Cycling clothing..is it just me?

[Profpointy]

I have two pars of DHB bib shorts. One is medium, and the other is XL. Both fit me.

I'm , not so bothered if I'm deemed a lardy boy by a given make, but be consistent FFS

 

[Skibird]

Lol, I think you can pre order on line now.

 

[Julia9054]

I'm a 26" waist and possess items of clothing ranging from a size 8 to a size 12...

Admittedly ladies' clothing is a bigger minefield than men's clothing because of the continuing adherence to the classic hourglass figure as proposed in the 1950s... Generally this entails needing smaller sizes above the waist and larger sizes below. Of course, even this goes straight out of the window if like me, you're short, but you've got curves...

I have a couple of replica 1950s dresses made in the original size. They are size 14. I wear an 8 - 10 in modern clothes.

 

[Reynard]

This, there was a programme on it a while back. Customer were getting upset when they could not fit in the size 12 of their youth and were now a size 14 due to putting on weight. So manufacturers of normal clothing started fudging the real size verses the label size.

But also with cycle clothing being a tighter fit in general differences in shoulder width, arm , leg size, waist etc. matter more than for looser fit clothing. So a large may fit you across the shoulders but not the waist or vice versa. So much of it is finding a cycle manufacturer that make clothes for your build as much as the nominal S,M, L.

Yeah. It's even worse when you're short like me...

I did buy the replica footy shirt - but a junior one. Which fits me spot on.

 

[Blue Hills]

Not mistaken at all - as many have noticed above cycling sizes are often bonkers.

And has also been noted above anything Italian is extra extra super bonkers.

I must admit I don't understand it at all. I know that in general clothing, particularly for women, manufacturers/shops have indulged in vanity sizing the last two decades or so so that someone fairly generously sized can get a warm glow from fitting into a supposedly (but fraudulently) smaller size.

So the Italian thing really puzzles me. I have the impression that the majority of "serious", "sports" or whatever cyclists in Italy, as opposed to day to day tootly cyclists are men. And Italian men can be somewhat vain/look after themselves (delete as you want) - so why would they want to appear to be super large?

I generally think of myself as kind of medium, have settled on large for much stuff (including Altura which I like for various reasons) but I have an Italian top bought in Italy which is XX large. May even be "bigger". And it's still slim cut.

Makes no sense to me. Do Italian men have some sort of perverse inferiority complex than needs pandering to by reverse vanity sizing?

 

[Kosong]

it's a pain in the arse. I'm a 5'7 curvy woman, can't find any ANY cycling bibs that will fit me because i have tiny shoulders and a huge arse. i can't wear jeans usually because if i find some that fit my bottom they look like flares further down. right now i just wear leggings and hope to not chafe, but i'd love to buy some proper padded shorts before some longer rides in summer but not a hope in hell of finding any i dont think its a problem with clothing in general - i wish they would use inches instead of arbitrary ''xl'' or ''size 10'' because that means nothing. people need to just be honest with themsleves, theres nowt wrong with being size 8 or size 18, and if youre unhappy with it then get working towards the size you want to be. if people werent' so easily upset over things for the most part we can control (of course there are limitations to this for some) then perhaps honest sizing would prevail.

i go into a shop - i know im a fat lass, and im fat because i eat too much sometimes. its not rocket science! i wish i could go in a shop and find exactly what i want without having to try on sizes ranging from large to XXXXXL, size 14 to size 20. none of it means anything and the peopel who get a buzz off fitting into a number that ''isnt their size'' need to get a real hobby

 

[Blue Hills]

Nice post.on the padded bottoms tbing, have you considered padded underthings with whatever on top of your choice. I never wear tights with built in pads as they would have to be washed after every ride. So wear padded liners which i also use under shorts (not always cycling specific) on longer rides. Check out decathlon. I think aldi are doing padded undershorts this week. Perversely, cheaper can be better. Have bought aldi padded undershorts before and they were fine. Last ones were "premium" ones with - oo - an "italian pad". Pad too wimpy.

Ps, never used bibs, never seen the point, not into the freddie mercury look.

 

[booze and cake]

.....and has also been noted above anything Italian is extra extra super bonkers...... Do Italian men have some sort of perverse inferiority complex than needs pandering to by reverse vanity sizing?

I regularly look through Ebay UK and Ebay Italy looking for lovely retro wool cycling tops. I've lost count of the amazing ones I've seen over the years in S and M that I would love, but I'm a X-large or at peak summer trim condition a L at best, so have zero chance of ever fitting in them. I just never saw any of these jerseys in L or XL, to such an extent Ebay was making me think all Italian cyclists were hobbit like Pantani's or were in total denial and were actually like Lampre pie guy
http://gallery.roadbikereview.com/showphoto.php/photo/40566/title/fat-guy-in-lampre-kit/cat/500

I've got a 'large' italian Denti all in one thermal skin suit in black and rainbow jerseys colours that is so tight its a 5-10 minute job getting it on, and is so restrictive that if I dropped anything on the floor I'd have to leave it there and walk away, or deliberately fall over and roll over to collect the dropped item, and then have to phone or call for assistance to get me back on my feet again. Its frankly ridiculous I bother wearing it at all, but it is slippery with zero flapping anywhere, but more importantly colour matches one of my bikes, and brand matches another, and makes me feel like a super hero. I don the sunnies, head out of the front door and mutter to myself, 'lets go fight crime'

I am 45 and a half, and not as it would appear, 9

 

[Reynard]

I regularly look through Ebay UK and Ebay Italy looking for lovely retro wool cycling tops. I've lost count of the amazing ones I've seen over the years in S and M that I would love, but I'm a X-large or at peak summer trim condition a L at best, so have zero chance of ever fitting in them. I just never saw any of these jerseys in L or XL, to such an extent Ebay was making me think all Italian cyclists were hobbit like Pantani's or were in total denial and were actually like Lampre pie guy
http://gallery.roadbikereview.com/showphoto.php/photo/40566/title/fat-guy-in-lampre-kit/cat/500

I've got a 'large' italian Denti all in one thermal skin suit in black and rainbow jerseys colours that is so tight its a 5-10 minute job getting it on, and is so restrictive that if I dropped anything on the floor I'd have to leave it there and walk away, or deliberately fall over and roll over to collect the dropped item, and then have to phone or call for assistance to get me back on my feet again. Its frankly ridiculous I bother wearing it at all, but it is slippery with zero flapping anywhere, but more importantly colour matches one of my bikes, and brand matches another, and makes me feel like a super hero. I don the sunnies, head out of the front door and mutter to myself, 'lets go fight crime'

I am 45 and a half, and not as it would appear, 9

*chuckle*

BTW, speaking of retro tops, have you looked in Pedal Pedlar? It's just up Balls Pond Road from the bear you bagged the other day in the street art thread. Seems you're in that neck of the woods regularly, so wouldn't take you out of your way.

 

[booze and cake]

*chuckle*

BTW, speaking of retro tops, have you looked in Pedal Pedlar? It's just up Balls Pond Road from the bear you bagged the other day in the street art thread. Seems you're in that neck of the woods regularly, so wouldn't take you out of your way.

Thanks, no I had'nt been in. I've just had a look on their website, they do have some nice stuff. A bit of a typical case in point though, that sizes are only XS, S, M and L, the large they only have 6. And £145-£155 for a wool jersey is too spendy for me, I'm on the hunt for those yellow sticker type bargains

 

[Reynard]

Thanks, no I had'nt been in. I've just had a look on their website, they do have some nice stuff. A bit of a typical case in point though, that sizes are only XS, S, M and L, the large they only have 6. And £145-£155 for a wool jersey is too spendy for me, I'm on the hunt for those yellow sticker type bargains

Ah. Ooops... Yeah, that *is* rather spendy.

I'm with you on the yellow stickers though.