Browse Sections
Interactive
Popular Sections
Partly sunnyHealth and beauty features
| 
Submit Comments
Dressed to thrill: tomboy style or ladies' tradition?
advertisement
Back in the saddle
Helen Tither8/ 5/2008
CYCLING is in fashion again for the girl about town.
Helen Tither goes for a test ride.
Getting on a bike brings back traumatic memories for me - and my parents.
You see, the last bicycle I owned remains covered in cobwebs in their shed, rust creeping over its once gleaming handlebars, spiders spinning a new home in its spokes.
I was 10 when it arrived and in true tomboy style, I'd wanted a mountain bike, or a racer, to give the boys a run for their money. Instead I got a ladies' shopper, complete with cute basket on the front. Imagine my disappointment. And theirs, when I refused to even ride it out of the driveway after they'd saved up to buy it.
Ladies' night
So, it was with trepidation I headed down to Evans Cycles on Deansgate to try out their latest models. Cycling is all the rage these days among city centre fashionistas who are queuing up to buy the latest models - with sales of women's cycles and accessories almost doubling at the Manchester branch in the past two years.
So much so that they are hosting a champagne-fuelled dedicated ladies night in-store tonight. The only difference from your average city soiree being the high-tech maintenance demos.
Evans assistant manager Ted Gordon says: "We've seen a massive rise in female shoppers since we opened two years ago.
"A core of those customers are proper road racers - there are a lot of competitive women out there - but others want bikes for commuting or to keep fit."
Commuters
Of course, with environmental concerns on everyone's mind, cycling could soon be the coolest way to get to work and the cheapest should the planned congestion charge become a reality.
Personally, I don't fancy pedalling my way down the motorway to get here - but there are plenty of ladies closer to town who Ted says are swapping four wheels for two.
"We get a lot of female commuters coming in to try bikes out. In fact, we open early at 8am so they can come and see us before their offices open. I think the eco trend will get bigger and bigger."
So, to choose a bike. What should ladies be looking for in their wheels? Haunted by visions of my old `shopper' I enlist Ted's help in picking out something chic and stylish. Turns out there's quite a lot to consider.
Different design
"Ten years ago women's bikes were just the same as men's but painted pink," he explains. "Now, whole teams of ergonomics designers work on the geometry of them to make them specifically engineered for women.
"For instance, they have shorter cranks so women can reach the pedals, there are special inserts for the handlebar brakes as women's reach is proportionally shorter. And, of course, the saddles are designed differently.
"Overall, we get two kinds of women customers - those looking for something really girly and others who want a no-fuss action bike."
Determined not to go down the girly route, I pick out a racy little mountain bike that I hope will give me a new action girl image. Which means picking up some new clobber as well.
I'm thinking black, Prada-esque jacket, wrap-around shades, and some tough-looking gloves to help me keep my grip as I do wheelies over mud mountains. This could be the start of a whole new thrill-seeking me.
But wait, as we're just about to leave the shop on our test run, what's that I spy? An old-fashioned Edwardian-looking bike in the corner, complete with retro wicker basket on the front. Absolutely the kind of thing I said I would never ride again but - now I see it - so lovely, in a vintage kind of way. I'm just going to have to try that too.
Smitten
Out in the park and the mountain bike is certainly a winner when it comes to racing round, splashing in the mud and scaring old ladies. But then, the retro shopper is also fun in a demure, ladylike way.
Heavier and slower to ride, it makes you sit up straight while you gently glide around, handbag in your basket. Perfect for nipping out to afternoon tea.
Plus, it has a rather fabulous retro bell on the handlebars, which produces a Hyacinth Bucket style ring to scatter the pigeons.
After all those years of leaving my own bike stuck in the shed, it seems I'm smitten with cycling once more.
The only problem is, in true shopaholic style, I'm going to have to splash out on two sets of wheels - one for action-packed weekends, another for when I'm feeling ladylike. Perhaps bikes are like shoes - you can never have too many.
Evans Cycles ladies' night is tonight, 6pm to 8pm, at the Deansgate store.
Most recent 1 of 1 user comments
Got an opinion you want to share?Do you support council workers who have gone on strike over a below-inflation pay offer?
| Card | BT Fee |
| Capital One BT Platinum Card | 3.0% |
| Virgin Credit Card | 2.98% |
| Capital One Platinum | 3.0% |
| Barclaycard Platinum 'As on TV' | 2.9% |
| Barclaycard OnePulse For London | 2.9% |
| Company | Typical APR |
| FirstPlus Exclusive Rate | 6.6% |
| Moneyback Bank | 7.6% |
| Alliance & Leicester | 7.7% |
| Halifax (Semi-exclusive) | 7.7% |
| Bank of Scotland (Semi-exclusive) | 7.7% |
| Barclaycard Personal Loan | 7.8% |
| Barclays | 8.9% |
| Provider | AER* |
|
ICESAVE Easy Access Account |
6.30% |
|
ICICI BANK HiSAVE Savings Account |
6.16% |
|
SAINSBURYS FINANCE internet saver |
5.50% |
OGN, Gatley
9/05/2008 at 14:18