Best products from r/ladycyclists

I am a very plus sized girl with a very big butt.

I have used many different saddles, but have finally settled on a Brooks B17s.

Don't fall into the "my butt is big so I obviously need this super wide saddle" thing. It's not true and who cares if your butt completely swallows the saddle, as long as it's comfortable for you.

Brooks saddles can be expensive and since you're a beginner, I doubt you want to pay that much for a saddle. My second favorite has been a Selle Respiro.

When I started out, I didn't use padded shorts. Once I did start to use them, it was a life saver. I am now at the point where I don't need to use them, but I will if I know i'm riding for a longer period of time or if I do two semi-long rides two days in a row.

Plus sized womens cycling clothing is a little hard to come by at a good price sometimes, so I ended up buying some men's padded shorts. My favorite so far has been these Canari shorts. I am pretty big with really big thighs and a 2x fits me pretty well.

With these shorts, you'll probably want to use some anti-chafing cream. I use Her Butt'r, but I'm sure anything you find at your bike shop should suffice. I haven't ever used anything else, so I don't know how they compare.

I found this company called Aerotech Designs that does some plus sized womens cycling clothing. My favorite shorts are these commuter shorts, which i'm actually wearing right now, because i'm about to go for a ride.

As an overweight person, your first instinct might be to wear loose clothing and you're obviously welcome to find out for yourself, but tighter fitting clothes are definitely better while riding. As long as you're comfortable and safe, it doesn't matter what you wear, though.

Also, this has nothing to do with weight or size, but since you're a beginner and i've already typed a large wall of text, I thought i'd throw it in there. I'm assuming you'll be using flat pedals. Make sure the shoes you choose to wear don't have a super cushy sole. You want something that is a little harder. I still use flats and I wear trail running shoes. These Nike Air Terra Kigers in particular. They are kind of expensive, but the sole is nice and hard, but still comfortable. Plus, the sole is very grippy and provides extra slip resistant while using the flat pedals. And they're great for when I want to get off the bike and walk through the woods.

On top of these things:
-Make sure your bike fits you. It won't matter what you wear or what seat you have, if your bike doesn't fit you.

-Give it some time. You will be sore at first no matter what seat you use and what padded shorts you wear. But it's worth it.

-If your hands get sore, try looking in to some grips that give you different hand position choices. I used Ergon grips until I got a bike with drop bars.

-Also, going off the last one, don't be afraid of drop bars if you do get more into cycling and start looking at different bikes. I have a touring bike which has a more upright geometry than most road bikes and I love it.

That's all I can think of right now. I know I wrote a huge wall of text, so I apologize if it's too much. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Also, I just want to add that I don't get money for those Amazon links or anything. I just buy a lot of stuff from Amazon so I had the stuff in my purchase history lol

I ride for fun, commute, and used to deliver and my gear essentials are

• A floor pump for presta and shraeder valves (if you go on long rides far from your place, it's worth it to have some CO2 canisters if you don't want a frame mounted pump since they don't ever get your tube up to the right PSI)
  
• 2 Tire levers
  
• patch kit
  
• spare tube
  
• chain gauge
  
• multi tool allen wrench set. this is the one i have, any will do.
  
• Toe cages/straps or if you've got the $$$ then clipless pedals and shoes
  
• Helmet
  
• Pizza rack/panniers for lugging stuff around
  
• Gloves (I've got 3 pairs, one for sub zero temps, one for 30-45, and one for lining or any time it's sort of too chilly to ride but not yet 45) A good alternative though is barmitts, which I've used and enjoyed. If you have drop bars though, it prevents you from using the drops so I don't recommend them for that.
  
• a good rain coat and possible rain pants. try a military surplus or hunting store and get one of their waterproof pant and jacket over wear things. Never had one but several of my coworkers did and it worked so well.
  
• helmet
  
• bike lights!!! i'd go w/ the cygolight rechargeable ones, but any front and rear should do
  
• a u lock or chain lock
  
• a rag and bottle of chain lube so u can clean your chain!! (if you don't know how then: peddle so your chain is moving and make sure to hold the rag in place so it cleans not only the sidewalls but the rollers as well, for very gritty chains use a toothbrush. when all the grit is gone, take your bottle of chain lube and hold it maybe at a 45 degree angle or something where the cassette/freewheel is and while peddling make sure to apply lube on the rollers not the sideplates. once you've done that, wipe it down with a rag a little bit (not as much as the first time), and you're good to go. Do this maybe once a week, or every time it rains)
  
  if you're not into racks then definitely consider a fanny pack or backpack that's waterproof to store essentials you don't want to get ruined if you're riding in the rain. check out montrose stitchery, she's awesome and local to me and totally worth it.
  Other than that, for fun stuff if you've got money to blow there's things like boombotics or other bluetooth speakers, a really pricey but still comfortable for you saddle (i'm talking brooks offerings especially the cambium or like the titanico selle anatomica), a second bike, bike tools (stand, spoke wrenches, metric wrench set, 3rd hand tool (for adjusting brakes when no one else is around to help you)), and any time I get a flat I like to keep those tubes and cut the valve part out so I can use them to tie stuff down or to replace bad upholstery on chairs.
  
  Sorry if that's a lot, I just thought I'd comment since bikes are kind of my job and then also a huge hobby for me.
  
  EDIT: Definitely check out co-ops, I actually volunteer at one in my city and we have a ton of stuff. Other than that, I like to check out ebay, occasionally performance bike (but i really try to support my LBS because of my friends), craigslist, and nashbar.com.
  

Ah, that's so annoying! Efficient storage will probably depend a lot on where in your building you have room to store things, but here's a couple ideas.

We have one of these from Amazon. You can buy a kit to make it hold four bikes - two on front and two on back. You just extend the pole to fit tightly between the ceiling and floor - no screws or holes. Plus it looks really nice. We are able to put it pretty close to the wall and still get the two bikes on the back side off - I put a wall hanging behind it to prevent marking up the walls. But this means our dining room is now a bike room *shrug*

I also saw this while looking for the link for you and think it looks pretty great for corner storage!

I have very large thighs and have a couple pairs of this brand: https://www.amazon.com/Ladies-Viper-Panel-Cycling-Shorts/dp/B00DWX90QW/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1496638640&sr=8-7&keywords=tenn+cycling+shorts

I was skeptical because of the price, and that they come from Amazon, but they are very comfortable and work well. I just wore them on a 62 mile ride and didn't have any problems. Some reviews said they ran small (even for cycling shorts) so I ordered a size up and they worked great. I ordered them last year and they are still in really good condition.

Amazon is a great spot to find cheap cycling gear, especially if you go with the "made in China" route. You can use a men's chamois to start with; something like this one in US size 3X would likely fit OK!

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07BBMX2F7/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_ryqSCbHCCP43J

Light-weight windbreakers are good for riding, you can totally start with something from the thrift shop. A cycling-specific one will be longer in the back (to cover your buttcrack) but I got started with an oversized one I got from the local Goodwill.

Maybe you could go for something like this as your outer layer, then layer warmer tops (especially thermals) underneath:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Santic-Cycling-Jersey-Bicycle-Windproof/dp/B01C5GLXZW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=cycling%2Bjacket&qid=1555105397&s=gateway&sr=8-1&th=1&psc=1

I like this style of balaclava for full out winter riding.

1. Full coverage. Ears! Neck! Mouth & Nose!
   
   
2. I can move it off my mouth & nose after I warm up - maybe a mile into my ride. I can also put it back over at long stop lights with ease.
   
   
3. 0F Outside - I still sweat. I don't like the fleece ones because I am gross.
   
   I use ear warmer head bands or handkerchief over my ears in the 40-50F range. I heard wonderful things about the 180 - but personally haven't used them because I have a Bern Helmet and don't think it would be very comfortable under it.
   
   *Reference - I bike in Chicago about 5.5 mile one way trip (on the streets - it is chillier on our wonderful Lake Front Trail).

sorry to resuscitate an old-ish thread, but i'm about to buy a new pack of these slap-bracelet lights - I bought them to give away to un-lit bikers at Burning Man and found them nice and bright. Easy to wear on your wrists or ankles, and the LED's are replaceable too.

I really like @bk7j 's suggestion of fairy lights! Another way to light your wheels too: zip-tie glowstick-shaped LED's to your spokes. I got these by NiteIze - they're also replaceable-battery.

Wheel rim lights. Seriously. They are just strings of LED fairy lights, sized for a typical bike wheel, and you attach the battery pack to the central hub. Installs in about 15 minutes (I taped the wire to my rims), uses a few standard batteries, and is SUPER bright. Plus they just look really cool and fun. I get people yelling out their windows to me complimenting me on my blue bike lights.

There are a bunch of different brands that are all basically the same; they are all cheap electronics from China. I just linked to the first one my search turned up.

IMO, shaving does help. (To avoid ingrown hairs, shave two days in a row- it really works!) I have trimmed and shaved, and both seem to help. I prefer shaving since it lasts longer and I'm lazy. :)

What size do you wear? I wear a 14 and bought these on Amazon-http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091TFJGQ/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I went with a Large, but they have two larger sizes. They are snug, but not tight and have a drawstring at the waist, which I like. They are light/medium on the amount of padding, but I prefer them to the heavy diaper-feeling chamois I have used before.

Also, I did get some DZ nuts (Lovelybike review here helped me choose that brand and I really do like it a lot.

I hope that helps a bit! What kind of saddle have you got? How much time have you spent on it? Maybe there's something else that can be helpful...

I was looking for a helmet that could fit a ponytail and found this one on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYODJIQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's a little small so I can't always wear a hat underneath. But I like it for summer time.

I bought one pair of these and liked them so much I got 4 more. https://www.amazon.com/4ucycling-Unisex-Bicycle-Cycling-Underwear/dp/B01489QXKY/ref=sr_1_22?crid=1FCBM4KSJAGXC&keywords=padded+bike+shorts+women&qid=1567648797&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=padded+%2Csporting%2C200&sr=1-22