It’s a common experience for many women cyclists—even those of us who work at Bicycling: You venture into a bike shop for a few specific parts, and the mechanic talks down to you like you wouldn’t know a Presta valve from a hole in the ground. Or worse—only addresses your male riding partner, even when you're the one asking all the questions.

A new 27-page report from the League of American Bicyclists on strategies for making bike retail more welcoming to women shows we're not alone in feeling like bike shop owners could stand to pay us a little more respect. The bike shop as we know it is dying, reads the report. Plus, although women "represent the new majority of adult bicycle owners, accounting for 51% of ownership," 62% of women who own a bike did not make a single visit to a bike shop last year (compared to 56% of male bike owners).

There's the sense here that many women feel intimidated or uncomfortable in bike shops—particularly if they’ve already had a bad experience in one. Certainly there are a lot of female-friendly bike shops that are getting it right. So how are so many of them getting it wrong?

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I asked some of the other women here at Bicycling what bike shops can do to be more welcoming to women—and thus ensure their long-term survival—and here's what they said. (It should come as no surprise that many of our suggestions apply to welcoming cyclists as a whole.)

1. Don’t assume she’s a beginner. Don’t assume she’s not. As you should with any customer, start a conversation to get a feel for her level of bike experience and then work from there. You’ll be glad you took the time to assess the situation when you’re saved from the embarrassment of explaining a basic bike concept to a pro masters racer who happened to wander into your shop in civilian clothes that day. If it turns out that you are dealing with a beginner, don't just sell her the bike—explain what other gear she might want or need.

2. Remember that women aren’t a niche. We’re road bikers, commuters, mountain bikers, cyclocross racers, bike messengers, cycle tourists, and more. Don't pigeonhole us or stereotype us. We have just as many needs and interests as men do on the road (or trail!).

3. Stock diverse women’s gear in different sizes—from XS bikes to plus-size cycling clothing. And make women’s gear look just as appealing as the men's, says deputy editor Emily Furia. “Don’t cram a measly two women’s jerseys amongst a big rack of guys’ stuff, forcing us to dig for it like we’re at TJMaxx (an awesome place to score deals, but not a pleasant shopping experience).”

4. Don't assume she wants a women’s bike. Gear editor Gloria Liu tells this story: “A friend of mine recently had the Liv Avail pushed on her so hard by multiple shops (though she said repeatedly that she didn't like the position it put her in) that she asked me, ‘Geez, are they getting a special commission to sell these things?’” The geometry commonly used on women's bikes—shorter top tube and taller head tube—doesn't suit every woman's body or riding style. And men with long legs and shorter torsos could be better served with a “women’s” bike, depending on their preferred riding position.

RELATED: Gladys Bike Owner Leah Benson Wants Women to Fall in Love with Their Bikes

5. Take us at our word when we say we can do a mechanical task, says Emily Furia. "At a demo tent at a gran fondo, I had to explain to the guy working there THREE times that I knew how to install pedals before he would release my test bike without them." Also, we like to work on our bikes, too, so stick to the requested repairs unless we've indicated otherwise.

6. The golden rule of all human interaction: Don’t be a dick. Staff writer Molly Hurford says this just boils down to a few simple points. “Don't talk down to women, don't hit on them, and don't make assumptions about what kind of riding they're doing.”

7. Hold rides, events, and mechanical clinics tailored to women. Many women feel perfectly at ease in a bike shop, but others don’t. And most will be excited to have new riding buddies. "Ask if she has friends to ride with," says contributor Selene Yeager. "I saw an interesting survey about women riding much more often when they have others to ride with. Help her find a community."

Associate editor Taylor Rojek, who used to work in a bike shop, agrees. "We had a women's ride that was really great for introducing women to each other and growing networks," she says. "Something I did personally was to ask women who were buying new bikes if they wanted to go for a ride. There were plenty of women who were just plain scared to ride on the roads, by themselves, with this expensive new bike. If you add in someone who's supportive and encouraging and knows what she's doing, it becomes a way more positive experience."

RELATED: 15 Women's Cycling Groups We Love

8. Ask your customers—both men and women—what they want from your store. Women's bike shop Gladys Bikes in Portland, Oregon, has this down to a science. "We have this thing called 'GAB,' the Gladys Advisory Board, made up by customers providing feedback on what they want from a women-specific shop," shop owner Leah Benson says. "We're constantly evolving in terms of what it means to make a place relevant for a large community of women by asking our board, 'Hey, what do you want to see?' Our Saddle Library came out of that. A lot of women saw saddle comfort as a barrier of entry to cycling, so we said, 'Hey, we can make your butt more comfortable!'"

9. Talk saddles, suggests Selene Yeager. "I’ve heard from many many top industry insiders that this is the number one silent issue that keeps women off bikes. They are uncomfortable 'down there,' and they’re not comfortable talking about it. Dudes in bike shops are generally uneasy about broaching the topic. But somebody HAS to or there will be many women who will simply not ride."

10. "Hire women!" says Taylor Rojek. "Having me at the shop made the whole experience more comfortable for a lot of women, and they were super appreciative of it," she says.

Women: What has been your experience in bike shops? And what would you add to our list?

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