After much anticipation – they’re finally here! The Total Women’s Cycling Awards for 2016 will take place at the Cycle Show in Birmingham’s NEC Centre on Friday September 23.
The winners will be 100 per cent reader voted – and you need to submit your votes by Monday 12 September for the chance to see your nomination pick up a gong on the night.
READ ABOUT ALL THE CATEGORIES HERE
Voting consists of a shortlist, made up of some of the brands the TWC team and our contributors think are doing a great job for women. However, there is also an ‘other’ box where you can fill in your own recommendations. Every vote will be counted – so you don’t need to stick to the shortlist!
In terms of retailers, we’ve highlighted the big players, and we’re keen to find out which one our readers feel is doing the best job. However, if you frequently visit a local bike shop that you think is doing an excellent job, please vote for them in the other box, and get all your friends to do the same. May the best retailer win!
Chain Reaction Cycles
Chain Reaction Cycles recently created a brand new ‘Women’s Cycling hub’, and to help raise awareness they also worked with TWC to put together some buying guides. Whether it’s saddle discomfort you need to investigate, or perhaps buying a new bike altogether, CRC are determined to help women make informed decisions on their purchases.
With an extensive range of clothing, bikes and accessories to suit all female riders, CRC’s impressive range continues to grow with new brands being added frequently.
Wiggle
Online retailer, Wiggle have been trading in the world of cycling, running and swimming since the early 2000’s.
With the online empire growing, and having studied the market in great detail, Wiggle decided it was time to launch their own brand of active clothing called dhb. In doing so, they did put a real focus on catering for female cyclists, and it’s certainly paid off.
Wiggle is one of the few unisex online retailers that stock a near 50:50 split of men’s and women’s apparel.
Evans Cycles
In 1921 Evans Cycles opened the doors to its first shop in South East London. Ever since, they’ve grown into one of the most recognised high street cycle shops.
Catering for men, women and children, Evans Cycles provide an extensive range in store and online. Everything from kit, bikes, components and accessories, Evans Cycles has everything for the beginner, up to the hardcore cyclist and racers.
Evans Cycles have been working hard to promote women’s cycling by hosting women’s only evenings, and super useful Fix-it maintenance classes.
Velo Vixen
Bypass the gender search filters and head to a website dedicated to women’s cycling. Velo Vixen has been up and running since 2012 and although still considered relatively new to the scene, they’ve worked hard to provide a wide range of women’s cycling kit and accessories.
Evey discipline from the rolling roads of tarmac, to the rocky rooty descents of the trails, Velo Vixen has you covered.
They’ve also got an active blog, that’s full of great articles by women, for women – on every aspect of cycling from feeling good on the bike to the ‘should I wear knickers with chamois shorts’ advice.
Tredz
With a South Wales based chain of stores, and a thriving online shop, Tredz has been a rapidly growing one-stop-shop for all cycling needs.
For a unisex online store, they are one of the few to have a dedicated women’s tab which allows you to search through the women’s selection with ease. And it doesn’t stop there, along with their female specific pages are a range of articles, buying guides and information especially for women.
Cycle Surgery
Another contender for the coveted TWC Award is UK bike shop, Cycle Surgery who have grown an extensive online presence catering for all cyclists.
They began as a bicycle repair and workshop in the heart of London during the 90’s, and with the onset boom of mountain biking, they quickly became very popular for being one of the only bicycle repair shops in the city.
From that one repair shop, Cycle Surgery has grown to have 34 stores nationwide, and a thriving online shop dealing with the very best brands for road, mountain and commuter bikes. Their online stores clearly break down the clothing categories into gender groups, making it easy to find the kit you need and want.
Other
If you can’t see your favourite retailer listed above, then add them into the text box to nominate them. We know there are some amazing local bike shops out there, and we couldn’t list every one – so if you think yours is the best, it’s time to make sure every customer who agrees with you casts a vote!
