Help me keep my kidneys warm this winter

September 14, 2009 4:20 AM

Where I can buy a large women's cycle jacket?

I would like to buy a women's windproof and waterproof (or at least water resistant) cycle jacket in a UK size 18/20, preferably for under £45. I've been looking on Wiggle and Evans, but nearly all of their jackets stop at a size 16 or less. There's few at size 18 which might be ok, but if I'm buying online I'd like to err on the side of caution and get a 20, then I can get layers underneath it.

So, does anyone know of a UK shop which sells larger cycle jackets than this? Online is fine, US-based online shops are probably out due to postage costs. Are there any brands whose sizing runs large, where an 18 might be fine?

posted by penguinliz to clothing, beauty, & fashion (5 comments total)

Try ProBikeKit. It's UK-based, and I see sizes up to 2XL, but I don't know how to compare that to 18/20. In general, I think Pearl Izumi tends to run larger than the European brands, but YMMV.
posted by The Michael The at 5:54 AM on September 14

A men's 2X would definitely fit a UK size 18 comfortably and with room for layers, just to amplify The Michael The's point. Pearl Izumi's women's clothing, however, tends to run small, at least when it comes to what's sold here in the US: their largest women's sizes don't fit me and I'm a UK size 16/18.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:38 AM on September 14

Apologies in advance because these aren't UK-based. However I'd like to pass them along because finding good athletic gear can be so hard to find in larger sizes--you may want to know in the event that you will expand your search.

Junonia is a US-based company that makes terrific activewear for larger women. They apparently work with a company called iShopUSA to handle and process orders from overseas customers. (They have moved toward offering more non-sports clothes than sports clothes in the last few years, and looking at their current offerings, it appears they've got some bike-specific pants but not specifically biking jackets. Disappointing. I have ordered biking outerwear from Junonia in the past, so I hope it's not gone forever. Maybe they come in stock in the spring?)

Also, again, maybe not workable because of the shipping costs, but the jacket I ride in is a high-visibility pink Gore-tex jacket from Land's End. Sizes go up to a 3X (US 24-26).

Good luck finding what you need, and happy biking.
posted by Sublimity at 9:44 AM on September 14

You could also try Tenn Outdoor. They also go up to 2XL. A jacket there is about £30 so comes in under budget. I've never tried, but have been told good things about the quality...YMMV.
posted by mjlondon at 4:16 PM on September 15

Thanks, everyone. The Pearl Izumi 2XL would fit me on paper, so I'll see if I can find one in a shop, but otherwise it looks like a men's jacket is a better bet. There's a Land's End shop near me, so I'll be giving that a go.
posted by penguinliz at 8:45 AM on September 21