Commuter Girl

Saturday, 11 April 2015

Clare forwarded me a marketing email from mainland bike chain '99 Bikes'   the other day which featured some collections of '6 riding kits to match your style'.  I didn't really read her email properly before I checked out the collections but she said something about checking out 'Commuter Girl' and 'Commuter Guy's' outfits. So I did. 


First I noticed that commuter girl had quite a nice helmet. But then I noticed that she had a very crappy bike - Imagine trying to get that steel frame over Bonnet hill with all of 7 gears at your disposal - the flowers she would be carrying in her quaint basket would be well and truly wilted by the time she got to Sandy Bay. But hey, I decided to give 99 Bikes the benefit of the doubt as perhaps their version of 'commuting' is a little different to ours – they are obviously thinking something flat and short (and warm).  But then I checked out "commuter guy's" outfit – and hang on.. his bike is WAY better, has all the gears to make it over Bonnet Hill & even up Napolean Street (dubbed 'Spew Hill' by me and Clare), although he's going to be squished by the first Kingston bus that comes along as he's dressed all in black.  So even though commuter girl would be pushing her bike (and also extremely pissed off that she was made to commute with a bike that weighed more than her Holden Barina*), she'd at least be highly visible as she was being oggled and wolf whistled by passing hoons while  muttering  under her breath. Luckily she has funky looking shoes.

*car driven by real commuter girl so she can do a 17km each-way commute, rather than a 37km each-way commute. 

It's also interesting that her spend on her kit is only $670, while commuter guy's is $1340. I guess 99 Bikes has either a) acknowledged that on average females earn less than males and kindly adjusted the collection to suit, or b) assumed she'd want to spend the other $600 or so on hair products and makeup  or c) recon she doesn't need to spend much on kit as this is what she normally wears when she rides anyway :



Now further research has revealed that I'm probably being a bit harsh, as 99 Bikes do actually feature a female rider who actually looks like a real cyclist in some of their ads, but Clare tells me they frequently send her emails featuring ridiculously dressed female models while they use a regular looking cyclist guy for their male kit.  However Clare also tells me that in the store she went to, the staff were really nice.  So that's good.


Which leads me on to something else, around Facebook recently there's been a few long comments and occasional linked articles written by women complaining about how bike clothing companies only make cycling clothing for women which have swirls or other decorative designs on them.  This seems a weird complaint to me, I see it as a positive that the cycling companies are making and marketing clothes specifically for women, and if women didn't like them they wouldn't buy them.   Of course not everyone has the same taste, but that's the same with all clothing right? So anyway that's a band wagon I'm not climbing on to.  I guess it's possible  it's the same story with the stupid yellow bikes  - women are snapping them up?? I dunno, I doubt it. I think Clare has a very nice take on it.. see below..completely stolen from her blog post..

Lately I have been doing something which is contrary to my nature: getting up before 7am and exercising before work. Lacking the motivation for this feat on my own, I have been relying on Cathy to inspire me. When she and her family were in Norway, I commuted to work a couple of times from her place, a really nice ride over Bonnet Hill to the city, about 17km each way. Now that they are back, Cathy and I have been attempting to ride twice a week, which means I get up at 6.45 in order to drive to her place (where my bike is living). We’ve been thwarted by rain, holidays and dental appointments a couple of times, but generally we’ve been pretty consistent. 


We’ve also been consistently dorky - both Cathy and I wear high visibility jackets, and out gear is far from up-to-the-minute; much of it relying on gaffer tape and/or sheer willpower to stay together. What we do have going for us is that we are both pretty strong cyclists - it’s about 50 mins each way to the city, including a long climb out of Kingston and a killer hill in Battery Point. Regular reader(s) will remember that we also did the four day Cape to Cape mountain bike race, finishing in the top half of a mostly male field. So it came as a bit of  - well, I won’t say a surprise, more annoyance - when I received an email ad from a large national bike chain, 99 Bikes. I’d long since been bemused by their marketing in Melbourne - their showroom in Clifton Hill has two large window sized posters: one of a trim looking guy in full bike kit holding a racing bike; the other of a model in a tank top holding a ‘mama bike’ (as they call them in Japan) with a dinky basket. And by tank top I mean exercise bra - which I ride in all the time. UNDER MY BIKE TOP. And dorky high vis jacket. Anyway, in keeping with this theme, 99 Bikes had a few bike ‘packages’ for sale - one for ‘commuter guy’ and one for ‘commuter girl’. I am sure you can imagine the discrepancy between the two packages: as we all know, girls like to look pretty and pick up the shopping on the way to their part-time work as child car assistants at the kinder down the road; while men like to work up a serious sweat on their way to their law firm in the city that encourages a ‘work-life-balance’ i.e getting home in time to tuck the kids in on a school night before eating the delicious meal of fresh ingredients that commuter girl brought home in her bike basket and prepared in her tank top.** 


**commuter girl’s tank top never gets sweaty. Unlike mine which I hang around my office, along with all my other wet, smelly clothes, so I don’t have to put on a cold sweaty bra for the commute home. 

 

And to demonstrate Clare's point about our gear,   here is the best of our combined collection:



 

2015summary
Bringing back the Caprice Wednesday, 30 December 2015
and now for somewhere completely different.. Monday, 28 December 2015
Pizza by the Book Challenge - Week 5 Sunday, 27 December 2015
End of primary school Thursday, 24 December 2015
Suitcase Cat Thursday, 24 December 2015
Pizza by the Book Challenge - Week 4 Thursday, 24 December 2015
Simplicity Saturday, 12 December 2015
Pizza by the Book Challenge - Week 3 Tuesday, 8 December 2015
PIzza by the Book Challenge - Week 2 Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Mt Rufus Circuit Tuesday, 8 December 2015
December Flowers Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Pizza by the Book Challenge Monday, 30 November 2015
South Cape Rivulet Sunday, 22 November 2015
Meanest mum in the world.. Sunday, 15 November 2015
Before and After #34 - Green Room Take 2 Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Why Jon is not allowed a credit card - Part 2 Monday, 9 November 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #27 & #28 Sunday, 8 November 2015
To Do.. Saturday, 7 November 2015
Cathedral Rock Monday, 2 November 2015
Silver Linings Part 2 Monday, 2 November 2015
Silver Linings Part 1 Monday, 2 November 2015
Hey Pinto.. Monday, 2 November 2015
Derby River Derby Saturday, 24 October 2015
Cake Saturday, 24 October 2015
What goes around comes around.. Friday, 23 October 2015
cake teaser Tuesday, 20 October 2015
Tarn Shelf Monday, 12 October 2015
Tasman Island Tuesday, 29 September 2015
60 Great Walks Challenge - Walk 26 & Before and After #33 Monday, 28 September 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Fail Monday, 28 September 2015
Before and After #32 Wednesday, 16 September 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #26 Monday, 14 September 2015
Pennicot Wilderness Cruise Monday, 14 September 2015
Glamping Sunday, 13 September 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #25 Sunday, 13 September 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #24 Sunday, 13 September 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #23 Sunday, 13 September 2015
Jett is 10! Sunday, 6 September 2015
Patriotic Chocolate Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Snowday! Tuesday, 4 August 2015
Before and After #31 Saturday, 1 August 2015
Before and After #30 Monday, 13 July 2015
How to improve the Tour De France Sunday, 12 July 2015
Unjustness-ness. Saturday, 11 July 2015
Everyone Loves Onesie & Device Day Sunday, 5 July 2015
Homework Wednesday, 1 July 2015
Mt Amos Monday, 29 June 2015
Snow Day Monday, 29 June 2015
Less complaining, More Watching.. Sunday, 28 June 2015
Amazing India Friday, 12 June 2015
Indian Food.. Thursday, 11 June 2015
More Bikes Thursday, 11 June 2015
Routines Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Bicycles Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Goa Day 3 Monday, 8 June 2015
Goa Day 2 Sunday, 7 June 2015
Is this India? Friday, 5 June 2015
Chennai Day #5 Thursday, 4 June 2015
Chennai Day #4 Wednesday, 3 June 2015
Chennai Day #3 Wednesday, 3 June 2015
Chennai Day #2 Tuesday, 2 June 2015
Contrasts Sunday, 31 May 2015
Landing in Chennai Sunday, 31 May 2015
Sparkling Singapore Saturday, 30 May 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #22 Sunday, 24 May 2015
Hollybank! Saturday, 23 May 2015
Stitched Rock Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Literal Translations Monday, 18 May 2015
Two Mountains Sunday, 17 May 2015
It pays to be alert.. Saturday, 16 May 2015
Sick Day Friday, 15 May 2015
Public vs Private - Part 2 Thursday, 14 May 2015
Public vs Private - Part 1 Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Desperate Times.. Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Setting a price.. Monday, 11 May 2015
American Grammar Sunday, 10 May 2015
Happiness Saturday, 9 May 2015
Cat Tree Update Monday, 20 April 2015
This is why Jon isn't allowed his own credit card Thursday, 16 April 2015
KittyCam Sunday, 12 April 2015
Commuter Girl Saturday, 11 April 2015
Flinders Island Day #5 Thursday, 9 April 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #21 Monday, 6 April 2015
Flinders Island Day #4 - Part 2 Monday, 6 April 2015
Flinders Island Day #4 - Part 1 Monday, 6 April 2015
Flinders Island Day 3 Sunday, 5 April 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #20 Saturday, 4 April 2015
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #19 Friday, 3 April 2015
Flinders Island Day #1 Friday, 3 April 2015
More Questions Thursday, 26 March 2015
What's the story.. Thursday, 26 March 2015
Quick Quiz Monday, 23 March 2015
This is an unspoilt beach.. Monday, 9 March 2015
Binalong Bay & Scamander Sunday, 8 March 2015
Old times.. Sunday, 1 March 2015
1 week back Friday, 27 February 2015
Packing Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Goodbye Malaysia Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Penang National Park Tuesday, 17 February 2015
I'm not afraid of parasailing horses.. Sunday, 15 February 2015
Random Photos Friday, 13 February 2015
Goodbye Drammen & Norway Friday, 13 February 2015
Putin the Norwegian Forest Cat Thursday, 12 February 2015
Goodbye Geilo Thursday, 12 February 2015
Ice Fishing - what's not to love.. Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Remains of the day Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Mountain Views Monday, 9 February 2015
uvær Monday, 9 February 2015
Melting.. Monday, 9 February 2015
Lessons Saturday, 7 February 2015
Ice Music Festival Day 2 Saturday, 7 February 2015
Wait for Meeeeeeeeee!!!!!! Saturday, 7 February 2015
Drammen to Geilo Friday, 6 February 2015
I can't believe it's come to this.. Thursday, 5 February 2015
We've come a long way.. Thursday, 5 February 2015
Mesnaelva Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Postcard Perfect Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Free days Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Point to Point Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Norwegian Forest Cat - Update 2 Monday, 2 February 2015
Ski-Every-Day team Monday, 2 February 2015
Kjelke Kjøring and Butt Racers Monday, 2 February 2015
Norwegian Forest Cat - update Sunday, 1 February 2015
Getting through the list.. Sunday, 1 February 2015
Forest Cats and Snow Dogs Sunday, 1 February 2015
Yes. We should all move to Lillehammer. Sunday, 1 February 2015
Lillehammer Day 2 Saturday, 31 January 2015
Hmmph Friday, 30 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 7 & goodbye Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Hearts and minds Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Shiplife Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 6 Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 5 Monday, 26 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 4 - part 2 Sunday, 25 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 4 - part 1 Sunday, 25 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 3 Friday, 23 January 2015
in our hearts and minds Friday, 23 January 2015
Hurtigruten: Day 1 & 2 Friday, 23 January 2015
Goodbye Bergen, hello Hurtigruten Thursday, 22 January 2015
Going Undercover.. Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Beautiful Bergen Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Norwegian Breakfasts Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Over the hills and far away Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Quick Update Monday, 19 January 2015
Ice Hockey! Monday, 19 January 2015
Ski trip #2 Monday, 19 January 2015
Handsome Norwegian Boys Monday, 19 January 2015
This is why.. Sunday, 18 January 2015
Ski Audit Saturday, 17 January 2015
Tourist Day Saturday, 17 January 2015
Snow Day Saturday, 17 January 2015
Thank you Oslo. Saturday, 17 January 2015
Plugged Wednesday, 14 January 2015
I think it's Friday. Friday, 9 January 2015
Happy Birthday Zali!! Friday, 9 January 2015
The Nook Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Fluted Cape Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Kicking goals together Wednesday, 31 December 2014