# Is it just me...



## yeti_longstocking (May 22, 2010)

Or are you ladies having a hell of a time finding women specific downhill gear? I just went to Trestle Park, in Winterpark Colorado, over the weekend and I'm hooked. But after browsing the sites for the last hour, I have only found one women specific full armor top, a few jerseys that will actually fit over said armor, and only a few pairs of shorts. :madman: 

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind wearing guys stuff, but like most every girl, I would really appreciate something made just for me. I don't need it to be hot pink, though, it would match my Yeti, but something to flatter my curves (the few that there are), and make it obvious that I'm a girl. 

So help me out! I want to know your fav sites for girly dh gear! I also want you to join me in writing to the dh gear companies to let them know that we want more options and that there is a market here! And it isn't just dh gear where our options are lacking, its in the mtb gear in general, but dh gear is the area that I have found to be most lacking for us females. 

*steps off soap box*

Thanks girls!


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## megannicole (Jan 9, 2010)

Agreed. The market for decent women's gear is pretty lackluster. 

For body armor: I just got a 661 evo pressure suit and LOVE it. While it's not women's-specific, I like it more than the women's rockgardn jacket. Though it's a bit wide in the shoulders, I'm fixing that with some strategically placed velcro. And as an added bonus, it's got a slim profile, so I don't feel like a linebacker.

As for jerseys and shorts, I like Fox and Sombrio. They both carry apparel for women that are feminine without being covered in flowers, pink, etc.


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

Soap box, huh? Heh. The blame lies on both sides.

- Approximately 10% of the market for serious cyclists is female. My evidence actually leads me to think it is slightly less, but let's be generous.

- Of the women's market, most wear lycra for every ride. Those who vary from the lycra paradigm tend to mix lycra jerseys and "xc" style baggies. The full baggy outfit for women is relatively rare, in a market-view sense.

- Again, when evaluating the entire market, relatively few women ride DH bikes and have ever considered armor. Of those who have, many prefer men's baggy fit clothing or non-technical options such as t-shirts over women's DH offerings, thereby further reducing the potential market. A lot of women like men's or unisex armor options (for example, I am a fan of unisex knee pads, much to the chagrin of my shins).

- the cost for tooling up to make armor in a new shape is not insignificant, and it costs just as much to make women's specific armor as it does to make unisex armor. By not insignificant, I mean that it can erode the cashflow of a small company to the point that it is not feasible.

- The women's high-end market can be really tough. Some love pink. Some are offended by pink (pink is the cheapest way for a small company to make it clear that a product is women's specific on the shop floor, important in shops where there might not be a clear demarcation of women's gear). Some women want to show off the curves, some feel like a flattering fit is pandering. None of these customers are likely to switch from one aesthetic to another, which further divides the demographic.

- Women tend to be savvy online shoppers. This means that the profit margin is pretty low on already low volume items. While understandable, this really discourages product development. Little businesses may have to write off profit from an entire order when discounting (perhaps an entire year of work depending on the product). For a lot of people, this means not getting a paycheck.

Anyway, letters are nice, but voting with your dollar is far more effective. The companies are aware that the DH woman exists, but she has yet to gel into demographics that are unified enough to pay for the development of a large selection of gear. Another thing you can do is encourage lots of women to ride. More women = more gear demand = more choices.

ok. off the soap box.

You have a lot of options. Sombrio, Zoic, Luna, Harlot and many others make cute women's jerseys and baggies, in a variety of fits. A lot of people are moving away from bike specific technical jerseys for freeride, as you don't need pockets with camelbacks - Smartwool is a nice example, and lot of companies make nice synthetic/technical tees in a variety of fits. Royal's F-tech shorts are unisex, but super flattering (they are a bit stretchy). In general, fitting over your armor and also flattering your curves is a bit of a conflict.

FWIW, the Leatt brace with no other armor, over a little t-shirt, seems to be a popular ensemble with the Whistler chicas right now... if you don't care about your collarbone or elbows, it looks good. heh.

F-Tech Shorts, Royal Men's jersey (easy to fit over armor), 661 D30 knee pads:


F-tech Shorts, Sombrio Jersey


And for a really snug fit, Oakley Shorts, Craft Undershirt, Rockgarden armor


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## midgetmafiosa (Oct 8, 2009)

i like hot pink. and green, turquoise, chartreuse, purple, orange, and red, too, so the more colors (and less muted - sorry! i know there's a whole crowd rolling their eyes at me for perpetuating the neon trend) offered, the happier i am. but i'm not into flowers or zip jerseys or straight-up elastic waistbands or "bike skirts," either. x 2 on the sombrio and fox and i'd put dakine in this mix, too. shapely, feminine, and functional, without being grossly overboard.

edit: chuky, i really like those f-tech shorts. been looking for something that will fit over my knee armor like that - where'd you find them?


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

Royal makes them. They are really well designed, come in green or black. Not sure who carries them locally, but an email to Royal will get an answer really fast - the Royal guys are super nice. At 130 lbs, I find that I can wear both the smalls and the mediums. The smalls are a bit more XC, medium a bit baggier. 

Cheers
C


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## formica (Jul 4, 2004)

Love your soap box Chuky. 

May I repost that somewhere else? It really describes the catch-22 of the women's market very well.


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## midgetmafiosa (Oct 8, 2009)

excellent. will check them out. and soapbox = thumbs up. things will get better as more women get into the sport. in the meantime, i guess we get creative and good with the interweb research skills.


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

sure, why not?


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

*Great assessment*

- Approximately 10% of the market for serious cyclists is female. My evidence actually leads me to think it is slightly less, but let's be generous.

- Of the women's market, most wear lycra for every ride.

- Again, when evaluating the entire market, relatively few women ride DH bikes and have ever considered armor.

- the cost for tooling up

- The women's high-end market can be really tough.

- online profit margin is pretty low on already low volume items. "

Great assessment of a conundrum. :thumbsup:


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## yennefer (Mar 16, 2010)

I had problems with finding upper body armor.... Those made for woman were to small in chest for me. Yep... My boobs are not small lol 
I ended up wit buying sixsixone https://www.tweakedsports.com/ebayimg/sixsixone/vapor_pressuresuit_front.jpg
As far as goes with clothes, I wear Mace ( https://www.macegear.com/apparel/bottoms/womens-nos-short/ ) or Dakine ( I love those! https://dakine.com/girls/apparel/bike-shorts/girls-mode/) )shorts. I bought some TLD and Fox girls jerseys. When it's colder I wear it over body armor ... when it's hot I wear Dakine jersey ( https://dakine.com/girls/apparel/bike-jerseys/girls-antic-short-sleeve/ ) and just elbow pads.
Considering that most of the time I ride in Whistler, I should wear body armor all the time... but it can get so hooooot up there !!!


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## IttyBittyBetty (Aug 11, 2005)

I personally deck myself in hot pink when I ride DH so I don't look like a 12 year old BOY.


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## Plauscha (Jul 24, 2009)

:thumbsup:



IttyBittyBetty said:


> I personally deck myself in hot pink when I ride DH so I don't look like a 12 year old BOY.


Plus, it lets dudes know that they were just schooled by a girl!!!


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## midgetmafiosa (Oct 8, 2009)

IttyBittyBetty said:


> I personally deck myself in hot pink when I ride DH so I don't look like a 12 year old BOY.


i deck myself out in hot pink for similar reasons. ostensibly. but mostly because color is fun and reminds me not to take things so seriously.


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## squibbtp (Jul 3, 2009)

did you have any issues with your royal racing f-tech shorts?


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## jaclynj (Jun 11, 2007)

I've got women's mace upper body armour. It its my boobs. The rest of my gear is men's, except my Sombrio 3/4 sleeve jersey. I'm ok with that.


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## ikkin (Jul 17, 2008)

Troy Lee BP 7850 in the youth sizes is amazing upper body armor for women. I have a youth large (I'm 5'3'', 130 with big knockers) and I LOVE it. Light, breathable, easy to move in, but still super protective. Works well with the girls, too. Yay!

Dakine and TNF are also starting to make some really cute jerseys/shorts for gals. On top of the stuff already mentioned: Sombrio, Mace, etc. Given the percentage of market share we represent, I'd say our options are decent.


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## yeti_longstocking (May 22, 2010)

I've been doing a lot more DH recently, I still can't find any womens shorts that will fit my ample ass, so I steal my husbands. . . But Fox and Dakine seem to have a lot more jerseys recently for over my armor and not. They also make some great mens shorts.


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## squibbtp (Jul 3, 2009)

any of you ladies need a womens specific hardtail frame? 13.5"? light use rocky mountain vertex 2008.


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