Successes of female GB cyclists give women's bike market big boost

She appears to have some sort of alien death ray pointed at her midriff. Could someone please warn the charming lady that she is in danger?

Inch it up on the quiet, very slowly over a number of weeks.

Steff, less efficient and probably not as enjoyable - especially when one gets to any sort of incline.

On the open top bus today Vicki declared she will no longer ride a bike, she is now into come dancing. An odd interview from someone wanting to sell bikes to ladies.

It depends rather on what the intended use case is, surely?

For a first-time-as-an-adult rider of either sex who's buying a bike for basic utility transport within a couple of miles, what's the objection to setting the saddle lower? Being a bit less efficient is much less important than having confidence that they can stop easily. I do this myself when it's icy - being able to bale out slightly more elegantly more than offsets the disadvantage of speed you can't use anyway.

Guys, it's a lack of training and confidence. My wife is like this and refuses to be persuaded otherwise.

Edgeley, this is a constant problem for me
Whenever I set a bike up for a lady they always try to sit on the saddle and then moan that BOTH feet aren't FLAT on the ground.
Pointing out that the saddle should be set for cycling and not walking doesn't seem to help!

This might appear a tad sexist, but there do seem to be more women than men who have their seats far too low. I presume there is a concern about getting both feet on the floor while sitting on the saddle, which of course isn't really very necessary or useful. Perhaps bike shops might gently point out how bikes can best be set up to make cycling more efficient and pleasurable.