The Victorian Era Still Inspires Men And Women's Bikes Today

Gender equality has made great strides over the years. However, there are still many ways in which men and women are treated differently. That includes the production of bicycles. If you've never looked closely at these vehicles before, you might not think there's any difference between those made for men and those made for women.

However, there is one notable design alteration that's been around since the Victorian era. The change was made to accommodate the type of clothing women were expected to wear back in the day. With fashion so different now, though, why does the Victorian era still inspire men and women's bikes today.

Victorian bikes were adjusted to accommodate the heavy dresses that women used to wear

Several centuries ago, women didn't have the freedom to wear what they wanted the way they do now. Victorian women's fashion was a lot more restrictive and surprisingly heavy too. These clothes could make something as simple as walking tiring, which is why riding bikes was often preferred. However, the standard bicycle wasn't designed for women wearing heavy dresses with multiple layers of petticoats. So, an adjustment was made to allow women to be able to ride a bike while still meeting the societal expectation to wear certain clothes. That adjustment was the removal of the bar running between the handlebar and the seat.

The popularity of crinoline meant bikes without the top bar were still a necessity

As the 19th century progressed, the expectations of what women should wear changed. Crinoline became a popular garment, which was typically lighter and more flexible than the previous standard of clothing. Unfortunately, these outfits were still too long to be worn on the original bicycle design. So, women continued to ride around on bikes without the top bar, firmly establishing this model as one intended for females. Other adjustments present at the time also included a clothes guard, which prevented these long dresses from getting caught in the gears. That was ideal, given that these outfits were already enough of a safety hazard as it was. 

The top bar doesn't actually serve a purpose, so it's never been reintroduced

Times have changed significantly since the 19th century, meaning the need to have bikes designed a certain way is no longer present. So, why does the Victorian era still inspire men and women's bikes today? The fact is that the top bar isn't actually necessary for bikes used solely for leisure purposes. It can be fundamental in designing a stable road bike. However, with it effectively being redundant for recreational cyclists, designers typically haven't felt a need to reintroduce it to women's bikes. Unfortunately, because bicycles aimed at men still do have this bar, there exists some controversy around the gender differentiation.

Thankfully, although differences exist between the bikes advertised to men and women, nothing is stopping you from using whichever one you prefer. One isn't vastly superior to the other, so it doesn't matter what you ride as long as you're comfortable on the bicycle - even if the Victorian era is still inspiring bikes to date.