For women, the ‘bicycle boom’ meant a new world of independence

** This article was first published in Canberra Cyclist #279, Autumn Edition 2022**

By Julia Widdup

It was in the first half of the 19th century that the first bicycle-like vehicles appeared and by the 1880s they had developed into something resembling their modern form – coinciding with the first wave of
feminism.

Then a male cyclist was just a ‘bloke’ on a bike, but when a woman appeared on a bike they were seen as being ‘political, independent, a bluestocking, egregiously sporty, or suspiciously saucy’.

The invention of the boneshakers of the 1860s and penny farthings of the 1870s opened up new vistas of transport and recreation. The late 19th century witnessed a global ‘bike boom’: there were weddings on wheels; even a christening with baby and nurse arriving on a tandem.

Women were active participants in the new cyclomania. The American feminist Susan B Anthony called bicycles ‘freedom machines’ that did ‘more to emancipate women than
anything else in the world’.

Enthusiasts were often well-heeled: the Duchess of Somerset and friends enjoyed night rides through London, Chinese lanterns lighting the way. Women-only cycling clubs sprang up around the UK and US for fun and philanthropy: the Mowbray House Cycling Association, set up in 1892, provided bicycles to working women.

There was resistance. Pioneers were pelted with bricks, eggs and rotten vegetables as they rode. Opponents claimed cycling led to infertility, a manly gait, or promiscuity. The sit up and beg position – hardly aerodynamic – was said to be designed to avoid women developing a ‘bicycle hump’.

From 1890 onwards bicycles rapidly gained popularity – first for leisure among the upper classes and then, as mass production took over, as a convenient form of transport for middleclass working men.

But for women clothing was a problem. In the early 1800s, few women wore pants as for women the purpose of clothing was not so much for function, but to make them look curvier, and their dress included a
number of layers.

Eventually in Europe women began wearing ‘Turkish trousers’ under their skirts and in America, Amelia Bloomer took inspiration from this trend and began promoting new look ‘bloomers’ in her newspaper, The Lily. She advertised these pants as being better for women’s health than petticoats, steel hoops, and corsets and allowed ‘healthful outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, and bike riding’, (which were so difficult for women that they rarely participated in these activities). Bloomers opened up ‘opportunities for exercise and fresh air’.

Women’s newfound love of cycling ultimately helped to transform female fashion: it sealed the fate of the restrictive corset, while bloomers, which had been roundly mocked since the 1850s, came into their own. Some cyclists even came up with ingenious designs to convert their skirts into cycling-friendly wear when needed.

Women were finally provided with an easy escape from the house and freed from the watchful eyes of chaperones. It was their first opportunity to develop physical fitness and many of them took cycling up with relish.
In 1895, the writer Louise Jeye exclaimed:

There is a new dawn … of emancipation, and it is brought about by the cycle. Free to wheel, free to spin out in the glorious country, unhampered by chaperones … the young girl of today can feel the real independence of herself and, while she is building up her better constitution, she is developing her better mind.

Guidebooks (e.g. Lady Cycling: What to Wear and How to Ride), were published to encourage women to get out on their bikes.

However not all approved. It’s hard to imagine now how much outrage female cyclists caused when they started appearing on the streets – and the consternation existed as much among other women as it
did among men.

Canadian journalist Kit Coleman, stated in 1889 that “No girl over the age of 39 should be allowed to wheel. It is immoral. Unfortunately, it is older girls who are ardent wheelers. They love to cavort and careen above the spokes, twirling and twisting in a manner that must remind them of long-dead dancing days.”

In particular, the act of straddling the bicycle was viewed as unseemly for women, with widespread concern that it might cause sexual arousal. A bicycle with both pedals on the same side was developed to allow ladies
to ride side-saddle; others had the centre cut out of the saddle to prevent any rubbing that might cause unwanted excitement.

Medical objections were also raised. Doctors were creative with their diagnoses – one writing in 1897 claiming cases of women suffering chronic dysentery as a result of cycling. One of the more common concerns was that women might exhaust themselves with too much exercise. In The hidden dangers of cycling, by A. Shadwell, M.D. wrote of ‘the medical profession generally being misled into an overfavourable or overconfident view of cycling’. His conclusion was ‘that bicycling is attended with serious evils which do not appear on the surface and have received too little attention’.

Women’s newfound love of cycling ultimately helped to transform female fashion: it sealed the fate of the restrictive corset, while bloomers, which had been roundly mocked since the 1850s, came into their own. By
the end of the 19th century, bicycles had become symbolically linked to women’s suffrage, in a way that is often forgotten today.

References
1. Revolutions by Hannah Ross review – the story of women on two wheels
2. ‘From Bloomers to Pantsuits: A Brief History of Women’s Dress Reform’
3. The hidden dangers of cycling by A. Shadwell, M.D.