Cycling clothing for slightly larger ladies



Pattey1

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May 27, 2011
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New to using forums but fed up of finding 18 or XXL doesn't really mean particularly generous sizing. Can anyone recommend decent cycling brands that go to proper size 18 or bigger? My partner and I are hardly the fattest women out there but are certainly not stick insects either.
I ride both road and mtb so always on the look out for gear for both types of riding.
Pattey
 
clothing is something you need to buy on a physical store, for the same reasons you are posting the question,
 
This blog is a bit dated, but might give you some ideas. You could always put a pair of lightweight hiking shorts over some lycra road shorts for mountain biking.
http://plusrunner.com/2009/06/10/plus-sized-triathlon-clothing-yes-its-out-there/
There's a Canadian mail order firm called Velotique that have their own in-house brand of unisex road shorts that are generously sized. Both their econo and premium house brand shorts go up to xxl.
http://www.velotique.com/sizing.htm
http://www.velotique.com/shorts.htm
There isn't that much of a difference between men's and women's shorts any more. I wear mens' size xl road shorts from Mountain Equipment Coop, another Canadian company, and find them very comfortable. (I make my own jerseys) I don't know if MEC ships to the USA though. REI is your closest equivalent, so maybe they'd have something. Mens shorts tend to be a bit big in the waist, but you could always buy to fit the hip and have them altered by a professional seamstress/tailor.
I know what you're saying. Every year I see racks and racks of tiny women's cycling clothing on deep discount at end of season in the local bike shops. They can't understand why so much is left over and they can't understand why I don't buy clothes from them. No amount of strong hints seem to make a difference. Or maybe they've been dropping strong hints to the manufacturers and been ignored as well.
 
Pattey -

I would recommend Terry if you're looking for shorts in a bigger size - www.terrybicycles.com . They carry a full line of plus-size shorts and tights and I've worn their stuff for years. If you don't have any luck there, for shorter rides where you don't need a full chammy, I'd recommend the Danskin Triathlon short.

Shebeest also carries some bigger stuff (check REI) but stay away from brands like Skirt Sports - no good. Also, several of my readers have tried Aeortech Designs for their stuff, but the tri short, at least, lacks a drawstring and falls down constantly.

Terry's a company started by a woman for women cyclists, and they do a very good job creating quality clothing at any size.

Sallie
 
VSPA, that's a great idea, but absolutely impossible for most plus-size athletes. You simply cannot walk into most specialty or even big-box stores and get plus-size athletic apparel that's decent and will fit. Frankly, unless you're in a big city (and even then, it's debatable), it's not possible.

We operate on a slightly different level here in plus world - and that's okay - we jus thave to know how to work around it. Buying in a store for good technical clothing is a luxury which we don't have, except in rare cases. Fleet Feet Chicago is one exception; and ****'s has started carrying some stuff in stores, but it's generally rife with cotton and not for those who have endurance demands. Just three weeks ago, I visited seven stores in New York City looking for plus-size multi-function workout shorts (I've recently moved to London and my items are still on a ship). Seven stores, including Nike Town, who now has a full plus-size line for general workouts - and no shorts. That's just life :)

Sallie
www.plusrunner.com
 
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Even after a significant weight loss I'm still one of the fluffier gals on the road (so noticeably fluffy that I was recognized during a run a few days after one of my earlier efforts to hit the IG Bike course). I ordered my stuff from www dot aerotechdesigns dot com .... very reasonably priced and very generously cut. So much so that I'm thinking I should have ordered a full size smaller.
 
I'm pretty tall (5' 14") and if I hadn't lost 70 pounds I wouldn't have found any cycle clothing to fit me. I currently wear XXL shorts and an XL jersey. These appear to be about a size 16 which I would never have thought of as XXL or even XL.
I'd like to see more of a range of sizes.
 
Originally Posted by BadWolf .

I'm pretty tall (5' 14") and if I hadn't lost 70 pounds I wouldn't have found any cycle clothing to fit me. I currently wear XXL shorts and an XL jersey. These appear to be about a size 16 which I would never have thought of as XXL or even XL.
I'd like to see more of a range of sizes.

You're 5' 14" tall??... /img/vbsmilies/smilies/duck.gif
 
Pattey1 said:
New to using forums but fed up of finding 18 or XXL doesn't really mean particularly generous sizing. Can anyone recommend decent cycling brands that go to proper size 18 or bigger? My partner and I are hardly the fattest women out there but are certainly not stick insects either.
I ride both road and mtb so always on the look out for gear for both types of riding.
Pattey
I feel your pain there my friend, it will be a tough one as you will really need to go in a store, or have an online or physical store with great returns policies. What country are you in? I know a really good place if you are in the UK?
 
BadWolf said:
Or 4' 26" if you prefer.
wink.gif
6'2" ?
 
I highly recommend just going to the store and trying various sizes on. All stores and clothing manufacturers use vanity sizing which means you pretty much have to try clothes on any time you're out shopping. It is not only the size but the material and length that can work against you too. Also, look for pants that are a bit more stretchy of course.