Karabo Mashele, founder of Girls on Bikes, shares how her Joburg-based movement is empowering women to conquer fears, claim their space on the road, and find unmatched sisterhood through cycling.
By Zuko Komisa
There is a distinct, undeniable electricity that hums through the air when women gather to uplift one another. You know the exact feeling: it’s that infectious, unfiltered euphoria found in the crowded mirrors of a girls’ bathroom on a Saturday night where complete strangers instantly become soul sisters, shower each other with compliments, and convince you that you can conquer the world.
Now, imagine taking that exact same high octane hype, strapping on a helmet, and rolling it through the vibrant streets of Johannesburg on two wheels.
Enter Girls On Bikes, a revolutionary cycling movement that began in Braamfontein and has quickly swept across the city’s urban landscape. What started as a simple social ride in early 2023 has blossomed into a powerful, inclusive ecosystem complete with beginner learning clinics like Cycle PWR, road safety mentorships, and weekend getaways. It is reclaiming public roads, dismantling intimidated barriers around “white sports,” and redefining how women experience urban freedom.
We sat down with Karabo Mashele, the founder of Girls on Bikes a movement that empowers women through safe and social cycling to talk about overcoming fear, conquering Joburg’s hills, and why taking up space on a bicycle is the ultimate act of sisterhood.
What inspired the initial shift from a simple social ride in Braamfontein into a thriving, structured community for women?
Girls On Bikes: After our very first ride in March 2023, I knew there was so much more work to be done. Wherever women are involved, lol, things are never quite as simple as they seem!
But I think it’s in that complexity that I found the purpose of Girls On Bikes. As a woman trying a new hobby myself, I understood that there were so many things we needed to create space for. Women needed to feel safe, comfortable wearing whatever they wanted, confident enough to try something challenging, and able to imagine cycling becoming something they could enjoy most weekends. We also wanted to create opportunities for women to make friends as adults and experience womanhood, girlhood, and sisterhood beyond the women’s bathroom. 🤭 Because, let’s be honest, we’re always hyping each other up in there. That’s why we take so long!
Our rides eventually expanded beyond Braamfontein to different parts of Johannesburg, and that was a lovely reflection of how the community was growing.
A lot of that growth came from my own experience. I learnt to ride a bicycle as an adult, so I understood the questions that came with being a beginner. Is there a space where I can learn without feeling embarrassed? Can I do this even though I’m scared? Can I be part of a community while I’m still figuring it out?
Girls On Bikes grew as we tried to answer those questions. What started as a social ride became a community where women could find their feet, build confidence, and discover what was possible on two wheels.
Many women feel intimidated by cycling or haven’t ridden since childhood. How does Girls On Bikes specifically design beginner-friendly lessons to overcome these fears?
Girls On Bikes: It’s difficult to tell a girlie who has spent years believing she’s scared of riding a bicycle that she has nothing to fear. Sometimes it comes from a childhood experience, like falling off a bike, and sometimes it’s simply the fear of trying something unfamiliar.
So, a lot of the work actually happens before we even get onto the bicycle. We have honest conversations about why someone wants to learn and what’s holding her back. For some, it’s about overcoming a childhood fear, while for others, it’s an adult goal they’ve always wanted to achieve. Whatever the reason, we want every girlie to feel heard, supported, and reminded that it’s never too late to try something new.
Once you’re on the bike, the real adventure begins! We ride in Johannesburg, so we can’t pretend the hills are always kind to us. 😂 But knowing you’re not alone, being surrounded by other women who are cheering you on, and having a community that encourages you to keep going makes the experience feel so much less daunting. And honestly, the vibes on our rides can be so good that you sometimes forget how much you’re challenging yourself!
We also realised that we needed to do more than organise rides for women who already knew how to cycle. That’s how Cycle PWR came about: a learning programme for women who have never learnt to ride or who need a little refresher.
The idea is to create a journey. Through Cycle PWR, girlies build the foundational skills and confidence they need to join Girls On Bikes rides, where they can practise riding in a group, navigating public roads, and understanding road safety. From there, they can progress to riding with our brothers at Banditz Bicycle Club, taking on longer routes and more challenging rides.
Last year, we saw just how far that journey could take someone when 10 girlies from our community participated in the Ride Joburg race. That was such a proud moment because it showed us that what we’re building goes beyond learning to ride. We’re helping women discover what they’re capable of.
How does cycling serve as more than just a workout, transforming into a unique mode of transportation, connection, and freedom in the city?
Girls On Bikes: I won’t lie, I wish I could cycle to work! 😂 That’s how much I want to be on my bike.
But a friend, Lisa Cwayita, whom I met through Girls On Bikes, is actually living that dream. She cycles to work, and seeing her do that made me realise just how possible it is, especially for more women.
During one of our Saturday rides through the Cradle, she raised something that really stayed with me. She spoke about how Black women who participate in cycling can sometimes be perceived as “those Black girls who do white sports.” It got me thinking about how unusual cycling can still feel for some women, particularly young Black women who want to take the hobby beyond a casual weekend activity.
And it made me wonder: beyond fitness, could Girls On Bikes be helping to crack open the ceiling for other girlies? Could seeing more women who look like them on bicycles help them imagine cycling to work, exploring the city, or simply choosing a different way to move around?
Representation matters. Sometimes, seeing someone else do something is the encouragement you need to believe you can do it too. I’d love for cycling to become such a normal part of our lives that, in the next few years, seeing a girlie riding to work is no longer something unusual.
For me, cycling is about so much more than exercise. It’s about friendship, freedom, confidence, and discovering new possibilities in a city we sometimes think we already know.
As we look at alternative modes of fun transportation, what role do you see recreational cycling playing in shifting how women experience and navigate urban spaces?
Girls On Bikes: I love this question because I used to be a runner, and I remember how we took up space in Braamfontein and Rosebank. I have that same attitude when it comes to cycling.
There’s something empowering about confidently navigating the road alongside a Raptor 😂 or riding next to a taxi, who we all know are the real bosses of the road! It’s about feeling like you belong there too.
Cycling is a way to get around, explore this beautiful city we call Johannesburg, and experience familiar places differently. But there are also quieter lessons that come with it: learning to be brave, giving yourself permission to move freely, and understanding that you have every right to own your lane.
We know that the world we live in often places limitations on women’s movement, whether through safety concerns or the spaces we’re made to feel comfortable occupying. Cycling doesn’t magically take those challenges away, but it can help women build confidence, develop new skills, and feel more in control of how they navigate the world around them.
I think recreational cycling is a lovely place to start. You can begin with a community, learn at your own pace, explore your city with other women, and gradually discover that you’re capable of more than you imagined. And who knows? That fun weekend ride might just inspire a girlie to start cycling to work one day.
Can you share a sneak peek into any upcoming events, rides, or milestones the community can look forward to in the coming months?
Girls On Bikes: We are very busy! 😂
Our Cycle PWR lessons are fully booked for most of November, which is always encouraging because it reminds us just how many women want to learn to ride or get back onto a bicycle.
We’re also preparing for our very first Girls On Bikes cycling weekend experience in Parys! It’s an exciting milestone for us because we’re taking the community beyond our usual Johannesburg rides and creating an opportunity for the girlies to experience cycling, friendship, and a little adventure together.
And hopefully, Parys is just the beginning. We’ve had girlies from Durban, Cape Town, Polokwane, Gqeberha, and Tzaneen asking when we’re coming to ride with them, so we’d love to take Girls On Bikes to more parts of the country.
You see, nothing is ever simple when it comes to women! 😂 There’s always another idea, another place to explore, and another group of girlies asking to be part of the fun. We’re excited to keep growing while staying true to what started it all: creating a welcoming space where more women can discover the joy of cycling.
For someone on the fence about joining their very first ride, how would you describe that signature “girls’ bathroom hype” energy in action?
Girls On Bikes: I wish I could send a voice note of what a typical Girls On Bikes morning sounds like because, honestly, that would explain everything! 😂
Firstly, the girlies arrive in the cutest matching sets, and you can already tell everyone’s understood the assignment. Then we start matching bikes to outfits, and you can imagine the conversations: “Awww, girl, that bike matches your fit! It’s so cute!” Next come the pink helmets, and suddenly everyone wants a picture. “Please take one of me! Oh, and me too!” There’s excitement, compliments, and giggles everywhere.
By the time we leave 44 Stanley, there’s already squealing, chatter, laughter, and the occasional, “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this!”
And then, somewhere along the ride, it becomes, “Guys, this is sooo fun!” followed by even more laughter.
Our pit stops become little photo shoots, TikTok dance challenges, and opportunities to hype each other up. But some of my favourite moments are when a girlie realises she’s doing something she once thought she couldn’t do. You can see the pride on her face, and everyone around her is just as excited as she is.
One moment that really confirmed the power of that energy for me was when someone shouted, “Hello, Girls On Bikes!” as we rode through the quieter roads of Illovo. It made me realise that the community’s energy isn’t only felt by the women who join us. The joy we share online through Instagram and TikTok is also reaching people as we move through the city.
And that’s what I’d want a girlie who’s nervous about joining her first ride to know: you don’t have to arrive feeling confident. You don’t have to have the fanciest bike or the perfect outfit. You just have to be willing to try.
We’ll cheer you on, celebrate the little wins with you, laugh with you when things get challenging, and remind you that you’re not doing this alone. Because at Girls On Bikes, it’s never just about the bicycle. It’s about the girlie on it, the women riding alongside her, and all the things they discover they’re capable of together.
As the sun sets over the Golden City, casting long shadows across the pavement of 44 Stanley, the echoes of laughter, whirring chains, and high-strung cheers linger long after the kickstands go down. Girls On Bikes is proving that a bicycle is far more than a frame and two wheels it’s an instrument of joy, a vessel for self discovery, and a moving sanctuary of sisterhood. So, to every woman standing on the pavement, gazing at the open road with a mix of longing and fear: strap on that pink helmet. The squad is ready, the lane is yours, and the ultimate hype team is waiting to ride right beside you.
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