women's mountain biking forums

[liquidfeet]

I've been lurking around on mountain bike forums this summer, and have found two just for women.

https://forums.teamestrogen.com/index.php (genuinely good!)

https://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=94 (not policed very well)

Anybody know of any more out there just for women mountain bikers?

 

[altagirl]

Why do you feel the women's lounge on MTBR isn't policed very well?

I always thought it was over-moderated, if anything.

(It isn't meant to be for women only, men have always been welcome as long as they aren't causing problems, being insulting, or trolling for dates.)

There's always the Mud Hunnies forum on Ridemonkey.com as well. But it's about the same as the MTBR one, with men allowed.

 

[liquidfeet]

I guess it's just because men are allowed. I didn't realize they were officially posting. I'll check out the Mudhunnies ... thanks.

 

[altagirl]

It is an interesting point though. I think it works well on MTBR, because you do seem to get a lot of guys who have questions about gear for their wives, etc. There's even a guy who is a high school MTB coach and has used the women's lounge as a sounding board for ideas for recruiting and retaining young women to the sport. (And he's gotten plenty of gear donations for girls whose families can't afford to outfit their daughters with a new bike and gear for a sport as expensive as MTBing.)

So, while there are advantages of truly having your own private women's forum like we have here, I think it works well to have men allowed in there too. There's a sticky on top that basically says men are welcome, just play nice and realize this forum is not FOR you, you're a guest. Plus, it's one of those things where if you don't want to hear about tips for riding while you have your period... get the heck out of the ladies room! ;)

 

[abc]

I'm not even sure there's a whole lot "women specific" question these days any more. Apart from the riding during period part, that is.

The women geometry has been well discussed. Even riding during prenency has been pretty much covered. As for the psycological side of women getting dirty and having fun, well, it's a no-brainer! Or not?

What I'm trying to say is, you can almost post those "women questions" on a general forum and, if you can ignore the noise, you'll get pretty good info, even from guys!

It's kind of nice to have a women's only forum. But these days, there're so many women riding it's pretty easy to find help amongst friends and bike shops.

A bit like skiing. I came here looking for women gear info. I ended up ordering unisex skis!!! Oooops...

 

[altagirl]

I don't know. Just finding clothes that fit can be something of an adventure, depending on where you live. And there seem to be countless posts from women who can't find other women to ride with, or have shops in their area that treat them like idiots. It's a shame really, but at least they can get some support online.


And when it comes to actual riding and training... of course there's no reason you can't just go out with the guys and do it. But somehow I find it very motivating to see/read about other women who are really killing it on their bikes. Of course I have plenty of guy friends who kick my butt (and I do kick some of their butts right back)... but I tend to develop something of a tendency to believe that they're just on another level. As much as I always want to believe I can do whatever I put my mind to... I sometimes ride with some world class downhillers and the reality is, I'm just not willing to take the massive risks that they take to launch big gaps, sprint through rock gardens, etc. that they do. And the bigger reality is that there are NO women in the world who do. Why is certainly a big question... And that's not to say that the top women don't blow away MOST men in biking. Yet, the gap between the top men and the top women remains huge.

Anyway - my point is there obviously IS something more to it than just finding a bike that fits. I think it's more complicated than "women learn this way, men learn that way", though that probably has something to do with it. And I don't believe it's really a strength issue either - mountain biking takes strength, but it's more finesse and guts for downhilling/dirt jumping, etc., which makes me think it's more of a mental than a physical issue. Basically, I hear a lot of theories, but nothing that really answers the question.

Even in the women's lounge, we had this discussion and it became fairly heated. It happened once in the Downhill forum... and was filled with "well, it's because you're supposed to be cooking me dinner!" I'd rather see it in a forum where maybe, MAYBE, we can learn something from it. The woman who reads through it and says HEY - I do learn differently than my husband. He just jumps in and follows someone better than him, consequences be damned, and I don't want to try it until I understand what I'm supposed to be doing and how it's supposed to work! So if I get someone to explain it to me first, I can do it too instead of standing there wondering why I'm such a chicken.

Anyway... I guess my point is just that I think there are many valid topics to discuss. There's always new women's gear to review. I love hearing about women's accomplishments and race reports - they inspire me to try new things. And then there are the things that either are different for women or maybe we just think they're different, but commisserating with others, getting advice and working through it seems better than sitting around wondering if you're all alone in your problems.

 

[liquidfeet]

OH, WHOAHH, this is good.
So glad you vented.

I used to be a rabid feminist who thought the ONLY differences between men and women were imposed by Patriarchy, read: male-dominated cultural norms and assumptions; tools that assume male anatomy, brainwashed people, etc.

I'm old now, and I believe this no more.
For one, men are endowed with more muscle, without having to work for it. So unfair, but still true. Chalk it up to testosterone and its growth impact on muscles.

Then there's the bravado component. Men are willing to jump off cliffs; women hesitate and do wiser things in most cases. Some men jump off cliffs just to keep up with the others who are hormone-driven.

Women are also very different (for whatever reason) in their communication. They talk about everything, and talk a lot about it. They admit things. They self-reveal. They willingly become transparent, in an attempt to bring others to the table. Men usually don't reveal too much. Maybe gay guys do. So this communication difference may be culturally induced.

Men brag. They assume postures of invulnerability, and talk about their wonderful exploits as if everyone else does the same thing (hidden agenda: if you can't do what they say they can do, then you don't rate). This is especially evident in forums. Women usually don't talk like this. This braggadoccio gets boring and bothersome to me. And it can sidetrack a discussion big time (think: Highway Star on Epic) which is why I rarely visit Epic any more. Too much of that absurd posturing.

So I do think there's a valid reason to eliminate men from a women's forum.

Do people agree or disagree?

 

[ski diva]

Hey, we're all here. That says it all. :D

 

[altagirl]

I guess in my experience on MTBR, I don't feel like the men in there stifle the conversation. Men who post something rude or insulting are ganged up on quickly and banned if they are causing problems.

The tricky part would be to know if it's affecting what the women there are posting. I mean, there are pretty graphic threads on chaffing and pregnancy and "will it feel better or worse riding if I get a Brazilian wax job?" and "Am I supposed to wear underwear under these bike shorts?". Along with "how do I wheelie?" and "why do I keep falling" "How do I learn basic maintenance?" and other things that might be intimidating to ask elsewhere for fear of being ridiculed for not knowing them already...

Personally, I can't think of anything I refrain from asking because there are some men in there. BUT - maybe it does affect other women or make them uncomfortable, in which case it would be nice to have a private forum. But then you'd miss out on, for example, the guy coaching the girls MTB team who is looking for advice. Tough one to know the right answer on.


And Liquidfeet - that's pretty much where I'm coming from too. My dad always told me I could do anything I wanted, just as well as any man, provided I worked hard enough at it. And for the most part - he was right. Heck, even when I was in the army, I REALLY pushed myself in the gym at one point and could do more pushups than any of the guys in my platoon. But things like that are basically comparing yourself to a small sample of the population. Start including elite athletes and in at least most sports, the fact is, it's apparently just impossible (so far) for elite female athletes to compare to elite male athletes. And honestly, that was a hard pill to swallow for me. I'm not even sure where I'm going with this, other than to say I can totally understand where you're coming from.

And sorry for this all sounding like a rant... I think I get a little excited about it because it's one of those issues I've admittedly changed my mind on over the years. It's not that I want special treatment as a woman, but I guess I just realize there are opportunities out there for us to learn from each other and would hate to see that stifled.

 

[liquidfeet]

This is good stuff. I'm with you on it all.

I sometimes forget that there are also lots of people, both men and women, who obsess on things other than physical exertion. We who choose to post on these forums are a self-selecting group, also a small sample of the total population.

More voices out there???