Problem: Long Torso, Short Jerseys....

[Urlea]

Hey Ladies!

First off I'll introduce myself as I'm new to the forum.

My name is Rachel. I am a newly-wed from ND. My husband and I decided to tackle our first triathlon season ever this summer starting with sprint distances. Running has been our primary sport up to this point so adjusting to the swimming and biking has been a delightful challenge. I'm looking forward to really engaging with the sport(s) though! :) It's been great so far.

Unfortunately riding outdoors hasn't been all that possible in the past months due to snow and a spring that is slow coming. We keep fluxing between 30-70 degrees with chances of snow off and on. It's a bit annoying. :rolleyes:

Anyway, in hopes of warm weather I found myself in the cycling department of the local sporting store earlier this week looking for a jersey.

I would like to get something that is sleeveless as I have a T-shaped torso with somewhat broad-shoulders. My main problem though is that as with most athletic apparel I have difficulties being able to find tops long enough. So far jerseys have been no exception.

After trying on about six different brands, I decided I should do some research before looking again.

So,

If you could point me in the direction of some brands that offer longer length jerseys I'd really appreciate it!

That way I can "cheat" and try on those brands around here to make sure they fit properly before ordering them off this website.

Oh, I thought I'd note that Terry is offering a cycling "tunic" this season which I did try on and that is definitely long enough (not to mention cute), but it's probably not something I'd wear on a regular basis. It is a great design though.

Thanks for the help!
URLea

[Andrea]

I also have broad shoulders and a long torso. I found that what fits me best is a Hincapie jersey in a men's small. Other men's smalls fit, too, but it's hit & miss. I can wear a women's medium in Verge stuff, too, as long as I make sure my shorts are pulled up & secured (or if I wear bib shorts).

I highly recommend bib shorts, because then if your shirt is a little short, you won't have plumber's butt. Also, tri tops tend to be a lot shorter than regular roadie tops.

[Thorn]

The best luck I've had is with Descente women's line. Primal Wear can work if I'm willing to go up a size. Cannondale is longer, but fits me oddly in other ways. My Boure stuff is pretty good on the length, too.

But, suggestion: ask the fine folks at TE. They can probably make suggestions tout de suite. Some of the jerseys on their site they even politely mark as running short or long in the torso.

[GLC1968]

I'm long in the torso as well, but because I'm short overall, I can usually just get a size bigger to cover it.

That said, my longest jerseys are men's jerseys (which doesn't normally work with my hips) and my Louis Garneau women's jerseys (which are actually too long for me!).

I agree with giving the people at TE a call. They are supremely helpful and will be able to point you towards the styles they carry that run long. They'll even compare some jerseys side by side for you. :)

[7rider]

If you can still find them, Nike jerseys tend to be pretty long.
Nike is getting out of the bike clothing business, so most shops have them on the clearance rack (my favorite place to shop!).
I actually have found Descente to be a bit too short for me. I've had pretty good luck with the few Terry pieces I've had.
I second the mention of bib shorts...

[VeloVT]

I have the longwaisted problem too. Are you looking for bike jerseys or tri tops? From what I've seen, unfortunately, it seems like tri tops have a tendency to be even shorter (that is, they are cut shorter by design, but they seem to run shorter even given that).

I have found Castelli, Gore and Sportful to fit well in the length department (all of these fit me well generally too). PI & Shebeest tend to be too short for me. Sugoi is kind of in the middle. I have tried on Sheila Moon stuff (haven't quite been moved to buy any), and it seems to be longer too. If you are inclined to try it (and can stomach the prints :D), I would say it runs at least a size larger than most cycling apparel, so consider sizing down.

[sundial]

I'm long in the torso too and I've decided to start buying men's jerseys. The pockets are bigger and the length is right. If you want to stick with women's jerseys, Louis Garneau stuff seems to be longer. I would call TE and talk with Susan. She is extremely helpful in suggesting brands that fit our body type. :)

[Urlea]

Thanks for all of the input! It's definitely nice to know that I'm not the only one with this issue.

My husband was a sweetie and did the research to find me a long enough tri-suit for a b-day gift. Which is actually how I ended up on this site. So I'm covered in that regard. But for training and longer rides with friends I'll need a jersey.

Do any of you ride with something other then a jersey?

I was curious if some of you would mention trying men's jerseys. This too had crossed my mind. I'm just wondering if they will be small enough everywhere else. I don't mind roomier clothing just not when riding. What North Dakota lacks in hills it makes up with in wind so the added fabric is just left flapping in the breeze.

The bib-shorts are a good idea. Question though, do they tend to get uncomfortable with the added straps of a sports bra or isn't it to noticible? Also, do they make you want to take up wrestling? :p (always the mental image I get when thinking of them.)

I'll search around a bit for some the brands you ladies listed. It's really to bad a fair amount of them don't list the length under product information.

Hopefully the TE sales reps will be able to answer that. It's great to know they are helpful. :)

[VeloVT]

Oh -- I just noticed you mentioned issues with shorts being short-waisted too. Once again, Castelli tends to have a higher rise than lots of other brands (although I like my regular bottom a bit low rise, I can't stand low rise bike shorts because I just can't stand accidently flashing my belly/back while biking). Luckily they have a few comfy models of chamois too.

[RoadRaven]

Hmmm... a thread I appreciate on clothes... almost all of my gear is "mens". I have one short sleeved and one long sleeved female jersey/s... both are way too short for me. I use them both for time trials as neither has back pockets. I don't use them any other time.

Mens' jerseys are always long enough and roomy enough for me. I prefer them... however, that being said, I am unwilling to fork out the ammount of money usually required for women specific clothing! So I am unable to give a well-rounded opinion...

[Kathi]

I don't know anything about this company or how their clothes fit but the cycling jersey description caught my eye.

http://www.skirtsports.com/products/SP08-sleeveless-bike-jersey-print.cfm

TE sells the jerseys, they might be worth investigating.

[VeloVT]

I don't know anything about this company or how their clothes fit but the cycling jersey description caught my eye.

http://www.skirtsports.com/products/SP08-sleeveless-bike-jersey-print.cfm

TE sells the jerseys, they might be worth investigating.

I have a few models of their running skirts as well as two "compression bikegirls" (not sure if they still make this style).

They are cute. But the sizing is REALLY uneven across the line, and the quality is uneven too. Some things are pretty well made, others are, well, not exactly poorly made, but not very well executed (for instance, it was recommended on the Skirtsports website to size up on the bikegirl. I did. The skirt would indeed have been too tight and pulled across my rear if I had ordered my usual size. But the bike shorts underneath are a little too big on me (I know that's hard to imagine but it's true). They also didn't do a great job matching up skirt length and short length, so the shorts (on this particular model) come down a bit below the skirt... Some of the construction/finishing is kind of uneven too.

That said, I love my "rollergirl" running skirt!

I think basically the deal is it's a pretty young company and Nicole Deboom has some great ideas for designs, but they haven't quite gotten the production thing worked out yet.

I have to say that I haven't tried any of their tops and they may be better.
(I have the old model: http://www.skirtsports.com/products/rollergirl-classic.cfm. I'm not crazy about the looks of the updated one).

[kermit]

I too have broad shoulders and long torso. I am cheap on jerseys and buy Performance bike's men's small, sleeveless. They are cheap and fit pretty well. Good selection of colors and they fit pretty well. Good luck.

[short cut sally]

I also am built with long torso short legged and pear shaped. I do have some mens jerseys which I think cover length good but some of them are snug at the hips (the ones with full length zip) on me but as long as I dont get that ride up of the jersey and have odd tan lines on my back, I am good. I try to purchase higher rised shorts too. The womens jerseys that I do have I have ordered a size larger than normal and seems for the most part to solve the issue. I have problems with the tank tops, they seem to ride up or are shorter in general. The tri tanks are like me wearing a slightly oversized sports bra and are impossible for me to wear..I don't want to cause too many frightening accidents:eek: Good luck, it's kinda like a trial method I think when it comes to purchasing biking clothes..but give TE a try, the staff I think goes above and beyond to help satisfy the customer.

[Andrea]

I was curious if some of you would mention trying men's jerseys. This too had crossed my mind. I'm just wondering if they will be small enough everywhere else. I don't mind roomier clothing just not when riding. What North Dakota lacks in hills it makes up with in wind so the added fabric is just left flapping in the breeze.

There are a lot of very small men that ride, and most manufacturers of clothing that guys who race would wear will account for that. If you have the option, look for a "race" cut instead of a "club" cut.

[Urlea]

Well my hubby and I headed to the necessary evil (wal-mart sized sports store) this evening.

After trying on a few of the brands you suggested (some sort of worked, but not quite) I took a peek into the men's section. As it turns out they mainly order size M and up in men's jerseys, but I was able to find a sleeveless Cannondale jersey in a S. It fit pretty well, a little loose (I'm the nearly shapeless/bustless type) but, on sale for $25 I couldn't pass it up. :)

This is it, (I got black).

http://brandscycle.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39&id=5807

A few other options I found online looked interesting. I know these aren't for road biking. I think they are more MTB, but they looked longer....

http://oakley.com/pd/4453/17041

http://oakley.com/pd/4452/14314 (on sale for $28 at BackCountry Outlet)

Anyway, I should be geared enough for now.

We're still working to get my Cannondale Synapse off of lay-away so I'm trying to keep my other purchases to a minimum. I'm really excited to get on that bike. It will feel blazing fast compared to what I have now. My Hubby gets his bike first though as he has more triathlons scheduled during my busy season work-wise. Work $$ = Bike so I guess I can't complain.

Thanks again for the input!

[Urlea]

Well, it looks like the moderator wasn't able to approve my previous post letting you all know what I ended up getting last weekend. I'm guessing it's because I linked a few sites that offered products other then what TE had. Sorry!

Last Saturday my hubby and I went shopping to pick up the remaining Tri related gear we needed and I tried on a few more jerseys while we were out.

Terry jerseys fit great everywhere but in length for me, still about 2-3inches to short. Primal wear, basically the same problem but I'm guessing that a few of the other styles might work better. I got tired of annoying the sales associate to pull this or that jersey down from the rack for me so I didn't try a whole lot on.

I was hoping to find a Castelli jersey to see what the fit was like on those but this store didn't have any stocked. The cut of the Castelli's just looks so nice from what I've seen online that now I'm curious.

I did end up peeking into the men's section which is actually where I found something that worked. Why is it that they have the men's jerseys on lower racks then the women's? This makes no sense to me.

Anyway, Men's size Small in Cannondale Classique jerseys fit me best so far. It's a little loose in the bust, but the overall fit is pretty good.

Thanks for the heads up on the men's gear. :o I'm sure I'll still keep my eye out for a ladies jersey that fits well later this season, but for now this will work.

[aicabsolut]

If you can still find them, Nike jerseys tend to be pretty long.
Nike is getting out of the bike clothing business, so most shops have them on the clearance rack (my favorite place to shop!).
I actually have found Descente to be a bit too short for me. I've had pretty good luck with the few Terry pieces I've had.
I second the mention of bib shorts...

Nike jerseys (for women) are TIGHT in the shoulders.

I go with men's small or extra small, race cut.