Why the lack of cute plus sized clothing?

[sundial]

Susan, I'm glad to read this because I need XL tops for my airbags. I believe that younger women are wearing larger sizes in clothing, including shoes, and retailers should expand their clothing sizes.

Take for instance shoes. I wear 43s and I have to resort to wearing men's shoes because for some dumb reason women's cycling shoes end at 42s. My street shoes are 10's, but in cycling I really need 11's.

Also, I wish manufacturers would offer more than frumpy, geo-print, flowerdy plus size clothing. I'd rather wear a mu-mu before I wear some of the stuff that's floating out there. Note: flowerdy skorts are not included in the bash.

I would also rather wear men's designed jerseys because they are longer, have more generous pockets, and are not skin tight. I don't need aerodynamic style clothing because frankly, I'm a windsail on my bike. Luckily, Shebeest offers a cut in some of their jerseys that are similar to a men's cut.

[Susan Otcenas]

Take for instance shoes. I wear 43s and I have to resort to wearing men's shoes because for some dumb reason women's cycling shoes end at 42s. My street shoes are 10's, but in cycling I really need 11's.

Also, I wish manufacturers would offer more than frumpy, geo-print, flowerdy plus size clothing. I'd rather wear a mu-mu before I wear some of the stuff that's floating out there. Note: flowerdy skorts are not included in the bash.

Sundial - You're in luck! We just so happen to have multiple WOMEN's shoe options in 43 *and* 44!

Take a look at these:

All of these come in 43!
http://www.teamestrogen.com/product/...100002~43.html

All of these come in 44!
http://www.teamestrogen.com/product/...100002~44.html

Note: to find these on our website, go to the apparel tab-->shoes. Then use the "size" filter on the left side menu to search for the shoe size you need. In this case, these are the search results for 43 and 44.


As for designs for plus size cycle jerseys for women - I agree that the choices are more limited than in the regular sizes. There *are* many solid color options though, especially from Mt. Borah & Canari. And for next year, we are working on doing a much expanded plus size selection using prints from an entirely different (top secret! ) source.... So don't give up hope yet.

Susan

[KnottedYet]

Wooo-hooo!

Thank you, Susan!

[OakLeaf]

As long as we're drifting into shoes... Susan, can you talk about the differences between women's cycling shoes and men's?

I didn't know whether to rejoice or simmer when the Mizuno rep told me that it was okay that my favorite running shoe had been discontinued in women's Wide, because men's standard is the same shoe... all the while their website makes a big deal about how their women's shoes are designed to work with a woman's specific biomechanics.

[owlice]

Hmmm... I don't know where I got the idea that TE didn't have plus sizes; thanks for the information! Time to whip out a credit card!

[shootingstar]

Julie:

There are a handful here who do have sewing expertise, including cycling apparel.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ghlight=sewing Has some photos.

[Juliegoddess]

Julie:

There are a handful here who do have sewing expertise, including cycling apparel.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ghlight=sewing Has some photos.

SWEET!! I am going over there right now!! I've been dying to find out if there were any other biker-sewers!

[Susan Otcenas]

As long as we're drifting into shoes... Susan, can you talk about the differences between women's cycling shoes and men's?

I didn't know whether to rejoice or simmer when the Mizuno rep told me that it was okay that my favorite running shoe had been discontinued in women's Wide, because men's standard is the same shoe... all the while their website makes a big deal about how their women's shoes are designed to work with a woman's specific biomechanics.

HI Oakleaf,

So, what the mizuno rep told you is sorta right and sorta wrong. Here's how it works in cycling shoes.

Let's start with say, a size 40 shoe. Suppose you have a men's medium width 40 & a women's medium width 40.

1) Both size 40s will be the same LENGTH.
2) The women's shoe will be a B width.
3) The men's shoe will be a D width. This is wider than the women's medium width in both the forefoot *and* the heel.

To my knowledge, there is no cycling shoe manufacturer making a women's wide cycling shoe.

However, let's go the other way. Let's compare a men's narrow 40 to a women's medium 40.

1) Both size 40s will be the same LENGTH.
2) The women's shoe will be a B width.
3) The men's shoe will *also* be a B width.
4) However, men's B width shoes typically have a wider heel cup than a women's B width shoe, as women tend to have narrower heels for any given length foot. Could potentially cause some heel slop/slippage unless you can cinch the shoe snugly.
5) For the same length (40) and width (B) the men's shoe will also have a greater overall foot *volume* in the middle of the shoe. What do I mean? Men generally have "thicker" feet through the arch/instep area (think top to bottom), just as they often have thicker palms (for example, Jeff & I have the same width hands, but looked at from the sides, his hands are clearly thicker than mine). So even though the shoe may be the same width, it'll be "taller" through the mid-foot area to account for the thicker foot. Again, if you have a shoe that is very adjustable and can be cinched down, or if you yourself have a thicker foot, this may well not be a problem for you.

Incidentally, some sock companies take this into consideration as well. A Smartwool "unisex" small sock is the same LENGTH as a "women's" small sock, but the foot VOLUME is greater in the unisex small. Most of the smartwool socks we carry are the women's version, which are sometimes hard to find elsewhere. Same with our Balega socks. Many many men can wear the "women's" smartwool socks without issue. Jeff wears the socks we carry all the time. For me, I prefer the women's because I have a small foot and like a snug fitting sock without extra fabric over the instep.

Sooooo, to get back to the Mizuno shoe. Could you wear the men's medium? Probably. It will be the same width in the forefoot as the women's wide. But it will likely have a wider heel cup and a greater foot volume in the midfoot. You'll have to try them out to see whether or not your heel walks out of the shoe.

Does this info help?

[spazzdog]

Hey Susan! I just posted a link to TE on my Facebook. Hopefully we'll get some of my Texas and NYC buddies in here. I included the bit about you carrying larger sizes too!

spazz

[Susan Otcenas]

Wow, thanks spazz!! Much appreciated!