How can you tell whether it's a men's or women's bike?

Check the gender of the person riding it.

The only gender-specific item you'll find on a bike is the very rare men's or women's -specific seat, designed to protect the reproductive organs, but even those are mostly interchangeable because those vulnerable organs are in the same place on both men and women. The bicycles I build and use have "cruiser-style" seats and promote an erect posture, so the weight is safely on the butt bones.

The confusion is about the two most common frame shapes: step-through and diamond. Step-through frames were built to allow both men and women to commute to work without spoiling their dress pants, skirts or dresses. The design also makes the bike easier to get on and off, and to offers some flexibility in the frame for a bit of natural suspension. It's a city commuting design. Diamond-shaped frames are less flexible, so they're faster on smooth roads, and more durable on offroad terrain. With a bit of suspension, step-through frames offer better speed on urban terrain. Each frame shape has the same effect on male and female users, so everybody should have one of each. They're for different purposes, not different bodies.

Men and women have the same physical needs when cycling. All the little details that have been masculinized or feminized are based on stereotypes that fit one's intentions for a specific trip much better than one's gender. So everyone should have a "man's" bike and a "women's" bike, if they want to talk about it that way.

So what most people think is a ladies bike is actually a formal-wear friendly city bike, and what people think of as a man's bike is actually a sports/highway bike. It's just that people don't think of bikes as highway vehicles anymore, and every product we use has had gender assigned to it as a marketing gimmick.

So that's the full explanation of why I've been "cross-cycling" for years. Not everything is a french noun. Bikes are genderless.

Blue Raleigh Space Rider 1-speed backpedal-braking small step-through cruiser

This gorgeous Raleigh Space Rider was rescued on its way to the dump by my good friend Stan the Man! It's a lovely 1-speed, backpedal-braked, tiny step-through cruiser that a long guy like me can even ride like a BMX... and it's light as a feather! I fixed it up and sold it at a garage sale for $75. If I were to sell the same bike now, being more patient about it, the price would be closer to $150. Maybe $130.

Get Good Gloves!

I hate getting my hands dirty. Hate it! And I also hate getting steel wool and bits of cabling stuck in my skin - what a pain! So I nabbed these babies from the hardware shop down the street - just over $3! They work nicely, but they do get dirty, so it's a good thing they're very washable. But I also recommend gardening gloves for heavier work.

The purple road bike and the white fold-up

That there in the back is a gorgeous CCM Concorde in great shape. No repainting needed! It doesn't even need any steel wool work done, which is a relief - I'm sick of stripping and painting for now! I found some great steel wheels for it, complete with perfect tires. They're just in the sweet spot between road tires (too dainty) and hybrid tires (too beefy), and they've got some tread to them for grass but they're perfectly smooth on the road. I could have found aluminum rims to match the ultralight frame, but I'm sticking with my steel-for-real mentality, and I think it's going to offer the perfect amount of suspension and momentum. I don't want to make bikes that are too skittish!

And in front, we have a lovely Universal folding bike. What a gem! This baby just needs the front brake re-attached and the 3-speed hub fixed. Right now it's stuck in low gear. I hear that you're allowed to ride on sidewalks with these babies because of their small tire size - a rumor I'll have to investigate. Seems like the only way to find out the truth about that would be to go to court over it - even the police don't know or don't want to tell the truth about the laws, depending on which one you talk to. Sometimes they'll admit to not knowing about the law, and sometimes they'll just lie to cover up their ignorance, but when it comes to cycling bylaws, they're not really concerned with accuracy, so it's anyone's best guess what we're supposed to be doing out there. This is the only one of these bikes where I may just leave the rack on. I'm not sure. We'll see how it wants to be ridden when the gears work again.