In the beginning, everything was pink. It was as if the bike industry had confused the burgeoning lady bike scene with Barbie's glitter world. But the girls want to ride, not glitter, don't want to be decorated with flowers - they want bikes instead of rolling accessories. They want to sweat uphill, excel on single trails and are increasingly being spotted in bike parks. "Last year, the proportion of women rose sharply," reports Bikepark Leogang; almost 20 per cent of bike park visitors were female - four times as many as in 2007.
What women need for this is the right armour. Unfortunately, female freeriders still have to fall back on smaller men's sizes for most protectors. Fortunately, this is changing - iXS, Mace and Race Face offer protective equipment with a female cut.
The slightly waisted Lady Battle Jacket Evo from iXS (photo above) is designed to provide a non-slip fit even with a slim body centre. Additional feature: the back protector can be detached from the jacket and worn separately.
The first thing you notice about the Women's Swat Jacket from Mace is the chest protector. Not immediately visible is the shortened back section, which is no longer intended to bump against the saddle when seated.
The abbreviation D.I.Y. in the new Race Face collection stands for "Do It Yourself". The material and function correspond to the men's products, the cuts are shorter and narrower.
Every manufacturer now offers ladies' helmets in the lower price segment, while the market is still very small in the high-end segment. Basically, "Every helmet on the market has to fulfil strict safety standards. However, top helmets also have good ventilation, are lighter and therefore more comfortable," explains Sebastian Maag from Specialized. This applies, for example, to the Scott Karma Contessa and the Specialized Women's S-Works. Another advantage of the high-end women's helmets: they are available from a head circumference of 51 centimetres.
AFTER-RIDE-ACCESSORIES
Faithful trailer, model suspension fork 40, 28 euros. www.c2-schmuck.com
Around the waist and not on the rim: Wayne tubular belt for 67.50 euros. www.schlauch-shop.com
