Newbie here - Plus-Size gal with severe fear of lycra

[Irulan]

effulgent... when my brother started riding 3 yrs ago he was considering gastric bypass surgery and weighed 458 lbs... there was no bike clothing that fit him... and his bike had to be custom built with tandem parts. Strong enough to hold the weight of 2 people...

last week he weighed in at 271 lbs!!!!!!! Everything fits, he loves riding and his reward for all his efforts was a new bike...

you've had some great feedback about the lycra issue (who DOES look good in this stuff anyway???) but just wanted to share his story too, as it so darned inspirational... here is a link to his pics... I've posted this before but not sure you saw it... he is "bigkahunadad" so scroll down...

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=97174

I've been following that thread, hat's off to this guy!

[KSH]

I am not a large women (not bragging, just saying that you don't have to be large to look bad in or hate Lycra)... but I HATE LYCRA! Seriously.

These biker shorts have a great way of pushing all the fat down... and making ones cellulite look worse than it is!

It has taken me awhile to get use to being seen in public is something that makes my butt look so long and droppy.... with all my cellulite squished together.

But, I finally just figured that I had to wear them... and if someone doesn't like how I look... then they just don't have to look. I have a reason for wearing what I am wearing.

And... don't worry that you are a large woman wearing lycra. Honestly, I have noticed that cyclists come in all shapes and sizes... and you are doing something that will help you slim down!


Uuuugggghhhh... my next problem is buying a tri suit. I really dread the thought of having to wear a skin tight suit with my saddlebags on display. But, it must be done.

[Pedal Wench]

You know, now that you mention it, I think that there are two distinctly different types of shorts. I used to have pairs that were real thin material. They did show every lump and bump. Now, I wear the really heavy-duty lycra, like the Performance Ultras, and they tend to smooth things out and hold everything in. You might want to look for shorts with the heavier, thicker material.

[SadieKate]

You might want to look for shorts with the heavier, thicker material.

Black Bottoms and Descente

[effulgent]

Pretty much my choice of wardrobe is limited to the TE Plus specialty store. I haven't found anywhere else on the web that sells plus size biking gear (think the higher end of Lane Bryant/ Avenue, not the large end of the Gap).

So I have the shorts, the longer capri-legth, the mountain shorts or the skort that I can buy from TE. Not a whole lot of options. But, trust me when I say this, I'm just happy as hell to find options at all. Last year when we were going to the gym for a while (free Bally membership for a month from Discovery channel), I barely found one pair of pants that was appropriate for gym wear that were my size, and NO shorts at all. All the shorts were dressier or too long or too stiff of a material to wear on a treadmill or an elliptical machine. And no t-shirts that went with the legging-style pants - I ended up going to a Big & Tall Men's shop to get a shirt that was big enough to cover my butt over those leggings. And I never did find a sports bra either.

They tell women who are overweight to get out and exercise, and then they don't make any clothes that will fit women who are overweight and want to go to a gym. How are we supposed to lose weight if we can't even find a pair of shorts to go walking or cycling in? I would love to have wicking fabric t-shirts and shorts that I could wear rollerblading or walking or going to the gym here in my apartment. Instead I have my one pair of scary legging pants and two t-shirts.

At any rate, I hand washed the pants tonight, and I'm going to wear a slightly smaller t-shirt tomorrow when I ride and people are just going to have to deal with the reality of my @$$ in those stretchy pants. (sigh) And I've got it in the budget next month for me to get a pair of biking shorts and a jersey, and for my husband to get a new jersey too. He used to be smaller and has half a dozen jerseys that are too small, and only one that fits him.

[bikerHen]

At any rate, I hand washed the pants tonight, and I'm going to wear a slightly smaller t-shirt tomorrow when I ride and people are just going to have to deal with the reality of my @$$ in those stretchy pants. (sigh)

You just go girl! I've had my @$$ out there for a year now and hate it! More than once I've pictured a wide load triangle pasted to my butt! But you know what? It's working! The fat @$$ is sloooowly shrinking! I'm keeping my lycra purchases to a minimum so I can buy smaller non plus sizes next year! Bike riding is my salvation and I know that this is going to work! It will work for you too! And don't let anybody or anything stop you!! bikerHen

I will now step down from my soap box. Good Night

[sisu_concepts]

it all started at a used book sale when I bought a book called "You dont have to be Thin to Win" by by Judy Molnar (selling for one penny on amazon.com).

As a former lifeguard I knew I could swim. As a former Army employee I knew I could run. But, I had never been on a bike. At 253 lbs it seemed like a big "but"....However, then I read "The Fat, Slow Triathlete" by Jayne Williams and she helped me laugh a little more at myself and helped me realize I could live my athletic dreams in the body I have now...

Now, 4 months later, at 236 lbs, I just lost my triathlon virginity at the Fort Leavenworth Sprint Tri. And let me tell you what...not everything in Kansas is flat!

Everyday for the past 4 months I have worn the long leggings sold at Team Estrogen's plus size store. http://www.teamestrogen.com/categories.asp?catID=53 I even put them in the washer and dryer (gasp)!

I was soooo self-conscious but after one bike ride with the local bikeclub I bought the leggings because I knew I needed the padding and I just couldn't wear shorts because I knew I would obsess about my leg fat "shaking" around when I was biking .

I almost choked at spending $80 to make my butt even bigger but then something wicked happened when I put them on....it made me feel like a superhero!

I did find the Team Estrogen shirts to be a little too tight for my comfort level so I bought by bikeshirt at www.junonia.com. It is pricey but the quality is wonderful and one shirt has lasted through 3 months of almost daily washing and drying. However, dime for dime I find the Team Estrogen products to be superior.

Today, I saw on www.junonia.com that the baggy biking shorts are on sale! 25% off (which means they are still around $50) so I bought a pair today.

I swore I would never wear shorts biking but a funny thing happened to me somewhere between my 20th and 200th hill.... I stopped worrying about what everyone else was thinking...and I realized if I feel like a superhero today in these tights imagine what tomorrow will bring! And that has been the greatest lesson of my life.

[jobob]

If you're reluctant to wear cycling shorts in public, one thing that might be worth considering are lightweight 'cross-sport' type athletic pants to wear over your bike shorts.

REI makes some really nice ones, they don't have a chamois pad so you can slip them on over regular bike shorts, they're not too tight and not too loose, except for near the ankles where you want them to be a bit more form fitting. And they look perfectly acceptable in public, say if you want to duck into a store.

http://www.rei.com/product/47857870.htm?

I wear these all the time over my bike shorts when it's chilly out , instead of tights or leg warmers. They're lightweight enough I can even wear them when it's not very hot. Granted, for very hot weather this isn't a good solution, but it's worth considering when the weather turns cool again.

- Jo.

[Biking Chick]

[QUOTE=effulgent]I'm a very new, very out-of-shape rider. I say out of shape rider, but truth be told I haven't ridden a bike since college, and that was just for commuting around campus. I've never really been in shape, and I'm a pretty big gal.[QUOTE]

Celebrate who you are right at this moment - don't waste time worrying about what other people will think about you when all that counts is what you think. For every person in the world who might snicker at seeing a big gal on a bike there is a woman biker who is thinking ... Hey! A woman working towards a healthier lifestyle enjoying herself on a bike! Biking shorts, bright look-at-me jersey ... you go girl!!

Life is far too short to be spent thinking about body image - you'll miss too many of the day's wonderful gifts. If you change one thing about your eating habits each week - substituting a glass of water for soda or a glass of juice; choosing whole grains over refined grains whenever you can - include at least a half hour of exercise on most days you will go to bed at night feeling empowered that you are taking better care of yourself. It won't be long before you have confidence to try on that hot pink and yellow jersey ... and not give what the rest of the world thinks more than a second thought.

I hope you'll post to the list as ofen as you can - the women on this list have all been an inspiration - I have been moved just reading the postings to this thread. Welcome to the group.

[Beth-Ro]

Bike shorts can be scary.

I am also of the plus-sized persuasion, and the first time I put lycra on in the dressing room at the bike shop last August, I was, quite frankly, horrified by what I saw in the mirror. My fear of riding without some padding overrode my fear of wearing the shorts, so they were added to the pile at the register when I bought the bike. I shoved the bag containing the teeny tiny bundle of lycra under the back seat and instead concentrated on my pretty new orange mountain bike.

Then it was time for a ride...I snapped on those shorts and made the mistake of wearing regular shorts on top of them...modesty is such a pain in the tail, literally. My first few bike rides were fraught with tears and much huffing and puffing as I struggled up the cruely long and mocking hills of the blue ridge mountains...apparently we don't do anything flat around here. I was so overrun with the hill drama and my out-of-shape-ness that I didn't really notice the damage I was doing to my bikini line. The humidity and heat of August in South Carolina combined with that extra outer layer of shorts soon took it's toll and the chaffing was unreal. I was forced to swallow my pride, take off that extra layer, and ride with lycra-exposed thighs.

And you know what? Once I got on the bike, the focus was on the ride, not the outfit. And the ride was more enjoyable what without all that extra layer and chaffing and all.

Those people in their cars that MIGHT notice me riding my bike are to busy talking on their cell phone, eating their sausage biscuit, smoking their cigarrette, yelling at their kids, wondering if they paid the mortgage, and SPEEDING to really pay any attention to my cycling trousseau. Unless they ride. Then they are checking out the bike.

Of course it's one thing to don lycra and go riding with DH and quite another to parade before other riders/racers/been on a bike for at least 20 years types with their toned bodies and their fancy shmancy clipless pedals. But those guys I ride with have other, urm, protrusions they are constantly adjusting, so why am I so selfconcious?

And thank goodness I'm doing this for myself and not for them!!!

The Terry plus shorts have a 9-inch inseam. That should go to your knee. Right now I feel better with just-above-the-knee length shorts because they don't cut into my leg funny and I think the longer stuff would be more hot than I could take here in subtropical land. I just (it arrived yesterday) purchased the plus size orange Sporthill jersey from our dear sponsors here at TE and I LOVE IT! It is not body hugging and has no elastic in the sleeve or hem to ride, bind, and generally annoy me. This is the first jersey I've found that is ample enough across my chest.

So, find the gear, wear with pride, love your body, and look yourself in the mirror every morning and remind yourself "I am better today than I was yesterday". That's how I did it. And guess what? I've put 1300 miles or so on that new orange mountain bike...5 and 10 miles at a time...in less than a year. Mother's Day weekend I rode 40+ miles for the first time. And honey let me tell you about the muscles in my legs!!!!

Lycra is your friend. Embrase it and ride like the wind!

-beth, who was probably a little too excited about a plus sized sister on a bike

[effulgent]

You guys are so great, seriously! I do think I'll get leggings because I never thought about leg stuff jiggling before Sisu's post. I'm sure they would make me feel more comfortable. But I am pumped about investing in a pair of leggings and an obnoxious jersey.

And here's the bizarre question for the day - has anyone ever bought the Curves Sports Bra that Avon sells? I'm not the Avon type, I've never bought anything from them before, but I noticed while perusing a catalog at lunch yesterday (a co-worker drapes the catalogs all over the building) that they have a sports bra for $15. The only ones I've found on the Internet have been $50 or more. I wear a 42D right now, which the catalog says will fit me, at least in theory. My main concern is that underwires SUCK when you're all sweating and whatnot. I could afford to get 3 Curves bras for what 1 bra somewhere else would cost. But if they are horrid, I don't want to even risk it.

Ladies?

[Beth-Ro]

I don't use a sports bra because I've never found one that was big enough, so post back here if you find one you like.

And please post back on the jersey you find that you like. I may have to try that Terry jersey too!

[Satori78]

So I've been lurking for awhile and decided that this was a good post to speak up on. My boyfriend is a long time biker and I got started going with him, VERY recently started biking and it sounds like I am in the same size category. After a ride or two when my girly parts and rear were sore, my boyfriend suggest padded shorts, and my reaction was of course LYCRA?!?!?

After some online browsing, I ended up going with the terry skort and so far so good. The only thing I've noticed is there seems to be a little size difference between the skirt part and the short part (i.e. the skirt seems to run smaller than the shorts). The shorts fit fine, could maybe be a little smaller (can't believe I said that), but the skirt part barely fits.

What has actually amazed me is that even with the skort (it's not that long), I was a little self-concious at first, but being out riding and getting the natural adrenalin (sp?) high from it has really helped me get over the self-conciousness. I say go out ride, the way I feel after far tops the concern about appearance.

Smiles,
Angela

[CorsairMac]

Welcome to the board Satori! Isn't it amazing the things you find here on the board, things you think "gosh maybe it's just me" until you come here and find out you're not alone! what a neat post!!

if you get a chance, there's a thread under the open titled "getting to know you".....it'll give ya about an hour of giggles learning about us - and if you're so inclined - tell us about you!!

Hope to hear more from you!

[nuthatch]

After some online browsing, I ended up going with the terry skort and so far so good.

I was going to suggest this too. When I started out last summer (before my bike infected me with its cocky, devil-may-care attitude) I felt so self-conscious about being in lycra, especially as a bike commuter arriving at work. I felt like the lycra was some sort of badge of fitness that only real serious cyclist types wore and I was a lumpy woman wobbling around on her wheels. So I made a little wrap-around skirt with a piece of sanded microfiber cotton I found at the fabric store and I love it! It covers the shorts, it looks cute and girly and I'm not shy to arrive at work in it. Takes very little fabric and I can't believe Canari and such are charging $40 for one!!! I only whip it off when I become SUPERCYCLER on the weekends!