Ladies Bikes - What are you riding?

Why do so many women buy such heavy bikes?
In my shadow life as a cycle trainer I have taught mostly women and have got used to the fact that many of them have bikes which they can hardly pick up. What the hell are Pashleys made of? And what is their appeal?

It's because their view of cycling is (just like those people who buy multi-thousand-pound road bikes to commute on) not based on anything close to the reality of London cycling. The tubby bloke in the risibly inappropriate polka dot jersey on his carbon De Rosa is enacting his fantasy of sporting prowess and the woman grinding slowly along on her brand new 1950s bike (which is what Pashleys really are) is enacting her fantasy of living in a quainter, more civilised place than London.

They make brilliant sense if you actually do live in a quainter, more civilised place though. My mother (65) has two ancient Hercules ladies' bikes and uses whichever is creaking less that day. She lives in Cambridge.

Despite all this, for some reason I really, really want a Guv'nor.