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.

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 ), I would say it runs at least a size larger than most cycling apparel, so consider sizing down.

[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.

[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. 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.