I too grew up sailing, I've done a lot of kayaking, and I've been riding bikes since before this site came online.
I sailed with a bunch of rad girls, easily 50/50 back then, and they took on those risks willingly, perhaps a little less eager than the guys, but not by much.
I've spent years mountain biking in Squamish. These days it's common to have more women than men at some of the meetups, though the thrill section has a smaller ration of w/m. I've introduced some women to MTB - some LOVED it, some whined the whole time - it really depends on the person and what they enjoy.
People are allowed to value and pursue different things and at different risk levels. Most people I meet could care less about riding, for a variety of factors: usually because they have other things that they're interested in more. We don't have to ensure that every activity has exactly the same proportion of people doing it as people in our society. Freedom means freedom to choose what you want, and if my Filipino buddy would rather play drums and practice MMA, who am I to try to change his mind?
"we need to move past the Speed Metal Shreddit and shake-in a periodic dash of Taylor Swift so more folks can feel comfortable giving riding a try" - we don't "need" to do anything. There's no \_we\_ either: mountain biking spans the gamut these days. Yes, there are a BUNCH of douchebags doing it. There's a lot of all kinds of people doing it. Sometimes I even get in conflict with arrogant, entitled people causing danger. There's no simple way to group (stereotype) them, and I'm sure as hell not going to take ownership over their shitty behaviour. And no one else should have to own my shitty behaviour when I've accidentally been a douche myself.
Enough of this group-ist, identity driven tribalism. Just do your best to be welcoming and have a good vibe - you know, like we used to do.
March 27, 2024, 4:39 p.m. - rotorburn
I too grew up sailing, I've done a lot of kayaking, and I've been riding bikes since before this site came online. I sailed with a bunch of rad girls, easily 50/50 back then, and they took on those risks willingly, perhaps a little less eager than the guys, but not by much. I've spent years mountain biking in Squamish. These days it's common to have more women than men at some of the meetups, though the thrill section has a smaller ration of w/m. I've introduced some women to MTB - some LOVED it, some whined the whole time - it really depends on the person and what they enjoy. People are allowed to value and pursue different things and at different risk levels. Most people I meet could care less about riding, for a variety of factors: usually because they have other things that they're interested in more. We don't have to ensure that every activity has exactly the same proportion of people doing it as people in our society. Freedom means freedom to choose what you want, and if my Filipino buddy would rather play drums and practice MMA, who am I to try to change his mind? "we need to move past the Speed Metal Shreddit and shake-in a periodic dash of Taylor Swift so more folks can feel comfortable giving riding a try" - we don't "need" to do anything. There's no \_we\_ either: mountain biking spans the gamut these days. Yes, there are a BUNCH of douchebags doing it. There's a lot of all kinds of people doing it. Sometimes I even get in conflict with arrogant, entitled people causing danger. There's no simple way to group (stereotype) them, and I'm sure as hell not going to take ownership over their shitty behaviour. And no one else should have to own my shitty behaviour when I've accidentally been a douche myself. Enough of this group-ist, identity driven tribalism. Just do your best to be welcoming and have a good vibe - you know, like we used to do.