Women’s cycling growing in the USA?

Reports by both the American Bicyclists Study and the National Sporting Goods Association suggest that women’s cycling in the USA is increasing, while the number of males riding may be declining.

The Gluskin Townley Group have analysed the studies and found that 1.2 million fewer males participated in bicycle riding while 1.3 million more females did ride a bicycle in 2012 compared to 2011.

“Look at the demographics, it was inevitable that women, the new majority in America, would become the driving gender in the bicycle market,” said Elliot Gluskin, managing partner of the Gluskin Townley Group.

"Within the overall increase of 0.4 per cent in the number of Americans who rode a bicycle six or more days in 2012 compared to 2011, the number of male participants decreased by six per cent, or 1.2 million fewer males compared to an increase of eight per cent in the number of female participants in bicycle riding, resulting in 1.3 million more females riding a bicycle in 2012,” Gluskin added. 

This change in bicycle riding demographics resulted in the percent of male bicycle riding participants declining from 55 per cent in 2011 to 51 per cent in 2012, while female participants increased from 45 per cent in 2011 to 49 per cent in 2012.

“Our American Bicyclist Study research for 2013 found the same demographic impact, and Generation X, the 29 to 48 year olds now driving the US bicycle market reported adult male bicycle owners dropping from 55 per cent in 2012 to 45 per cent in 2013, while adult female Generation X bicycle owners increased from 45 per cent in 2012 to 55 per cent of the cohort in 2013. This is just one small finding from the 2013 American Bicyclist Study that correlates with the National Sporting Goods participation data and leads us to believe that 2013 is a tipping point year for the U.S. bicycle market and business,” Gluskin concluded.