Womens Cycling Clothing Runs Small!

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

I just posted a thread about this a few weeks ago, the fact that I have to buy XL biking clothes even though i'm not even 'heavy' or tall! :mad:
Here's that thread:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=42507

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I "feel your pain" as someone once said. :rolleyes: I am average build, pear shaped myself (okay a little more tummy than I would like). I could probably wear large jerseys except they fit way too tight around my hips...grrrr... I wear a jersey that used to be my husbands, and that is about right through the bottom but kinda large through the shoulders. I like that it comes down longer too. I need to start buying mens jerseys I guess, I just always feel funny looking in the mens section at the bike shop. :o

I always wear Men's Medium jersey's and Women's XL's because they're roomier. In general I wear mostly men's cycling stuff. Less pink involved. (Sorry to those that love it.) If I could only get my hands on one of those Chrome champion jerseys! So awesome!

Also, @AppleTree - "feh" to embarrassment. I gotta get my ride on. I don't care what the guy at the counter thinks. LOL.

Just getting in on this discussion-
I'm 5'1", about 114 lbs, but short-waisted and curvy (34D). Currently, I can wear size small shorts in several brands (Giordana, PI, Performance), but jerseys sizing seems to be much less consistent.

As it happens, the Performance bike shop had a huge clearance sale, so I tried on a pile of jerseys this morning. I tried on 2 Pearl Izumi jerseys: One was way too large and one was way too tight esp. across the bust. Louis Garneau, too tight. Sugoi, med fit was ok (I just didn't like the design). World Jerseys, fit just right. I have 2 Terry and 1 Twin Six and 2 PI medium jerseys that are about right, but 2 other PI jerseys that are a different cut, and a bit snug across the bust. And the free kit (Hincapie) we got last fall from our training El Tour de Tucson? I needed a size small jersey in that one.

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Originally Posted by azfiddle

And the free kit (Hincapie) we got last fall from our training El Tour de Tucson? I needed a size small jersey in that one.

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Well dang. I just ordered a team replica jersey (I never wear team kit but wanted to support this team, etc.) in Medium, and from Hincapie's sizing chart, I was worried that I ought to have ordered Large. I'm a little bigger than you "overall" but small-busted, so I guess I should've ordered Small. The only piece of Hincapie gear I have is a very light wool base layer, and it is Small, but it's pretty much skin-tight, so I went up a size for the jersey. Well, hopefully it won't be enormous on me, and I don't really plan to ride in it anyway. :p

I wear a women's medium, but cycling clothes are meant to be snugger. I'm not comfortable with that, so I usually wear a large or extra-large depending on the manufacturer.

I agree clothing manufacturer's are sizing clothing differently. Technically, I wear a size smaller than I did in high school but I'm not kidding myself into believing it.

Hincapie, however is race fit--I can't squeeze one arm into an XL. Bummer because I'm a fan and the designs are cool.

Wow, good to hear that I am not the only one! Holy smokes, some of you gals are the same weight I am but in a size 2! Christmas, I'm a size 8/10, just shows how differently we are all built!

I pretty much just buy men's cloths in general anymore. I'm 5ft even, have short legs, and thicker shoulders. My regular every day clothes are mostly men's. For cycling, I've found some bike shorts at Performance that are women's I like, everything else is men's, including the gloves. I have yet to find a pair of women's glove I can wear. So at this point I basically just shop in the men's section. Heck my blue jeans are men's. (I also have to drive 2 hours to Raleigh to get to a LBS I actually like, which there are two of Performance and there's a Trek dealer I like that is the upstairs of a two story building.)

I am broad in the shoulders and sometimes I take a larger women's size in cycling clothing than I do in regular clothes. I can wear a men's small but often they are too long and hang over my rear in a way that the stuff in my pockets bounces around too much. I guess it is a matter of trying different brands too see which fits the best. The reality is that I have sizes of regular clothes that range from 0 - 8 -- right now I am mostly a 6, but it seems to depend.

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Originally Posted by Koronin

I pretty much just buy men's cloths in general anymore. I'm 5ft even, have short legs, and thicker shoulders. My regular every day clothes are mostly men's. For cycling, I've found some bike shorts at Performance that are women's I like, everything else is men's, including the gloves. I have yet to find a pair of women's glove I can wear. So at this point I basically just shop in the men's section. Heck my blue jeans are men's. (I also have to drive 2 hours to Raleigh to get to a LBS I actually like, which there are two of Performance and there's a Trek dealer I like that is the upstairs of a two story building.)

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Curious where do you find men's jeans short enough, or do you buy boy's sizes? I am 5'2" and wear women's petites. Had no idea any men's pants would be made in short enough sizes for me!

Men's jeans that are the 29 length fit without needing hemmed. Now if I don't have shoes on they are slightly too long, but with shoes on they are fine. Men's jeans, well pants in general are done in length as well as waist sizes, so no small, medium, large, ect. Figure out which waist size you need and try a couple of length sizes. 29 is the smallest length size. I bought one pair at the Levi Outlet store at Concord Mills, the other pair I bought was at Target, but it seems men's jean sizes stay truer between brands than women's sizes do.

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Originally Posted by Koronin

Men's jeans that are the 29 length fit without needing hemmed. Now if I don't have shoes on they are slightly too long, but with shoes on they are fine. Men's jeans, well pants in general are done in length as well as waist sizes, so no small, medium, large, ect. Figure out which waist size you need and try a couple of length sizes. 29 is the smallest length size. I bought one pair at the Levi Outlet store at Concord Mills, the other pair I bought was at Target, but it seems men's jean sizes stay truer between brands than women's sizes do.

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29 length would work for me (that's the inseam I look for in women's petites), but I'm set on jeans for now. Moving to Belize, I won't need many warmer pants, but that is good to know. I haven't ever tried on a pair of mens' pants!

I am always frustrated with women's clothes sizing. The range that a medium must fit is huge. Or a small. Or an XL. Men's cycling clothes are the same broad range, but many of their other choices are not. The idea that men can specify the waist, length, neck, sleeve, is amazing.
If only the manufacturers expanded their women's options to include: Regular, tall, and petite would be something. (Small regular, small tall, small petite, etc)
If you find a fit in something that you like, buy two...

S

Amen to Reg/Tall/Petite Sarah! I'd clean them outta talls!

You're welcome.

FWIW, I just got my Hincapie jersey in Medium, and it definitely is smaller than most brands.

I'm a solid Small in most brands of tops, on the line between Small and Medium in a few. This jersey I can wear (though I didn't really buy it to wear it :cool:), but I'm definitely on the line between Medium and Large. Their sizing chart is accurate for this one at least.