Women's (non lycra) Cycle Wear

Hi all,

After many years of frustration at the lack of women's specific 'urban' cycling clothing, I am finally making my dream a reality.

I am in the latter stages of developing a small women's specific clothing range! I am initially developing the items of clothing that I love to wear when cycling. My aim is to make women's clothing that is practical, functional and understated in its style. I want to be able to look good on and off my bike, but I don't want to wear floral prints or lycra!

At the beginning it will feature great fabrics in natural fibres, a few key cycling specific features and the following items: full length and 3/4 length trousers, base layer and snood.

I wanted to gauge interest initially, and also to do some more research into what are your most important cycling items of clothing.

My samples are nearly ready, and I will spend some time testing the fit and the fabrics. In the meantime, please let me know your thoughts on the existing women's cycle clothing, what do you love, what drives you mad, what works, what doesn't, what's missing, what items you wish were made for women and not just men!

So please get back to me if you are potentially interested in this venture of mine. It's something that i'm really passionate about, and really hope that I can make some cycling clothes that other women enjoy wearing too.

Thanks so much, and I would love to hear from you all - if only to register your interest.

Carolyn

Great Idea Carolyn

I've forwarded this to my girlfriend who normally buys and wears guys cycling stuff due to the garish colours ( normally pink ), limited choices and obvious gap in the market for women's cycling wear.

Wish you all the best with the endeavour

Best
Andrew

Hi Carolyn.

How are you going to be different from, say, Anna Nichoola:
http://www.ananichoola.co.uk/syr/category/the-range/ride-lovely/
Obviously they have a slightly limited range, but I think it will be good to work out how you are differentiating yourself. (That's meant in the most +ve way but you need to be aware of what's out there).

One thing that seemed to come up in the discussion of the Women's Lady's Jersey was that, whilst Merino is super, there are various reasons why some people don't like it (itchy, not best fit/durability, not vegan), I think there was a lot of interest in bamboo (and indeed Velocio was looking into that for the full forum t-shirts), so that might be a route to pursue.
http://www.lfgss.com/thread81550-15.html#post3346663

Hope it works out though, there is clearly a market, and you've probably got quite a community here who are willing to comment.

Great Idea Carolyn

I've forwarded this to my girlfriend who normally buys and wears guys cycling stuff due to the garish colours ( normally pink ), limited choices and obvious gap in the market for women's cycling wear.

Wish you all the best with the endeavour

Best
Andrew

Hi Andrew, thanks for your message. When my samples are completed I'll be posting some images and go from there. My background has been buying men's clothes for the same reasons as your girlfriend. I'm hoping I am designing something that will fit the bill. Best wishes, Carolyn

Hi Carolyn.

How are you going to be different from, say, Anna Nichoola:
http://www.ananichoola.co.uk/syr/category/the-range/ride-lovely/
Obviously they have a slightly limited range, but I think it will be good to work out how you are differentiating yourself. (That's meant in the most +ve way but you need to be aware of what's out there).

One thing that seemed to come up in the discussion of the Women's Lady's Jersey was that, whilst Merino is super, there are various reasons why some people don't like it (itchy, not best fit/durability, not vegan), I think there was a lot of interest in bamboo (and indeed Velocio was looking into that for the full forum t-shirts), so that might be a route to pursue.
http://www.lfgss.com/thread81550-15.html#post3346663

Hope it works out though, there is clearly a market, and you've probably got quite a community here who are willing to comment.

Hi Branwen, thanks for your reply. I think I differ from Ana Nichoola and others like Water off a Duck's Back in that what I am designing will not be so explicitly 'feminine'. I hate having to wear men's clothes because however many people say they are unisex, they rarely fit (me) properly. I also don't always like the very feminine end of the line. So I am hoping that I am designing something that has simple, clean lines and is practical for cycling and daily life. A chino type trouser that can be dressed up or down, depending on your mood and circumstances.

Merino is interesting. I am personally a massive fan, but understand that it's not to everyone's liking. I have been sourcing samples of bamboo and bamboo/cotton mix jersey for base layers. It's a good option I think, although I have discovered that the complete production process for bamboo means it might not be as 'Eco' as I originally thought. Maybe it's just a case that no fabric can be truly Eco. More research is needed before I make a decision. It's definately a nice and non itchy fabric though.

Thanks again for your reply, I really appreciate the input.

Sounds good :)
As I said there definitely sounds like there is scope there, hope you manage to make it work!

Good luck

Carolyn

I love it! Being a redhead I have long moaned about either having to wear pink or purple (major colour clashing) or suffer ill fitting menswear.

I'm a fan of merino too, to me it's important that any material you choose is durable (especially round the derrière - haha).

I guess price point is also a big buy in factor - there are some lovely womenswear products around but I personally don't have £200 for a jacket (alas).

Good luck & keep us posted on how it goes!

Carolyn

I love it! Being a redhead I have long moaned about either having to wear pink or purple (major colour clashing) or suffer ill fitting menswear.

I'm a fan of merino too, to me it's important that any material you choose is durable (especially round the derrière - haha).

I guess price point is also a big buy in factor - there are some lovely womenswear products around but I personally don't have £200 for a jacket (alas).

Good luck & keep us posted on how it goes!

Hi Agsieb, thanks for you reply. I have a redhead cycling friend who has suffered a similar fate! Colours I'm looking at for trousers are muted... Black, dark grey, dark brown. I've got a moleskin and a heavy cotton. Moleskin has a long history of use for hard wearing and durable work wear. It will be a great fabric for winter cycling trousers, so I'm hoping it comes through my tests!

Price is definately a real issue. There are some very high prices around. I have discovered that uk small scale manufacturing is costly, but as this project is one that I am passionate about rather than undertaking an a career move, I am aiming to produce a small run that is genuinely reasonably priced.

Thanks for your reply and I will keep the forum posted.
Carolyn

I'm watching this thanks to corny.
PMd

Hi! I love the idea! Btw I'm the blonde girl from the AnaNichoola website (but in the real life I'm wearing EVERYTHING black or grey, ninja style!) Anna's stuff is lovely and really good quality (pricing is reasonable too) but my cycling wardrobe is dominated by Rapha purely because I love black so much. Saying that, i would love to be able to buy some slightly cheaper and as good looking items (and more casual cycling wear than lycra) so I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for you! I like the idea of chinos! My husband ended up wearing my Levi's commuters, they really don't fit my...ehm...curves :-) and yes they are branded as unisex, bollocks* to that!

*I'm such a lady...

I went to the Road Rags launch and without meaning to sound like sex pest, it was by far the most appealing stuff I've seen thus far in women's garments. It wasn't all pretty pinks, in fact it was pure grey merino but just looked awesome. Their range is worth trying out.

Hi Lolabelle, Thanks for your reply. I have tried so many 'unisex' trousers and never found anything to fit. I know with tailored trousers you can't make something that will fit everyone... but if the pattern was made with a woman in mind it would be a start!

Ninja Style... that's a great description and pretty much my look too - watch this space!

Thanks for your support.

I went to the Road Rags launch and without meaning to sound like sex pest, it was by far the most appealing stuff I've seen thus far in women's garments. It wasn't all pretty pinks, in fact it was pure grey merino but just looked awesome. Their range is worth trying out.

Thanks for the Road Rags heads up... looks great and fits my merino obsession!

Road Rags stuff looks good, but painful website and the logo doesn't sit right (visually).

weaselyone: I think there is a market for what you are trying to do. I predominantly wear mens clothes both on and off the bike, but wish there were versions that just fit me slightly better. same style, but cut for women. some Howies womens stuff fits the bill. as far as cycle-specific stuff goes, I wear a lot of Rapha (tops only). the only bottoms that I've found to work, fit-wise, are the skinny fit Swrve 3/4 shorts, which I think quite a few women have.

to be frank, I think you will find the pricing that's out there is a consequence of small scale UK-based production. I don't expect you to be any different - if you're designing and testing, and producing decent quality, it won't be dramatically cheaper.

Road Rags stuff looks good, but painful website and the logo doesn't sit right (visually).

weaselyone: I think there is a market for what you are trying to do. I predominantly wear mens clothes both on and off the bike, but wish there were versions that just fit me slightly better. same style, but cut for women. some Howies womens stuff fits the bill. as far as cycle-specific stuff goes, I wear a lot of Rapha (tops only). the only bottoms that I've found to work, fit-wise, are the skinny fit Swrve 3/4 shorts, which I think quite a few women have.

to be frank, I think you will find the pricing that's out there is a consequence of small scale UK-based production. I don't expect you to be any different - if you're designing and testing, and producing decent quality, it won't be dramatically cheaper.

Hi Hoefla, I agree about the price issue - what I can produce won't be dramatically cheaper, but i'm aiming to keep prices reasonable.

I have Rapha tops, which do fit fine - but the trousers don't come close to fitting me. I understand the Swrve cigarette shorts might be be a good bet too.

my vote would be trousers. trousers trouser trousers. or leggings, or whatever. bottoms.

I'm with a few people above - ananichoola and cyclodelic and such make lovely-looking things, but i'm not a girly-girl, really not into pink and i just don't feel comfortable in things that look so 'styled'. similarly i couldn't get the hang of the swerve 3/4s although i know they are much loved by some. tops-wise i generally make do with some merino underneath whatever keeps me warm and doesn't reveal unsightly things, but the big gap for me is trousers and jeans i like on and off the bike, so chinos sound great.

I also wear quite a bit of rapha although i'm far from happy with the women's baselayer (too thin, short on waist, gets baggy really easily, seems to be a different fabric to the mens' one, which is odd), and i squeeze myself into their jeans because they don't get destroyed in the ass quite as quickly as the rest of my trousers. my other half has rapha knitwear which is super lovely and much stolen.

personally i'm a big merino fan, despite rapha comments above. I've had a howies baselayer for five years now and its still going strong despite being worn on average for a third of all my rides.

um, end of feedback. this sounds like exciting stuff and i hope you'll keep giving us peeks of the creative process. ~~ also thanks to this thread i've discovered that levi's have started doing commuters in size 27. off to check them out. ~~

my vote would be trousers. trousers trouser trousers. or leggings, or whatever. bottoms.

I'm with a few people above - ananichoola and cyclodelic and such make lovely-looking things, but i'm not a girly-girl, really not into pink and i just don't feel comfortable in things that look so 'styled'. similarly i couldn't get the hang of the swerve 3/4s although i know they are much loved by some. tops-wise i generally make do with some merino underneath whatever keeps me warm and doesn't reveal unsightly things, but the big gap for me is trousers and jeans i like on and off the bike, so chinos sound great.

I also wear quite a bit of rapha although i'm far from happy with the women's baselayer (too thin, short on waist, gets baggy really easily, seems to be a different fabric to the mens' one, which is odd), and i squeeze myself into their jeans because they don't get destroyed in the ass quite as quickly as the rest of my trousers. my other half has rapha knitwear which is super lovely and much stolen.

personally i'm a big merino fan, despite rapha comments above. I've had a howies baselayer for five years now and its still going strong despite being worn on average for a third of all my rides.

um, end of feedback. this sounds like exciting stuff and i hope you'll keep giving us peeks of the creative process. also thanks to this thread i've discovered that levi's have started doing commuters in size 27. off to check them out.

Hi Fluff, thanks for the feedback! I'm with you re: trousers - which is where I started. I will definitely update on the process.

I have Rapha men's merino - the polo neck one - it's lovely, but the raglan sleeves do mean that it rides up a little. Keeps my kidneys and my neck warm though, which is the most important thing!

Thanks again...

I have countless merino tops, from cheap to expensive, and I like the raglan sleeves the best also kinda flexible since women's shoulder width varies a lot relative to chest size. The big issue with merino would seem to be it not being vegan. fluff - thanks for the rapha baselayer review, I have a couple of mens ones I wear a lot, had been considering the womens version but it doesn't sound so great!

definitely agree that trousers/bottoms is the thing that is most lacking.

also... the ananichoola site makes me cringe. okay, the clothes aren't all my thing (a couple of things I really like), but it's stuff like

If you want people to notice you and say “I like your jersey.”

If you who love cycling and love to look lovely.

(dodgy grammar aside) that I find off-putting. then again, you will never attract everyone. I can't even put my finger on what it is I don't like...

I have countless merino tops, from cheap to expensive, and I like the raglan sleeves the best also kinda flexible since women's shoulder width varies a lot relative to chest size. The big issue with merino would seem to be it not being vegan. fluff - thanks for the rapha baselayer review, I have a couple of mens ones I wear a lot, had been considering the womens version but it doesn't sound so great!

definitely agree that trousers/bottoms is the thing that is most lacking.

also... the ananichoola site makes me cringe. okay, the clothes aren't all my thing (a couple of things I really like), but it's stuff like

(dodgy grammar aside) that I find off-putting. then again, you will never attract everyone. I can't even put my finger on what it is I don't like...

I hadn't considered the vegan issue, but it seems an important one. I too have loads of merino - I like Icebreaker and I have a nice one from Moods of Norway which is good and long. I have one from Moon, which is a rock climbing brand, and it's horribly short... a real no. Embers do some nice merino t shirts too...

Fantastic. I've been saying for years there's a gap in the market for this. Good luck to you and well done for listening to the customers. Sounds like you're on to a winner.

For me it's trousers and 3/4 length like you've said. I wear Rapha and Swrve but they're mens cut so not great. Jean in both styles too with reinforced gusset. I would be interested (assuming you post o/s) in practical yet casual tops also.

I'm working at a bike shop in Melbourne if you need an overseas outlet btw.

Really good luck with this!

Fantastic. I've been saying for years there's a gap in the market for this. Good luck to you and well done for listening to the customers. Sounds like you're on to a winner.

For me it's trousers and 3/4 length like you've said. I wear Rapha and Swrve but they're mens cut so not great. Jean in both styles too with reinforced gusset. I would be interested (assuming you post o/s) in practical yet casual tops also.

I'm working at a bike shop in Melbourne if you need an overseas outlet btw.

Really good luck with this!

Hi Wicksie, Thanks so much for your support! I will definitely keep you updated... and the trousers i'm designing are indeed reinforced of gusset... and no seams in the wrong places!

Yes please, I'm going to weigh in and say trousers as well. THe swrve 3/4s were the only ones that were at all close to fitting me and looking like normal capris but I actually have to say that I just dealt with the problems because of the benefits. If you made trousers that were awesome and cost somewhere between 55-70 I'd be all over those. To the tune of at least 3 pairs. I would probably stretch it to 4 knowing how difficult it is to get what you need when you need it. I would need to test out a pair, though. Apparently I am one of the only people who felt the Swrve 3/4s fit them well.

ananichoola
I can't even put my finger on what it is I don't like...

It's too girly, end of. Though I loved that she put cleats in wedge heels.

Also, I have access to women's and men's 3/4s swrve knickers. I found the men's gusset stretched too much and ended up with me riding on folds of fabric - not OK! I was considering copying the pattern, as I've heard multiple times that Swrve weren't going to make women's 3/4 anymore. I would never sell them, just make some for myself because I liked them well enough and was sad that I couldn't get anymore.

It's too girly, end of. Though I loved that she put cleats in wedge heels.

I don't mean the clothing though! Mostly not my cup of tea but I like a couple of the clothes (purple starry top and big starry neckwarmer thing... I like starry things) it's the website I don't like. apart from lola, of course.