Brand Deep Dive: Bike Shorts
I have been wanting to buy bike shorts for a while, so I decided to do a bit of intentional buying. This is my preferred way to purchase clothing, but I definitely do not always go through these steps.
Intentional buying for me means to review multiple options and select the one that best fits your needs and aligns with your values. This may include price, size availability, materials, and whether the production process is ethical.
In my quest for bike shorts, I asked for brand recommendations from Instagram and got many in return! Because I got so many, I made a table to note details from each brand and will share the results here.
Ethical and size-inclusive brands:
Brands that are both ethical and size-inclusive are my favorite to support. Just because I fit in most straight size offerings, doesn't mean I should support brands who only offer them.
- Girlfriend Collective - 90% recycled plastic, up to 67" hip, $48
- Pansy Co - 90% cotton, up to 3X/size US 20, $42, made in US
- Thunderpants - 90% cotton, up to 53" hip, $48, made in OR, USA
- WhiskeyDog Wares - 53% hemp/44% cotton, up to 52" hip, $45, small company/sewn in house
- Conscious Clothing - 53% hemp/43% cotton, up to 50" hip, $55
- Lucy and Yak - 88% elastic, up to 52" hip, $35, made internationally
- Beyond Yoga - 87% polyester, up to 60" hip, $68, made in US
- AlliHalla on Etsy - 90% cotton, up to 4X/size US 32, $39, sewn by one maker
- Hara The Label - 90% bamboo, up to 50" hip, $50, made in Australia
Ethical, but non-size inclusive brands:
- Back Beat Co. - 92% cotton, measurements list up to 36.5" hip but stretch? [not super helpful], $48, made in US/India
- Organic Basics - 96% recycled nylon, up to 45.5" hip, $75
- Prana Vida - 90% cotton, up to 49" hip, $68, made in Canada
No mention of ethical production from their websites:
Size Inclusive
- Universal Standard - 81% nylon, up to US size 40, $65, not 100% sure on production/made in Peru
- Amber Richele - 95% cotton, up to 3X [no hip measurement], $50, Black-owned business
- Thigh Society - 35% cotton/the rest plastic, up to 65.5" hip, $36
- Blue Sky Clothing Co - 95% bamboo, up to 62" hip, $34.80
- Knix - 77% nylon, up to 53" hip, $36
Not size inclusive
- Outdoor Voices - 86% polyester, up to 43.5" hip, $48
- Boody - 87% bamboo rayon, up to 44.5" hip, $53
- Mary Young - 95% bamboo rayon, up to 45" hip, $62
- Tala - 92% recycled poly, up to 48.5", $36
- Los Angeles Apparel - this company is owned by the guy who ran American Apparel and has very questionable ethics/morals
This guide is not to tell you which brand to choose - I hope you decide for yourself what makes the most sense! I am just hoping to provide information and take you through my thought process.
I ended up wanting something cotton-based because I am looking for something more loungewear-like and breathable, instead of athletic/compression (polyester-based). I also wanted to support an ethical and size-inclusive brand, so I ended up buying from Pansy Co. I liked the style of the shorts, as well as the fact that they are gender inclusive. I haven't received the shorts yet, so I won't actually post a review here.
I also wanted to point out that there is not one perfect way to shop. I almost decided to purchase from Amber Richele because they were the only Black-owned business I could find that makes bike shorts. While their production is not ethical at the moment, I do think it's a great idea to support Black-owned businesses as much as possible. I may purchase from them in the future.
I hope you enjoyed this resource! I plan to do more of these in the future with other articles of clothing.
Update: September 2020
I have received shorts from Pansy Co, Thunderpants, and WhiskeyDog Wares so I will give a brief review here.
The Pansy Co ones are great but they are very short. These are nice to have for lounging but I wouldn't suggest them if you are specifically looking for shorts to wear under dresses to help with thigh rub. But I did end up getting a second pair because I like them a lot.
The Thunderpants bike shorts are awesome - they are much longer and make great shorts to wear underneath dresses and skirts. The only thing to note is that I bought the white color and they are a bit see-through so I wouldn't wear them out in public unless my butt was covered :)
Lastly but not least - the WhiskeyDog Wares bike shorts! These are super awesome - they are bamboo based which gives them a little bit of texture. I got the olive green color and they are completely opaque. They are longer than the pansy co ones but a little shorter than the Thunderpants ones. Again, I think these would make great shorts to wear under dresses though because they are long enough to cover the top half of my thighs. I also just really love this brand - it's a handmade small batch brand with good politics!