I am new to cycling and recently bought my first pair of bib tights from Rapha to start cycling in the winter. It's the "Women's core cargo winter tights with pad." I am 5'1 "and on the smaller side, and I got the bib in an XS. Everything fits fine besides the padding. The crotch part seems to be too large, and I don't think sizing up or down will do me much justice. Has anyone else had this problem?

I would appreciate any recommendations for other bibs from Rapha or other companies that might be better since I have only been cycling in padded shorts.

Thank you!

|| || ||

Hi all, as it's getting colder and I am not really that sensitive to the cold I am looking for great leg warmers to use with my bib shorts.

I have a random pair from Shimano but the silicone gripper seams cut into my thighs after a while leaving red marks on my legs.

So please recommend your favourite leg warmers, preferably seemless and with some thin fleece lining ☺️

Hey ladies,

Essence of my post: Has anyone ever tried doing virtual spin classes on their smart trainer?

I'm trying to work out my winter training strategy and could use some input.... My household has a Zwift Hub smart trainer that I've used the last two winters with the Zwift app, unfortunately that just isn't the style of training that motivates me. Free riding in Zwift is a slog and the workouts are just so hard I have trouble tucking in to one. On the other hand I LOVE virtual group fitness style workouts (think YouTube yoga class, kick boxing video, BOD programs).

Given that I ride hard all summer and like virtual group fitness I think I'd like virtual spin classes like Peloton, but it feels wasteful to buy a Peloton bike when I have a perfectly good smart trainer sitting there.

Has anyone ever tried doing virtual spin classes on their smart trainer? I feel like with the Zwift app it would be hard to adjust the resistance on the fly unless I found a perfectly flat track to ride. Are there other smart trainer apps where it's easy to adjust resistance with the press of a button?

For those who use Peloton, how do you know how hard to ride? Could I base it off of heart rate and use a resistance adjustment on the smart trainer partner app to keep the class relevant?

Help me have fun winter training!!

Hi ladies,

I'm trying to figure out my saddle situation. I've done 4 hours on a Peloton before and felt good but I didn't think to measure the saddle before we got rid of it!

My sit bones are about 165mm (measured using the tin foil method) so I got this saddle that's 185mm. But the nose of the saddle is a bit wide and my inner thighs rub against it. It was fine for the 20 minutes I test rode it but I can see it being a problem.

I also got this men's saddle that's 173mm. Everything I'm seeing says the saddle should be 15-20 mm wider than your sit bones.

Unfortunately I need to return one in the next few days. I have a 30minute ride coming up and then a 3-4 hour ride. I can try them both but I know it'll be hard to tell in 30 minutes if it's good for a long ride.

So my questions -

• How flexible is this 15-20 mm "rule"?
• Which do you think I should prioritize - no thigh rubbing or width for my sit bones?

TY!

Hi all! I was browsing Velocio's website, and I noticed that a lot of their bibs have a mesh over the chest, between the two bib straps. It strikes me as an unusual design choice, and maybe a 'solution in search of problem.' But what do you think? Have you tried them? Is it an upgrade, or a hindrance? Is it even noticeable?

For those curious, this is what support said when I inquired:

"The mesh panel is designed for breathability, helping to regulate body temperature by allowing airflow in areas where it’s most needed. This feature is particularly useful for high-intensity rides or warmer weather, as it helps manage moisture and keeps you cooler . . . The mesh panel on some of our women’s bibs also serves as a support feature, helping to keep the bib straps comfortably in place across a range of body shapes and sizes. Since men's bibs are proportioned differently, this type of mesh support isn't needed on those designs."

That south wind was a bitch (front coming in) but it felt good to get rid of some energy.

I’m training for my first triathlon (with a lot of biking and running experience, less swimming, but I digress) and I have a gravel bike that really isn’t going to cut it for training and racing. I’m really not into trying to be the fastest and don’t want aero bars. I’m looking at the Liv Langma Advanced 2 PC. Thoughts or similar options? Any tips for a newbie who just wants to have fun are also welcome 🙂

Hi everyone! Cycling newbie here. Bought my first true road bike this spring and am absolutely in love. I've ridden a ton so far this year, and I want to keep the momentum going with a trainer over the winter months. My goal is to try my first century next year. (Putting that out into the universe for accountability and motivation!)

Anyways, I've been going bonkers trying to figure out what I need. I've read so many threads here and in r/cycling that I think my eyeballs are going to fall out. I haven't gone to an LBS with any of these questions because I don't even know if these are the right questions to ask.

Here's what I know so far. Can you please help me fill in the gaps?

The Bike: Liv Avail AR 3

The Trainer: Saris Fluid 2

The Accessories:

• Floor mat (got an old yoga mat I'll use)
• 12x142 Thru Axle Adapter
• Trainer Tire (this one has been recommended to me)

All of my dorky newbie questions:

• On the thru axle adapters that I've looked at, I keep seeing "thread pitch" listed. WTH is that and how do I find out what my bike has/needs?
• Lots of questions about trainer tires!
  • I'm assuming a trainer tire is "better" than a regular tire because trainer tires are designed to take the friction and heat. Is that true and a trainer tire is a necessity? Or can I just go get a regular, smooth tire that's 700x32 and call it a day?
  • My bike has 700x32 (I've just been riding the stock tires). Every trainer tire I've seen so far is 700x 23 or 25. Which, if I'm understanding correctly, are both smaller width-wise than the 32s. How do I find out whether a tire that size will fit my wheel?
  • How do I know if the tubes on my stock tires will fit into a trainer tire? (I'm assuming that this is a thing.)
  • Do I also (or should I also) get a wheel and cassette to use just with my trainer so I can just swap wheels and not tires? I'm perfectly willing to swap the tire. I'd be clumsy with it and it will take me some time because newbie, but I'm happy to give it a go. I figure it's good practice for the inevitable flat tire.
• What else am I missing?

I'd like to keep things simple and I'm happy to spend what's needed. Any insight would be most welcome. Thanks, everyone!

Edit: Fixed a link!

$50 shipped!

I have an entry level road bike, and have just started getting into riding. Did an Olympic distance triathlon and a 82km ride recently.

I'm going away without my bike for a few months - but I want to try and train. My options for biking: spin class, maybe once a week and/or a beach cruiser whenever (but wouldn't go far on that).

Would any of these help? I can do some dumbbell workouts/strength training. What would you do if you didn't have your bike and no trainer at home?

Hi ladies,

I’m on a Zwift Ride stationary bike - coming from a Peloton spin bike.

I’m spending multiple hours on the bike and need some saddle breaks. On the Peloton, I’d just spend a minute out of the saddle every 45mins or so. But I can’t figure it out on this bike!

When I try, my pedal gets “stuck” at the bottom of the stroke and if I continue pedaling, it just jerks and gets stuck on the other side’s bottom stroke. I can get a few good rotations if I barely lift off the saddle and am kinda tensing everything and just spinning my legs. It feels pretty hunched over and like I’m forcing my quads to work overtime. Def not like the cyclists I see on videos. I’m not sure if out of the saddle work looks the same indoors vs outdoors - I’ve seen in those videos they recommend being over the bars.

Any videos or cues I can use to help me figure this out?

Thank you

Couple days ago had a terrifying accident – I fell off my bike because of the smallest , tiniest groove in the road. It has left me scared , because if a car had been right behind or beside me at that moment, I might not have survived. The thought that something so minor could have had fatal consequences is really overwhelming. This realization makes me so afraid to get back on my bike, knowing that even the slightest slip could lead to a serious accident😭😭😭

Me too, but the pain down there is unbearable and today I even had to quit a ride. I am quite a newbie and try to practice at least every weekend. I wear bib shorts with an underwear, maybe that’s the problem? Inner labia too big? My mumu even burns when peeing. How do you deal with it or what am I doing wrong? The saddle is supposed to be a suitable one for me. Info, I ride a gravel bike.

I'm trying to choose between the Arkel (picture 1) Signature C, (2) Signature M, (3) Metropolitan.

Signature C is water resistant but not waterproof and has handy outside pockets; Signature M is waterproof but no handy outside pockets; Metropolitan is waterproof and has outside pockets, very practical, but I don't like how it looks as much.

I use my bike for transportation, and this pannier would be for going to meetings, coffee shops, errands etc. These panniers all have laptop pockets and room for a jacket, change of clothes, etc. The pannier doesn't need to look particularly professional, but I'd like it to look reasonably nice. I would prefer waterproof and outside pockets, but I also want it to look nice.

The blue ones match my shopping panniers, and I'll often use it with one of those, but this isn't a critical detail.

https://preview.redd.it/ubrsht5idcyd1.jpg?width=789&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=824bca52d55bc5d3716401376fdba0aa147d80a7

https://preview.redd.it/84bmiegjdcyd1.jpg?width=790&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67687d01e3e53058f604a109b9f7ec81d26ed341

https://preview.redd.it/hpb7fyckdcyd1.jpg?width=844&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c38f4635647810f05ed226210ee561fa2f98d41

Hi All!

It's me, the maker of the Bibble, a reference document for Women's Bibs, just with a quick few updates!

All requested bibs submitted via my Bibble Request Form are now updated, and I've added a few details by popular request for everything as well:

• Sizing Range
• Hip Size (in inches, sorry I am American) for largest size offered

This should allow for a quick comparison of how size-inclusive offerings are, saving some time when shopping online. I'm still working on filling in the hip sizing detail for some of the products but it should be done by tonight.

Huge thank you to everyone who's submitted so far, and thanks in advance to those who will submit in the future!

Looking to see what the favs are from the ladies. Looking into new Gravel Bike. I ride an old Trek Crockett CX and looking to upgrade to Carbon. $5-$7k ish for budget. I will have the bike for 7-10years, so want something very good as I will ride it a lot.

Very interested in some of these smaller brands, Allied, Enve, Lauf, etc. but can’t easily determine fit. I have test ridden a Specialized Diverge (liked), Trek Checkpoint (so-so) and Cervelo (didn’t like). Still need to ride a Specialized Crux and Santa Cruz Stigmata, which I should be able to find around.

I want to ride fast and far. Have smooth gravel trails around (Midwest), but also want to travel and get into some gravel races to challenge myself. Not much climbing around here, but want to consider future where I may move to more mountainous area. So also debating 1x vs 2x. Thanks for any input in advance!

EDIT: Wow! Thanks everyone! This is such an amazing response. Really appreciate everyone’s input.

I've bought several kinds of sunglasses and none of them solve a problem: My face sweats and I have to take them off to wipe my eyes/nose frequently. They also steam up. I've tried putting pads on the nose brim to lift them off my nose to let more air circulation in but it doesn't help. Note Update: The glasses don't slip on my face, I just have to keep taking them off to wipe the sweat.

Looking at upgrading my Trek FX 3 city/hybrid bike to a gravel/road bike. Deciding between Trek Domane SL 5 Gen 4 or the Liv Devote Advanced. I mainly ride on bike paths and some gravel however interested in future bike packing/touring. Does anyone recommend any of these bikes? I don’t want to make a mistake as it’s a big purchase.

Hey all, I have a dream of becoming a professional cyclist but I have no idea whether this is realistic. Online there is very little information about the standard for women (especially those under 18!) and obviously it is useless to compare myself with males, hence why I ask here. Some information:

-15 year old girl, 4 months short of 16 -have been on the roadbike for 1 year and 8 months in which I've ridden 22500 kilometers -averaged 11 hours per week this year, some weeks 20 hours some 0 hours -3.5w/kg or 207 watts for 1 hour @ 59kg. I have one power pedal in the left crank (my weakest side) so probably a little higher

I would like to know what numbers a girl my age who wants to go pro should approximately be hitting. I've heard female Juniors can hit between 4.5-5 w/kg for an hour, is this true? And is this a realistic goal for the next 2 years?

hi! I was a very active cyclist until I got injured. after spending the past 6 months in bed I'm finally allowed to start cycling again! Any tips to stay motivated? ( i gained a ton of weight while inactive so losing that is one thing 🙃) I already know I'm going to hate body for not being able to do what it used to.

Heads up ladies, Assos will not stand by their manufacturer’s warranty. I bought a pair of bibs six months ago at one of their authorized dealers, and the glue just started coming undone at the top of the shorts. Never had this happen with Rapha, Castelli, or MFF. Pretty unfortunate but I reached out thinking it’d be a straightforward replacement. They acknowledged the defect but won’t replace despite their own two year warranty policy for a replacement free of charge. Instead they gave me a coupon for half the replacement cost as the best they could do, and suggested I dispute the credit card charge instead to get a refund. (???)

They’re nice bibs but I don’t think I’ll be spending money with that company again.

I’ve been working on an app called Pointz that’s all about helping riders find safer, low-stress routes to feel confident and comfy on the roads. Right now, it has emergency roadside assistance, plus a color-coded road safety map (from red to dark green for safety ratings), a slider to help choose the optimal balance of safety vs. speed, and options for specific preferences, like avoiding hills, selecting routes for different bike types, avoiding multi-use paths, and more. It has a bunch of other things like a way to record your ride (like Strava), GPX exporting, and even crowdsourcing (like Waze).But I'm curious—what features would you all actually use? Especially folks who are new/intermediate to riding in cities and suburbs. Would love to hear your thoughts

Went on a cycle yesterday (have worked my way up to 30km, go me), and I understand that I live in a country where chaotic, selfish driving is the norm, and me being angry about it is a waste of anger really. Except for that one time I'm pretty sure someone was aiming for my front wheel. That was warranted. That felt personal.

Anyway, yesterday I was approaching a turn, and a car was taking it, indicating etc. Only, they were going at speeds akin to them looking like they were parked. Ultimately, I decide to go around, and lo and behold, person is holding their coffee in one hand, crawling at a speed much slower than myself who is going slowly on a bicycle, just...doing that. Drinking with one hand, steering with the other. Not sure there was any momentum to get them around the bend. Even the motorcyclist behind me was confused.

Of all my wtf moments yesterday, that was the most.

Hello! What tights do you recommend for winter and autumn road cycling?
Im looking for my first long pants, is it worth buying the "high-end" brands?
I am 180cm.

Thanks in advance!