Blogging the gender gap -- with style

"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world," said Susan B. Anthony, the famed suffragist and feminist in 1896. "It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood."

It's an inspiring quote, but would Susan B. Anthony be impressed if she saw a breakdown of today's cycling statistics? Probably not.  As a number of bloggers have been mulling over lately, a significant gender gap between male and female cyclists dogs cycling in the United States. As the graph above shows, in contrast to some other countries, it's men who still make most of the bicycle trips in this country.

What would it take to get more female cyclists on the roads? The New York Times' City Room blog suggests making cycling safer and more fashionable is the key to getting more women in the saddle. They're right.

There are, however, courageous women already bucking the trend. In appreciation of them, here's an overview of some of the most interesting bicycle blogs written primarily by and for women. Let me know in the comments which important blogs I've missed. 

Bike Skirt: Anne and Elisa, both from Birmingham, believe women ought to be able to ride and look good doing it. Plus, as they put it, their logo is "pretty effing awesome." Their blog (and their twitter feed) isn't too bad either.

Riding Pretty: It's all about lifestyle, the author of this fashion-oriented blog writes. She's blogs from Santa Cruz, and fills her pages mainly with beautiful women (and the occasional man) riding beautiful bikes. And she'll sell you stylish bicycle helmets, too.

Cycling Chic from Copenhagen: This one isn't actually produced by a woman (as far as I can tell, at least), but it's quite a popular photo blog that's surely a first stop for many cyclists with an eye toward fashion. 

Let's Go Ride a Bike: Trisha from Nashville and Dottie from Chicago practice city cycling with style and thinks that you can too. Check out their beautiful bicycle series.

Girls and Bicycles: A Canadian cyclist who is tired of the fact that biking and beauty have been put at odds writes this blog. She's a mom, but that doesn't stop her from wearing high-heels while riding every now and then.

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