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RE: Ladies riding apparel

RePete — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:58:07 GMT

Shortinseam, my wife knows all about buying pants that fit in the hips but are much too large in the waist. However the Alpinestars aren't cut that way. They fit her well in the hips and come in at her waist to fit there too. The jacket is cut correctly also. It fits well across her shoulders, has room for her bosom, and comes in nicely at the waist. Plus they are black and well made with full protection. This stuff is the real deal.

RE: Ladies riding apparel

ibafran — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:44:25 GMT

Thanx for the info, shortinseam. I had no idea that so few femme's read the rag or checked in here.

Then maybe we should have something for them when they get here.

If we build it, they will come. Maybe. Unfortunately, I have no clue what to build? Thus, I am hesitant to start anything. Aside: If I had any kind of clue, I might have a female co-rider in my life.

I may be mistaken. I thought 2 or 3 femmes checked this forum and declared (some of) us to be intelligent, mature even. Then we didnt hear too much from them since. I dont see that it takes much bravery to start a thread on the topic that interests a member.

And as for women making me uncomfortable, dont mistake my reddened hue for a biker's sun/wind burn. I have been surrounded by women most of my life and suffer a constant estrogen radiation burn. If it wasnt for the lack of riding, a prison term of several years has always looked like a pleasant respite to me.

RE: Ladies riding apparel

shortinseam — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:17:14 GMT

Fran,

I believe that's up to our esteemed moderator. Seeing as only 2% of our readers are female (according to the last Readers' Survey), I didn't know whether there was a need. (Also according to our last survey, only about 16% of readers use the forums.) But, being female myself, I also know we could quickly get into some things that would make you all uncomfortable!

As for clothes, I'm pretty happy with the fit of jackets and boots. Not so much with the pants, since it seems like a lot of pants are sewn with a waist to hip ratio that's close to 1:1. Oh, and don't get me started about the colors! (I hate pink.)

RE: Ladies riding apparel

ibafran — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:41:35 GMT

I have often thought that women ought to have a specific thread to note all things pertaining to female biker enjoyments. The locale would allow fast accumulation of stuff and easy access to links. I would have started one, but dared not be so presumptuous.

RE: Ladies riding apparel

NJScooterGal — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:54:51 GMT

Hi Suzi..

Welcome. My problem is that I am not a small gal. Even though I am 5-7 1/2, I had problems with some of the men's jackets fitting me in the chest and then the sleeves being so long, I looked like a knuckle dragger. I bought a Mesh Tech jacket from First Gear and had to have the shoulders taken up because the protective elbow pads were almost to my wrists. I really hated to alter a jacket with armour and a zip out lining, but my Mom is really handy with that sort of thing. The rest of the jacket is adjustable as far as the cuffs & waist, but the shoulders...well that is a whole other story. I really do not want to look like a linebacker for the NFL.

My sister-in-law is very petite. 5-0 and maybe 100 pounds on a good day. She has had real good luck with some of the sizes from Motorcycle Superstore being accurate, but their ground shipping is pretty much snail like and it she said it seems like their smaller sizes are out of stock a lot.

I ended up ordering a custom jacket for cooler weather from Aerostitch, but the Mesh Tech jacket is great for warmer weather. I also have had problems with gloves because I broke two of my fingers playing softball way back when and women's gloves don't fit those fingers well.

Boots..no problem, I have majorly huge feet. I hope you're able to get something you like that fits you well and offers a good level of protection. If I match and I am protected, I can cope.

RE: Ladies riding apparel

RePete — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:31:29 GMT

Hi SuziRider,

The Stella line might be just what you are looking for. My wife has experienced the same issues you mention for many years. However ,the Alpinestars fit her perfectly and function great. She is 5'6'' and 125 lbs. She usually takes a size 8 and that is what she ordered from Alpinestars. Done deal, just that simple. She actually looks like a lady and can even breathe.

RE: Ladies riding apparel

hallowedcontactpatch — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:59:15 GMT

Welcome to the forum Suzi. BTW, my Honda Aero does better gas mileage-wise than your Prius around these here parts in West Virginia! Those electric motors just cannot handle the hills.

RE: Ladies riding apparel

SuziRider — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:37:03 GMT

Thanks for the Info! I'll have to go check it out.

There are a lot more women's 'serious' (armored) apparel than there used to be, but most of it still made to fit tall women who are shaped like a boy, and not the average American Woman (=5'4", size 12, 36D chest).

I am waiting to see women's jackets that bump out in the front, so American women can zip them up AND breathe! (it would be nice...).

It would also be nice to have the knee cups on my knee instead of mid-shin.

I have found that the Joe Rocket Men's 'Short' pants fit the average woman better than their "Women's" pants. The only main difference (besides fitting better) is that the zipper flap goes the other way. Cycle Gear sometimes has them in their stores, and they can be gotten over the internet. Men's Size Med S= size 12, 30" inseam.

Many of the Women's newer riding pants are the lower fashionable 'hip-hugger' style, and offer the low back NO protection whatsoever, which IMO is stupid for protective wear.

I have also found that most of the European manufacturer's "Women's" sizes are just the smaller men's sizes re-labelled, and are made to only fit tall thin teenagers and models, and not 'normal' average females.

At 5'3" height and otherwise perfectly average, my leathers still had to be custom made (at $2000+ cost) since nothing off the rack is even close to fitting me.

Aerostich still does not have a women's pattern, and by the time all the add-ons are done to a man's pattern to make it fit a shaply woman, the price doubles.

I am just surprised that with me being so near the top of the statistical bell-curve, why can't I find hardly anything off-the-rack that fits?

It just seems strange, but from what my friends in the Fashion and Retail industries tell me, Buyers look at the garmets as modelled by Models when making their decisions. IMHO They should try them on their sisters, aunts and mothers first to see if they fit 'real' people.

Ladies riding apparel

RePete — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:06:56 GMT

My wife has been fighting the clothing battle for almost 30 years now. In the beginning, there was no womans riding apparel available. For many years she just wore mens clothing in small sizes. Of course the fit was never very good since a lady is not exactly shaped like a small man. When ladies apparel did become available, it was mostly fluff and not serious riding gear...pink leathers anyone? Well she has finally found her answer. Alpinestars has a complete line of ladies apparel. They call it their Stella line and it includes everything from leather racing suits to lightweight textiles. There are even boots and gloves. But the best part is those Italians know all about a ladies figure This stuff fits. She has their leather TX1 jacket, leather track pant, GP Plus gloves, and Supertech boots...all in black of course. This is serious gear and very well made. The battle has been won.