nothing to do with women's bikes.
Generally women have shorter legs than men, so that's not a feminist issue. But aren't women's bikes also a different shape? So ladeez don't have to swing their legs over to get on?
What's your point poster?

Women have a wider pelvic than men. The body/leg proportion and position of arms are also slightly different between men and women. We also don't have balls!
Why not have bikes that are comfortable for your body shape?
It makes sense!

Pelvis!

From the link:
Mountain bike sizing chart (hardtail & full suspension)
Women's mountain bike sizing chart (hardtail & full suspension)
Road bike sizing chart
Women's road bike sizing chart
I think this is what WoT is referring to.

As in "bikes" and "womens bikes".

not "mens bikes" and "womens bikes"
men are the default women are other.

(soz about the multi posts )

Its like football and womens football.

And pretty much every other sport for that matter.

Maybe women's bikes need to be differentiated from 'real' bikes?

More than that...

Women have to be differentiated from real people.

I think it's one of those things that's so endemic we often don't notice or kick up a fuss.

Sometimes, there is the need to state the gender the product is aimed at, but it's always, as you point out, product x and women's product y. Which just reinforces the notion that women are an afterthought, or an appendix, or a special case.

The thing that really gets my goat about it, is, if we complain or kick up a fuss, we are labelled militant/rabid/zealous feminists. A minority with an axe to grind, finding problems where there aren't any so we can dismiss them. Grr.

It should definitely say 'mens' 'womens' and then 'childrens'. The place I used to work has that on their website. We don't like Evans

Got it.
Of course. Men's and women's not standard and deviation from the norm
The football example is good.

yes, that's it exactly Visit you have the standard and then you have the women's.

And yes, point it out or complain and you get told that there are 'more important' things to worry about and accused of being over sensitive and wanting to find things to be upset about.

Why don't you drop an email to Evans OP? The sizes are understandable imo but the fact that there is no ''men's' bikes is pissing me off.

I don't think the argument applies to most major sporting fixtures which started as men's events.

The world cup is the world cup. Any other event like youth or womens events is not the world cup.

I totally agree about the bikes though.

Yes, I'm a one-woman Argos boycott since I looked in their catalogue at bike helmets and they were all 'cycling helmet - boys' and 'cycling helmet - girls' rather than 'cycling helmet - pink' or 'cycling helmet - red'

As to the World Cup argument - just because historically only men got to do these things, so they are the ones with the long-standing championships doesn't mean that now, in 20fucking14 they still get to say that theirs is the only 'proper' one.

Morris, I'm afraid I agree with Chunky.

Although personally I see no reason why men and women cannot play the majority of sports together anyway. In which case most of this argument would be moot.

I think Evan's have done that because women will (and can) buy 'normal' men's bikes - whereas I doubt men would buy women's...
And at least it isn't 'ladies' bikes...
(Pissed me off looking for a new bike - most of the 'mens' bikes were darker colours - a lot of the women's bikes - so better seats and frames for the female form - were pale (show all the dirt) colours - white and pink etc ...reduced my choice
and also drop cross bar bikes are a pain to fit onto some cycle racks...I was seriously thinking about getting a men's bike...got a women's from the bike recycling centre in the end - nice sensible dark colour)

I do resent the fact that my step-through frame screws up the carrier. However, my short-arse legs couldn't cycle without it!

The problem is the car carriers that assume all bikes have a crossbar, which even a lot of me find problematic if not blessed with long legs.

keepithidden most sports were designed by men so suit average male strengths - the best players would be men, so there would not be any women playing at the top level.
Horsey events do not have this issue and the men and women compete together and against each other.

Lemon - There do seem to be a lot more compact, rather than step through, frames on the market. I've also seen a few smaller riders using 24" wheel bikes to get around the size issue. They look like they should work on a normal carrier, but don't quote me on that!

Carol - I think you could be right in limited cases, but surely most sports combine enough skill/strength to be able to play to the limits of a range of individuals and therefore genders? Football I think is one that could be a level playing field. Not sure about racket sports, but could be interesting to try. Snooker, curling, golf, etc. and those kinds there really should be no separation.

I think the big difference is funding, if that were equal then I can't see any significant reason that would prevent women competing with men in most sports.

Mixed gender football would never work. The games are completely different.

I'd be upset if they referred to the "Mens world cup", too. Like it was for men.

Why are the games so different? The rules are the same surely?