PBMA DIVERSITY SURVEY DATA

DATA AND STATISTICS REGARDING BICYCLE SHOP DIVERSITY

The PBMA has conducted two surveys with questions around the diverse culture that makes up the workplace, anyone reading or viewing this page may reuse the information for non-profit purposes and with proper citation of the source.

​These surveys were simply intended to gather some information. The PBMA has been criticized for not supporting diversity and for hosting a hostile environment on Facebook now titled "World Bicycle Mechanic Forum". In a group of 10,000 people, the loudest are always heard the most, perhaps it reflects poorly on us, but it is a valuable resource for many using it. When we see things happening that don't reflect a professional or proper image of cycling, we have a team of moderators in place that take necessary action as soon as possible.

To date the PBMA, in association with organizations such as CABDA, has been able to invest between $5,000 and $10,000 in ensuring our workshops include those underrepresented with travel stipends, housing, meals and tuition. We've also made sure those underrepresented have had the opportunity to grow and learn through supporting other initiatives financially.  We do not advertise these facts, because as an industry, we shouldn't necessarily be proud of needing to create these opportunities separately. The PBMA is dedicated to lowering whatever barriers we can.

We've included some comments from the survey conducted last year so you can read and see how people talk and feel, these comments aren't representative of the PBMA's visions or thoughts, we simply feel it is important to share. We've left time stamps and dates so you can see trends in the individual comments and perhaps relate comments to one another from the same survey taker.

The next few images are based on a survey with 550 results in 2017.

In 2018 we took a deeper look and asked more specific questions, the statistics below are based on 200 results, the following images and information are a result of that survey.

Select comments from Q2 above:
1 We do have a female working on sales, also the diversity of ethnics is very important to us 4/9/2018 10:13 AM
2 What does it matter? 3/21/2018 12:14 PM
4 Assuming the usual definition of POC being non-white, then yes. 3/19/2018 2:14 PM
6 Nither has ever applied. 3/14/2018 5:18 PM
7 Why does this matter? 3/14/2018 12:35 PM
8 I identify as genderqueer 3/14/2018 10:59 AM
9 1 as a PT assembler 3/13/2018 8:28 AM
10 I am a female shop owner. I have no interest in working in the service department. :) 3/12/2018 3:19 PM
11 who fucking cares. if people arent qualified or have the skills we dont need them 3/9/2018 11:56 PM
12 Not at my current shop, but many in the past. 3/8/2018 6:55 PM
13 I am a person of color, I have two employees, one woman and another person of color 3/8/2018 2:39 PM
14 part time sales mgr- female 3/8/2018 7:23 AM
16 Our lead mechanic is female 3/7/2018 10:18 PM
18 two owners, one female, both in the shop and on the floor 3/7/2018 5:28 PM
19 solo owner/operator at this point 3/7/2018 3:57 PM
20 For most of our 30 years a male of color has been in our service dept. Not currently. A few years a
female. Hard to find. 3/7/2018 3:39 PM
21 I’m a woman who is the Service Manager and head mechanic 3/7/2018 3:26 PM
22 used to have a woman 3/7/2018 1:47 PM
23 Currently no, but have worked with women/people of color in the past 3/7/2018 11:53 AM
24 I hire the best regardless of gender/race 3/7/2018 11:45 AM
25 I own the shop but don't repair the bicycles. 3/7/2018 10:53 AM
26 I work mainly in the Warranty dept but still fix bikes 3/7/2018 10:36 AM

Select comments from Q3 above:
1 I really don't know. Between our 4 locations, maybe. I've never asked, and it's never come up. 3/19/2018 2:14 PM
2 Why should this ever matter? 3/14/2018 12:35 PM
3 why should we have mentallu ill people who cannot accept there are men and women in the world
and they are alive because a man and a woman had sex 3/9/2018 11:56 PM
4 I have 2 LGBI working in sales 3/8/2018 1:07 PM
5 I dont ask about sexual preference. it is illegal to do so 3/8/2018 7:23 AM
6 Honestly, this question pisses me off. Whose business is it? Bicyclists are “alternate” lifestyle folks.
Does anyone get that?!?!?!! Especially the Lycra wearing elitists ! GAY, I say 3/7/2018 10:18 PM
8 At my previous shop in MN 3/7/2018 4:36 PM
9 solo owner/operator at this point 3/7/2018 3:57 PM
10 This does not impact their ability to fix bikes 3/7/2018 11:45 AM
11 I don’t really know the answer. 3/7/2018 10:52 AM
12 We did. She moved on. We have had LGBT employees at more than one location 3/7/2018 10:40 AM
13 But everyone is welcome here! 3/7/2018 10:34 AM

Select comments from Q4 above:
1 Not to my knowledge 4/9/2018 10:13 AM
2 Who cares? As long as they can turn a wrench. 3/14/2018 12:35 PM
3 yeah right there just really arent any 3/9/2018 11:56 PM
4 people will naturally gravitate to the job that interesrs them. Not many women and homosexuals in
the roofing or steel industry 3/8/2018 7:23 AM
5 No qualified poc/woman/LGBT/non-bianary applied who was not hired 3/7/2018 3:39 PM
6 I don't know. I don't care. I don't ask these questions 3/7/2018 11:45 AM
7 We don't have employees. Just the two owners. 3/7/2018 11:28 AM

Select comments from Q5 above:
1 I'll hire E.T. if he/she is an asset to the business, but otherwise immutable characteristics will play no part in staffing decisions. 3/21/2018 12:14 PM
3 When I’m ready to hire I’m more interested in qualifications. 3/19/2018 1:42 PM
4 I'm looking for qualified mechanic. Period. 3/14/2018 12:35 PM
7 If people have the skills they can get the job. Just because you're a freak doesn't qualify you 3/9/2018 11:56 PM
8 We are already diverse. 3/9/2018 2:20 PM
9 Yes I am. Almost every day. 3/8/2018 2:39 PM
10 Specifically targeting minority ride routes to offer service. 3/8/2018 1:21 PM
11 diversity of ideas is what matters, not skin color or sexuality. Liberalism has ruined the bike industry 3/8/2018 7:23 AM
12 I asked, encouraged & mentored a PERSON who is one of my best students EVER. We are friends. We are human beings 3/7/2018 10:18 PM
13 not in charge of hiring, but not oposed 3/7/2018 6:56 PM
14 We don't need any more employees. I have always thought, though, that a lady-mechanic would be more approachable for many customers. 3/7/2018 6:55 PM
15 Always! 3/7/2018 4:36 PM
16 open to diversity but not going to force it. 3/7/2018 3:57 PM
17 We wish there were more qualified diverse applicants 3/7/2018 3:26 PM
18 women don't often apply. 3/7/2018 1:47 PM
20 I am more concerned with quality people and less with what they look like or what identifies them in the world 3/7/2018 12:20 PM
21 Hey, IT"S JUST ME!! One old fat white Jewish guy! 3/7/2018 12:13 PM
22 I'm looking for the best qualified people regardless of any sex/race/personal preference 3/7/2018 11:53 AM
23 I hire for quality. If it is diverse, then fine. Otherwise, tough. 3/7/2018 11:45 AM
24 All I'm looking is genuine interest and mechanical competence. 3/7/2018 11:35 AM
26 I wouldn't say I am actively recruiting but I if a women comes in she would have an edge over a equally qualified man. So, yes a little 3/7/2018 11:19 AM
27 I'm always willing to hire anyone qualified 3/7/2018 11:14 AM
28 loaded question 3/7/2018 10:44 AM
30 Within the entire cycling industry especially in high level roles and access to education 3/7/2018 10:36 AM

Select comments from Q6 above:
​1 I am not sure for my area how dependant the shop is on diversity to attract customers. Having a female employee is a small benefit. 3/23/2018 5:43 AM
2 I will gladly accommodate all who come, and hire those that will make the biggest and best impact on my business, regardless of their "identity" 3/21/2018 12:14 PM
3 Yes, frkin’ absolutely. 3/19/2018 1:39 PM
4 More women mechanics would be amazing. All welcome! 3/14/2018 2:17 PM
6 Diversity is important everywhere. Not just the bicycle industry 3/10/2018 9:53 AM
7 why is your organization worried about this stupid shit I thought it was to develop mechanics not cater to weirdos 3/9/2018 11:56 PM
8 Diversity is important everywhere. 3/9/2018 2:20 PM
9 Yes, VERY. 3/8/2018 2:39 PM
10 It will happen on its own. 3/8/2018 11:35 AM
11 people will gravitate to the career that interests tthem. 'social justice' is ruining the bike industry 3/8/2018 7:23 AM
12 It exists. The paradox of bicycling: sport of Kings - Transportation for the poor. We have LOTS of black & brown peddlers, and we are “alternate lifestyle” in out automotive-centric world. Factor in the poor & we are plenty diverse. I know, have served and Am greeted by plenty of poor folks when I go out. It tickles me. ESP when I slink into some ethnic food place with a very white, scaredy cat friend. 3/7/2018 10:18 PM
15 I think understanding who people are and treating them fairly is important. Not sure it is the role of any large industry to "create" diversity, but they should not hinder it's growth. 3/7/2018 4:41 PM
16 If we create a welcoming environment the diversity will come. 3/7/2018 3:57 PM
17 Creating diversity for diversity's sake...not sure what the point is. 3/7/2018 1:56 PM
18 but no Martians 3/7/2018 1:47 PM
19 We need to help it happen, and the Millennial generation may be what pushes us in that direction. Among cyclists under 40 years old I see much more diversity than in my own generation--I'm 63. 3/7/2018 12:13 PM
20 Creating an organization that rewards excellence is most important. 3/7/2018 11:45 AM
21 There aren't large groups of interested people being actively discriminated against 3/7/2018 11:35 AM
22 Yes. But i again can only speak to my experiences. Where I currently work in San Francisco, a pretty diverse city, we have 2 women, 2 black, 2 Hispanics, 2 gay, 2 Filipino, 2 over 50. I think of those only 2 regular white dudes. But lets face it, thi is a very diverse city. When i worked in Boston with a different company we got a letter from HQ praising our hiring practice because we had one black dude and a Sikh. Lets face it, in my 20ish years in the bike business if the phone rings and they are looking for "the tall dark dude" its for me. 3/7/2018 11:19 AM

Select comments from Q7 above:
​1 I have always had a woman or two working, sometime they do minor repairs, but they have not learned more then the basics as far as repairs. We had some volunteer woman that were doing tune-ups, but they didn't stick around. I had a great transgender manager, and she worked the service department. She moved away but I would hire again in a minute. 3/21/2018 1:02 PM
2 Diversity is awesome. It allows employees with different point of views and perspectives to voice a mix of solutions for all types of fixes to shop problems. Also it's less intimidating to customers to see a diverse workforce. Diversity is low on the low On the list of new job hires. Just looking for someone who can afford to work at a bike shop first. That pool is tiny in the Bay Area and is almost an insurmountable hurdle. Diversity would be a welcome bonus. 3/20/2018 8:15 PM
3 Many poc come from places where biking is prevalent (outside of US) or could be a source of independence/cost-effective transportation (inner city US), and there is also much room to grow for professional cycling athletes who are poc 3/19/2018 7:39 PM
5 Diversity will happen as cycling grows into those areas. I continue to hire the most qualified candidates for the jobs regardless of diversity. 3/19/2018 2:15 PM
6 I answered no but believe women in shops help with customer relations. Shops would be smart to hire women and let them pick their hours it comes back in sales and relationships. I do not think pmba should subsidize women training and think it should focus on the huge Ecco upside of hiring women... these are just opinions I’m a solo mobile business. 3/19/2018 2:14 PM
7 Because being inclusive is part of being a decent person. It doesn't need to have any social or business implications. 3/19/2018 2:14 PM
8 For survival 3/18/2018 9:30 AM
9 If the person fits what we need we hire them. 3/14/2018 5:18 PM
10 This is pointless. We simply need to worry about if our hires can do the job. 3/14/2018 12:35 PM
11 Our customers are varied in race, gender, age, etc so it is beneficial that our employees reflect that diversity.
3/14/2018 10:42 AM
13 Primarily to expand our customer base outside of the traditional white male demographic, what has been contracting in regards to market size. 3/10/2018 11:30 AM
14 this shit is not important. safe bikes and respectful mechanics is 3/9/2018 11:56 PM
15 Ideally, diversity will exist organically after the opportunity gap is filled. For now, generating more opportunity for minority groups to be involved serves to fill that gap. 3/9/2018 2:00 PM
16 Bicycles are for everyone and everyone should be treated equally. 3/8/2018 6:55 PM
17 Having a diverse workplace helps bring more people into cycling. 3/8/2018 2:59 PM
18 everyone has equal opportunity, not equal outcome, that is up to the individual 3/8/2018 7:23 AM
19 Our Wednesday nite rides favor the poor parts of town mainly because the spoiled rich people are so rude to us. I’ve told our city council, we’ve been building bridges in BeaumontTexas.gov for over 20 years. Our ride group is diversified. Hasn’t always been. Is now ! 3/7/2018 10:18 PM
20 The same is boring 3/7/2018 6:56 PM
21 Monoculture is boring. 3/7/2018 3:57 PM
22 Everyone who rides bikes should be represented in the industry. It's just right. 3/7/2018 3:39 PM
23 Because it’s out world. Not for the above, for the person and their ability. If they happen to be a woman, gay, straight, whatever. I would not hire solely based on that. It just so happens that women offer more to the industry than most men I meet. Men have but themselves into this untrainable I’m desirable area. But that doesn’t work for a lot of us. That’s an area that not going to work anymore and I’m more than ecstatic with that.
3/7/2018 3:11 PM
24 We can stand people intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch! 3/7/2018 1:47 PM
25 Why not? Everyone should ride a bike! 3/7/2018 12:23 PM
26 Our industry needs to be expansive and inclusive to all demographics, creeds, gender, orientation and the like. We only benefit from the base of our sport growing; creating meaningful relationships that foster bridge building and understanding across all social and economic groups. 3/7/2018 12:20 PM
28 It would be valuable to have a diverse staff because some customers will relate to us better. I think it will also increase participation in cycling in general of the store supports the image of this being an activity for all types of people. I don't know any benefit to the "monoculture" at all. 3/7/2018 11:49 AM
29 Road racing was historically sexist. Mtb less so. As the pool of non-"white dude" who are really into bikes grows, so will non-"white dude" mechanic candidates. 3/7/2018 11:35 AM
30 I always try to hire based on qualification. The exception being women. They will almost always get a few extra points in an interview. They have a perspective that guys don't when it comes to presentation and interaction. 3/7/2018 11:19 AM
31 If we want more people on bicycles, there is more opportunity for growth by providing a welcoming environment for women/POC than for continuing the white boy culture. Also, we offer bicycles that the majority of people can afford, since far more people earn lower wages in this country than can afford to buy expensive road bikes. 3/7/2018 10:53 AM
32 Because demographics change; society, culture, politics and economies must also change and embrace those changes. 3/7/2018 10:52 AM
33 Disagree. 3/7/2018 10:44 AM
34 It shouldn't even be a question. Diversity is important in any industry for every reason. 3/7/2018 10:44 AM
35 I want diversity because it reflects reality, a lack of diversity is irresponsible. The industry and america are cis white hetero male dominated. Perpetuating the white supremacist fascist system is genocide. If you don't care to rise up margonalized folx, you are complicit in genocide. There was no mention of trans persons who are different than non-binary for this survey. You should add that to your survey. 3/7/2018 10:36 AM
37 it depends on qualifications not diversity just for diversity sake 3/7/2018 10:24 AM

Select comments from Q8 above:
1 Maybe because the crap marketing of the cycling industry? 3/21/2018 12:14 PM
2 Interesting topic. I struggle just to get employees at all. I really don't care what color they are or what's going on beneath the belt as long as they do a good job and show up! 3/20/2018 9:47 AM
3 Lack of pros with which to identify if not white 3/19/2018 7:39 PM
4 Or haven't been qualified if they have applied 3/19/2018 5:33 PM
5 There are a lot of entrenched minds in the industry that don't see an issue at all. 3/19/2018 3:24 PM
6 Good old boy shops suck to work in and aren’t friendly to women or new guys. I think rei is kicking good old boy shops because women employees. 3/19/2018 2:14 PM
7 While the city's population overall is reasonable diverse, the particular locations of our shops are not, and that becomes the limiting factor. 3/19/2018 2:14 PM
8 cycling is a good old boys' club and it always has been it's not enough to be welcoming to WTF customers and employees; you need to seek them out 3/19/2018 1:32 PM
9 The industry is broken, full of third gen white dudes who drag it back to the 80's in every way. No wonder the Wright Bro's thought 'Flying machines... can't be any stupider than continuing down this path...' and nary a thought has changed since... Modern retail is a slow to react, shareholder driven, employee soul crushing/customer disappointing wasteland and our industry is the clueless, somewhat insulated, backward shortbus riding second cousin from the other side of town. If theauto industry had done as good a job growing that infrastructure/lifestyle as we did growing cycling we'd still be on dirt roads, waving flags at intersections so as to not spook the horses and the word subdivision would be used more often in biology than in real-estate. A lack of diversity exists because, except for a few aware (and a few lucky) entities, we have absolutely no clue that there is one. 3/18/2018 9:30 AM
10 Perhaps members of these groups just don't like cycling. 3/14/2018 12:35 PM
11 Not enough awareness/ desire to change culture from white, cis cycling dude bros. Macho shame around admitting when you don’t know something. Lack of willingness to train and mentor women and poc into service positions. 3/14/2018 10:59 AM
12 I can point to a lot of reasons why diversity is lacking in various areas of cycling (and multisport - triathlon) but for this discussion (diversity in shops) it comes down to leadership from owners/hiring/managers. 3/12/2018 3:19 PM
16 shops want a family atmosphere not a Castro district freak show 3/9/2018 11:56 PM
18 Involvement and appropriation start much earlier than the workforce. This industry has been maledominated
for so long that many don't view it as a potential career. The other factor is the lack of seriousness / low pay. For many, being a bike mechanic is not a serious option. 3/9/2018 2:00 PM
19 This is a tough question to answer, I've spent my life in the bike industry (42 currently started when
I was 18). I have worked with relatively few people of color and not many more women. I've never knowingly worked with any Trans individuals but I have worked with a handful of LGTBQ folks. I think its easy to point to the socioeconomic issues at play with bikes but that is not the only reason there is a lack of diversity within the industry. 3/8/2018 2:39 PM
20 there is no lack of diversity in bike shops. Ever work in one? Lots of people on the edge of society with piercings, tattoos and attitudes to match. The lack of normal people will drive customers away. Diversity is just code for no straight white men allowed. It is a very socialist idea not based in individual liberty 3/8/2018 7:23 AM
22 May be the demographics of the area and it is the deep south 3/7/2018 6:56 PM
23 Most of the staff knew each other before working together 3/7/2018 6:03 PM
24 I could care less about with whom a person identifies. I care about how they act toward me, toward others and how they behave in and around others. I would be just as happy to have an all woman staff as male. Skills sets and personality are my basis for hiring someone. 3/7/2018 4:41 PM
25 My shop is in a small rural town with very little cultural diversity, in a state that is also predominantly white.
3/7/2018 3:57 PM
26 ...also, different cultures have different interests. 3/7/2018 1:56 PM
27 White Center is a very diverse place. 25% of each: Asian, Black, White and Hispanic For real! 3/7/2018 1:47 PM
28 The industry heavily markets only to straight white cis-gendered males and only recently to straight white cis-gendered women. There is very little representation in print/digital media other wise. Representation matters.... 3/7/2018 1:41 PM
30 Elitism is the most relevant term I can come up with to describe the lack of diversity. Dialogue that I have had in mixed social settings has often pointed to the "snobby nature" of cyclists and the perception that if you are not pursuing the "Strava KOM" lifestyle that you have little or no business in our sport. 3/7/2018 12:20 PM
31 Again, I'm a one-person operation. I used to work in a store chain that did hire out of the white boy range as much as possible. 3/7/2018 12:13 PM
33 It is that simple. Until more women, POC, etc want to work in bike shops we really won't make much progress. 3/7/2018 11:49 AM
36 We actively welcome women/POC into our shop, but the women gravitate toward women-only spaces that exist at other shops. Most POC that come in are looking to receive a gift bicycle, and lack the mechanic skills that are needed in order to volunteer at our shop. I would welcome the opportunity to mentor a POC who wanted to open a shop - we are in a major metro area and there isn't any bike shop owned and operated by African-Americans. 3/7/2018 10:53 AM
37 Not a problem. 3/7/2018 10:44 AM
38 As a whole, this country is lazy. We haven't thought about it because no one ever said it was wrong. Now people are speaking up and we are so behind the curve we have to have surveys like this one. 3/7/2018 10:44 AM

Select comments from Q9 above:
​1 I believe that not discriminating is important but I don’t think that creating special opportunities for minority cultures is fair to everyone else. 3/21/2018 6:08 AM
2 Yes, and I am starting to see a shift with some companies and their marketing/advertising direction. 3/19/2018 2:14 PM
3 How? Are we going to start forcing people to start enjoying a sport they didn't? 3/14/2018 12:35 PM
4 Support diversity yes. But foster at the expense of anyone who has interest and achieved skills no. 3/10/2018 9:53 AM
5 the free market and peoples abilities will determine the level of what you call diversity not quotas 3/9/2018 11:56 PM
6 walk into any bike shop in any city- you will see 'diversity'. once again, it's work ethic that matters not skin color or sexual preference. Customers dont want to be waited on by someone with safety pins in their eyes and an attitude about social justice. They just want their bikes fixed. keep 'social justice' BS OUT of the bike industry!
3/8/2018 7:23 AM
7 I have seen some efforts by manufacturers to bring more women into the industry through scholarship programs and ambassador programs. This can only be a good thing, and hopefully these types of programs will make the industry more inclusive. 3/8/2018 12:48 AM
8 The logic, or more accurately, lack of logic about non-binary, trans, etc. is absolutely ridiculous. This is an emotion, a mental disorder. It is not truth. This is a perfect example of relativism at its finest....your truth isn't my truth. There is objective truth. It's pretty clear PBMA is simply out to gain more memberships by being inclusive. POC/ non-binary/ trans is a disorder, they truly do need help from a trained psychiatrist. Because someone feels or thinks a certain way, does that make it true, does it make it real? No! Just because I think I'm a Pro Tour mechanic and that I was trained by PBMA 3 years ago and now I am one of their instructors does not make it true. No matter how much I believe this to be true, it is not true, it is not reality. But I think it's true, I feel like a Pro Tour mechanic. I've made certificates of my training. They look like the real ones but those got lost in the mail so I just made my own. And PBMA says, I'm sorry this is not true, you never took any certification courses from us. I say well look harder, your computers must have crashed! I really honestly feel this way, so it's true, right? NO PBMA, it's not true, it's not reality. Just like a man feeling like a woman, or vise versa, it's simply not the truth. Rather than prostitute yourselves to sell a few more memberships, you should really take a serious look at the subject mater of your surveys. You might just come to this conclusion, PBMA is not qualified to discuss this matter in any way shape or form. But if you want, do little research about Johns Hopkins University medical center and gender ideology, as well as the staggering statics of trans people who whish like hell
they would have gotten help and counseling. You're out of your league PBMA. 3/7/2018 10:19 PM
9 I think it’s up to the stores. Hipsters will handle it, too. They like colors. Look at their shoes. 3/7/2018 10:18 PM
11 Yes, everyone should, but... What does that really mean? it almost like saying that Starbucks should do more to foster diversity. They are already pretty open to people being who they are and I have worked around some pretty odd people in this industry. The cycling industry should be working harder to make sure their is an industry and is open to whomever wants to be a part and grow the industry. If that is all white males so be it, if it is a hodgepodge of every possible human then so be it. Focus on making the industry a place where quality people want to work and be successful in. 3/7/2018 4:41 PM
12 Foster vs force is a fine line. We do need to work to eliminate the dominant "bro culture" that is too common within cycling. 3/7/2018 3:57 PM
15 It's been proven that gender dysphoria is a mental disorder. John's Hopkins University Medical Center was the first hospital in the U.S. to perform gender re-assignment. They also stopped that practice because after closer study, because the subjects were found to be in a disordered mental state. In fact, studies have shown that about 10 years after gender re-assignment surgery, the patient realizes the mistake they have made. There is also a very high suicide rate among these individuals. Not because of public ridicule, but because they truly have a mental issue. Do we affirm someone when they are diagnosed with Anorexia, cancer, or other disorder or disease? No, we seek help for them. A woman is a woman, and a man is man regardless of what society thinks, and it's been this way since the dawn of time. Surgery and chemical manipulation can not change the inner workings of male and female persons. There is objective truth, there is natural law, and just because someone THINKS they are the other gender, or something else, does not mean it is right; you can not "think" your way into another gender. Get out of this arena PBMA, and get back to what you know: bicycle mechanics 3/7/2018 1:02 PM
18 It is a bunch of Marxist bullshit to treat people as members of groups rather on their individual merits. Pursuing diversity is the opposite of pursuing virtue. 3/7/2018 11:45 AM
19 I think we need to stay focused on promoting professional standards and skills with color/culture/gender blindness. This is not the same as actively promoting diversity. If you love bikes and want to get better at this profession: Come on in! 3/7/2018 11:35 AM
21 All the major bicycle publications talk about is the latest and greatest in recreational bicycles - expensive road, mountain, gravel, etc. - rather than bicycles for the rest of us. The industry wants to sell product and makes more money off rich dudes than off poor people. Also, we need to use up the stuff we have rather than creating so much more new stuff. The industry changes "standards" so often in an effort to make the older stuff obsolete, then they quit making the parts needed to service older bicycles that are affordable to the poor. Industry publications only give publicity to huge corporations rather than featuring those of us who are trying to serve ordinary people. 3/7/2018 10:53 AM
22 In the late 1800s, it was often middle class wives starting to ride bicycles that pressured towns to install paved roads prior to the automobile. If this is all-but-forgotten, we perpetuate the idea that bicycling was considered "un-ladylike". Just what the banal patriarchy wants to keep everyone in their place. 3/7/2018 10:42 AM
23 By raising marginalized folx up into high level positions and offering accessible education. Not just employing them. 3/7/2018 10:36 AM

The video below is from our November Technical Workshop in Phoenix, and speaks to the challenges within our Industry. At the conclusion of the workshops we let the camera roll and just ask folks to make comments. You can view more videos here.