Female bike shop staff...?

[jam1e]

Has anyone ever actually seen one?

I know one who has recently branched out into selling (high end) bikes from the outdoor shop that she runs. She chooses the range, does the servicing (cyteched up), cycles a lot and knows pretty much everything about her brand, most of the competitors and the mainstream mtb scene in general...

Yet still there are plenty of people who ask to see the person who knows about the bikes etc and look on in disbelief when she says "that'd be me"! Which pi55es her right off.

Any ideas why they're so thin on the ground?

 

[Carlos the Slackal]

When I ran a shop, BITD, I tried very hard to get girls to work for us. I really felt that this would make a massive improvement to the experience of female cyclists. Not that the chaps weren't dammned good at what they did, far from it, but I just felt that a girl would have made a lot of difference.

There have been a few very good girlies in bike shops, I'm thinking of Mel at Brixton Cycles, Erica at On Your Bike for example. My LBS in the country has a great girl who works for them as well.

To be honest, I'm really not sure why there are so few. I suppose it's partially because cycling, espcially MTB, remains a mainly male pursuit. One could just as well ask why there aren't any men working in shoe shops!

 

[Harryburgundy]

Very cute one in my LBS.....now have 47 inner tubes I don't need :roll:

 

[Crayons]

There's a girlie that works at SJS cycles in Bridgwater (road racer type), used to work and race for Barrettos Bikes of Plymouth BITD

Can't remember her name though (are names really that important :? )

 

[jam1e]

Totally see where you're coming from but I would expect evens and the like to be fielding at least one female member of staff if possible. - I imagine that the female market is growing at quite a rate and a "friendly face" inside the shop would probably be a large factor in the decision making process.

 

[perry]

theres a lady in rutland cycling

 

[jam1e]

hmmmm....

A ladies specific bikeshop must be a thought in the back of someones mind!

 

[jonnyboy666]

when i worked at cyclexperience in brockenhurst in the new forest there was a girl called sarah, was brilliant in the shop, not majorly great in the workshop but could do brakes and gears, b/b's an headsets etc no probs, she also won the nps junior dh series in 99 or 2000 after braking her back the year before. she was awsome and is still a good mate, shame she moved to NZ, we always ride when she's back though.

now she races zapcats and thundercats, superfast little speedboat things, she's mad but in a cool way!!

i remember once a guy came in the shop, about 50 with a crappy rear mtb wheel, she was stood next to me behind the counter, i was serving someonelse so she said the usual can i help you etc, he said "can i speak to your engineer?" she said "what's the problem?" he said "no, i must see your engineer" i thought to myself, this one is a bit of a cock, i noticed he was ignoring her and looking to me for help so i said "i'm sure sarah will be able to help you" he said "i need and engineer to source me a wheelnut" . . . . FFS . . . i said "sarah won the national points down hill champs and has been working here for 3 years i'm sure she can sort out a little thing like a wheelnut!"

the guy then realised he'd made a stupid assumption that girls can't possibly know anything useful and the woman behind him thought it was hilarious. after he'd gone sarah was pissing herself laughing and then bought me a beer after work.

i miss her, she was cool.

just found a pic of the mental stuff she's into now! she's upfront in the pic, the idea being she moves around the boat like a motorbike sidecar guy does. and those thing are blinkin fast!

 

[mrkawasaki]

Lesser spotted

Al at Bicycle Doctor, Manchester...

Mr K

 

[uno-speedo]

Yep. I've seen quiet a few here in San Diego. And a number of them are cute.