One for the ladies ... shorts??

[Barb]

Here's a question for the girls. I've started local cycling in the last
year since I retired, nothing too far or strenuous, probably usually up to 6
miles or so in an outing. I think it's great - exercise and no
petrol/parking!

However, I'm sometimes finding it a bit uncomfortable in the "nether"
regions. I've tried a couple of saddles and positions, which helps, but I
think I should be wearing padded cycling shorts - under my trousers (since I
would probably stop the traffic in stretchy lycra!). I have an old cheap
pair which partly do the trick, but I don't think they're very good ones.

So ... the question .. any recommendations? I'm a fairly big girl (18/20)
and would require XL or even XXL on a bad day! Most of these things seem to
be made for 15 year-old super-athletes, not late-middle-aged trundlers!!
..... And I don't want to go and talk to a nice young man in a bike shop
(well, not about cycling shorts anyway ...!).

Thanks.

Barb

[Artemisia]

Barb wrote:

> So ... the question .. any recommendations? I'm a fairly big girl (18/20)
> and would require XL or even XXL on a bad day! Most of these things seem to
> be made for 15 year-old super-athletes, not late-middle-aged trundlers!!
> .... And I don't want to go and talk to a nice young man in a bike shop
> (well, not about cycling shorts anyway ...!).

Well, I swear by these:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=2030

You wear them underneath, so you can keep your normal clothes and
appearance, and they're so wonderfully cool with their wicking
properties that I wear them even when not cycling.

Cheers,

EFR
Ile de France

[Danny Colyer]

On 07/09/2007 17:46, Barb wrote:
> .... And I don't want to go and talk to a nice young man in a bike shop
> (well, not about cycling shorts anyway ...!).

Tell us where you are, someone might be able to recommend a nearby shop
with a woman on the staff. One of my LBS's (Avon Valley Cyclery) used
to have a female salesperson, who my wife always found extremely helpful
when she was buying cycling clothes.

--
Danny Colyer <http://www.redpedals.co.uk>
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
"Daddy, put that down. Daddy, put that down. Daddy, put that down.
Daddy, why did you put that down?" - Charlie Colyer, age 2

[Graham Harrison[_2_]]

"Barb" > wrote in message
...
> Here's a question for the girls. I've started local cycling in the last
> year since I retired, nothing too far or strenuous, probably usually up to
> 6 miles or so in an outing. I think it's great - exercise and no
> petrol/parking!
>
> However, I'm sometimes finding it a bit uncomfortable in the "nether"
> regions. I've tried a couple of saddles and positions, which helps, but I
> think I should be wearing padded cycling shorts - under my trousers (since
> I would probably stop the traffic in stretchy lycra!). I have an old
> cheap pair which partly do the trick, but I don't think they're very good
> ones.
>
> So ... the question .. any recommendations? I'm a fairly big girl (18/20)
> and would require XL or even XXL on a bad day! Most of these things seem
> to be made for 15 year-old super-athletes, not late-middle-aged
> trundlers!! .... And I don't want to go and talk to a nice young man in a
> bike shop (well, not about cycling shorts anyway ...!).
>
> Thanks.
>
> Barb
>

Not all cycling kit is lycra! I (male) have a pair of Cannondale shorts
that look like "cargo shorts" and a pair of padded shorts inside which are
held in place by 4 "poppers" and are a part of the purchase. I have
"baggy" Altura trousers for the winter and simply wear lycra shorts
underneath. I find that in both cases the cut of the outer garment is
loose enough to wear on a bike (the longer trousers have special knees to
allow for cycling).

I've just had a wander round Bath looking at cycling tops. Both of the
shops I looked in had a good selection (John St Cycles in particular).
However, I recently looked in the one and only shop in Maidenhead High St
and the selection was poor and all lycra. There is kit out there (I accept
that it is less easily found for ladies) but you have to look for it, I'm
afraid.

[wafflycat]

"Barb" > wrote in message
...
> Here's a question for the girls. I've started local cycling in the last
> year since I retired, nothing too far or strenuous, probably usually up to
> 6 miles or so in an outing. I think it's great - exercise and no
> petrol/parking!
>
> However, I'm sometimes finding it a bit uncomfortable in the "nether"
> regions. I've tried a couple of saddles and positions, which helps, but I
> think I should be wearing padded cycling shorts - under my trousers (since
> I would probably stop the traffic in stretchy lycra!). I have an old
> cheap pair which partly do the trick, but I don't think they're very good
> ones.
>
> So ... the question .. any recommendations? I'm a fairly big girl (18/20)
> and would require XL or even XXL on a bad day! Most of these things seem
> to be made for 15 year-old super-athletes, not late-middle-aged
> trundlers!! .... And I don't want to go and talk to a nice young man in a
> bike shop (well, not about cycling shorts anyway ...!).

As a formerly exceedingly large lady of middle-aged years, I used to wear
'ordinary' unisex/men's padded cycle shorts. Dependent upon brand, XL or XXL
would do, as Lycra is stretchy. Those, combined with a properly fitting
saddle meant I could be on the bike all day in comfort. The bottom line
(ha!) is that as a large lady, you are not going to get much, if anything,
in the way of women-specific shorts if you are anything over a size 12. I
know, I've tried. Apparently large ladies don't do exercise, we sit at home
all day stuffing our faces with chocolate :-(

I've now got a different problem - having lost a shedload of weight - I
still can't find any women's kit I like. The jerseys seem to be made for
someone five foot nothing in height, as they are all exceedingly short in
the body, and the shorts are way too short in leg length, more like knickers
instead of cycle shorts. So I have had to resort to nicking my son's old
cycle shorts as he has had his kit replaced with new stuff. His and
husband's stuff. This is not good as I did a 100km ride yesterday, on a
borrowed pair of husband's shorts. It was the first time in ages I've
suffered with nether region soreness on a long ride.

[Tony Raven[_2_]]

"wafflycat" > wrote in
:
>
> I've now got a different problem - having lost a shedload of weight -
> I still can't find any women's kit I like. The jerseys seem to be made
> for someone five foot nothing in height, as they are all exceedingly
> short in the body, and the shorts are way too short in leg length,
> more like knickers instead of cycle shorts. So I have had to resort to
> nicking my son's old cycle shorts as he has had his kit replaced with
> new stuff. His and husband's stuff. This is not good as I did a 100km
> ride yesterday, on a borrowed pair of husband's shorts. It was the
> first time in ages I've suffered with nether region soreness on a long
> ride.
>

Have you tried the Primal Wear women's stuff. You have to order it online
from their US site but it comes very promptly and in some interesting
options that are not the traditional one colour or billboard options.
http://www.primal-sports.com/c-7-womens.aspx
(you will need to avert you eyes at the b*bs section ;-) )

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

[Peter Clinch]

wafflycat wrote:

> I've now got a different problem - having lost a shedload of weight - I
> still can't find any women's kit I like.

The manufacturers have realised in the last 5 years that women are
a different shape to men, I'm afraid it looks like another wait
before they realise women are a diffeent shape to /other/ women.
As becomes increasingly clear watching my broad-shouldered but
definitely womanly wife trying to find clothes that don't assume
she's a waif or modelled on a blimp :-(

In the walking/climbing world there are a few well repected
made-to-measure manufacturers. I don't know of such for padded
stretchy shorts, anyone else come across folk that do that?

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

[wafflycat]

"Peter Clinch" > wrote in message
...
> wafflycat wrote:
>
>> I've now got a different problem - having lost a shedload of weight - I
>> still can't find any women's kit I like.
>
> The manufacturers have realised in the last 5 years that women are a
> different shape to men, I'm afraid it looks like another wait before they
> realise women are a diffeent shape to /other/ women. As becomes
> increasingly clear watching my broad-shouldered but definitely womanly
> wife trying to find clothes that don't assume she's a waif or modelled on
> a blimp :-(
>
> In the walking/climbing world there are a few well repected
> made-to-measure manufacturers. I don't know of such for padded stretchy
> shorts, anyone else come across folk that do that?
>
> Pete.

At Mildenhall Corinne Dennis (women specific clothing) had a stall and I was
decidedly underwhelmed by the selection and the pricing of it, as was my
female cycling companion. It was all so *boring* in styling & colour.
Ciclismo had a stall which had a good selection of stuff by Campag, Pearl
Izumi, Northwave & the like. The women's stuff was, without fail, built for
five foot waifs, rather than a 5'7" size 14 as I am at the moment. If I had
bought any women specific stuff, I'd have been purchasing shorts which, when
worn would have been verging on *obscene* and the jerseys would have left me
with large areas of bare back when on my road bike. I was not impressed. I
currently have one women specific cycling jersey I wear and like. It's a
Gore one but sadly, it's now too big for me. I wore it yesterday and I get
folds of material in it as it's now baggy as opposed to a close fit. I shall
have to investigate Gore stuff again, but I want to see it beofre I buy, so
I have the problem of finding it in a LBS as opposed to buying online.

I have not found any made-to-measure stuff.

[soup]

wafflycat wrote:
> Apparently large ladies don't do exercise, we sit at
> home all day stuffing our faces with chocolate


I had always suspected. :)

--
'S rioghal mo dhream
Ciamar a tha sibh
www.cheesesoup.myby.co.uk

[Roger Merriman]

Barb > wrote:

> Here's a question for the girls. I've started local cycling in the last
> year since I retired, nothing too far or strenuous, probably usually up to 6
> miles or so in an outing. I think it's great - exercise and no
> petrol/parking!
>
> However, I'm sometimes finding it a bit uncomfortable in the "nether"
> regions. I've tried a couple of saddles and positions, which helps, but I
> think I should be wearing padded cycling shorts - under my trousers (since I
> would probably stop the traffic in stretchy lycra!). I have an old cheap
> pair which partly do the trick, but I don't think they're very good ones.
>
> So ... the question .. any recommendations? I'm a fairly big girl (18/20)
> and would require XL or even XXL on a bad day! Most of these things seem to
> be made for 15 year-old super-athletes, not late-middle-aged trundlers!!
> .... And I don't want to go and talk to a nice young man in a bike shop
> (well, not about cycling shorts anyway ...!).
>
> Thanks.
>
> Barb

not a lady though i do have long hair if that helps.

but you can get shorts for mountain bikes, tend to be baggy dark
coloured and can have built in, or just wear padded shorts under some
normal shorts.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

[Steph Peters]

"Barb" > of wrote:
>However, I'm sometimes finding it a bit uncomfortable in the "nether"
>regions. I've tried a couple of saddles and positions, which helps, but I
>think I should be wearing padded cycling shorts - under my trousers (since I
>would probably stop the traffic in stretchy lycra!). I have an old cheap
>pair which partly do the trick, but I don't think they're very good ones.
>
>So ... the question .. any recommendations? I'm a fairly big girl (18/20)
>and would require XL or even XXL on a bad day! Most of these things seem to
>be made for 15 year-old super-athletes, not late-middle-aged trundlers!!
>.... And I don't want to go and talk to a nice young man in a bike shop
>(well, not about cycling shorts anyway ...!).

Recommendation number one: wear what's comfy, and ignore what anyone else
thinks. I wore stretchy lycra shorts when I was a size 24/26.
Recommendation number two: wear your shorts next to your skin, no underwear.
The biggest cause of chafing for me is seams on the underwear. Try wearing
trousers on top of your shorts that are legging types so have very small
seams. Above all don't wear jeans.

I'm currently slightly larger than you, being size 20 at the moment. My
cycling shorts are all Aldi or Lidl size XXL, which fit nicely. They are
unisex, but work well for women as the padding is one piece, so it doesn't
have an uncomfy centre seam on the padding. Aldi and Lidl do cycling offers
about twice a year. They sell stuff dirt cheap, shorts are around £7. You
need to make sure you know in advance when the cycling gear will be in and
queue up at opening time on offer day to get it.
--
Steph Peters
Chorlton Wanderers Cycling Group
Monthly slow and easy rides from South Manchester
http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/cycling/chwan.htm

[Steph Peters]

"wafflycat" > of remove fame and fortune to
get correct email address wrote:
>At Mildenhall Corinne Dennis (women specific clothing) had a stall and I was
>decidedly underwhelmed by the selection and the pricing of it, as was my
>female cycling companion. It was all so *boring* in styling & colour.
>Ciclismo had a stall which had a good selection of stuff by Campag, Pearl
>Izumi, Northwave & the like. The women's stuff was, without fail, built for
>five foot waifs, rather than a 5'7" size 14 as I am at the moment. If I had
>bought any women specific stuff, I'd have been purchasing shorts which, when
>worn would have been verging on *obscene* and the jerseys would have left me
>with large areas of bare back when on my road bike. I was not impressed. I
>currently have one women specific cycling jersey I wear and like. It's a
>Gore one but sadly, it's now too big for me. I wore it yesterday and I get
>folds of material in it as it's now baggy as opposed to a close fit. I shall
>have to investigate Gore stuff again, but I want to see it beofre I buy, so
>I have the problem of finding it in a LBS as opposed to buying online.
>
>I have not found any made-to-measure stuff.
Corinne Dennis will do her standard styles to your measurements. Same
styles, may be some different colours available for one offs, but costs
about 50% extra.
Congrats on the weight loss. I've reduced a couple of sizes, so if I get to
waif like then being only 5' 1" I should be the intended market for this
stuff.
--
Steph Peters
Chorlton Wanderers Cycling Group
Monthly slow and easy rides from South Manchester
http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/cycling/chwan.htm

[wafflycat]

"Steph Peters" > wrote in message
...

> Corinne Dennis will do her standard styles to your measurements. Same
> styles, may be some different colours available for one offs, but costs
> about 50% extra.
> Congrats on the weight loss. I've reduced a couple of sizes, so if I get
> to
> waif like then being only 5' 1" I should be the intended market for this
> stuff.

Alas, I was distinctly underwhelmed by the styling of Corinne Dennis stuff.
It was, well, boring.
Sorry if she's your favourite cyclewear designer! :-)

Ta, the weight loss is now at the stage where folk who haven't seen me for a
long time sometimes don't actually recognise me now!

[wafflycat]

"Steph Peters" > wrote in message
...

>
> Recommendation number one: wear what's comfy, and ignore what anyone else
> thinks. I wore stretchy lycra shorts when I was a size 24/26.
> Recommendation number two: wear your shorts next to your skin, no
> underwear.
> The biggest cause of chafing for me is seams on the underwear. Try
> wearing
> trousers on top of your shorts that are legging types so have very small
> seams. Above all don't wear jeans.
>
> I'm currently slightly larger than you, being size 20 at the moment. My
> cycling shorts are all Aldi or Lidl size XXL, which fit nicely. They are
> unisex, but work well for women as the padding is one piece, so it doesn't
> have an uncomfy centre seam on the padding. Aldi and Lidl do cycling
> offers
> about twice a year. They sell stuff dirt cheap, shorts are around £7.
> You
> need to make sure you know in advance when the cycling gear will be in and
> queue up at opening time on offer day to get it.

I reiterate what Steph says about wearing what is comfy and shorts next to
skin. I've been a huge fan of Lidl & Aldi stuff. Perfectly adequate for
everyday cycling and washes brilliantly well time after time. Exceedingly
good value.

[Peter Clinch]

wafflycat wrote:

> Alas, I was distinctly underwhelmed by the styling of Corinne Dennis
> stuff. It was, well, boring.

Perhaps a dangerous place to tread here, but for a pair of cycle-shorts
that will be worn under trousers, is that actually a deal-breaking concern?

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

[wafflycat]

"Peter Clinch" > wrote in message
...
> wafflycat wrote:
>
>> Alas, I was distinctly underwhelmed by the styling of Corinne Dennis
>> stuff. It was, well, boring.
>
> Perhaps a dangerous place to tread here, but for a pair of cycle-shorts
> that will be worn under trousers, is that actually a deal-breaking
> concern?
>
> Pete.

It's the tops - I don't wear those under trousers ;-)

[wafflycat]

"Peter Clinch" > wrote in message
...
> wafflycat wrote:
>
>> Alas, I was distinctly underwhelmed by the styling of Corinne Dennis
>> stuff. It was, well, boring.
>
> Perhaps a dangerous place to tread here, but for a pair of cycle-shorts
> that will be worn under trousers, is that actually a deal-breaking
> concern?
>
> Pete.

Not so bad for shorts, but the whole Corinne Dennis thing was, well, boring.

[Peter Clinch]

wafflycat wrote:

> Not so bad for shorts, but the whole Corinne Dennis thing was, well,
> boring.

I've no idea how their ladies' fit would work for you (too narrow on the
shoulders for Roos, nothing new there...), but I am now the happy
post-birthday owner of one of Foska's Dennis the Menace freeride
jerseys, which is definitely *not* boring!

(The freeride tops are a more relaxed fit (like a typical T shirt) than
most cycling tops, and a single small zip pocket at the side rather than
a big set of open pockets across the back. But mainly it has a big pic
of DtM on front and back!)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

[Steph Peters]

"wafflycat" > of remove fame and fortune to
get correct email address wrote:

>
>"Steph Peters" > wrote in message
...
>
>> Corinne Dennis will do her standard styles to your measurements. Same
>> styles, may be some different colours available for one offs, but costs
>> about 50% extra.
>
>Alas, I was distinctly underwhelmed by the styling of Corinne Dennis stuff.
>It was, well, boring.
>Sorry if she's your favourite cyclewear designer! :-)
Nope, but she is the one who would do very large sizes before Aldi/Lidl
arrived in UK, so was the only source I knew of to get stuff that fitted.
Colour and style was not a consideration at the time.
--
Steph Peters
Chorlton Wanderers Cycling Group
Monthly slow and easy rides from South Manchester
http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/cycling/chwan.htm

[Steph Peters]

"wafflycat" > of remove fame and fortune to
get correct email address wrote:
>I reiterate what Steph says about wearing what is comfy and shorts next to
>skin.
Some (not all) female cyclists are extremely reluctant to try shorts next to
the skin. However all those I have persuaded to try have adopted the
practice permanently.
--
Steph Peters
Chorlton Wanderers Cycling Group
Monthly slow and easy rides from South Manchester
http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/cycling/chwan.htm

[wafflycat]

"Steph Peters" > wrote in message
...

> Nope, but she is the one who would do very large sizes before Aldi/Lidl
> arrived in UK, so was the only source I knew of to get stuff that fitted.
> Colour and style was not a consideration at the time.

Aye, I know that feeling well! It's always been a source of annoyance to
me - that the *stylishness* and limited range of what is available for we
UK-based cycling ladies of whatever size. Look on the web sites of
businesses based on the other side of the pond, and there's *oodles* of
lovely stuff in feminine designs in a huge range of sizes. Terry have a
specific range for larger ladies and much of the stuff looks *lovely* The
plus to the Lidl/Aldi stuff is at least you can see it/touch it before
buying, so you can reasonably decide if it's going to fit and if it looks
reasonably okay. Sadly we can't do that with clothing from over the web :-(

[Tony Raven[_2_]]

"wafflycat" > wrote in
:

>
> Aye, I know that feeling well! It's always been a source of annoyance
> to me - that the *stylishness* and limited range of what is available
> for we UK-based cycling ladies of whatever size. Look on the web sites
> of businesses based on the other side of the pond, and there's
> *oodles* of lovely stuff in feminine designs in a huge range of sizes.
> Terry have a specific range for larger ladies and much of the stuff
> looks *lovely* The plus to the Lidl/Aldi stuff is at least you can see
> it/touch it before buying, so you can reasonably decide if it's going
> to fit and if it looks reasonably okay. Sadly we can't do that with
> clothing from over the web :-(
>

The answer being to use that infernal interwebby thingy to order what you
want from the other side of the pond. I do so frequently and a few days
later it pops through the letterbox. The first order may be experimental
to get the sizing right, although most of them publish detailed
measurements to guide you, but usually they have some cheap offers you can
use to minimise the cost of the experiment. Primal Wear is my favourite of
the moment.

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell