"Exploring a Different Kind of Open Shop" Women and Trans Night at West Town Bikes

If you are curious about West Town's Women and Trans Night and the series, Women's Bicycle Mechanic Workshop, this article talks about why they started the open shop time as well as what you can expect if you attend. 

Emily Leidenfrost, program coordinator and instructor at these workshops, explained West Town created these workshops in response to an existing culture in the cycling community.

“It’s a very male dominated space,” Leidenfrost said, “and that’s because a lot of men and boys are taught how to use tools and how to be self sufficient with fixing things themselves. Girls aren’t necessarily taught that in the same way.”

Leidenfrost said many bike shops already host what is known as “open shop,” a time when cyclists can come into the shop to fix their bikes. She said beginner cyclists, especially women, often feel uncomfortable in these spaces.

“Men can kind of be subconsciously condescending,” Leidenfrost added. “They’ll say things like, ‘Oh you don’t know how to use that tool? You don’t know how what a big adjustable is?’”

Other barriers for women cyclists include being catcalled, feeling unsafe on the road, lacking access to a bike, even not knowing how to ride a bike in the first place.

Lauren Crabtree said she agrees that most women she knows who don’t bike are afraid of the physical dangers of riding in the city.

“The perception of danger is higher than what you’re actually facing,” Crabtree said. “I think we can build confidence, we can feel comfortable being on the street on a bike. Women and trans[gender] night does that.”

Leidenfrost said she hopes women and transgender night can provide that confidence for people. However, she admits the group is self-selecting. The women they want to reach out to the most are unlikely to attend.

“This is geared towards women who are already biking for the most part,” Leidenfrost said. “They already have a bike; they’re coming here to work on their bike or learn more about it. They’re already open to that.”

Full article:

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/exploring-a-different-k...