Of Babies and Bikes – Adaline Felt
Mrs. Adeline Felt with her daughter in this bicycle basket. Photo from the Mountain West Digital Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. I am fascinated with archival photos of women on bicycles. Perhaps because they are relatively scarce, especially shots showing women with their children on bikes. In this particular shot, Mrs. Felt (who is wearing a skirt, which in my view was more dominant than... Read More
Rainbow Riders Hurrah!
Friday Fun Photo
Dorothy, Soldier-Cyclist
There must be something socially a little dangerous about a women on a bicycle. Why else would repressive Islamic regimes forbid women from riding? Why would North Korea make it an offense for women to ride in pants? One forgotten WWI cyclist, Dorothy Lawrence, rode her bike to the front lines, masqueraded as a man, helped plant trench mines, gave herself up and was arrested, was pressed to not sell her sensational story to the news, wrote a book,... Read More
Girls on Bikes – in 1869
From J.T. Goddard's The Velocipede Perhaps I should get over my astonishment that women started riding bikes a LOT earlier than male-written history generally attests. We’ve been living in a man’s world for a mighty long time. Even ladies, as they were generally referred to in 19th century news, had a thirst for personal mobility. The draisine was nearly impossible to manuever in skirts, and yet at least one dandyzette must have inspired... Read More
Get Your Butt In the Saddle II: Ass-o-meter
While we must admit that the pressure of an improper saddle upon the pelvis of a growing girl might have a tendency to deform it, we cannot see that Dr. Evans has advanced any cogent arguments against the use of the bicycle with a suitable saddle, that is, one which throws the weight of the body upon the ischial tuberosities and not on the perineum. – Boston Medical Journal, 1896 When I re-started my cycling life around about 2005, I didn’t... Read More
Women on Wheels Handbook
Combining a narrative of the early heroines of cycling with a practical look at some of the issues women city cyclists face, Women on Wheels is here. It’s pure inspiration to ride – promise! Scroll down to purchase your copies. Here’s some praise for the book: “This practical and straightforward book is a call to action. April Streeter has created a little guide that provides confidence building and encouragement for new women... Read More
Girls on Bikes – Velocipede Queen, Part I
Photo rights PictureHistory.com Carrie A. Moore, future velocipede queen, was born between 1840 and 1843. She died in 1892, the year before the official first wave of cycling for women started with the release of the women’s safety bike. As we know, it was far from the start of cycling for women. Moore’s father was a strawberry farmer in Concord, Massachusetts, and Carrie, christened Caroline Augusta, was a talented skater (both ice... Read More
Ruth And Rita
Bike Chic versus Bike Geek
Bike chic even in wet, cold, windy. Photo www.greenchairstudio.com Not long after I moved back to Portland, the cycle chic king Mikael Colville-Anderson set me straight on the state of Portland’s cycling culture. “It’s bike geek rather than bike chic,” he said. Never one to mince words, Colville-Anderson was trying to convey that people riding their bikes on the streets of Portland did not (and likely would not) be... Read More
