We ran the South African Women’s MTB Survey, presented by Liv during May and June 2022. It was an update on our initial women’s MTB survey from 2018. Women currently make up around 23% of the South African mountain biking market, an approximate growth of 4% in the past four years. At total of 1362 women took our 2022 survey, a big jump on the 579 that took our 2018 survey. We have split the reveal into two parts – this is Part 2, which focusses on Bikes and Gear.
What style of shorts do you prefer?
| Regular padded Lycra shorts | 34.40% |
| Padded Lycra bibshorts | 48.70% |
| Baggy shorts with own padded liner | 7.42% |
| Baggy shorts over padded Lycra bibshorts | 6.35% |
| Other | 3.13% |
This is new question and it’s not really surprising to see the high percentage that prefers padded Lycra bibshorts. The baggy shorts combined total is just over 13% and likely to grow as the industry caters more specifically for women’s preferences.
How often do you replace your cycling shorts?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Can’t remember when I last bought new shorts | 20.11% | 11.75% |
| About once every two years | 42.89% | 38.16% |
| About once a year | 28.23% | 39.11% |
| About twice a year | 8.87% | 10.98% |
Contact-point comfort is really everything when you ride for fun/pleasure and it shows in that almost 90% buy new shorts at least once every two years.
What brand of sports bra do you prefer?
| Nike | 10.70% |
| Ciovita | 6.57% |
| Adidas | 5.04% |
| Maxed | 4.81% |
| Shock Absorber | 4.66% |
| OTG | 3.82% |
| Cotton On | 3.05% |
| Falke | 2.14% |
| Jockey | 1.52% |
| Brooks | 0.99% |
| Burnt | 0.99% |
| Playtex | 0.84% |
| Asics | 0.76% |
| Anita | 0.76% |
| Other/Any/None | 53.28% |
This was the first time we asked this question. Of the 1308 that answered this question, more than half either didn’t give a brand preference and said, any, something comfortable, not brand conscious or don’t need a sports bra; or they gave brand name that didn’t have more than 10 mentions. We listed all those brands that got 10 or more mentions.
What style of cycling jersey/top/shirt do you prefer?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Any active/workout shirt | 19.04% | 16.29% |
| Ladies-specific fit (shaped around waist with looser arms/sleeves) | 65.29% | 60.55% |
| I’m fine in a men’s cycling jersey/shirt (tight fit) | 25.84% | 28.82% |
Not surprisingly, the majority prefer a ladies-specific jersey, generally more comfortable with appropriate fabric and a range of colours.
Do you have a women-specific saddle on your bicycle?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Yes | 57.94% | 60.21% |
| No | 35.52% | 32.76% |
| I’m not sure | 6.55% | 7.03% |
A slight change from four years ago, but still confirmation that the majority of female mountain bikers prefer a women-specific saddle.
Does your mountain bike have a dropper seatpost?
| Yes | 41.29% |
| No | 58.71% |
This is a new question and we were quite impressed to see such a high number of women riding bikes with a dropper seatpost. One thing we have noticed is that many women have a dropper seatpost, but don’t really use it much – although this is changing.
Your preferred gloves set-up is?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Short-finger | 49.38% | 46.56% |
| Long-finger | 46.30% | 51.72% |
| None | 4.31% | 1.72% |
Slight shift from 2018, but there’s a good mix of short- and long-finger glove wearers and very few that prefer to ride without gloves.
Your current pedal set-up is?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Clip-in pedals with MTB shoes & cleats | 74.81% | 84.19% |
| Flat pedals with MTB shoes | 11.48% | 6.87% |
| Flat pedals with takkies | 13.71% | 8.93% |
Quite a change here on all three from four years ago with more women riding with flat pedals.
Which of the following do you carry on your mountain bike rides?
| Spare tube | 40.37% |
| Mini-pump | 31.82% |
| Basic multi-tool | 52.85% |
| Multi-tool with chain breaker | 36.59% |
| CO2 Bomb applicator | 73.73% |
| CO 2 Bomb/s | 77.97% |
| Gator | 12.17% |
| Chain lubricant | 28.66% |
| Tyre sealant | 7.16% |
| Tyre plugs | 58.55% |
| Spare chain link | 38.44% |
| Cable ties | 20.18% |
| Duct tape | 12.79% |
| Spare derailleur hanger | 8.78% |
| Cell phone | 87.75% |
| Mace/pepper spray | 23.11% |
| Knife | 3.24% |
| Gun | 0.31% |
| Other | 4.47% |
From a hydration perspective, which of the following applies to you?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| I carry liquid refreshment in bottles | 64.02% | 57.90% |
| I carry liquid refreshment in a hydration pack | 8.32% | 14.60% |
| I carry liquid refreshment in bottles & a hydration pack | 27.66% | 27.49% |
More women using bottles than four years ago. This is likely due to the number of bikes that now carry two bottles inside the frame compared to 2018.
Which performance-measuring gadget do you use? You may choose more than one if you use more than one.
| Basic bicycle computer (distance, speed, time) on the handlebar | 10.79% |
| Cycling-specific GPS device on the handlebar | 36.98% |
| Wrist-worn GPS device | 62.33% |
| None of the above | 7.78% |
Wrist-worn GPS is by far the most popular, largely because it’s so practical and has a wide range of both cycling, other activity and lifestyle functions.
What shoe brand do you use?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Specialized | 20.42% | 28.42% |
| Shimano | 11.56% | 14.90% |
| SCOTT | 11.02% | 8.14% |
| Giro | 7.55% | 8.31% |
| First Ascent | 5.93% | 2.07% |
| Bontrager | 5.16% | 3.81% |
| SIDI | 3.16% | 3.63% |
| Ryder | 2.93% | 1.03% |
| Cape Storm | 2.54% | 1.55% |
| Louis Garneau | 2.47% | 5.19% |
| Olympic | 2.16% | 2.77% |
| Leatt | 2.15% | – |
| Fizik | 2.08% | 1.03% |
| Five 10 | 1.92% | – |
| Ride Concept | 1.69% | – |
| Lake | 1.00% | – |
| Other | 16.26 | 13.63% |
Although it dropped somewhat since 2018, Specialized remains the most popular shoe brand among female South African mountain bikers. Other brands that dropped in market-share percentage are Shimano, Giro and Louis Garneau, while SCOTT, First Ascent, Bontrager, Ryder, Cape Storm and Fizik all gained. Lake, a custom-shoe specialist, makes an appearance and Leatt, Five 10 and Ride Concept, all Trail/Gravity brands, are all now in the picture.
What helmet brand do you use?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Specialized | 20.26% | 21.14% |
| SCOTT | 13.48% | 10.74% |
| Giro | 11.17% | 9.53% |
| Bell | 8.47% | 10.57% |
| Rudy Project | 5.93% | 9.35% |
| First Ascent | 4.85% | 1.21% |
| Bontrager | 4.24% | 2.59% |
| FOX | 4.01% | 2.42% |
| UVEX | 3.39% | 3.11% |
| Leatt | 2.85% | 1.38% |
| KASK | 2.39% | 2.59% |
| POC | 2.16% | 1.55% |
| Giant | 1.54% | – |
| Liv | 1.46% | – |
| Abus | 1.16% | – |
| MET | 1.08% | 3.45% |
| Other | 11.56% | 15.71% |
As with shoes, Specialized remains the most popular helmet brand for South African women mountain bikers, although it did lose a small bit of its market share from 2018. Other brands that dropped are Bell, Rudy Project, Kask and MET. Brands that showed an increase are SCOTT, First Ascent, Bontrager, FOX, UVEX, Leatt and POC. Giant, Liv and Abus all make a move into the top 15.
Do you own an eBike?
| Yes | 4.85% |
| No | 92.60% |
| I have a regular bike & an eBike | 2.54% |
We knew it would be low, but wanted to get some sort of baseline for the years to come when eBikes are expected to become a lot more popular.
If you own an eBike, what brand is it?
| Specialized | 34.37% |
| Giant | 15.62% |
| Liv | 13.54% |
| Trek | 10.41% |
| SCOTT | 9.37% |
| Cannondale | 3.12% |
| KTM | 3.12% |
| Merida | 2.08% |
| Silverback | 2.08% |
| Titan Racing | 2.08% |
| Santa Cruz | 1.04% |
| Darrvin | 1.04% |
| Haibike | 1.04% |
| X Tract | 1.04% |
Of the 96 respondents that gave their eBike brands, this is the breakdown.
Do you have a women-specific mountain bike?
| Yes | 26.81% |
| No | 68.95% |
| I’m not sure | 4.24% |
There aren’t many bike brands that do a truly women-specific mountain bike, which includes different geometry, factory setting of suspension, gearing, crank length and, obviously, saddle.
What bike brand do you ride?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Specialized | 18.57% | 21.31% |
| SCOTT | 17.33% | 19.93% |
| Giant | 8.78% | 14.03 (Giant & Liv) |
| Trek | 7.70% | 5.02% |
| Silverback | 7.40% | 5.54% |
| Liv | 7.24% | – |
| Cannondale | 5.39% | 6.58% |
| Merida | 4.70% | 5.02% |
| Titan Racing | 4.01% | 2.25% |
| Momsen | 2.39% | 2.94% |
| Santa Cruz | 1.46% | 1.55% |
| Pyga | 1.08% | 0.69% |
| KTM | 1.02% | – |
| Yeti | 0.85% | 1.03% |
| Rocky Mountain | 0.77% | 1.03% |
| GT | 0.69% | 1.21% |
| Norco | 0.69% | 1.38% |
| Other | 9.92% | 10.49% |
Specialized and SCOTT are still the top two brands after four years, although both have lost a bit of market share. We combined Giant and Liv in our 2018 survey, but separated them this year as they’re two different brands, with Liv being more aggressively marketed and sold in South Africa recently. TREK, Silverback, Titan Racing and Pyga all increased their market share since 2018 and KTM has moved into the top 20.
What wheel size is your bike?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| 29-inch | 73.11% | 66.38% |
| 27.5-inch | 15.72% | 25.04% |
| 26-inch | 7.09% | 7.72% |
| I’m not sure | 4.08% | 0.86% |
Quite a change. There are now more brands that offer smaller frames with 29-inch wheels than there were four years ago. Also, in 2016, 27.5-inch wheels were still being pushed by a few brands as an ideal wheel size for shorter riders.
What did your mountain bike cost?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Less than R5000 | 3.06% | 2.58% |
| R5000-R7999 | 5.96% | 5.15% |
| R8000-R9999 | 4.28% | 2.75% |
| R10000-R14999 | 9.02% | 6.87% |
| R15000-R19999 | 7.42% | 6.87% |
| R20000-R24999 | 5.96% | 7.22% |
| R25000-R29999 | 4.66% | 9.11% |
| R30000-R34999 | 5.43% | 7.04% |
| R35000-R39999 | 5.50% | 7.56% |
| R40000-R44999 | 5.05% | 5.50% |
| R45000-R49999 | 5.66% | 5.50% |
| R50000-R54999 | 3.59% | 5.33% |
| R55000-R59999 | 4.05% | 4.81% |
| R60000-R69999 | 5.50% | 7.22% |
| R70000-R79999 | 5.05% | 4.47% |
| R80000-R89999 | 5.96% | 6.19% |
| R90000-R99999 | 2.68% | 0.69% |
| R100000-R119999 | 3.59% | 2.75% |
| R120000 or more | 4.43% | 1.72% |
| I don’t know | 3.13% | 0.69% |
| Average | R46 189.02 | R41 768.04 |
It’s obvious that the average bike value would increase in a four-year period. Bicycle prices have gone up, some rather significantly and we also experienced – and are still dealing with – stock shortages due to the Covid-19 disruption. For comparison, the average bike price in our 2021 SA MTB Survey was R55 000 (all riders).
It’s worth noting that 29.74 % of the 2022 respondents have bikes that cost R20 000 or less. That’s up from 24.22% in 2018 and likely a confirmation of increased newcomers to mountain biking.
How do you normally transport your bicycle?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Back seat or boot | 17.51% | 18.52% |
| Roof rack | 6.96% | 6.35% |
| Rear-mount clip/hanging rack | 12.31% | 14.92% |
| Rear-mount towbar rack | 51.45% | 60.21% |
| In the back of a bakkie/van | 11.77% | – |
We added a fourth option this year – back of a bakkie/van. Interesting that 17.51% of women transport their mountain biking in the back seat or boot! Bike carrier brands should be focussing on converting these riders…
Do you use sports supplements for important rides or races?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| I don’t use sports supplements | 18.96% | 18.87% |
| Yes, during | 24.92% | 25.04% |
| Yes, during and after | 22.86% | 20.41% |
| Yes, before and during | 8.10% | 9.09% |
| Yes, before, during and after | 25.15% | 26.59% |
Not much difference in supplement use over the past four years with more than 80% using supplements to some extent.
Do you insure your bicycle?
| 2022 | 2018 | |
| Yes | 68.12% | 70.79% |
| No | 31.88% | 29.21% |
Bike insurance is down a little since 2018, but still an investment made by the majority.
Did you miss Part 1 of our 2022 South African Women’s MTB Survey, presented by Liv? You can find it here.
