Blog
“Riding a Bike vs Looking Normal” (WBS12)
Maria Boustead doesn’t call herself a cyclist — despite the fact that she rides 15+ miles per day. In fact, she started her company, Po Campo, because she recognized a growing market of women just like her; women who want to ride their bikes without the obvious baggage of being a cyclist.
The Chicago-based entrepreneur described her experience as a daily rider and business owner on the “Who’s Selling Cycling to Women” panel at the National Women’s Bicycling Summit last month. Like Elly Blue, she echoed the power of imagery and how women are portrayed in the context of bicycling. And, like Mia Kohout, she emphasized the prominence of urban commuting as an entry for new female riders.
But, most of all she underlined the desire among women to seamlessly integrate cycling into their lives — without having to look the part. As she described to the crowd:
During college, I began biking regularly around my quaint Midwestern university town because everyone did it and it was an easy way to get around. Moving to Chicago to finish up school, I continued to bike a lot, largely because it was now so normal to me. Plus, I was so poor that even public transportation seemed like a splurge. But even after getting a job and having disposable income, I continued to bike instead of taking the train or driving because, well, I liked it.
There are lots of things to like about biking to work (more to come on that). My least favorite part was entering my office carrying so much more stuff then everyone else, with my bags inside of bags and helmet and lights… I felt like I was being forced to choose between riding a bike and looking normal. Why do those things have to mutually exclusive? Why can’t I have a bag that does what I need it to do and still feels like something I’d want to actually own?
As I continued to think about being forced to choose between biking and looking normal, I realized that with cities improving their bicycle infrastructure, I knew there were going to be a lot more woman like me, in this predicament, wanting to add a new form of transportation into her options of how to get from A to B, but doing so would force her to buy a bag specific to this new form of transportation. I think this problem, like many other issues, are unique to women so it is our job to solve them…
Read more from Boustead’s presentation on the Po Campo blog. And click here for past posts about the Women’s Bicycling Summit.
Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
Subscribe
October 9th, 2012 at 11:20 am
I’m not really understanding your problem. What exactly do you think is wrong with “looking like a cyclist?” What exactly is wrong with having a bag that holds all your stuff? I am a woman, I do not drive, and I have worn tights/shorts-and-jerseys, carried my helmet into work, and used a plain old backpack to haul my stuff for the last fifteen years.
Does it meet conventional standards of “feminine” appearance? Nope. Do I care? Why should I? It does what I need it to do, it’s comfortable, so why does it matter if it’s ~pretty~?
Buy a backpack. Use it. Stop being so obsessed with your appearance, and if you can’t do that at least have the common courtesy to not assume all women are as shallow as you are. Problem solved.
October 9th, 2012 at 11:34 am
S: it is not shallowness. Yes, a backpack will haul your stuff effectively and yes you can bike to work in jerseys and tights. I’m glad you work in an environment that allows you to be so flexible and easygoing in your attire and mien. What works for one woman (you), however, does not work for all. Some women work in very rigid corporate environments where a backpack is viewed as unprofessional, or do not have access to easy changing areas. I bike to work and have to attend meetings where bringing a backpack would be frowned upon. Briefcase-style bags that can serve double purpose as bike panniers are a godsend to me, as it helps eliminate the amount of baggage I have to bring to work every day. I also find myself in situations where I have to go to events in the evening directly after work, and having a bike bag that seamlessly translates to a more formal setting instead of a ratty backpack, again, is a godsend. Products like these let me truly integrate all aspects of my life into riding a bike.
I’m glad you are happy and comfortable with your style of riding and have discovered what works for you. But to attack and insult fellow female cyclists who may not match your circumstances or have different needs is entirely unnecessary.
October 9th, 2012 at 11:44 am
Hi S- Thanks for weighing in, but just to clarify “looking like a cyclist” were my words, not Maria’s. And, while I certainly wouldn’t characterize myself as “feminine” either, I think there is a lot of merit to making biking products that appeal to women across the spectrum. Like you said: We’re not all alike!
October 9th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
Part of the problem is the LAB’s occasional tendency to make sour lemons out of good lemonade. What some consider “…the obvious baggage of being a cyclist…” (come on, Carolyn), others consider to be liberating: a far less onerous load than carried by motorists.
My motorist colleagues each arrive at work with about 4500 lbs of “baggage” that the taxpayer pays to store all day. Not to mention, the CO2 load spewed forth to get there. I show up with a 30 lb bicycle, a pannier, and some geeky clothing (a five mile hilly ride makes dedicated cycling clothing a better choice than my work clothing).
Having said that, I applaud Maria Boustead for creating and sustaining her lovely line of functional and attractive bike stuff and wish her continued success because success for her is success for all of us. There should be no one-size-fits-all solutions here and the sooner we all realize that truth (that includes the bike biz that is so racer-wannabe centric), the better off we will be as cyclists.
Keep the rubber side down and the sunny side up.
October 9th, 2012 at 12:24 pm
“There should be no one-size-fits-all solutions here and the sooner we all realize that truth (that includes the bike biz that is so racer-wannabe centric), the better off we will be as cyclists.”
Well-said, Khal!
October 10th, 2012 at 8:58 am
I am fortunate enought to work in a professional environment that also embraces biking, the best of both worlds in my opinion. I bike 20 miles every day to and from work. I do it partly because it saves a TON of money, partly because it makes me feel proactive in fighting against pollution, it’s healthy, and I love it! I don’t ride my bike because I am an athlete however, and I see around me on my commute that the look of the spandex wearing “athlete biker” is rare anymore. The idea of creating accessories that speak to commuters on their way to their various types of employment seems to be a good one but I would certainly not say it is “unique to women”. In fact most of the people I know who ride bikes are more fashion conscious than those I know who commute by car. As a man, I can personally say that owning the correct apparel for biking to work has immense value and needs to be both fashionable and functional.
October 10th, 2012 at 11:42 am
Three cheers for those who want to tone down their cycling apparel and look, ahem, “normal”. But please, why should those of us who choose to get double duty out of our “spandex” (i.e., wearing it both to commute to work and on weekend non-commute rides) have to put up with these subtle put-downs not only from our amused and critical non-cycling colleagues but also from the “new normal” of cyclists and from the League of American Bicyclists? Is Spandex too lurid for the public, only suited for bike races among our own kind, or Bicyclist Pride/Coming Out Day in places like Santa Fe, The Village, and San Francisco?
Its not clear to me why a cyclist wearing spandex is any more off-normal than a motorist in a yellow WRX or a red Porsche. Maybe cycling is the new normal and the choice between a pair of Assos bib knickers vs. George Hincapie’s subtle but effective cycling jeans is no different than choosing between a Guard’s Red Cayman or a dark blue Acura.
As far as baggage. Companies need to embrace cycling. The difference between Maria showing up with her “baggage” to stow and Maria’s colleague stowing a car in a 10×20 foot parking space is a fine point lost on me. I bet Maria is saving someone besides herself some money.
Seems there is a running subtext here lately. We are being encouraged to become “Copenhagenized”, i.e., ride slowly on bicycles, in our street clothing, on cycletracks, and forswear helmets. Sounds a little stifling to me. Kinda like a cycling equivalent of the burqa.In our quest to make cycling universally accessible, lets not also try to make it boring.
October 10th, 2012 at 8:37 pm
There are already simple solutions for bike commuters. There have been bike bags that convert to shoulder bags for decades. If cyclists can’t find them, they need to look harder. Admittedly, most bike shops these days cater exclusively to the spandex brigade, but Amazon and eBay have plenty of bike gear that can work in one’s normal life.
October 11th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Most of the backpacks and Timbuck2 bags where I work are brought in by motorists due to their long walk from the parking lot. The only reason I carry my helmet in to my desk instead of locking the straps with my bike is the UV here in Texas. So what is all this “obvious difference?” I guess a Topeak trunk bag gives the game away. Sheesh…
October 11th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
At the building where I do most of my work, cyclists have the Cadillac spaces: enclosed and lockable bike lockers located half as far from the building as the regular motor vehicle parking lot. The boxes protect our bikes from that harsh UV at 7,000 feet and you can leave lights, helmets, gloves, etc securely on the bike. I bring in my pannier with lunch and clothing. Being a chemistry building, we also have several showers/locker rooms, making changing and cleanup a snap.
Of course, it helps to be in a business made up primarily of coneheads, scientists, and other non-conformists. Rarely does a cyclist, even one dressed up like an industrial paint accident at a lycra plant (moi), get seriously razzed.
Vive la différence!
October 12th, 2012 at 8:34 am
Oh Khal, no put-down intended! I proudly bring my helmet everywhere I go because I relish being recognized as a cyclist. But, like you said, let’s not let our different styles of riding divide us. Whether you wear jeans or Lycra, whether you carry a Po Campo or Ortlieb bag, whether you ride in the cycletrack or on the street — getting more folks riding is a good thing and that starts with providing options for them to feel safe and comfortable! I think we’re better served by respecting everyone’s opinions.
October 12th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Absolutely, Carolyn. Bicycling should be liberating, not confining. I think the message has to be “be who you are, not who someone else wants you to be”. I think this whole notion of asking what is “normal” hit a few buttons, not the least of which were on Ian and my button list.
Worrying about what to wear, or where to ride, or whether one’s act of bicycling to work and choice of clothing while on the bike, is acceptable to someone else, whether that someone else is or is not a cyclist, is confining and runs contrary to promoting cycling as liberating. Hence my analogy to cycling in a burqa, which has to be the world’s most stifling and un-liberating symbol of modern life (esp. for women), at least by our secular Western model.
What is riding a bike? Its simply riding a bike. The rest of the stuff is secondary and for most, optional. I don’t ride to work in lycra for any other reason than that it feels good to ride in lycra and to change into fresh work clothes at the office. Not to mention, it makes sense if my ride home from work is by way of every hill I can find. Well, I do make sure the jersey is a lot looser fitting than what I used to wear
October 16th, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Thanks for the comments on my presentation everyone!
I can see how the word “normal” could rub someone the wrong way but that certainly doesn’t mean that what makes me feel normal is the same for everyone. I always encourage people to wear what they want and use the gear they want and the more options there are, the better. I agree that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for cyclists, nor should there be.
Personally, I don’t want to have to change the way I dress or what I am carrying because of how I want to get to work, whether that’s by walking, biking, driving or taking the bus. I would never wear a backpack or haul around a touring pannier if I wasn’t biking, so I needed a different solution. I know that backpacks and touring panniers work great for lots of people, and that’s great. They just don’t work for me.
October 16th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
Maria, you rock!
Too often, “normal” is defined by what those masses of other people want and it keeps reminding me of that line from a Bruce Cockburn song, “…the trouble with normal is it always gets worse…”. You have defined it as what makes you feel good. That’s the bottom line, as well as turning the status quo on its head.