Barriers to women starting cycling are complex. But the marketing from the cycling industry doesn't appear to be helping.

Assos, a high-end cycling brand, recently faced criticisms over photos of its bare-chested female model in bib shorts while their male model wore a jersey. Online retailer Wiggle was blasted over its Perfect Day TV adverts showing a male cyclist with a woman massaging his shoulders, kissing his cheek and appearing at the end with children.

It's not a new phenomenon. A photoshoot four years ago to promote London's Skyride featured a suit-clad Boris Johnson alongside the model Kelly Brook wearing a dress and high heels while on a bike.

Emmy Tither, 22, a former cycling instructor says:

"Marketing for women should be done in the same way it's done for men. I wish it wasn't about being traditionally girly and making women look good in a heteronormative sense. I find it frustrating."

Reflecting on whether this influences women starting cycling, Tither said it depended on the individual as the feminine approach can draw people in. But for established female cyclists, she said:

"There are women who love the pink, the glitter, and I do sometimes but it gets annoying, once you're over the hump of starting and being afraid on the roads. All the men's photos are of them being awesome and cycling in bad weather, I want that for women too, it should be about the awesomeness of cycling."

Talking about her experiences teaching cyclists as a former cycle instructor, Tither said women tend to cycle in the left gutter and were reluctant to cycle closer into the centre of the road where they can be seen, in contrast with the men she instructs, who tend to position themselves more visibly.

She said:

"If women's cycling was more about freedom or assertiveness and something you can do for yourself, it would impact on how new female cyclists ride, it could be about empowering women."

Marigold Hughes, 33, theatre producer and education manager, has cycled for eight years and was introduced to bikes by male friends and relatives. She doesn't choose women-specific products or women's frames and feels there should be a unisex approach to marketing and cycling products.

When asked about cycling in general, she said:

"It's still a very male-driven market, you go into bike shops which can be male-only places. When I've gone in I feel intimidated, it's this sacred kingdom you shouldn't be in."

Rosie Downes, 28, a charity communications manager, said:

"We still have a major issue with female cyclists being treated as 'other' without it being intentional. Adverts for women, or female sections of websites, or women-only rides are created with the best of intentions but it means we get shunted out of general cycling. This has got a lot better in the past year, you see a good mix of female and male cyclists in advertising but some manufacturers still market only to men, historically they're the obvious target audience. You have the women's stuff siloed off because there's this belief that things need to be marketed to us on an island which makes inclusion difficult. As a fan of black kit and A roads I struggle to identify with marketing campaigns that think I'll buy more stuff if it's got flowers on it and is designed for use on a segregated cycle lane."

Jess Duffy, 24, cycling instructor, bike polo competitor and Kinoko Cycles staff pointed out a video from a brand showing women cycling in tight lycra, which was actually body paint. She said:

"It's a complete turn-off, I look at a brand like that and I don't want to buy from them. But because of the huge numbers of women taking up cycling, this year there's been changes. Still, brands are getting it wrong with horrible colours, pinks, lilacs and see-through or floral patterned jerseys. Women want their clothes to be flattering but tiny women and big women aren't catered for."

More and more women are turning to cycling – about 63,000 women took up cycling in the past year on the tailwind of the women's Olympic track and road team successes, according to British Cycling. It's time cycling companies learned how to market to them.