Beer bellies & Mummy tummies!

[Graham O]

Speaking as a manufacturer (although not of cycling clothing), the problem is one of minimum order sizes and sales volume. Most clothing is made in the Far East and they will only do large volumes, perhaps 100 of each size for low value products like shorts. Consequently, it isn't worth the distributor in this country getting very large sizes made as they will only sell slowly. And if the XXXL's are marked up to compensate for their slow return on capital, they get criticised for discrminating against big people.

Try to find a specialist manufacturer who makes only small volumes in this country and persuade them to make a small run of the products you want. Talk to the few Universities that still do garment design (Manchester Metropolitan University for example) and see if any of their students would like the project. It may be difficult, but if there really is a market for them, bite the bullet, buy all their production run and set up your own business. If you are lucky, you'll make some money and if not, you'll have all the cycle shorts you'll ever need

 

[JohnRedcoRn]

speaking of beer bellies and the whole sizing issue ; just had to return a short sleeve top to wiggle - 'northwave', very nice top. i ordered XL as thats the size of my long sleeve and its just right.
the new top was really too small - yeah these are supposed to be tight but i looked like the only gay in the village ! it was riding up my belly.... so i've ordered XXL instead....which i think even after a few months weight loss wont exactly be hanging off me. (the XL i couldve kept but i'd have to get back down to my best ever fitness level to fit into that, and whilst i want to lose a fair bit weight i'm more relaxed these days so dont want to work quite that hard again.)
its interesting because i'm overweight but i'm not a great big huge bloke by any means and i get away with it fairly well in 'normal' clothes.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

When I first took the plunge and started riding to loose weight I was embarassed as well...enough to ride only at night for a while...there is nothing abnormal with feeling embarrassed, but it is wrong...there is no need to be embarrassed...I say hang what anybody else thinks, just go for it.

One think that helped me was to shoot my mouth off to everybody and tell them how far I would ride, where my tour would be, and really talk myself into things...that way i found I could not wimp out and had to do it...and I did.

 

[Aperitif]

Try here purplemoon - for the future if not today!

I reviewed their products - oddly enough in 'Reviews' and the service was really good - and the stuff is wearing well. Might fall apart when I get around to washing it though...


Only joking

 

[ChrisKH]

Bigtallfatbloke knows what he's talking about. He's now Bigtallthinnerbloke.

 

[mr_hippo]

For a UK supplier try http://www.prendas.co.uk/ I have used them a number of times and am happy with the sizes.

 

[purplemoon]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I've bookmarked the links for future use

I've now managed to get myself kitted out with enough comfortable clothing to be going on with, including a couple of pairs of (men's ) padded shorts from the LBS.

Most of the other stuff I got is non-cycling specific sportswear, but will do the job just the same and is mostly this new dri-fit stuff that everyone's wearing these days

Now I don't have any excuses not to get out there and get peddling!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Now I don't have any excuses not to get out there and get peddling!

exactly...so all you have to do now is keep riding, it's that simple.

Everytime you achieve the next milestone brag about it and tell the world what you are doing next, keep putting yourself in a position where you cannot back out.

 

[purplemoon]

exactly...so all you have to do now is keep riding, it's that simple.

Everytime you achieve the next milestone brag about it and tell the world what you are doing next, keep putting yourself in a position where you cannot back out.

LOL!

So why am I still sat here procrastinating and checking weather forecasts etc rather than packing up the car and heading over to Thetford for a ride out with my son as planned

If you see me still online in the next hour then feel free to kick my ass

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

If you see me still online in the next hour then feel free to kick my ass

Switch the PC off...see that wire in the back..and the scissors in the drawer? Suddenly you will have quadrupled the time you can ride and illiminated the excuses with just one snip. Also by the time you get around to re wireing the dam thing your arse will be a much smaller target

 

[Tynan]

in case no-one has said it, men's padded shorts might not be ideal for a lady rider

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

..depends how he uses them I suppose.

 

[fossyant]

Depends on the make and how they are cut... anything is better than nothing.

Non specific stuff is good as it doesn't make you look like too much of a looney bike rider....but it works well. Good for commuting and pottering about !

 

[JohnRedcoRn]

very true - i have a ski - top which comes in handy for cycling on cool / windy days - thicker material than bike specific tops but keeps the wind off and handles the sweat quite well.

also, before i bought proper bike tops i was using tops i used for the gym previously - thin, tight fitting, quick drying stuff. now that the weathers colder i'm going to use them as base layers to save me money.

 

[cadleigh]

What Venrod said about Italian gear. I tried on what was supposedly a Biemme XXL shirt in a shop last week and it was still a bit tight (the main reason I didn't buy it, though, was that the zips were rubbish - if they're already sticking and impossible to detach in the shop, to the point where you're frustratedly ripping at the thing trying to open it, it's not a good sign...) It's one of the things that makes shopping online such a lottery.

And (to continue my echoing-other-people role) what Tynan said about men's shorts on women. It's all to do with different sized gaps between the thighs.

Have you tried adidas cycling gear? It's much bigger, size by size. I have a winter Clima-something jacket in XL and if anything it's a bit big - but it's great; very cosy even in sub-zero temperatures.