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Buying Women-Specific Athletic equipment

Posted May 30, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Martinique Haller

Section: Her Fitness, Her Gear & Apparel

Let’s face it. Your favorite sport is probably dominated by men.  I’m sure you’re not the first woman to participate in that sport, and you’re probably not the only woman you know that loves to run or bike or golf or play basketball.  At the same time you can’t help noticing that not much has changed since high school when there was the basketball team and the girl’s basketball team.  Now you notice that there are road bikes and women’s road bikes, there is the Professional Golf Association and the Ladies Professional Golf Association.  We’ve come a long way since Title IX, but we’re still usually the ‘other’ in sports.  Because of this, it’s important to look out for yourself and stay educated about your sport. It’s important to make sure people know you’re out there participating, and it’s important to support each other. 

Today, a lot of companies have dedicated lines of equipment and apparel for women, but it’s important to know how your needs are different than those of men.  In cycling, many women feel too stretched out on bikes designed for men because they often have shorter torsos.  The men’s bikes might have handlebars that are too wide for the average woman’s shoulders, or they might come with a saddle that doesn’t support a woman’s frame and pelvis.  Other sports have similar distinctions to pay attention to: men’s and women’s running shoes are very different, men’s and women’s snowboard equipment, even women-specific SCUBA gear.

It’s important to consider how your needs might be different than a man’s need for your sport and to ask questions when shopping.  If you’re a cyclist and you walk into a bike shop, or a snowboarder and you walk into a ski/snowboard shop the salespeople should be willing to talk to you about some of these differences.  But don’t forget to do your own research.  Try out different tennis rackets, take the bikes for a test ride, jog down the block in a few different pairs of shoes.  Ask what the difference is between the men’s and the women’s jackets – sometimes it is just color, and sometimes it’s more.  If equipment was designed in the lab and tested on people who average at least a few inches taller and weigh more than you and have a fairly different skeleton (think airline seats where the ‘neck rest’ hits at the middle of your head), make sure it works for you before buying.

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Tags: athletics, biking, cycling, gender, martinique haller, snowboarding, torso lengths, woman's frame, women-specific

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