Where does the name Gladys come from? 

Gladys (pronounced glad-iss) is the name of a bicycle that was owned and ridden by Frances E. Willard in the 1890s.

Frances Willard was a turn of the century women's suffragist and feminist who taught herself how to ride a bike at the age of 53 as an example of women's capacity to do anything, at any point in their lifecycle. She believed that the simple act of riding a bicycle could help women gain confidence, claim their independence and be seen as equals to men in skill and ability. We believe the same to be true today. 

Read more about Frances and Gladys here and here and here. 

What does it mean to be women-focused?

• When deciding what inventory to stock (bicycles, clothing, accessories...), we think of women's bodies, personalities, lifestyles and needs first. 
• The bicycle industry is quite male-saturated (thanks for the term Bicycle Kitty); most bike shop employees identify as male and many bikes, bike parts and advertisements are designed with the "average" man's body in mind. We aim to buck that trend by focusing on getting women on bikes that fit their bodies and needs.
• Women account for 24% of bicycle trips nationally and 31% locally, but represent roughly 50% of the population. We'd like to see more women experience the joys of riding a bike and think that having a shop that invites and caters to them is one way that we can make the world of bikes more accessible and appealing to more women. 
• Most importantly, calling ourselves women-focused means that we're constantly asking a diverse cross-section of women what bike shops are doing well and what they could be doing better, and trying to act accordingly. Have an idea? Hit us up at [email protected]. We're always open to ideas and feedback! 

Do you have to be a woman to come here?

We are equally welcoming of people of all genders; it's our goal for everyone to feel comfortable walking in our door and exploring their love of bikes. True, we are committed to locating and offering products (especially clothing and bicycles) that fit women's bodies, but we are not a women-only space. In fact, most of the products we sell are completely gender-neutral (ex: locks, lights, bags, supplies, helmets, components, service, repair, etc) and we have almost as many "men's" saddles in our library as we do "women's".