How do men react to seeing you on your bike?

willstat

New member
Do you get hoots and hollers? I do when I park my bike or when men pass by me at high speeds thinking that they can say whatever they want because they won't see me again. Do you get any snide or sexist remarks? I rarely see any women on bikes so I sort of see why we get strong reactions.
 

Trellum

New member
You should try coming over here!!! So far I haven't seen a single female rider, the only riders I ever see are males! I ride my cousin's bike from time to time, and so far I haven't had very bad experiences, but I've been close to. Once I was riding my cousin bike, and I had to stop at the local store to buy something. There were a lot guys there, they gave me some really weird looks, as I walked by I heard one of them saying something, but I couldn't hear it clearly. I'd just ignore it anyway! I could feel them staring at me when I came out from the store... creepy!
 

willstat

New member
Whenever I stop at a store, bar or even a stop light I get funny looks. It's like I'm an alien because I am a woman on a bike. People really need to get over it. I want to meet more female riders in my community. Right now I know of only one. Does anyone know of a way to meet fellow female bikers? I've thought of starting up a club or putting a craigslist ad out.
 

Trellum

New member
I feel your pain, sister :( It's really hard to live in a community where there aren't other female riders. Specially if you live in a macho country like mine, one would think that kind of things shouldn't be happening anymore, but they still do :( It seems way easier for men to do what they want drive and ride what they want, but so far I haven't seen that happening with women as well, and that's very unfair!
 

hbmm

New member
men seem to think it's pretty cool that I ride because no men really ride bikes anymore, especially in my city!
 

Trellum

New member
That's awesome :) Are you living in a place like San Francisco? Over here I don't see a lot riders either, never ever seen a female one... and most of the ''riders'' I see are pizza delivery guys, lol.
 

firelily99

New member
People do give me some odd looks when I stop somewhere but I just give them a big smile and a wave and keep walking! Its getting more and more common for women to be riding bikes; I don't mind the looks, I find them kind of funny!
 

Steven

Member
No offense meant towards anyone, but when these men are looking at you, you really don't know what they are thinking and it's possible that it's your own self conscientiousness that is making you feel the way you do. My ex-wife used to ride all the time and was the only female that would back in the 70's, which was really out of place for the times. It's good to see women enjoying riding and even I look, but I'm thinking about the fun they're having is all.
 

Merlin III

New member
I have traveled with my then 30 year old daughter on a few long week long rides. Let me tell you, women get a lot of attention from men, both on the bike and off. Traveling with her is always eventful in that respect.
 

Robbo

New member
Reactions from guys in Sydney Australia

I've never had any negative reactions to riding from guys. My husband rides as well. In fact there's a lot of riders from my work & we all organise ride days. I've seen a lot of lady riders around my area which is great. I absolutely love riding & my bike.
 

Woodswoman

Member
I wear all the gear, all the time. And none of it is pink, so it's not immediately obvious that I'm female. (My ouvre is fluorescent yellow.)

I have gotten my fair share of surprise reactions, both from men and from women. "Oh, you're a girl!" That kind of thing.

On my previous motorcycle, a Victory Cross Roads, the surprise was more noticeable. My husband and I would come out of a restaurant, for example, and walk over to our bikes. People watching would frequently seem to be waiting for me to get on the back of Mike's Vaquero. I could see the surprise when I threw my leg over the big Victory instead.

I kinda miss that. It was definitely an ego boost to ride an 800-pound, 1800-cc bagger with confidence and competence.
 

Merlin III

New member
That is the way my daughter dresses, but the big tip off is that long French braid hanging down from her helmet. When we ride together and she is in lead position, I see "cagers" doing second takes all the time.
 

soldaze

New member
To my fellow female riders, the best thing that can happen to you is when you ride past a group of little girls. They smile so wide, point to you and then look at their parents and look like, "Wow, I want to do that too!"
 

rickster

Member
My wife just turned 65 years old. On her birthday, she bicycled to the summit of Passo di Rombo...one of Italy's most difficult and remote. I can't ride with her any longer, but I was the proudest husband on our little blue planet as I took photos of her as she finished the ascent in freezing, wind blown weather. She has ridden every steep pass in the Italian Alps including the Stelvio, Mortirolo, Alpi di Pompeago, Pordoi, Fedaia, Giau and so many others in Europe and here in the United States. The reason that I mention this in the context of this thread is that in our house, it is the norm that women are stellar at careers, athletic endeavors and any thing that they would choose to undertake. Our daughter is cut from the same cloth as her mom and in addition to her medical career, uses her spare time to teach classes at several of our local fitness centers. Our 11 year old grand daughter, is an excellent student who reads everything she can and is great at math. So, when I see the many women who ride motorcycles around here, I never give it a thought....except for that local women's Harley club. Why them? Because, I just can't keep up with their pace in the twisting foothills. Like Woodswoman on her Victory, these women rock!
 
Top