Can women wear men's bib shorts?

[shopGirl]

Hi, I've been reading TE forums for some time now, but never really felt the need to post until now...I want to give help as much as I've been helped by all the lovely ladies here!

Please do not spend the money on Men's bibs, unless you are built more like a Man. Cycling apparel companies are finally putting the time into developing great comfy bibs for Ladies, and we should show them that we are noticing that by supporting Women-specific items. A man's chamois is built to fit differently than a woman's - it's not just a size thing, but an anatomy thing.

I highly recommend the Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Bib Short. For a little less $$, you can down-grade the chamois (still a great one, though) and add a "drop seat" (for mid-ride potty sessions, I guess) in the Drop Tail Cycling Bib.

Specialized and Sugoi also offer W's specific bibs, but the Pearl's are sweeet!

If your local bike shop is not carrying any, ask them if they can special order. If not, shop online. Buy your regular short size, or maybe one size smaller. The compression you get in your mid tummy area from a bib does wonders for your breathing, especially when climbing. Good Luck!

[nscrbug]

X2 on the Women's Pearl Izumi P.R.O. bibs...I absolutely LOVE mine!!! I never considered myself a bib-wearing kind of gal, but a male riding buddy of mine wears nothing but bibs and swears by them. He convinced me to give the PRO bibs a try, and I couldn't be happier! I bought mine in a medium, which is the size I usually take in PI bottoms, and they fit perfectly. I love the extra coverage over my lower tummy area (a problem area for me). The only downside that I can see to wearing bibs, is that it takes a tad bit longer during potty stops, but I can live with that. The PRO bibs & shorts also have a really comfortable leg band, that you won't find on their other shorts. It's a nice, smooth band of fabric with really thin silicone strips on the inside to keep the shorts from riding up. MUCH nicer than their "traditional" leg grippers that you'd find on most of their other shorts. I bought mine at Performance on sale for $134.99 with an additional 20% off...so a pretty good deal, IMO.

[lph]

Well, I'll be the party pooper and say that I don't really like my PI Microsensor bibs that much. They have some good points, nice detail, thoughtfully made, good straps, but I find the outer material a little too "soft" (it scuffs and pills easily, and the seams tend to indent a little), the white crotch seam is not my favourite fashion statement (gone in this years model, it seems), the leg openings are a wee bit tight and most important - the chamois feels a bit thin and too narrow for me.

They're perfectly adequate, but I actually prefer my mens club bib-shorts, made by Craft, with a better chamois for my anatomy, for longer rides, and my Gore womens non-bib shorts with a quite firm chamois and a sturdier outer material, for shorter rides.

Guess you just have to try 'em out and find out what suits you.

[Selkie]

Well, I'll be the party pooper and say that I don't really like my PI Microsensor bibs that much. They have some good points, nice detail, thoughtfully made, good straps, but I find the outer material a little too "soft" (it scuffs and pills easily, and the seams tend to indent a little), the white crotch seam is not my favourite fashion statement (gone in this years model, it seems), the leg openings are a wee bit tight and most important - the chamois feels a bit thin and too narrow for me.

.

I'm with you on the Microsensor bibs. The chamois feels almost like soft cardboard and it hasn't improved with time/use. The short's fabric seems almost baggy---seems like it needs more lycra. Thankfully, the PI bibs that TE carries with the red chamois are MUCH improved. Of course, my sinfully expensive Assos bibs are my favorite.

I agree with you about the Craft bibs. However, I have a couple pairs of "older model" ones in the ladies version, not the mens.

[nscrbug]

Hmm...well my PI PRO Bibshorts do have a "red" chamois(I have the 2009 version)...it's the PRO 3-D chamois...so I'm not sure if we're talking about the same pad or not. I like it just fine. But I'd have to say that my favorite chamois, would be the one that it is in my pair of Sugoi RS shorts...it's lime green in color, and a thinner pad which suits my body and type of riding. If I could get that chamois and put it in every pair of cycling shorts I own...I'd be one happy camper!!!

[Crystal]

+1 on :
"Please do not spend the money on Men's bibs, unless you are built more like a Man. Cycling apparel companies are finally putting the time into developing great comfy bibs for Ladies, and we should show them that we are noticing that by supporting Women-specific items."

Additionally:
Personally I hate the Pearl Izumi Bibs. I have found that since the chamois isn't sewn down flush with the short, they give me something similar to paper cuts on the inside of my legs. I have had exceptional luck with the Castelli bibs. They are a little more expensive, but WORTH EVERY EXTRA DOLLAR! I bought one pair to see what they were all about and within a few rides, gave all my other pairs away (including all my PI shorts) and bought 2 more pairs.

I am a smaller rider, and perhaps that is why the PI shorts fit me poorly. I am about 5'3" and wear an XS in both brands.

[shopGirl]

I'm going to try the Castelli bibs! I also wear an XS in the Pearls and I feel like I could use XXS...as for them being obnoxiously expensive: "Quality is long remembered after price is soon forgotten"

[klsilcox]

Please do not spend the money on Men's bibs, unless you are built more like a Man. Cycling apparel companies are finally putting the time into developing great comfy bibs for Ladies, and we should show them that we are noticing that by supporting Women-specific items. A man's chamois is built to fit differently than a woman's - it's not just a size thing, but an anatomy thing.

I think what shorts you're comfortable in definitely depends on your build. I think I'm probably built more like a man. I have long thighs and a long torso. I have an ecto-mesomorphic build. This means I'm essentially straight up and down - shoulders, stomach, hips, legs - but I'm quite muscular, not small or skinny (5"8', 140, 16% body fat). I will say that men's pants (at least more hipster pants) tend to fit me better than do women's pants. I wear a 30" waist with 32" inseam. So all that said, I tend to prefer men's bibs because they just seem to fit better than do women's, likely due to those dimensions!

Also, I don't like how short most women's bibs are in the leg. While I like showing my quad muscles in looser shorts, the leg length in a lot of women's bibs, because they're skin tight, can make some women's thighs look really 'bubbly'/'stuffed/however you want to put 'too big for what the packaging they're encased in'. I've heard women go both ways on the leg length. They usually look much better on women with small, really thin thighs (i.e. the type who wear short shorts) ... personal opinion obviously!

Up top I'm a 34B and seem to have no problem with the straps; but of course someone else might or it may be different for those with different chest sizes. Anyway, my two cents for someone with potentially more of a 'men's build!' Since there are all sorts of body shapes for women, I wouldn't put wearing men's bibs out of the question. Good luck!

[ridebikeme]

Like kilsilcox, it seems that mens shorts and jerseys fit me much better than womens. I have a long torso, so all of the womens jerseys are never long enough. Again, men's shorts fit me better as well. I'm not a PI fan, but I can say that the Louis Garneau Neopower shorts fit me well and I love them.

The sad thing to me is this: after ordering some womens jerseys for our team where all of the women are small, all of them wore a size large and XL. In the real world, these women would wear anywhere from a small for one, up to a size medium. Sizing and accommodating people with different shapes is something that our industry should pay attention to and not force folks in one direction or another.

My .2

[klsilcox]

Like kilsilcox, it seems that mens shorts and jerseys fit me much better than womens. I have a long torso, so all of the womens jerseys are never long enough. Again, men's shorts fit me better as well. I'm not a PI fan, but I can say that the Louis Garneau Neopower shorts fit me well and I love them.

The sad thing to me is this: after ordering some womens jerseys for our team where all of the women are small, all of them wore a size large and XL. In the real world, these women would wear anywhere from a small for one, up to a size medium. Sizing and accommodating people with different shapes is something that our industry should pay attention to and not force folks in one direction or another.

My .2

I agree, completely. I'm really disappointed in the bike industry for their lack of providing choice and quality, comparatively to other 'outdoor/sports' clothing manufacturers. Rarely have I seen two women be able to fit into the same pair of jeans. So to assume that all women have this or that build and therefore need in terms of cut, shape, size, length, is a little silly. I love the way the Louis Garneau men's bibs fit me as well (not sure if they're the Neopowers or not). I also buy men's jerseys. The women's are too short on me, something like the fashion industry's mistakes of the 90s when they seemed to assume that all women had shorter torsos and longer legs. There are plenty of women out there riding. But until someone starts making clothes that fit well, they're not going to invest in women's clothing in enough numbers to keep a women's line going strongly. I wear a women's medium (I'm size 6-8 in women's pants and medium or 6-8 in shirts), but I had the same issue with women's jerseys. Very frustrating.

[Crankin]

This is a really old thread, but, obviously, there are now lots of different brands of cycling clothing and some are better for some body types compared to others. I've never had an issue finding cycling clothes that fit me. While my DH first ordered me stuff from Performance, which was kinda cheap (he wasn't sure if I'd stick with riding), that was back in 2000. I started ordering from Terry shortly after that, and I must say, for someone who can only buy regular clothes in like 3-4 places because I am short and petite, I've been very happy with Terry jerseys and shorts. I branched out and now also wear Sugoi shorts, as well as Primal and Voler jerseys. I don't wear bibs, so I can't comment on those, but it seems like there's a lot of choice. If men's clothing fits better, than you should buy it, but perhaps you haven't tried on women's bike stuff in every brand available. I for one, can't wear LG or PI clothes, as they are extremely long. I once tried on an LG jersey that came down to my knees, no joke, in an extra small.

[klsilcox]

Part of it might also be the fact that often bike stores only sell one or two types of bibs max (they're the only type of shorts I'll wear). So I can't really try things on. With men's stuff, generally there are 5-6 types of bibs and generally in all sizes, not just small and medium. So part of it perhaps isn't that the products aren't made; they're just limited in their availability and especially for trying on. I've not yet found a women's bib in 8.5" inseam which is the perfect length. That's okay too. I haven't found an issue with the men's bibs. Maybe I'd like women's better if I could find a pair that fit well. I do keep looking, just not finding!

[ridebikeme]

I can tell you as a shop that has sold LG clothing for a very long time that sizing slightly varies from year to year. I own a ton of their jerseys and find that if I were to lay them all out, well you can see the difference. That is not a complaint, simply a fact. I agree with Crankin that brands may help fit most of us, but there is definitely a HUGE whole in that area. As a whole, our country is getting larger not smaller, yet many folks(women) have a very difficult time buying clothing... and I find that very sad. AS an industry, we should be truly encouraging folks to ride regardless of size, shape etc... I've said this for years, but each year hope that someone new will come in the ring of competition and offer sizing that fits larger women, looks great and be encouraging for everyone. Anyone interested out there?