Has Cycling Clothing Sizing Gone Bonkers?
 

I've purchased a lot of cycling gear including shorts, bibs, jerseys, etc. and have noticed an opposite trend in that the sizing seems to be more for skinny 7th graders than 'normal' people.

I'm 5' 6" and weigh around 160 lbs; I consider myself to be fairly fit for a 52-year old guy. I got a size LARGE jersey and I almost broke the zipper trying to zip it up to my neck...what the heck? Then I read that it was 'aero-ready' and 'form-fit.' LOL. I guess that means for skinny people...

But then I looked at the specs of current Giro D'Italia riders and I found one rider who is 5' 7" and weighs 135 lbs... Ok, so I have to look for 'comfort-fit' cycling clothes...lol...

Makes me want to ride more... :giver:

Look for jerseys labeled “club cut”.

https://hillkiller.com/collections/v...Cycling+Jersey

Yeah, they really don't want us porkers wearing their stuff. Bad for the brand image. Nobody wants Lampre Man as an "ambassador."

Wow. I'm a size 'club cut.' Somehow that is not sexy...

:mad:

Well, this body (5'11" 135lbs) was made to fit "race cut", but it isn't turning any heads, either.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...25da5fa61c.jpg

Nice! LOL...

:lol:

I stay away from euro-cut. If I lost all the weight I could, I'd still be something like a 5x in their sizing. Stick to US sizing or Club Cut.

My team has had Castelli for the last 7 seasons and my experience is that its sizing has been consistent. But it’s Euro-sizing, so don’t compare it to American.

5’10”, 167. Castelli aero jersey, size large.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...26f0d464c.jpeg

Sorry to bring the news but 5'- 6" and 160 lbs isn't light. The Italian road cyclist Pozzovivo is 5' - 6" and 118 lbs. Even Nibali is 5' - 11" and 143 pounds. I don't consider myself light 5'-6" and 135 pounds

You really have to look for and pay attention to the sizing guide for every item. Particularly if you shop on a site that sells the stuff of others and not just their own unique brand. If there is no sizing guide then it's buyer beware.

I don't think anything has changed. It's been like this for many many years.

At 6'2" 200 lbs I am frequently an XL to 3XL depending on the manufacturer. It is a wild guess as size charts are often not reliable.

Exactly. I usually wear 2XL but sizing is all over the place depending on who makes it. I have a baselayer from Sportif that I can barely squeeze into and another from Nashbar that is so big I don't even use it, they are both labeled XL. I have a Pearl Izumi that fits perfectly in XL.
I have some mtb jerseys that are comfortable in XL, including this old Zoic.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b9f840d5c4.jpg

Dirt—and snow?? Looks like quite an adventure! What "road" is that?

Who is that behind you, in the Climb to Kaiser jersey?

"Euro" in bike clothes is like "trim" in dress shirt sizing. They're code words for "don't fit."

It's Angeles Crest highway, the "2". That section was a washout near the bottom of Dawson Saddle, near Mt Baden Powell. The dirt was only a couple hundred feet and that's not snow, it's white plastic they put on the dirt to prevent it from washing away.
My friend Cathy is behind me but I think that is a "Ride Around the Bear" jersey. I don't think she's done Kaiser but she has done some of the Alta Alpina rides. Quite the mountain goat.

Ah, thanks. I've never ridden the "2", should put it on my list.

Oops, my mistake. The two jerseys use the same colors, but the Kaiser jersey has (had?) polka dots. Cathy looks like a ride buddy of mine, also a mountain goat.

Here is a shot looking up at the work to build the bridge across that washout. The road was closed to cars for about 5 years. It was great for us.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5b76caf5a7.jpg

The ATOC used it more than once.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e776cd3c40.jpg

Pay attention to the "Fit Chart" numbers that mfg and most retailers publish on their websites. "Race Cut" is not made to be comfortable when walking, but it's great when riding and has a more supportive/compressive feel to it which I prefer. I'm 5'11", 151lbs and wear size Medium for tops and bottoms in Castelli, Sportful, Vermarc, Pactimo, Garneau, Mavic, Assos, etc.

My best fitting L/S jersey is a POC Enduro in XL that I thought was way too small until I actually rode with it. Fits perfect when on the hoods or drops. Top quality as well built for the long haul.

I have 2 from Voler that I like except the one in this pic is too warm unless it's really cold. I think Voler makes a fine product and I've worn the other one so much it's getting threadbare.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...68219bcf8c.jpg

Not for me. Am 6’1” and 164 and the medium shorts and jerseys I buy fit perfectly. Have bought probably 8 items over the last year with no issues.

Most local clubs get their club jerseys from companies that seem to know their demographic. They fit snugly even over pot bellies, without being oversized elsewhere.

I haven't seen that kind of sizing in Pearl Izumi, which generally presumes "race fit" means what it says. Even at 5'11" and 150 lbs, I'm at least 5 lbs "overweight" in race fit terms, and it shows when I wear my size medium PI aero jerseys. They fit well, but my slight belly pudge definitely shows.

Check Garneau, which has some nice looking club fit jerseys that don't flap loosely in the breeze. I got one when I weighed 165 and it still fits well after losing some weight.

And AeroTech sizing caters to real cyclists, which is 95% of us.

With the cheap but good Chinese no-name/weird-name jerseys, it's all guesswork. I usually buy small or medium in those oddball shorts like Przewalski, Spotti, BBBppptttiii or whatever the heck names they come up with from falling face-first onto the keyboard. But with Black Bibs I get medium.

LOL. Oh, totally! I need to lose anther 10 lbs; it will help on those steep climbs. I'm also thankful that I don't have to rely on my cycling to pay my bills...

:giver:

LOL. I bought ASOS jerseys in Medium and they were so tight they were uncomfortable and accentuated my small belly which made me laugh. Bought some off brand Chinese jerseys with full zippers for a quarter of the price of ASOS and fit comfortably and snugly but not like a sausage in a casing. Also have bought a couple of Chinese shorts after buying Perls for decades and they are now my favorites.