I've been riding the last 30+ years and I am usually the only visible minority in the group. I've never felt excluded/unwanted in biking/MTBing, but it's nice to see companies making a bit more effort to try and show a more diverse image to the wider world. I've always been crazy about bikes so nothing was going to stop me from riding, but I can imagine lots of other folks who'd enjoy the sport, but don't get motivated to spend the $$ and try because they don't see themselves represented in any of the media that gets created.
The whole process can be a win-win since new riders are a fresh market for bike companies and being more diverse/inclusive in how you approach marketing isn't expensive. It just takes a bit of consideration.
I wasn't sure my GF would become a MTBer because she had to learn as an adult in a really hard/techy location. Riding with the guys was okay and we tried to be thoughtful/considerate, but what really took her to the next level and love the sport was finding a ladies riding group. Where they looked like her, talked like her and had similar challenges and found solutions together that worked well for them.
Dec. 30, 2020, 5:44 a.m. - Vik Banerjee
I've been riding the last 30+ years and I am usually the only visible minority in the group. I've never felt excluded/unwanted in biking/MTBing, but it's nice to see companies making a bit more effort to try and show a more diverse image to the wider world. I've always been crazy about bikes so nothing was going to stop me from riding, but I can imagine lots of other folks who'd enjoy the sport, but don't get motivated to spend the $$ and try because they don't see themselves represented in any of the media that gets created. The whole process can be a win-win since new riders are a fresh market for bike companies and being more diverse/inclusive in how you approach marketing isn't expensive. It just takes a bit of consideration. I wasn't sure my GF would become a MTBer because she had to learn as an adult in a really hard/techy location. Riding with the guys was okay and we tried to be thoughtful/considerate, but what really took her to the next level and love the sport was finding a ladies riding group. Where they looked like her, talked like her and had similar challenges and found solutions together that worked well for them.