Mountainbikes for ladies

The history of mountain bikes began over 40 years ago. In 1973, Gary Fischer, Joe Breeze and Charles Kelly set themselves the goal of climbing an approx. 800 m high mountain by bike. But with the conventional road bike of the time, this was an almost utopian idea. So they got themselves so-called “Schwinn Cruisers”, which – as the name suggests – were intended for leisurely “riding along”. However, these were already very stable at the time and had thick balloon tyres on small 26″ rims

Uphill you can imagine this torture, but downhill it was a different story. With the wide tyres, plodding down bumpy gravel roads is child’s play and it quickly became clear that this was only the beginning of a new bicycle era. The idea of the mountain bike was born. The “new invention” quickly found favour with sports enthusiasts and soon the first sporting competitions called “Repack” started at Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California. The development continued and the “new bike” required on the one hand a significantly lower weight and on the other hand a high level of robustness

Aluminium components and other innovations made the mountain bike more and more popular over the years. The name “mountain bike”, coined by Gary Fisher, was used to describe the new type of bicycle. More and more manufacturers, including Cannondale, Specialized and Trek, jump on the bandwagon and the major suppliers of bicycle parts, such as Shimano, start producing special mountain bike components. Some manufacturers are starting their own mass production of the bikes and the technical progress is remarkable. Be it the even lighter material or new developed suspension systems for adventurous mountain tours.

The idea that bicycles were a purely male domain was already disproved in the 19th century. At that time, a woman’s sphere of activity was still mainly limited to home and farm. The bicycle thus not only helped women’s world to become more mobile – it had an impact on freedoms, fashion development, which moved away from long skirts and corsets, and women’s courage and courageousness. Suffragette Susan B. Anthony said in an interview with the New York World in 1896:

I think it has done more for the emancipation of woman than anything else in the world. I stand there and rejoice every time I see a woman on a bicycle. It gives women a sense of freedom and confidence

Susan B. Anthony

Due to the high sales of bicycles and the corresponding mass production, prices also dropped and the bicycle was no longer just for the upper classes. In 1870, the era of women’s cycling began, albeit with reservations and full of hostility towards womankind. At the turn of the 20th century, it was even banned by some federations and could only be done unofficially and by private organisers. It was not until the 1950s that official cycling races for women were introduced. This was followed by separate cycling magazines for women and the acceptance of society grew rapidly.

To this day, women’s cycling has established itself worldwide. Well-known manufacturers such as Cube, Scott or Trek proudly present their mountain bikes specially developed for women. There is a choice for the most diverse areas of use and, as with the men, you can decide between double-suspension full-suspension bikes or only single-suspension hardtails.

Scott Contessa Ransom for absolute Enduro fun with long reach and chainstays, a flip chart to adjust the steering angle, and a full suspension hardtail for women

Scott Contessa Spark for shredding over your favourite trails, it will always accompany you reliably and safely.

The frame

The frame is generally designed to be somewhat smaller and also lighter. In terms of frame sizes, larger frames should be chosen for particularly sporty ambitions and thus a stretched posture, and smaller frames should be chosen for more comfort and thus an upright posture. This is then combined with the corresponding wheel size of 26″, 27.5″ or 29″. In cooperation with professional athletes and their expertise, modifications were also made, for example, in the form of a curved top tube and the distance to the handlebars was shortened. The manufacturers deliberately want to use the increased feeling of safety and comfort to get more and more women on their bikes, in order to further the development of cycling for women. The often lighter weight is also taken into account, especially with regard to the suspension systems

The choice of models, colours and shapes is almost unmanageable nowadays. Not to mention the variety of clothing that goes with it. It’s not for nothing that we meet not only trained young bikers on the steepest trails. It is not uncommon for passionate female bikers to show the men how to cut a good figure off-road.

Women like Denise Betsema, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado or Viola Brand are the symbol of all those female bikers who pursue their passion with heart and soul, who show ambition and don’t let themselves be defeated; who stand for strength and stamina and don’t let society or other influences get in their way and stick to their path and goals. As in many other areas, the women of this world have also proven in cycling how strong, passionate and ambitious they are in resisting what sometimes seems to be a male-dominated world and successfully convincing society of the opposite.

Cube Access with slim seat stays, a fork with 100 mm travel, a short rear tube and a butted head tube.

Cube Sting an all-mountain bike with particularly wide suspension travel (130/120 mm), adapted saddle and grips specially designed for small hands.

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