Knee Warmers that don't creep down?

Today hubby and I enjoyed the 60º temps on our bikes. On the way home from work he stopped at a nearby bike shop to grab me a pair of knee warmers, since it was sort of borderline, temp-wise.

The knee warmers he got me are the Pearl Izumi thermafleece ones. I put the tops of the knee warmers under the grippers on my shorts, but after only about a block of pedaling they had slid down. So I yanked them up higher, but then the top edge of the warmers was rubbing against my inner thigh area between the saddle nose and my legs.

They are definitely not too big (size medium...I have pretty beefy thighs and calves and that's where PI's sizing chart for these puts me)--any smaller and I think I'd be losing circulation to my extremities. I think the issue is that they lack any sort of grippers on the thigh end.

Can anyone recommend a knee warmer that has grippers on both ends? I see that TE carries some, but none of them really have reviews. What works for you gals?

I've given up on knee/leg warmers. I can't stand when they start to work their way down! I wear tights or knickers when it's cold/cool.

I put them over my shorts, with the grippers on the warmers just above the grippers on my shorts, and they stay in place perfectly.

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Originally Posted by DebW

I put them over my shorts, with the grippers on the warmers just above the grippers on my shorts, and they stay in place perfectly.

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Ahh...I thought the tops of the warmers were supposed to go under the short grippers? These don't have grippers at all, so that's probably half of the problem.

I may just stick with tights, though. I was pretty OK with shorts, today (except near the lake where it was cooler or in lots of shade). I'm hoping we can get out of this temp-range, soon. It's a little too warm for tights, a little too cool for shorts.

They fall down because they are unisex. I bought a pair of knee warmers from Sheila Moon that are women specific, size x-small and they are perfect. Same for arm warmers; got a pair of Shebeest and no more falling down. Before these, I had PI knee warmers that were awful.

I'm with Tulip. I prefer knickers. I have some PIs that just cover my knees and some Shebeest that are a bit longer.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

They fall down because they are unisex. I bought a pair of knee warmers from Sheila Moon that are women specific, size x-small and they are perfect. Same for arm warmers; got a pair of Shebeest and no more falling down. Before these, I had PI knee warmers that were awful.

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I have a pair of PI arm warmers that I really like...they stay up well, but they also have grippers on the top. They are a size L, but they seem to run pretty snug...my arms are squishy, but I sure would't call 'em large. :p

I may have to look at the Sheila Moon or Shebeest ones. Or I may just stick to throwing tights over my chamois shorts. I have quite a few pair for running...might as well get extra use from them.

I prefer knickers too for in-between weather.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

They fall down because they are unisex. ... I had PI knee warmers that were awful.

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I have a pair of Adidas knee warmers that are awful. "Unisex?" That word reminds me of the old standard for marriage. Man and woman are one, and that one is the man. They're men's knee warmers, that they know they can sell to some women by calling them "unisex."

But on a ride last fall, long story why I didn't have my own knee warmers with me, but I really needed a pair, and borrowed some PI knee warmers from a tall, thin, male, friend of a friend, and they fit WONDERFULLY on my short, fat, female legs. Go figure. :p

I have Craft knee-warmers that are pretty decent...very grippy and don't slip. I got them on sale at SierraTradingPost.com. I wear a size large...yes, I have really beefy thighs...like tree trunks. :o

I love the DeFeet Kneekers. They fit well and stay put, plus they're more comfortable in a wider temp range than others I've tried, like PI and Assos.

Forgive me for my non pc language. I think you know what I meant! No offense intended. I also found that a lot of arm/leg/knee warmers are sized like S/M or L/XL, so you get a "bigger" range of stretch. So if you are on the smaller end of a size, it doesn't work.
I also have knickers, but on a person as short as me, knickers are actually almost tights, with no fleecy lining! Until I found the SM knee warmers, I preferred the knickers, but now I use the warmers a lot, especially on those cool New England days that eventually warm up. I just get a lot warmer on rides now and I seem to be able to tolerate the cold more, so the knee warmers seem to be more useful. And these don't give too much of the sausage effect. However, they don't look so great with my newer Shebeest shorts, so I stick to wearing them with the Terrys.

Another nifty trick for small people is some men's L/XL arm warmers. I stole a pair of Canari arm warmers from my husband since they make great leg warmers for me. Perfect for days when I don't quite want tights, but want a little more coverage than knee warmers.

As far as knee warmer creep goes - I'd say either your shorts are a bit big - if they are even a little baggy around your thigh your knee warmers won't stay up or you need to wear them with shorts that have a good silicone gripper. I have a nice pair of Assos knee warmers that will creep down if they are worn under shorts with only an elastic leg gripper.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

Forgive me for my non pc language. I think you know what I meant! No offense intended.

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None taken and no offense meant on my side, either, I didn't mean a tweak on you, only the manufacturers and re-sellers who call stuff "unisex"! No issue with you or any consumer for repeating the name they give their stuff. :cool:

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Originally Posted by Eden

As far as knee warmer creep goes - I'd say either your shorts are a bit big - if they are even a little baggy around your thigh your knee warmers won't stay up or you need to wear them with shorts that have a good silicone gripper.

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I can't imagine that my shorts are too big...I'm 145#s at just under 5'4" and my PI shorts (Symphony Short Cut) are mediums and give me a bit of sausage-leg. :o They do have a rather short inseam at 6", so maybe that's part of the problem. The leg-grippers are silicone and quite sticky...I think in the shape of the PI symbol.

+1 on the silicone gripper holding them better (although it gives me a rash on warm days :rolleyes:) and on a longer inseam.

The other trouble with so-called "unisex" knee warmers is that they cut off the circulation in my calves. I know it doesn't sound right, but I guess it has to do with the length again.

Yep, the reason why the warmers work better with my Terry Bellas is that they are 7", maybe even 8" and the Shebeest S Pros are 6". While, I finally feel comfortable enough to wear 6" shorts, they do not flatter my "cycling thighs" with the knee warmers. Though my thighs are not flabby as they once were, they are definitely "athletic" looking.

My knee warmers don't creep down unless I wear my shorty shorts that just barely overlap, but they have a good gripper (i.e. a slightly uncomfortable gripper, in the long run) and I hike up the bottom end so that they're "pre-bent", if that makes any sense. The lower hem is then just underneath my knee, nowhere near my calf. That accomodates all my knee-bending when biking without going south.

My long leg warmers however are a bit useless. They're comfy as such, but they're pretty obviously not cut for my thigh/calf ratio. (Aren't women often built differently from men in this area?) The upper part is too long, so that when fitted over the knee like they're supposed to I have the upper hem up near my crotch. Yuck to grippers on upper thigh. Worse, the lower half is too short, so that they flutter in the breeze way above my ankle. Always have to dig out long socks for those, hate that.

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

They do have a rather short inseam at 6", so maybe that's part of the problem.

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This is likely a contributor. I have PI knee warmers and I find that if I wear them with either of my two pair of longer PI shorts (8" inseam) then they work great. If I grab the wrong shorts (my 6" summer shorts), then the knee warmers will work their way down my legs. My thighs are NOT small...so it's not a matter of my shorts or the warmers being too big.

I think that the longer shorts give them enough extra overlap that when my knee is bending repeatedly, they don't work their way out like they do with the shorter short.

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

This is likely a contributor. I have PI knee warmers and I find that if I wear them with either of my two pair of longer PI shorts (8" inseam) then they work great. If I grab the wrong shorts (my 6" summer shorts), then the knee warmers will work their way down my legs. My thighs are NOT small...so it's not a matter of my shorts or the warmers being too big.

I think that the longer shorts give them enough extra overlap that when my knee is bending repeatedly, they don't work their way out like they do with the shorter short.

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I think this is likely the problem. Perhaps by Fall I should invest in a pair of longer shorts with the chamois that I like. For now I'm fine just throwing a pair of shorter tights over my shorts.

My DH has a pair of Descente knee warmers that have the gripper on the outside - so that when you wear them under your shorts - they grip your shorts, not your skin. They seem to work great for him. I suppose it's the same theory that DebW uses by wearing them on the outside.
I have Trek knee warmers and they're good for the 7 mile ride into work on a cool a.m. when I know I'll just need the shorts for the ride home, but that's about it. But often, I do have to deal with a gap forming at my hamstrings.
One thing I do notice tho', is that knee warmers can't be "re-used." Once I take mine off during a ride, they're stretched out and useless until I wash them and they seem to shrink back into shape a bit.