Overthinking the Pink
A couple of weeks ago I got the inexplicable urge to redo the handlebars on my Rivendell with pink bar tape. I don't know. One day I was looking at the bike and suddenly felt that the earthtone and twine thing was getting kind of oppressive. The bike wanted to break free. With the streets growing more dreary with each passing day, a burst of colour was sure to break up the monotony. And that it certainly has: Now I feel as if I am riding a bike made of watermelon, or an enormous piece of tourmaline. It's nice and cheerful.
Of course, unlike other cheerful colours, pink is somewhat charged with meaning because of its associations with stereotyped femininity. So I was not entirely surprised to receive an email from a reader eager to discuss my new handlebar tape. She was disappointed that, while my choice in bicycle colours and accessories had hitherto been "the antithesis of girly," now here I was reinforcing the industry stereotype of women wanting pink on their bikes.
Of course, unlike other cheerful colours, pink is somewhat charged with meaning because of its associations with stereotyped femininity. So I was not entirely surprised to receive an email from a reader eager to discuss my new handlebar tape. She was disappointed that, while my choice in bicycle colours and accessories had hitherto been "the antithesis of girly," now here I was reinforcing the industry stereotype of women wanting pink on their bikes.
Heavy stuff. And as usual I find myself disagreeing and agreeing all at the same time. On the one hand, there is Elly Blue's post about "reclaiming pink." There is also the fact that originally, pink was considered to be a colour for boys. Finally, there is the Maglia Rosa of the Giro d'Italia - shouldn't that association trump the girly one?
On the other hand, I've heard too many women express frustration at the fact that the bicycle industry slaps pink colour schemes and floral motifs on everything that is designed for female cyclists ("shrink it and pink it") - from bike frames, to panniers, to cycling jerseys. I too find this annoying. But having thought about it for a couple of years, I suspect the real frustration here is that women-specific bicycles and products are oftentimes worse in quality than those designed for men. So the pink and flowery stuff, in combination with the inferior quality, is seen as a slap in the face: "Our marketing team believes you care about pretty colours and flowers more than you do about substance, so that is what we are selling you."
Ultimately, I think that pink is a more versatile colour than we give it credit for, particularly in the context of cycling. It is really all about presentation. I will probably not keep the pink bar tape on this bike in the long run, simply because it overshadows the elaborate lugwork that really deserves the starring role here. But for now I quite like it, stereotyped or not.
What comes to mind when you think of pink bicycles or bike related products - Giro or girly? or something else entirely?
If you haven't already seen it you may enjoy this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CU040Hqbas&feature=g-hist&context=G29dddb8AHTwFwXQALAA -- a young girl's tirade about blue-pink boy-girl gender stereotyping!
ReplyDeleteThe outdoor sports and bike industry expression is "Shrink it and pink it." They know very well that 95% of the so-called women's bikes are just the same small men's bike in a different color, perhaps with one part changed to make it look substantial. There are indeed a handful of exceptions.
ReplyDeleteBut if you like pink handlebar tape you obviously just do it. It's absurd for anybody to have a problem with that regardless of whether you like it as a girly touch, it gives you warm fuzzies about memories in Italy or you just think it's a fun change.
In our culture, our purchases have become a statement of our identity. Just consider the overabundance of options when it comes to choosing checks or cell phone cases. I guess I considered it progress when bike and bike accessory designers finally took femininity into consideration when rolling out their products. For me, the playfulness of flowers and feminine colors takes the seriousness out of of the male-dominated biking realm and makes it more accessible.
ReplyDeleteI also doesn't hurt that one of the most serious non-professional bike racers I know had a pink bike for a few years.
I don't think we should be so hard on pink and obvious signs of feminity. My bike is black, but I have a lovely mint green basket and would have considered pink if green weren't available. I didn't want a pink bike or any colour that would stand out, but I wanted a feminine touch! I would not have been so eager to buy and wear a helmet if the only options had been masculine. I love my feminine sawako furino (I think) helmet. If the bikes all looked boyish I would be frightened off a bit. Girls who like pink should not feel ashamed but should feel free to express themselves, like anyone else! Your handlebar tape is great because you can change it with your mood.
ReplyDeleteFor me pink has to be unexpected to be interesting and I think there is good pink and very very bad. A dirty gray rose on an otherwise unadorned Italian loop frame would be awesome. Perfectly tailored pale pink shirt on a man with olive or dark skin is great, makes the man look much more masculine if anything. Fuchsia bar tape on a dark green Rivendell men's frame is not expected to me and I like it because it is like a send-up of preppie, even though the mossy green doesn't really fall into prep territory.
ReplyDeleteI do cringe when I see a cheaply made or ugly pink bike -- is insulting not just to gender but to my eye.
Everything doesn't have to be a political statement. You wanted pink, you went with it; no big deal. My Sam is orange with bright lime green handlebar color, not very manly. I say everybody goes with what they want. When I see a certain rider riding a certain bike I don't think manly or girly, I think "that is a nice looking bike" or "mmm, don't quite like the way that one." I kind of like pink as a color so I would put it on my bike.
ReplyDeleteAs to the marketing departments of bike companies, unfortunately they do what sells. Flowers and pretty colors seem to sell women specific bikes and so they just plaster every women specific bike with those attributes. Kind of lacking imagination, really.
I must admit I dislike pink and resent it slapped on bikes for women. [I equally resent women's bikes having pastel colors.] That's one reason I ride mostly men's bikes. However, the artist in me says the pink handlebar tape on your green bike looks good. It works. That's altogether a good use of pink.
ReplyDeleteI think this hot pink tape is definitely overpowering the other features of the bike as you say. However, it it were more of a mauve of a less saturated pink I think it would really 'pop' and look amazing, since it would be closer to the complimentary colour of the emerald green frame. And also bravo for calling out the issue of quality in women's cycling supplies, I hadn't even considered that it might be the case, but obviously it is a real issue. Food for thought.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog!
Even though I also am not a huge fan of "girly pink" i recently put pink handlebar tape on my bike, an '88 trek 660. you can see it here: http://adventuresinweekdaycooking.blogspot.com/2011/10/post-about-bikes-on-my-blog-about-what.html
ReplyDeletepink was already part of the color scheme, but not in a way that I see as all that girly so much as just a statement about color trends at the time the bike was made.
I actually really love my pink handlebars. I can see my bike in the rack from a block away, and it's an uncommon pop of bright color.
I was never a fan of wearing specifically "girly" colors, and it has always freaked me out how some parents of girls often dress them in only girly colors/clothes so that people will "know" they are girls. But I don't think that has to be the only statement pink should make. it's a color, and other colors have multiple meanings to different people. So far no one has called my bike girly.
T Mobile
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of pink, I think of old men playing golf in their pink, polyester pants.
ReplyDeleteAnd I didn't know Fizik made bar tape in pink.
None of the women in my family like the color pink. I simply find most shades of the color unattractive. Though, TBH, I have actually found a couple of pink yarns that weren't awful.
ReplyDeleteAnd it doesn't help that pink = girly for much of popular culture. I'm not a girly-girl at all. I have nothing against women and girls liking pink and being girly. I just kind of don't understand it.
Now if you want to talk about purple or lime green, I'm there with you. :)
Giro. Canada Mints. Nice bright add-on for winter.
ReplyDeleteV,pay no mind whatsoever what others think,you're riding for you,and ride what puts the biggest smile on your face,my friend...other people aren't paying your bills,nor are they mashing the big ring up the hill for you,you are...I think it looks (and yes,it's a perfect opportunity to use your blog's namesake) like a Lovely Bicycle :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with the sentiments about the manufacturers and "pretty bikes" some of them pawn off on female cyclists...that's just dumb of them,and MHO is it alienates ladies more interested in subsance than fluff.
That said,I'm secure enough in my manhood to have worn a pink button-down shirt to church yesterday :p
The Disabled Cyclist
i don't think it needs to be explained too deeply...pink is a bright color. i am a man and don't have a problem wearing a pink oxford. and besides even if pink was such a feminine exclusive color it really shouldn't matter. i think like any other color, if it's used tastefully it's acceptable. if a woman can look beautiful in pink, black, lime green.....does it make a difference?
ReplyDeleteI like pink. I don't really care if it's considered stereotyped femininity by someone else. My bike is blue and my car is blue. Am I overcompensating for my lack of a Y chromosome because I happened to choose a color that we associate with boys? Please. People overthink things. If you want pink handlebar tape or pink jerseys or a pink bike (which I wish I could have found when looking for a road bike) why should anyone else care? It's your choice and you should do what makes you happy.
ReplyDeleteI don't think of pink as gender based at all, but more as adding some color. I like pink for a splash, not as an overall color scheme. Of course, my husband wears pink shirts so what do I know?
ReplyDeletePink is for Girls. You ARE a girl. Don't sweat it.
ReplyDeleteI think that in a lot of activities and prefesions that are "male dominated" females tend to be drawn to things that make them look "not like a boy". Pink and flowers it is! After they achieve a certain point of proficiency they don't care so much about physical apearance and substance does take over.
Those things being said, I do not think that that color goes with that bike at all. Yech.
I'm with the pink stinks lot on this one. And it's not solely about quality issues, although that's a problem too (oh and fashion industry? Put proper pockets on your women's clothes too. We don't all carry handbags). Obviously you can choose whatever colour of handlebar tape you like (and I love the idea of riding a giant watermelon) but given the way pink is so heavily pushed onto little girls these days (along with all sorts of other more subtle stereotypes) I think there's an onus on us grown women to avoid it if we can. That way, hopefully, when my nieces start to grow up they will put pink aside and at the same time put aside all the other nonsense about waiting for their prince to come, and only being valued for their prettiness. Sorry to lay all that on a choice of handlebar tape!
ReplyDeleteAfter riding in the YSC Tour de Pink the last four years, the color pink has a whole new meaning. For me the color pink stands for all of the young women showing breast cancer it will not get the best of them. It's a color that stands for living life to the fullest and fighting a battle no woman should have to face. It represents courage and determination! Even Rapha has a lot of pink in their collection, would you call Jeremy Powers girly?
ReplyDeleteI'm a guy and I've no problem with pink whatsoever - or any other colour for that matter. I had a bespoke randonneur made for me a few months ago and for its livery opted for a sort of mauve-violet-grey as the main body colour with a warm pink for the head tube and seat tube panel. I love it. Others seem to as well. It was displayed at a big bicycle show over here in the UK (in Bristol) and received a lot of favourable comment - from both sexes.
ReplyDeleteRoff Smith
Any guy tries to wear a repro maglia rosa needs bella figura and then some.
ReplyDeleteThey sell, they hang in closets, not many are worn.
The first thing that came to my mind before I read your post is that you may be supporting the Susan Komen foundation. October was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and my bike shop was wrapping anyone's handlebars with pink tape for free.
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it I've never seen a pink bicycle in real life (on the streets or bike lanes or country roads) where I live, and very few white or yellow bicycles or pink tape or flowers on the dress-guards. But I've seen quite a few sky blue bicycles.
ReplyDeleteMaybe all "serious" bicycles (men's and women's) are black or green or navy blue? I think most people get tired quickly of wild color schemes on bicycles, computers, cars, furniture, refrigerators, etc.
I think the pink is lovely with the green. Why does everything have to be fraught with meaning? Why can't we just enjoy the aesthetics?
ReplyDelete"Fuchsia bar tape on a dark green Rivendell "
ReplyDeleteInterestingly the pink is actually a pastel "Giro" pink. This product photo is pretty accurate. But it looks more saturated next to the green because they are complementary. I knew of this effect, but was still surprised by how strong it is here.
"The outdoor sports and bike industry expression is "Shrink it and pink it." "
ReplyDeleteOf course, how could I forget about this term!
Oh my goodness, so much to say on this one (!), but I'll reign it in. I tend to rebel against assigned meaning for colors. Just go with what you like or what's good on you. I grew up in Doc Martens and flannel and thinking pink was only acceptable as an ironic statement for goths, but guess what: Life is funny, and now I have three daughters, one of whom is as "girly" as can be and also happens to look outstanding in pink of nearly every shade. Am I going to try and crush it out of her? Of course not. It would be the height of hypocrisy. Re your bike: pink and green are natural aesthetic partners. I don't personally like those particular values of pink and green together, but it makes you happy and THAT is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh- someone above mentioned the idea of a grey-ish pink Italian bike. +1 for that!
When pink is attached to good quality, I have no problem looking at it. When it's attached to crap, it perpetuates the dim and cheap and sentimental. Didn't you feature a big, not so long ago that was pink? That one looked cool. Also, I think it was a good move to not have the eye go to the lugs first. Let it move around and linger on other interesting and unexpected color relationships/features before discovering that which you think to be the real gem.
ReplyDelete^ Yup I featured a pink Sketchy, which I think looks verrry nice
ReplyDelete"Shrink it and pink it" sob.
ReplyDeleteI don't get this topic. If you don't like it don't buy it. Gloria Steinem should weigh in.
ReplyDeleteYou sure go through a lot of handlebar tape.
I had a custom painted pink bike forever ago. It was a necessary reaction to my environment.
Nice, balanced post. I (male, very non-pro) have a black/pink bike with pink tape: http://cyclismespandelles.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/imag0405.jpg Zdenek Stybar (male, very pro) is now riding a pink cx bike: http://cyclephotos.co.uk/2012/01/2012-new-bikes/
ReplyDeleteHowever, just because men wear pink does not erase the gender issue...
Hi , I love your blogs and your style . The pink looks great , and thats all that matters . Why complicate things by putting hidden meanings into it .
ReplyDeleteIt's just a colour .
I like the idea of reclaiming it in a feminist sort of way. I also like the way it looks on your Hillborne.
ReplyDelete'Shrink it and pink it' makes me want to hit something.
I pick colors based on how they make me feel and bright colors, especially in the winter, make me feel happy. So I get it!
I do think there is meaning in everything, that choices are infused with meaning even if they seem spontaneous or impulsive. I can also understand the POV that as someone whose bikes get photographed a lot and appear on the blog, my choices send a message on a larger scale. However, I stop short of drawing the conclusion that I need to censor my choices for that reason so as not to offend parts my audience. Because with that reasoning, I would basically have to stop posting entirely - nearly everything I write about and photograph is bound to offend someone.
ReplyDeleteI really hate the overuse of pink/pastels/flowers on cycling/sporting equipment for women. It's patronizing, like "Oh, girls will only like sports if we put pink flowers on it." It's so hard to find women's cycling jerseys that don't have pastel and/or floral motifs. What's worse is that the "feminine" pink/pastel/floral stuff isn't even well designed. There are ways to make things pastel without making them ugly, but the industry seems to miss that. Also, there are ways to make products feminine without covering them in pastel colors.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I like your snazzy pink bar tape on the green bike. As someone said above, I think pink is best when it's unexpected. Or maybe it's just my inner preppy.
The local family run bike store has a girly pink Gazelle omafiets. It's been there for over a year and last summer they had it in the window on display. I've longingly eyeballed it since the first time I saw it. It didn't just scream girlie, it screamed "lets do something cheerful in this rainy dreary weather". It makes me think of cotton candy and spring time picnics.
ReplyDeleteTo compensate I bought these horridly dark yellow and pastel yellow panniers with giant red flowers instead. There are days I look at it and grin. It's just so sickening syrupy it makes me smile.
So bring on the pink handlebar tape. It if makes you giggle, go for it!
Folks put meaning in things whether we intend it or not....just a fact of life these days. You're not overthinking it.
ReplyDeleteOver thought entirely. Pink is no more socially significant than brown.
ReplyDeleteMarc
:-)
ReplyDeleteIs this your way of saying Rapha is going to be a new sponsor?
:-)
" (...) nearly everything I write about and photograph is bound to offend someone."
ReplyDeleteI think "offend" is too strong a word! Normal people can disagree on something or ideas without feeling offended.
re: oppression. Yesterday I saw a perfect re-enactment bike: VO Polyvalent, some dainty bar bag, Brooks, rider in wool knickers with a driving cap (it's 64 degrees man!) long argyle socks...
ReplyDeleteIt's also 2012 - do we really need to get the look from a catalog?
On the other end, dude the other day on a murdered out Axiom, carbon wheels, totally stealth. With lime green cables. Nice look, for a few minutes, but coupled with an immaculate white kit and shoe covers...meh. Y'all are trying too hard.
Politics of color? I'm jamming it into a little cog and sprinting from that.
cyclotourist - I doubt they want to sponsor me after this. But I do like the way their men wear pink. They need a 100% merino jersey for women.
ReplyDeleteI like this posting a lot because 1) it started a conversation in my household about color and gender 2) I really enjoy seeing how people react to this topic 3) I find color in generally very interesting because I'm an artist
ReplyDeleteI hope that you never stop posting!
I'm thinking "matching seat cover"
ReplyDeleteWhen I was much younger I was all about women power! I had purple clothes to represent women. I believe I refused to wear pink for years but then something clicked. If I fall into the "pink is girlie" pattern of thought then I let them win. Forget that. I'm not uber in to pink. I don't have pink at home - I'm more of a neutral natural tone kinda gal.
ReplyDeleteNOW...as far as bikes. I'm new-ish to having a bike and don't ride mine nearly enough but I sure researched and looked long and hard for one I wanted. I wanted something that I wouldn't get sick of but, like others have said, even the black bike (which I bought) has flowers on it. I loved EVERYTHING about the bike except the flowers (Which I've partially covered with stickers). After having my bike a while I felt it needed a feminine touch so I bought myself the girliest panniers of all! I love them. Others love them. I wasn't sure of them since they are so damn girlie and pink. I think they are ugly and pretty at the same time! http://www.amazon.com/Basil-Double-Bike-Rosa-Color/dp/B0029LMWCC/ref=sr_1_77?ie=UTF8&qid=1325527270&sr=8-77
Definitely GIRO! haha Ive been meaning to redo my handle bar tape! You have done a fantastic job with yours! I like the color!!!
ReplyDeleteI think it's ridiculous that someone would write you an email like that. You are obviously an intelligent woman and you are entitled to your aesthetic preferences.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a girl, I hated pink. My favorite color was blue, as I loved to tell anyone who would listen. This was a reaction to all the "girly" BS that was pushed on me by advertisers, society, etc. I understand now that as a child, there were few ways for me to assert myself as an individual who did not want to be defined by gender norms. As a result, color took on great significance. Now as a woman, I have my law degree, independence, feminist advocacy work, etc, that provide a real foundation for my individuality. And if I like something pink, I'm going to wear pink.
Pink is a lovely cheerful color. If you notice our society assigns the love of color as a feminine attribute. Somehow as women who are into sports we feel that we have to apologize for appearing too feminine. I think the tape looks great.
ReplyDeleteWell, there is that...
ReplyDeleteI like their clothes, but only wear 100% wool, so they're out of contention for me. Plus they're cut for people that are cut, so I'm not their target demographic.
Nice post. (But maybe it's just because your thoughts are substantially in line with mine and therefore seem so rational.) Some of the comments, though, are surprising.
ReplyDeleteThat looks suspiciously like the Fizik pink handle bar tape that I have on Miss Surly.
ReplyDeleteI like it and I, personally, am anything from "girly." Been called a tomboy from birth, I've recently got bike kit with pink, and I love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat comes to mind with pink? Culturally, there's no doubt in my mind that pink has become synonymous with femininity. However, I do protest and groan inwardly at the cliché that as a woman I must like pink.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I myself have no problem with the colour, and even enjoy it in the right doses...but then I also enjoy earthy colours, blues, and other vivid colours. So much for clichés.
I like the combination you have on your bike. Had the colour pattern been reversed, with the pink on the frame and the green on the handlebars, well, now that's a different story.
I forgot to add that here in Europe you see plenty of men garbed in pink shirts combined with sombre coloured suits. Why not? I think it looks very elegant. You're probably also familiar with "Thomas Pink" the shirt shop. And then of course there's the expression "to be in the pink", where pink simply means healthy and glowing.
ReplyDeleteGood point on the colour reversal - pink bar and green tape; now that would have been ghastly.
ReplyDeleteRoff Smith
I wear pink shirts frequently. And I'm an Alpha Male. ;?)
ReplyDeleteI'm a guy who has ridden a pink bike for years, sometimes with pink bar tape as well, and I've lost count of the times I've been asked if its my girlfriends. Not sure of my point.
ReplyDeleteWhy is there no comments from Peppy the notsopinkcat on this one?? The pink would look great with her fur. I miss Peppy (especially since my own cat is fighting with the visiting cat)!
ReplyDeletebadmother
Actually Peppy often sports pink as part of her outfit. The palms of her gloves, the soles of her socks, and the lower part of her balaclava...
ReplyDeleteI think the pink bar tape looks surprisingly good on the green Sam. Not long ago a female co-worker was teasing me about the pink accents on my commuter, a ratty 1988 Schwinn mountain bike that's still mostly blue but will someday be reborn as a chrome stallion. Honestly, I never even noticed the pink accents until she pointed them out to me. She dislikes girly colors on bikes.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this bike, http://www.cyclofiend.com/ssg/2008/ssg170-lisacotterman0708.html is one of the coolest pink bikes I've ever seen.
MT cyclist
I'm so glad you ended that sentence with "balaclava."
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't even
ReplyDeleteWhat are the loaded meanings of other colors?
ReplyDeleteStephanie, "Girls who like pink should not feel ashamed but should feel free to express themselves, like anyone else!"
ReplyDeleteTrue but neither should boys feel ashamed, in my not so humble opinion!
There are loads of pink bikes in LA, and lots of them are ridden by men. One of my office colleagues years ago rode a hot pink singlespeed. He was 6' 5" and annoyingly aggressive, hardly girly. The paradigm may be changing.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'm allowed to comment on pink...
ReplyDeleteActually, I like the pink handlebars. They are an interesting contrast to the bike green.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should cover your seat in camouflage material. There are lots of options out there, from the classic woodland green pattern to softer combinations. (That would really confuse things...)
That pink's a bit bright for me, but here in my household, pink is for boys. My son has loved the color pink since he was pre-verbal (he'd point at pink things and grunt ecstatically). We've gone through several battles with my ex over this, despite the fact that his mom is gay (or maybe because his mom is gay). In the end, the dominant culture has mostly forced my son's pink love underground, where it's restricted to things he uses at home, but every summer I try to get him a pink polo shirt at Target, and put it on him before he goes to daddy's house ;).
ReplyDeleteWhen he was younger, I used to put him in the polo and matching socks. Occasionally, someone would stop me and ask me: "Aren't you worried about that?" To which I would reply: "Other people's homophobia is not really his problem." Conversation over.
Boys who like pink rule. People should like whatever colors they want. If you want pink handlebar tape, good for you. I wouldn't use it, but I'm not a huge fan of pink.
I've never liked pink. I don't wear pink, as I look dead in it. I don't like pink flowers. I don't think girly, I think Pepto-Bismol or bublegum. BUT, there's this magenta-pink bike I see around town that I LOVE. The owner's husband built it up for her from a custom color metallic powder coated mountain bike frame. Every time I see it I say it is so cool - hope you can see it! : IMG_0041.jpeg http://gallery.me.com/kmjdebay#100041
ReplyDeleteI agree with anonymous who called pink a "nice bright add-on for winter". Neighbourtease, you would have admired my sun-browned arms of last summer, adorned with an Original Penguin pale pink polo piped (the alliteration had to end) in navy. How we go about doing things is far less quantifiable than what we've done ; )
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm not a big fan of the colour pink in general, but I have owned a couple of Pink Paisley Fender Telecasters in the past... and loved them! So, I have to say that the pink can appeal to me in the right context.
ReplyDeleteMy butt is pink.
ReplyDeleteIn a cycling context, pink and rainbow colored stuff is as manly as it gets.
ReplyDelete(It's also quite ugly, most of the time.)
That's indeed ia serious case of over analyzis, IMO... If you don't like pink, don't buy pink gear. Simple as that.
My favourite shirt is my pink Fat Cyclist shirt. I often wear a pink tie.
ReplyDeleteHow about Simone Krupeckaite
http://prollyisnotprobably.com/2009/12/intensity_at_the_uci_world_cup.php
I heard an interview with Terry Dolan where he talked about building her bike. He wanted to paint it in the national colours, she insisted on pink
I like the colors. The green and pink look great. Don't worry about other people's convoluted thinking. No matter what you do someone will find something to complain about so do what you like.
ReplyDeleteCycling and bikes have proud traditions of using non demure color-schemes and decorations. Apart from the pink jersey of the Giro I especially like the polka dot climbing jerseys although I would never wear one (at least not one of the official colour combinations) due to not being worthy.
ReplyDeleteThen there are the Italian bike brands. De Rosa have their hearts. Some Colnago bikes have paint-jobs that looks like the designer was on acid, while the traditional red/white is almost cute. Then there is the celeste Bianchi colour. I think such features are eye-catching and certainly not something to be avoided regardless of gender.
I think your bar tape is ok with the green metallic of the bike, but less so with the saddle and the handlebar bag. But sometimes it is fun not to match everything.
Mine too Peppy ;?)
ReplyDeletebadmother
My daughter (5 y.o.) is very into pink, and dolls, and all that stuff. Initially was an effort not to be disappointed. In the end had to realise that whether a pink-loving girl or pink-loving boy, there's a whole lot that is hard-wired from the moment they pop out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about pink? Musk sticks (Australian candy popular in the 70s)
BTW this is a pretty neat little filip in the gender "discussion" within cycling:
http://tinyurl.com/6p8uft7
b
Don't know what's coming up mind...look at my beloved ride:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/ericx-galerie/6219210249/in/set-72157626327851881
Pink on Green, Works for me. Roses and many wild flowers on green bushes attest to its natural beauty.
ReplyDeleteI feel there could be a connection between this post and the one about mixing martinis...
ReplyDeleteI don't consider myself a girly-girl but I do love the color pink. To each his own. I don't think I make myself look less strong or capable by wearing pink and if I see a man in pink I don't think of him as feminine.
ReplyDeleteMy son was 12 when he entered middle school and had a broken arm and requested the hot pink cast because (I quote) "I'm man enough to wear it!" He liked the attention.
Support your feelings with your dollars -- I'm glad I have some floral pink things to buy and if you don't like them, enjoy the other offerings.
Nanseikan - I saw that article. The more I learn about women's cycling (as a sport), even the local racing scene, the more dismayed I get.
ReplyDeleteAnon 11:28 - Wow!!!
Keep the pink. Who cares if pink is associated with femininity? It's just a damned color. BTW check out the pic of a very macho machine that any manly man would love to own.
ReplyDeletehttp://thefoxnote.com/PinkAndGreyChevy.jpg
As far as "Girly Bikes" go, I ride a Peugeot Mixte, with Pink handlebar tape, (http://www.instructables.com/image/FCECA0XGPBDFVOE/Bike-Moustache.jpg) and I'm a teenage guy. I think that Pink really is the only reasonable color for bar tape, or at least it's the only color I'll buy. From what I can see, guys heavily outnumber gals in the pink bar tape market. That I need some new tape, but only cork tapes seem to have the right shades. What variety did you get? It looks crazy durable.
ReplyDeleteLooks great...and really works with the green!
ReplyDeleteLike, sometimes a banana is just a banana, like, you know what I mean and stuff?
ReplyDeletePink is the waffenfarb of the panzer troops of the German Army. Hardly feminine.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad's very pink bicycle: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7649556@N02/4119715726/in/set-72157622117479721
ReplyDeletePink is not just for girls. :)