{"id":176274,"date":"2019-12-05T12:02:32","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T12:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=176274"},"modified":"2019-12-05T12:03:33","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T12:03:33","slug":"is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the \u2018Pink Tax\u2019 Included? The Problem with Women\u2019s Cycling Gear"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year, consumer reports come out which reveal that many products for women are priced higher than their male equivalent. From razors to socks and to, yes, biking accessories, it is part of a discriminatory system in which, overall, women earn less and pay more. Cycling companies have long been criticized for taking a \u2018shrink and pink\u2019 approach to women\u2019s gear and although there are definitely some great companies who now reject this method, it does still exist.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Of course, everyone is free to buy or not buy whatever they want, some women like riding in a hot pink kit while others buy from the men\u2019s line and that\u2019s all OK. The problem is that, especially when it comes to mid-range and plus-size gear, the selection for women is seriously limited. In addition to being asked to pay a premium, the restricted selection makes it a lot harder for some women to continue advancing in the sport they love. We Love Cycling talked to a group of women about their experience with the \u2018pink tax,\u2019 the shortage of options, and looked towards finding some solutions.<\/p>\n

A lack of choice<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As Sophie V. pointed out, in many cases, the technique still seems to be, \u2018shrink it (although women come in all shapes and sizes), pink it (although women enjoy other colours than pink), add 15 % on the price.\u2019 It is true that for decades, across all sports, women\u2019s gear has privileged form over function. This is definitely improving but there is still a clear focus on marketing things towards women with an emphasis on how they look rather than how they perform.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Is the pink tax included? \u00a9 lzf \/ DPphoto \/ Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Michelle R. also found it to be true while doing research on frames when she was looking to buy. \u2018I noticed that female-marketed frames sometimes had a lower component grade compared to the men\u2019s model at the same price point, and a lower-grade top end. To me, that sends the message that if you are a serious rider with a serious budget, you buy a \u2018men\u2019s\u2019 model bike. Which is fine for me at 5\u20199\u201d but maybe not for a smaller rider.\u2019<\/p>\n

Paying more for plus size<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Kathy L. has found that it is really difficult to buy women\u2019s cycling clothing beyond size 16. She explained: \u201cI recently tried to buy a packable jacket in a size 18. If I was a size 12\/14\/16 there were plenty of affordable jackets. Being plus size, however, I either have to buy a man\u2019s or get something custom made.\u201d<\/p>\n

We Love Cycling has already highlighted the great work that brands such as Fat Lad at The Back are doing but they\u2019ve even said that they\u2019re struggling to keep up with the demand for 16+ sizes. Clearly, there are people looking to buy these products so there\u2019s really no excuse that plus-size gear should only be offered at a premium.<\/p>\n

Lack of mid-range products prevents women from advancing<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Women’s gear is often more expensive than men’s. \u00a9 tdway \/ DPphoto \/ Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to the fact that women’s gear is often more expensive, the range is usually smaller and lacking in mid-range options. The vast majority of products tends to be either beginner’s stuff or expensive, high-end stuff. Stacy Z. said that it took her two years to find cycling shoes when she wanted to upgrade. \u201cI visited multiple local shops and they never had anything women\u2019s that was higher than entry level. And forget finding something in a size 38 that I could try on before buying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Should women just buy men\u2019s?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Of course, part of the problem can be blamed on demand. It\u2019s a comment lament in the industry that manufacturers get decent marks for creating entry-level products but when it comes to gear designed for expert women, there\u2019s been a substantial hole. Ruth S. has resigned to buying cheaper products designed for men,\u00a0\u2018I normally get men\u2019s as there\u2019s more to choose from. The cost is due to the smaller quantities manufactured for women and it\u2019s cheaper to manufacture in bulk.\u2019<\/p>\n

But, assuming the gender gap in cycling isn\u2019t going to be closed overnight, is there anything else women can do to avoid paying more for less? Buying men\u2019s is one option. In some cases, the difference is minimal but other times it really matters. Many women who ride men\u2019s bikes then need to go buy a different saddle, which can significantly add to the price. Sometimes though, you just have to ask.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Women continue to claim space in the world of cycling. \u00a9 KRISTOF VAN ACCOM \/ AFP \/ Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can\u2019t get what you don\u2019t ask for<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Michelle R. explained that when she bought her most recent road bike, her shop (a Trek dealer) swapped the saddle, handlebars and rear cassette for her at no charge. \u201cBut I had to ask, and I had to know to ask, which I did because I had retrofitted my previous bike to fit me better. But I hope that having a good relationship with a shop helps them think about those items for other female riders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many companies are definitely smartening up to the needs of women as they discover the potential of a hugely untapped market and the importance of growth in this segment as an avenue to invite more people into the sport. As women continue to claim space in the world of cycling, the more the brands will be forced to respond. In the meantime, if you spot a price discrepancy or gap in the market, don\u2019t be shy about reaching out to companies and letting them know you\u2019re not OK with it. Let\u2019s get rid of \u2018shrink and pink\u2019 once and for all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every year, consumer reports come out which reveal that many products for women are priced higher than their male equivalent. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":171837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[334],"tags":[2872,3764,2841,538,3765],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-176274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-socialising-and-culture","tag-cycling-women","tag-pink-tax","tag-plus-size-cycling-gear","tag-women-cycling","tag-womens-cycling-gear","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nIs the \u2018Pink Tax\u2019 Included? The Problem with Women\u2019s Cycling Gear - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Every year, consumer reports come out which reveal that many products for women are priced higher than their male equivalent. From razors to socks and to,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is the \u2018Pink Tax\u2019 Included? The Problem with Women\u2019s Cycling Gear\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every year, consumer reports come out which reveal that many products for women are priced higher than their male equivalent. From razors to socks and to,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-12-05T12:02:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-12-05T12:03:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2018\/12\/profimedia-0345399207.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"833\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tereza\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Megan Flottorp\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/\",\"name\":\"Is the \u2018Pink Tax\u2019 Included? The Problem with Women\u2019s Cycling Gear - \u0160koda We Love Cycling\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2018\/12\/profimedia-0345399207.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-05T12:02:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-05T12:03:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/50f01ecd18718d2333cf72e823c4f926\"},\"description\":\"Every year, consumer reports come out which reveal that many products for women are priced higher than their male equivalent. From razors to socks and to,\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2018\/12\/profimedia-0345399207.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2018\/12\/profimedia-0345399207.webp\",\"width\":1250,\"height\":833,\"caption\":\", Image: 345399207, License: Royalty-free, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Profimedia, Alamy\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Is the \u2018Pink Tax\u2019 Included? The Problem with Women\u2019s Cycling Gear\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/\",\"name\":\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling\",\"description\":\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling magazine\",\"alternateName\":\"\u0160koda WLC\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/50f01ecd18718d2333cf72e823c4f926\",\"name\":\"tereza\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f9eb71be33845f0afabce3791bc1c58ecdb0a25c62964987e5dbcf7a20d2ec7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f9eb71be33845f0afabce3791bc1c58ecdb0a25c62964987e5dbcf7a20d2ec7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"tereza\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/author\/tereza\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is the \u2018Pink Tax\u2019 Included? The Problem with Women\u2019s Cycling Gear - \u0160koda We Love Cycling","description":"Every year, consumer reports come out which reveal that many products for women are priced higher than their male equivalent. From razors to socks and to,","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Is the \u2018Pink Tax\u2019 Included? The Problem with Women\u2019s Cycling Gear","og_description":"Every year, consumer reports come out which reveal that many products for women are priced higher than their male equivalent. From razors to socks and to,","og_url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/","og_site_name":"\u0160koda We Love Cycling","article_published_time":"2019-12-05T12:02:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-12-05T12:03:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1250,"height":833,"url":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2018\/12\/profimedia-0345399207.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"tereza","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Megan Flottorp","Est. reading time":"5"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/","url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/","name":"Is the \u2018Pink Tax\u2019 Included? The Problem with Women\u2019s Cycling Gear - \u0160koda We Love Cycling","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2018\/12\/profimedia-0345399207.webp","datePublished":"2019-12-05T12:02:32+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-05T12:03:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/50f01ecd18718d2333cf72e823c4f926"},"description":"Every year, consumer reports come out which reveal that many products for women are priced higher than their male equivalent. From razors to socks and to,","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2018\/12\/profimedia-0345399207.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2018\/12\/profimedia-0345399207.webp","width":1250,"height":833,"caption":", Image: 345399207, License: Royalty-free, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Profimedia, Alamy"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/12\/05\/is-the-pink-tax-included-the-problem-with-womens-cycling-gear\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is the \u2018Pink Tax\u2019 Included? The Problem with Women\u2019s Cycling Gear"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/","name":"\u0160koda We Love Cycling","description":"\u0160koda We Love Cycling magazine","alternateName":"\u0160koda WLC","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/50f01ecd18718d2333cf72e823c4f926","name":"tereza","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f9eb71be33845f0afabce3791bc1c58ecdb0a25c62964987e5dbcf7a20d2ec7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f9eb71be33845f0afabce3791bc1c58ecdb0a25c62964987e5dbcf7a20d2ec7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"tereza"},"url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/author\/tereza\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176274"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176282,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176274\/revisions\/176282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176274"},{"taxonomy":"global-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/global-categories?post=176274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}