The article that follows combines both my love of history and cycling. I posted it a while ago on my history  blog  but feel it should be published here also. I found it on Lists of Note.  It was published in 1895 after two women dared to turn up to a cycling event in Chicago, wearing short skirts over their bloomers.

Enjoy. Hope it makes you smile.

DONT’S FOR WOMEN RIDERS

Don’t be a fright.
Don’t faint on the road.
Don’t wear a man’s cap.
Don’t wear tight garters.
Don’t forget your toolbag
Don’t attempt a “century.”
Don’t coast. It is dangerous.
Don’t boast of your long rides.
Don’t criticize people’s “legs.”
Don’t wear loud hued leggings.
Don’t cultivate a “bicycle face.”
Don’t refuse assistance up a hill.
Don’t wear clothes that don’t fit.
Don’t neglect a “light’s out” cry.
Don’t wear jewelry while on a tour.
Don’t race. Leave that to the scorchers.
Don’t wear laced boots. They are tiresome.
Don’t imagine everybody is looking at you.
Don’t go to church in your bicycle costume.
Don’t wear a garden party hat with bloomers.
Don’t contest the right of way with cable cars.
Don’t chew gum. Exercise your jaws in private.
Don’t wear white kid gloves. Silk is the thing.
Don’t ask, “What do you think of my bloomers?”
Don’t use bicycle slang. Leave that to the boys.
Don’t go out after dark without a male escort.
Don’t without a needle, thread and thimble.
Don’t try to have every article of your attire “match.”
Don’t let your golden hair be hanging down your back.
Don’t allow dear little Fido to accompany you
Don’t scratch a match on the seat of your bloomers.
Don’t discuss bloomers with every man you know.
Don’t appear in public until you have learned to ride well.
Don’t overdo things. Let cycling be a recreation, not a labor.
Don’t ignore the laws of the road because you are a woman.
Don’t try to ride in your brother’s clothes “to see how it feels.”
Don’t scream if you meet a cow. If she sees you first, she will run.
Don’t cultivate everything that is up to date because you ride a wheel.
Don’t emulate your brother’s attitude if he rides parallel with the ground.
Don’t undertake a long ride if you are not confident of performing it easily.
Don’t appear to be up on “records” and “record smashing.” That is sporty.

Two female cyclists dressed in typical cycling outfit in the 1890s

“In the 19th Century, Australian tailors offered cycling outfits for the discerning female rider, including such essentials as: bolero coat with bell sleeves; cambric shirt or loose front for the summer months; fitted waistcoat; divided skirt; white or grey dogskin gloves with ventilated leather palms; hat, secured with a pin; long lace up boots or shoes that do not cramp toes; light woollen stockings, to protect the skin from knocks and mud

source: http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/freewheeling