We were recently approached by Rosa Lewis whose project, ‘Women in Flow‘, looks to capture natural photos of women doing an activity that they love. We invited her to our Women’s Night – an open workshop session for women to share knowledge and skills in a friendly, informal atmosphere – where she took these beautiful pictures and spoke to some of the women about working collaboratively in the workshop.

At The Bristol Bike Project, we are committed to tackling the outdated gender stereotypes that are still commonplace in the world of bike mechanics. We’re proud to have lots of women working and volunteering as mechanics in the workshop, and we’re looking for ways to close the numbers gap further. Spaces like Women’s Night are an important part of achieving this change. Mildred, the very talented freelance writer famous for her punchy and inspiring blog ‘Rebel Girl Rides‘, and a regular volunteer at the Project, explains why…

Walking into the workshop at The Bristol Bike Project is a sensory experience. You hear the clinking of metal on metal, and the grinding of ratchet spanners. You smell the grease, the oil, and the rubber. You feel the grime of these things on your skin, and it’s a welcoming sensation.

Because if you’re walking into the workshop at The Bristol Bike Project, it’s likely that you enjoy this kind of thing. You want to get your hands dirty, play with some tools, and make a real connection with your bike.

But wanting it isn’t enough. You have to walk through the door, and for many women, this part isn’t so easy. Walking into a workshop can be intimidating for some women, because it is still a very male world.

Even in 2017, girls are not encouraged to learn mechanical skills, and there’s still an assumption among many people that they are less capable in this area. Many women don’t have the confidence to get stuck into the maintenance side of cycling, believing it to still be a bit of a boys’ club, and instead rely on bike shops or male friends to keep their bikes ticking over.

So as a woman in the workshop, it’s difficult to put your hand up and ask for help. You don’t want to be that girl who doesn’t know anything, and you may not want to rely on a man to help you.

But we’re changing that, one Monday at a time. Monday night is Women’s Night.

Because it’s important for women to learn these skills, and gain the confidence to enter the workshop. It helps them to become more independent cyclists, able to make necessary repairs while out on the road.

Many women who start this way really get a taste for it, and may even go on to become a bike mechanic themselves. Having female mechanics in bike shops is hugely encouraging for female customers, and could even result in those women walking through our doors on a Monday night.

So when you walk into the workshop at The Bristol Bike Project on a Monday night, you still get that same sensory experience: the grease, the oil, the grime and the grinding. But there’s one big difference: it is filled only with women. Monday nights are about providing a space for women to come and develop their skills and build their confidence, without concern over judgement or being overlooked for their male counterparts.

It’s just like the Thursday night Bike Kitchen: all the workshop’s tools are there for you to use, there’s a coordinator to run the session, and usually volunteers on hand to help you if you get stuck. But the onus is on you to get your hands dirty, and work on your bike yourself. There are no silly questions, and there’s no preconception about your capabilities.

It’s just you, your bike, some inspiring women, and the workshop.

Photo credits: Rosa Lewis