UKH

Why do cycle clothing manufacturers only seem to make clothing in sizes for children or adults the size of children.

O.K pro-cyclist ARE the size of your average child but most of the general public aren't. And I'm not talking about 'who ate all the pies' man.

As Rapha are on sale thought I'd treat myself to a Rapha Rain Jacket but even XXL sizing..... not a chance.
Mavic is the same, in fact that counts for ANY Italian clothing brand.

Frustrating or what!

In reply to Indy:

Know what you mean, Im normally a small waist, but made the mistake once of buying a pair on line, couldn't get them past my knees !

In reply to Indy:

I find the complete opposite. It's very rare that I can find anything that fits well enough so that it doesn't inflate like a balloon when moving. If I can find somewhere that stocks xs Santini kit I may have a chance, but I've rarely any chance of fitting something from a UK manufacturer.

Things like arm warmers can be a particular pain to find in sizes that won't just slide down or bunch up.

In reply to Indy:

My wife bought me a large Mavic top in "pro-fit". As she hasn't grown bored of laughing her head off everytime I put it on, I can only assume she bought it for her benifit, not mine.

In reply to galpinos:

Do you look like a sausage stuffed by a contestant on the Generation Game?

In reply to Indy:

Glad you posted this. I'm a large sometimes medium depending on my fitness levels but in cycling gear im usually xxl at least!

In reply to Indy:

Cycling clothing sizes are all over the place: I'm right on the Medium/Large boundary with Endura clothing which is about what "normal" clothing is for me; DHB, usually Large; our club kit (Giordana) I'm XXL for tops (Gilet is a Large?) and XL for bib shorts.

In reply to Indy:

Mmmm I'm an extra large-extra extra large in bibs due to being nearly 6'3 but a medium in tops, I have quite a large frame but my waist is 32 inches.

It's a pain.

Toby

In reply to Indy:

There must somewhere selling XXXXXXL kit, because I see no end of huge blokes out on the roads.

I'm a medium in most things clothing wise, but medium or large in Italian bike kit, so whilst cut a little on the small side, I don't think it is that bad.

In reply to The New NickB:

http://fatladattheback.com/

In reply to Indy:
Its a bit of a minefield. I'm an xl in normal clothes, sometimes xxl, in cycling I wear stuff from Large (dhb) to xxxxxxl(prendas/santini) , the last one not a joke (albeit pretty embarassing to admit)

In reply to Radioactiveman:

I'm oot.

In reply to Indy:

I just took delivery of some Castelli kit, in my normal Medium size - I thought it would fit, as I have a couple of other bits of Castelli stuff in that size that fits me.

I couldn't get the shorts on and the 2 tops looked sprayed on over my chest/arms (but baggy round my waist!), so it's all going back.

In reply to Indy:

I'm glad it's not just me then! I was confused when I took delivery recently of a couple of M cycling tops which are considerably neater than running t-shirts. I may have to go up a size.

In reply to Indy:
It's a bit mad.



Medium in Rapha / pro kit bibs (those guys must be skeletons)

Yet ,Endura tights in small feel and look enormous.while the Equipe jacket is bang on.

I find Gore stuff the most correctly sized.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

I could have told you that tried some on in the shop the other day - I normally wear small and sometimes medium but I'm a large in Castelli and even that is skin tight. Bloody lovely gear though.

I find Gore all over the place, which is more annoying. Got the windstopper jacket with zip off arms in Small and it's fairly baggy, once ordered the Xenon AS in a small and it was literally child sized.

In reply to Liam M:

Have you tried Giordana? That stuff is designed for anorexic stick insects.

In reply to Indy:
I only have stuff by a couple of makes, my DHB windslam top is about right for chest and arm length but comes up short on the body so that the pockets are difficult to reach. My planet-X tops are slim fitting but about right (Large = ~40 " chest) and the body is a good length too.
I have medium funkier bib shorts that fit perfectly on my 32 " waist.

The planet-X website does acknowledge the silly italian size thing but stating what products are measured in this ridiculous scale and recommending you pick at least one size larger than normal.

In reply to Indy:

My road stuff I find a generic uk top in small a snug fit, medium a bit baggy.

I have castelli top in medium that is perfect

I have assos shorts in small which are spot on, and castelli in xl!

I have 3 different baggy mtb downhill tops which are all made by fox, and are all mediums, but they are very different in their bagginess.

I think its a conspiracy to help bricks and motar shops stay in business

In reply to Stig: I have a Giordana jersey, though the issue is that because they have a reputation for being small, a lot of shops seem to shift their stock range up a size to compensate!

Some of the Sportful stuff is ok, or at least that's where I found a reasonable fitting gilet.

One of the best fitting jerseys I have is one of Lizzie Armitstead's Bioracer cast offs that she donated to the club when she took Nationals and so needed a change in colours. However I believe a lot of Bioracer is custom sized, so not a reliable off the shelf source.

In reply to Indy:

I'm Large and XL in the likes of Endura* and Altura but XXXXL in Nalini!

yes very annoying if you are trying toget a deal on line and cannot try the kit on.

In reply to Indy:

Just had some Castelli Tri shorts delivered from wiggle I've got a 32 inch waist but I heard that it is good to order a size larger than normal, so I ordered the large which the size guide says are right for a 88cm (34.5 inches) waist.

Much too tight, they are going back in the post tomorrow and I have now ordered extra large (93cm/36.5 inches) Hopefully they will be OK for me.

Who on earth wears the small? 10 year old children?

In reply to Indy:

Even dhb stuff from Wiggle is sized for anorexic racing snakes.

In reply to Stig:

But the last pair of arm warmers I bought were Castelli - size small!

I have medium Assos bib shorts, which are perfect on me, and small Endura bib ones which are equally so.

I'm quite short in the body, so I find a lot of bib shorts/tights too loose over my shoulders.

In reply to Indy: I think climbers, in particular, have a tough time with cycle clothing. Big backs and arms don't work well with cycle jerseys.

I tried buying a jersey last week off Planet X. I was an XL in the height measurement, L in the chest, S in the waist. I ordered Large and of course it didn't fit - it was a bit short, way too baggy, and generally pretty crap. I've not had the same problem with shorts- I find in general that they fit all right. I think a brand that was upfront and - to be frank - honest in their sizing would do really well. Cyclists built like cyclists are well-catered for, but guys who aren't built like cyclists struggle to find clothing that isn't too tight, too billowing, or a heady mixture of both.

In reply to Mr Fuller:

I think just following sizing used in other clothing 'genres' might be sensible, rather than the niche sizing that confuses everyone else.

I picked up a pair of Craft bib shorts in TKMaxx at the weekend*. They were sized men's XS, and I knew they wouldn't fit. But they will only fit a child. Fortunately, one of my colleagues has very keen cyclist children, so it may go her way, even if only for training use; they had a half-decent pad.

* I bought them because they were reduced, multiple times, and were only £1. So it would have been rude not to. Claimed RRP was a laughable £130. £30 more like...