My wife is struggling to get on with her normal sports bras when out cycling, and is after some recommendations from the women of EC.
She’s tall (5’11”), about 75kg, medium build, measures 34C normally. She struggles with the strap-on-strap feeling under the straps of her bib shorts.
Does anyone have any good recommendations?
Other than being someone who wears a bra, I probably should not be answering this question as I’m not too fond of bib shorts. In any case, if the strap-on-strap feeling (which can be quite annoying) is the issue, she can try bib shorts where the straps join in the middle of the chest like this: https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/bibs-shorts-tights. That would somewhat minimize the amount of overlap. I do own a pair of bibs with a similar configuration, and there is one thing I would like to caution. There is more material in the middle the chest which is already a place that naturally collects sweat. Like I said before, I am not fan of bibs mainly due to the pee-inconvenience factor, so these only get worn on short rides. I can’t vouch for the comfort of the shorts on long days.
That’s an excellent question. It’s getting harder to find shorts that aren’t bibs and I hate getting undressed to pee in the woods, but to your point, it would also be nice to not feel like I’m riding in a straight jacket. Hopefully some women can offer some suggestions. Thanks!
Not female here, but my wife went through a similar experience as well, when she first got into riding. I recall we went through a number of different shorts, including various Castellis, Van Rysels, etc, before settling on Pearl Izumi Expeditions, which were the only ones that worked for her, without getting numb in her sensitive areas.
PS. Moving this over to Cycling Kit, and adding relevant tags
It’s bloody expensive, but I’m reliably informed by two women I know that the Q36.5 bra is the best thing ever. Its more like a very slim crop top than a bra, so no straps or seams, and apparently offers excellent support. It’s very stretchy, with a variable density soft knit construction. Could be worth a look - its not cheap, but no worse than a good set of bib shorts.
I too have toured the range of sports bras with low success. One of the most reasonable I’ve found, both in price and comfort, is Runderwear’s low-impact, racer-back style. The shoulders lie a bit closer to one’s neck and don’t dig in the same way that straps do, and the bib straps don’t entirely overlap the bra. It is an overhead pull-on, so shoulder/arm/wrist mobility are required. When I broke my wrist I discovered how inaccessible the style can be, but that’s hopefully not in any way an issue.
Thanks everyone, some really helpful suggestions. Her bib shorts at the moment are DHB Aeron Women’s, with a crossback strap style - we’ll have a look at some different strap varieties, and I’ll have a peek at the Q36.5 bra as well. Thanks!