Shorts

[FlowerSniffer]

Any one out there got any reccomendations for good , tough womens' baggies that can keep you sweet for long rides ?

I know the guys have got Nemas' Crown jewells - do we have an equivalent ?

[free spirit]

Sorry. I don't like the baggies. I'm always afraid they are going to get caught on some passing scrub. You might want to check out Terry clothing though.

[catzilla]

I'm a big fan of baggies.

I'm pretty damn pencil/midget like at 5'4", 120lbs, but here's my experience nonetheless.

As long as you are 30+ waist, you shouldn't have any problem with the men's baggies. The only thing I've found with the Fox Demo's and the Fox Push pants is that...the butt's are HUGE!!! I don't get it, 'cause men are notorious for their lack of ass.

Of course, this might just be a phenomina I experience because I'm a pencil shaped midget. But, I am a pencil shaped midget with a gadunkadunk, so I still don't get the oversized ass thing.

Alright, on to non-ass related clothing recommendations:

I've recently tried a pair of Fox Women's Baggies. Usually, I'm not too impressed by women's bike clothing, but I think this is the first time I've seen non-chaimous, non-elasticwaist, regular old baggies in women's sizes. They were even black to boot (as opposed to the purple floral that I too often come across). The downside is I can't remember the name and didn't find them on the foxracing site. The fit was swell as well.

Another cheap option to baggies - men's swimtrunks. Granted, the trunks are usually made of thin material and sometimes tears. The good news is that they go on super sale at the end of summer. The smaller sizes (28-34) are usually the cheapest and most plentiful. Plus, this way you can be the only gal on the block sportin' a set of tropical fish baggies.

[Divscotty]

My favoite pair is men's fox baggies and my least favorite and would never buy again is She Beast Women's baggies. I like the style of the She Beast where the liner is separate from the shorts. However, I did not know how poor the liner was made until I owned them for awhile. I Emailed the company and they chose to ignore me rather than respond. So I only wear the She Beast on short easy rides. The Fox take a beating and have for 2 years now.

Divscotty

[polly]

go and have at look

here (http://www.teamestrogen.com)

I've just ordered a load of stuff... I hope the postman hurries up and i don't get caught for tax...;)

[FlowerSniffer]

Thanks all . I think the Fox guys are gonna be too big but I'll look in to it.

Thanks Polly - this site looks good , I've been hankering after wool socks for ages as well .

I see you're in Rugby - I'm just down the road from you in Fleckney , SE Leics.

Cheers . :)

[polly]

..Dirtrag have some nice wool socks... they kept my feet toastie with my sealskins over the top when i went to play in Wharncliffe woods and it was -1...

so do you post on singletrack too?

[FlowerSniffer]

Wool is the best .

I used to post a lot on singletrack as 'Sarah' , not long after it all got up & running . Then my job changed & I didn't get much time to look in on things ( that *is* what work is for isn't it ? )

Next time I looked it had grown huuuuge - a brilliant resource but I'm more of an infrequent lurker these days .
I've had some top stuff off the classifieds tho
:)

[polly]

it is indeed a big site now... it takes a lot of looking after... :cool:

[thanita]

I've been lost in space for some time, but here is my (quite belated) two cents as per baggies: Fox's women's stuff AS WELL as Nema's is some of the nicer out there. Lot's of women's baggies tend to be really lame, cheaper versions of the men's, with single instead of double stitching with lameass chamois and dumb looking. Harsh, but true.

Sugoi also makes a nice women's baggy, longer than most so good for colder weather, technical riding and has a removeable liner.

I love Terry's lycra stuff, but their baggies are on the dull side, although the skort is rather fun if you like that type of thing. Well made.

And, although it's a big ole commercial brand, I've always been impressed with Pearl Izumi's quality - top notch. They have a new short, the Voltana, that looks pretty sweet, which I'll actually be testing soon. . .

Lastly, Zoic makes a nice range of stuff that's stylee, not too girly, if that's important. However, I've found that their quality is not on par with the above brands.

So, what'd you end up getting?

[Divscotty]

This is what I want:

Removable liner

2/3 Pockets big enough to hold something and stuff that doesn't fall out.

Material that is tough but soft feeling

Dries fast material

Super duper chammy with speical attention to how the chammy is stitched to the liner. no lumps, rough edges, drop offs - in other words a smooth transition from chammy to liner no rolling edges

decent lenght in leg and waist height (no hip hugger shorts)

Double stitching

$70 dollar price range

You wouldn't think that would be too hard.

Big size range (women come in more than 4 sizes)

Divscotty

[FlowerSniffer]

Thanita -

thanks for your reply - I didn't get any yet ! Had a look at some Nema's which looked good but were too short in the leg . The Fox's also were really short - I don't want hotpants , I want baggies :-)

My other half got some Nemas' tho , they are spot on but the the small is much too big for me :-(

The Pearl Izumis sound interesting - I'll see how the test goes ......



Divscotty - yeah , that's pretty much what I'm looking for !

In the meantime I'm a lycra lout !

[thanita]

yeah, you wouldn't think it would be too hard, would you?
The only short I can think of that comes close to Divscotty's dream short is Zoic's Downieville for women - on the long side, removeable liner, decent chamois but priced high at 100.
Sugoi used to make one that was longer, no more. The trend I've been seeing in lots of women's baggies is "board short" or hip hugger styled which I personally like but can see how women who prefer their shorts to have a longer rise would go nuts.

T

[Divscotty]

I'm built like a brick *hit house. Stout in a word and hip huggers just look stupid. And I prefer to dress my age. I wore hip huggers in the 70's. Lycra... well there are some things best not seen in lycra. I prefer baggies and I'm sure those around me do too. I don't want to embarrass the grandkids.

I would pay a hundred bucks for shorts if they met the above requirements. But the chammy better be perfect for a hundred bucks.

Divscotty

[Cyclenaut]

Polly,

Did you get the Campbell's Soup jersey??

[thanita]

Well, they only come in your average range of sizes - XS to XL, but the Pearl Izumi Voltana may be "the one." It is longer than others, with a 9" inseam on the small. The liner is not removeable, but it is only fixed at two points so that the over and under short do not bind. And, it has chamoisosaurus - very plush and technical; perforated, multiple padding, etc. in a lightweight mesh inner short. Pockets: 2 side cargo (one with mesh zipper pocket) and 2 side hip pockets, all roomy. Longer rise (no hipsters), and a dull satiny type of finish. True baggy, not "fitted." 2 zippers down front of thighs that, when opened, provide some air. On the other hand, they also add a bit of bulk, but on first try, this doesn't bother me.

Downside: $109.
Woof.
T

[Divscotty]

Those sound interesting.

I'll ask the LBS if they can get a couple sizes in so I can look at them. I like to try shorts on.

Divscotty

[FlowerSniffer]

Thanks Thanita ,

These sound more like it , I'll have to see if any UK shops have any in stock , so I can go see & try .

If you beat me to it , Divscotty , let me know what you think .

Cheers :-)

[FlowerSniffer]

Right ! I got 'em - at last.

And the winners are :

Kona Airtime Baggies and ROACH Indy's

I think they're both aimed at guys but they go down to 28" waist & have little belt things so you can pull in a bit more if you need to.
They fit great , the ROACH's have some good zip pockets too . Stick a liner or a pair of Lycra's underneath & away you go....

[jenn]

Oops! Too late :rolleyes:

But for future reference, Ground Effect do some excellent baggies which are longer in the leg than Fox, Pearl Izumi, etc. The mesh inner short is a particularly nice touch. They've just changed the chamois to one of those welded ones as well, I reserve judgement on that as I've only done 200 miles or so in 'em but my old pair have had a couple of years good use and are still going strong...

[FlowerSniffer]

Thanks -
It's all useful info - after all,you can never have too many shorts ....... :-)