Womens Cycling Clothing Runs Small!

[itself]

Wow, good to hear that I am not the only one! Holy smokes, some of you gals are the same weight I am but in a size 2! Christmas, I'm a size 8/10, just shows how differently we are all built!

[Koronin]

I pretty much just buy men's cloths in general anymore. I'm 5ft even, have short legs, and thicker shoulders. My regular every day clothes are mostly men's. For cycling, I've found some bike shorts at Performance that are women's I like, everything else is men's, including the gloves. I have yet to find a pair of women's glove I can wear. So at this point I basically just shop in the men's section. Heck my blue jeans are men's. (I also have to drive 2 hours to Raleigh to get to a LBS I actually like, which there are two of Performance and there's a Trek dealer I like that is the upstairs of a two story building.)

[hirakukibou]

I am broad in the shoulders and sometimes I take a larger women's size in cycling clothing than I do in regular clothes. I can wear a men's small but often they are too long and hang over my rear in a way that the stuff in my pockets bounces around too much. I guess it is a matter of trying different brands too see which fits the best. The reality is that I have sizes of regular clothes that range from 0 - 8 -- right now I am mostly a 6, but it seems to depend.

[emily_in_nc]

I pretty much just buy men's cloths in general anymore. I'm 5ft even, have short legs, and thicker shoulders. My regular every day clothes are mostly men's. For cycling, I've found some bike shorts at Performance that are women's I like, everything else is men's, including the gloves. I have yet to find a pair of women's glove I can wear. So at this point I basically just shop in the men's section. Heck my blue jeans are men's. (I also have to drive 2 hours to Raleigh to get to a LBS I actually like, which there are two of Performance and there's a Trek dealer I like that is the upstairs of a two story building.)

Curious where do you find men's jeans short enough, or do you buy boy's sizes? I am 5'2" and wear women's petites. Had no idea any men's pants would be made in short enough sizes for me!

[Koronin]

Men's jeans that are the 29 length fit without needing hemmed. Now if I don't have shoes on they are slightly too long, but with shoes on they are fine. Men's jeans, well pants in general are done in length as well as waist sizes, so no small, medium, large, ect. Figure out which waist size you need and try a couple of length sizes. 29 is the smallest length size. I bought one pair at the Levi Outlet store at Concord Mills, the other pair I bought was at Target, but it seems men's jean sizes stay truer between brands than women's sizes do.

[emily_in_nc]

Men's jeans that are the 29 length fit without needing hemmed. Now if I don't have shoes on they are slightly too long, but with shoes on they are fine. Men's jeans, well pants in general are done in length as well as waist sizes, so no small, medium, large, ect. Figure out which waist size you need and try a couple of length sizes. 29 is the smallest length size. I bought one pair at the Levi Outlet store at Concord Mills, the other pair I bought was at Target, but it seems men's jean sizes stay truer between brands than women's sizes do.

29 length would work for me (that's the inseam I look for in women's petites), but I'm set on jeans for now. Moving to Belize, I won't need many warmer pants, but that is good to know. I haven't ever tried on a pair of mens' pants!

[sarahkonamojo]

I am always frustrated with women's clothes sizing. The range that a medium must fit is huge. Or a small. Or an XL. Men's cycling clothes are the same broad range, but many of their other choices are not. The idea that men can specify the waist, length, neck, sleeve, is amazing.
If only the manufacturers expanded their women's options to include: Regular, tall, and petite would be something. (Small regular, small tall, small petite, etc)
If you find a fit in something that you like, buy two...

S

[jlnc]

Amen to Reg/Tall/Petite Sarah! I'd clean them outta talls!

[kacie tri-ing]

Wow, good to hear that I am not the only one! Holy smokes, some of you gals are the same weight I am but in a size 2! Christmas, I'm a size 8/10, just shows how differently we are all built!

Funny! I am 5'8 about 30 pounds heavier and a 10/12 :-)

[nscrbug]

I'm 5'6", and my weight generally fluctuates between 154-158. I wear a size 8 in jeans/pants and a L in most tops...yet in cycling-specific clothing, I almost always wear an XL on top (I am extremely broad-shouldered) and a M in most PI shorts/tights, but a L in most other bottoms.

Linda

[blue_angel]

I'm 5'6", and my weight generally fluctuates between 154-158. I wear a size 8 in jeans/pants and a L in most tops...yet in cycling-specific clothing, I almost always wear an XL on top (I am extremely broad-shouldered) and a M in most PI shorts/tights, but a L in most other bottoms.

Linda

To make it even weirder, I'm 5'4.5", about 180, wear a size 10 jean. I've been wearing women's XL jerseys (mostly Pearl Izumi), and have a mix of M and L shorts. The jerseys fit loosely, and the L shorts (I have LG, PI, and Shebeest) are actually a bit baggy on me in the thigh.

Guess fit is affected a much by how you carry your weight, as how much weight you're carrying.

[sfa]

OK. I'll jump in. I'm 5'6" and currently 140 and I generally wear a size 10, although sometimes a 12 depending on the brand, and generally a medium. Athletic clothing I need to buy larger--always a 12, or a large or XL.

Here's the thing: when I was in junior high and weighed 110 pounds I wore a size 10. In college, when I started rowing and building muscles I was up to 120 pounds and wore a size 10. After college I started cycling; when I got married I weighed 130 and wore a size 10. I put on a lot of weight after my second baby and only when I was 150+ did my size really go up--definitely needed a 12. When I started needing a 14 I decided enough was enough and I lost weight. I was back down to 130 a few years ago and STILL wore a size 10. When I started training for triathlons, I got back up to 140 (funny, I just realized that every new sport I take up causes me to gain 10 pounds). I tend to think of myself as the poster child for vanity sizing--I get bigger, but my size doesn't change! I think athletic clothing doesn't give in to vanity sizing nearly so much, which is why I'm in a more honest 12, L, or XL.

Part of the problem with sizing, though, is that sizes like "small, medium, and large" are comparative. Compared to most American women I'm pretty much medium sized. I'm not tall or short, just average. I'm not fat or thin. Just average. So in a way it makes sense for those sizes to change over time as the population changes--I might be enormous by 1930's standards, but for now I'm just medium sized.

Sarah