How it all began: Terry building bike frames in the 1980s.
products for people to choose from and I think we get so hung up on the marketing that sometimes we miss the purity of riding a bike. I’m reading Grant Petersen’s book right now (Just Ride) and I agree with a lot of what he has to say: Just get out there and ride!
Q
What do you think we need to do to reach more women?
I still think a lot of work is done at the dealer level and, honestly, I’m still hearing the same stories I heard when I first started: A woman walks into a bike shop and says I want a bike and they want to sell her the cheaper bikes or they assume she wants a hybrid because she’s a woman. They don’t necessarily listen to what she has to say. That theme hasn’t gone away. I don’t want to criticize, but there’s an opportunity that’s being missed.
Q
What makes you most hopeful for the future?
Well, my business, for one. People are really searching me out; there still seems to be a nice core of people tuned into what I do. It’s exciting when I go out on a ride and see lots of women out there. It’s exciting to see people like Anna Schwinn as engineers, asserting themselves and getting things done. I think we still have a ways to go, though. I know in my own dealing with customers, I don’t speak engineering with them. I make everything a bit more palatable. I do get the feeling that some still think this is just a man’s land.
Q
What would you tell women who are interested in riding, or maybe even starting their own bike business? I think that whether male or female you have to have the courage of your convictions. It’s about shutting out all
the blabber going on around you. If you have a strong feeling about something and you think it’s right, don’t get too many ideas floating around in your head — just cut them all and out go for it. Take those pure thoughts and ride that exhilaration that got you going in the first place. Too many cooks spoil the broth!
of my brain that engineering doesn’t usually touch. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from a cycling legend: Go to womenbike.org and register for the Women Mean Business event on March 4!
Q
What are some of your passions outside of bicycling?
My passions are certainly getting involved in things like the Wild Goose Chase [a bicycle weekend for women that benefits the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge]. I’ve actually just started in September a master’s degree in environmental law and policy. I don’t necessarily was to be an attorney when it’s over, but I do want to understand the legal side of environmental policy. Here in New York, we’re about to come up against fracking [natural gas drilling] interests and I’m tired of being the one who says, “No, it’s not right to pollute,” and, instead, get involved in a way that I know where the battle’s going to be fought and what reasonable expectations we can have as to what they can and can’t do ... This stuff is absolutely fascinating and plays into the side
American Bicyclist 9