Nadezhda wearing Jelenew
What to look for
Starting with the best women’s cycling jerseys, here are a few things to look for.
Race Cut Style
Even if you don’t race, you want a women’s cycling jersey that looks good and fits well as you ride. A race cut jersey has a longer back and a contoured fit that is both supportive and flexible. It needs to wrap you properly where it touches, like a second skin, and to move freely with you. That means support and comfort on the bike, with no issues of the back, riding up as you lean forwards; and, having the compression that keeps your muscles supported to prevent early fatigue on long rides. The best women’s cycling jerseys have been designed with all of this in mind. Brands like Alé, Jelenew, Sigr, GripGrab, DS Pro and Nice-based couture brand G$ Dimension all take the time to research their fabrics and how they wrap the contoured and sleek forms of the female cyclists body.
Material
Look for multi-directional stretch material that gives good compression, but that does not restrict movement. This provides you with great support while remaining comfortable even on long rides. In addition, take time to look at the materials used for the best womens cycle clothing brands, and find out more about that material itself and how it performs. Look for material that wicks moisture away from the skin and helps to control body temperature, while giving that all-important sun protection, too.
Cooling
Cycle clothing that controlling body temperature is essential, and here women’s cycling kit has a variety of features to look for. The most obvious is a long zip that allows adjustable ventilation. However, vented areas elsewhere, such as under the arms and on the back, including the use of breathable materials can keep you cool all day long. The best women’s cycling jerseys will be more expensive, but will use more technical and high-quality fabrics, and ensure a far more comfortable and enjoyable ride for you.
Diane wearing SIGR
Bib shorts for women cyclists
The other crucial item in every cycling kit choice are women’s cycling bibs – and again, there are several things to look for. Not least of which are the cycling bib straps that go over or around the women’s chest area. This is a sensitive and important part of our bodies and the cycling bib shorts we choose, needs to take account of this. Soft, wide straps that sit comfortably, or straps that cross over and avoid going directly over the breasts are avaialble and worth looking for.
Shaped Fit
For women’s cycling bibs, a women specific cut is critical, as we are quite different in how we are designed! Our hips, our waist and our legs are unique and the best women’s cycling bib shorts will take account of all of these aspects, along with well-placed seams to avoid chafing, and a tight, but unrestrictive fit to provide the compression support needed. We simply want clothing that fits to form, and fits our female body shape like a second skin. It needs to move with us and be a part of us too. Multi-directional fabrics are best for this, and high-quality fabrics with some compression in the right places.
Brands like DS Pro also do a shorter leg version of women’s cycling bib shorts, allowing you to get that all-important sun tan for when you’re not cycling, whilst retaining the necessary high-performance and high quality required.
Wicking Material
Material matters for all women’s cycling kit, but especially for the bib. Wicking material draws moisture away from the skin to allow it to evaporate, this helps prevent chaffing and keeps you comfortable for longer by assisting with temperature control. Women’s cycling bibs should feature wicking materials for optimum performance – especially with the pad.
Nadezhda wearing DS Pro
Padding & Comfort
You need a selection of pads for your body type and for the riding you’ll be doing. The pad also needs to be layered correctly, to stay stylish, and to take away the moisture created on the ride.
Top brands use high-quality pads from companies such as Elastic Interface and others; or spend a huge amount of time and expense themselves on researching the right pad. The best women’s specific cycle clothing brands like Alé, GripGrab, Jelenew and DS Pro can be relied upon to have been designed and tested by top women cyclists. For health and comfort, good padding in the right place is essential when cycling. The best women’s bib shorts depend on your own riding style, distances and your body type. There is no ‘one size fits all’ option. Take time when choosing women’s cycling bib shorts.
For long distance riding, thicker pads with excellent moisture wicking abilities are the best option. For road riding at shorter distances, a thinner pad provides all the protection needed while reducing weight and increasing mobility. Think about your ride style and choose an appropriate chamois type.
Kristi wearing GripGrab
There is finally a recognition that women deserve recognition for who they are, and that they have fundamentally different cycle clothing needs from men. The best women’s cycling kit and cycling clothing has advanced considerably in the last few years, with technical fabrics specifically designed and developed for women, and also tested tested thoroughly with the very best riders. Whether you’re looking to find the best women’s cycling jersey or high performance women’s cycling bib shorts, there is thankfully a huge range to choose from. Whatever your style and choice of riding, you can now find high-quality, feature rich women’s cycling kit to fit your own specific needs and which wraps your unique body like a second skin – whilst also allowing you to be super stylish!
There is a women’s cycling revolution taking place,and we are the fastest and strongest growing group within global cycling. The result of this is that you can now find the right cycling clothing – if you know where to look. It is possible to choose women’s cycle clothing that is developed and designed with you in mind, your form and fit and different physiology, and it’s possible to be an ultra-comfortable and stylish cyclist, whilst showing the style that makes you a woman!
Just press pause when choosing, insist on clothing that meets your needs and only accept the very best!
