To wear or not to wear .. ladies ..

[Susan Repp]

Ladies ..

Are you frustrated by women's cycling apparel? I am no spring chicken but not exactly one foot in the grave! I mean, can a woman my age really be taken seriously when my cycling top looks like something a 5 year old would wear with pigtails? I just don't look good in PINK! Are you frustrated with the lack of style and street cred? What are your pet-peeves .. do I have to keep buying mens wear (which I might add is just great) ?

 

[tinuvielberen]

If you want to try stuff on in the shops, forget it. Most LBS have an abysmal selection of women's gear. However, your selection explodes if you use mail order. I've had good luck with www.teamestrogen.com I ordered the stuff Friday night, it arrived on Tuesday via FedEx (free shipping upgrade).

The other great thing about mail order is that you can do your shopping online at night, instead of wasting daylight hours when you could be riding.

 

[Eden]

Funny enough I kind of like my girly cycle wear. My normal wardrobe is pretty non-feminine. I not a big skirt/dress wearer and I have a lot of black and navy and usually wear jeans, but for some reason I really love my pink flamingo cycling socks. Also, I really hate a baggy - flappy cycling jersey and since I'm quite small my selection is very limited. I'm a big fan of Canari jerseys since they are 1.)very small 2.) cut for a woman's body and 3.)come in very nice prints.
Primal wear has some very interesting stuff for as well (some very girly some just plain weird), but their smallest size is a bit too big for me.

 

[snailtrail]

I've just ordered a very "noice" top from Wiggle! It's got cowboys on it. It's for my birthday next month, because £36 seems an awful lot of money otherwise! (Don't know what that is in $'s .) Not got it yet! Oh, I also ordered shorts as well (but don't tell my husband - he'd go ballistic if he thought I'd spent over £50 on cycling gear!

 

[Susan Repp]

Thank you ladies for the in-put and I will check out these sites. I think the dollar is not doing so well against the good ole pound (x patriot here ) so yep, that is expensive but there's nothing like some good cycling wear! So it looks like there are some holes in the market for the petit ladies out there. I'm definately not knocking the 'girlie' stuff but at 47 (with a few hum, hum - slight wrinkles) the clothes don't match the onset of my age and the colours not always flattering. I want style and class but don't want fuddiduddy if you know what I mean .. keep riding ladies! Thanks for the info!

 

[slgeo1]

I get the oposite problem to Eden -- I'm quite large and could stand to lose some tummy still (that's part of why I'm cycling!) so I'm happy with baggy for now. I just wear a tshirt or tank top and have a couple of reflective yellow over-tops that will fit over whatever I'm wearing.

 

[nanook08]

Well I'm 5'10" and pretty slender, and I can't find womens jerseys that are long enough without being too baggy. I pretty much have to wear mens so that when I lean forward the jerseys don't come halfway up my back. Though i don't mind so much, cause I like the guys stuff better usually, and I can usually find a much better selection at the shops near me and more stuff on sale.

Though I am bummed because I LOVE the bikerchick jersey by Primal Wear (the little chick on the bike seat) but it just doesn't fit me right.

 

[snailtrail]

Thank you ladies for the in-put and I will check out these sites. I think the dollar is not doing so well against the good ole pound (x patriot here ) so yep, that is expensive but there's nothing like some good cycling wear! So it looks like there are some holes in the market for the petit ladies out there. I'm definately not knocking the 'girlie' stuff but at 47 (with a few hum, hum - slight wrinkles) the clothes don't match the onset of my age and the colours not always flattering. I want style and class but don't want fuddiduddy if you know what I mean .. keep riding ladies! Thanks for the info!

Listen, I am no spring chicken either. But who cares? Bet you are fitter than most women half your age. I am 42!!

My top has arrived and it's the business. Small men's size, a bit baggy, but in a cool way. I don't have a racing bike, though, it's an off roader, so it goes with my "bike" look.

U go for it girl!

 

[badhat]

this thread is hott

 

[masonraceworks]

Thank you ladies for the in-put and I will check out these sites. I think the dollar is not doing so well against the good ole pound (x patriot here ) so yep, that is expensive but there's nothing like some good cycling wear! So it looks like there are some holes in the market for the petit ladies out there. I'm definately not knocking the 'girlie' stuff but at 47 (with a few hum, hum - slight wrinkles) the clothes don't match the onset of my age and the colours not always flattering. I want style and class but don't want fuddiduddy if you know what I mean .. keep riding ladies! Thanks for the info!

Why don't you see if you can design your own line. That way you can add or delete features you like or don't like. I'm sure a lot of the ladies out there would be interested in well designed and fitted cycling clothing. Good luck.

 

[RWBCustom]

Ladies,
Here are some links for web sites that have womens selections posted.
Note: I haven't ordered from all of these and in no way am I associated with them in any way. Please use your best judgement when ordering anything online.

http://www.piermontbike.com/istar.htm (select manufacturer then womens)

http://brandscycle.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=233 (some frilly, some not)

http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?page=6&major=4&minor=0 (some womens items, just not listed separately)

http://www.nashbar.com/subcategories.cfm?category=138 (nice variety, not all frilly)

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/common/products/index.cfm?CGRFNBR=259&CI=1&TextMode=0

Enjoy your shopping.

Cheers

 

[Joe Faust]

Ladies ..

Are you frustrated by women's cycling apparel? I am no spring chicken but not exactly one foot in the grave! I mean, can a woman my age really be taken seriously when my cycling top looks like something a 5 year old would wear with pigtails? I just don't look good in PINK! Are you frustrated with the lack of style and street cred? What are your pet-peeves .. do I have to keep buying mens wear (which I might add is just great) ?

See http://www.teamestrogen.com/ for a very large selection of women's cycling apparel.

 

[Susan Repp]

Thanks folks for all the info - guess I should say - "watch this space .."

 

[Susan Repp]

Listen, I am no spring chicken either. But who cares? Bet you are fitter than most women half your age. I am 42!!

My top has arrived and it's the business. Small men's size, a bit baggy, but in a cool way. I don't have a racing bike, though, it's an off roader, so it goes with my "bike" look.

U go for it girl!

I'm with you on that one!!! Yep, too young for my rocking chair and it sounds like you are 2 .. yeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh!

Thanks for all this info ..