The Best Women’s Jeans for Cyclists’ Bodies
For women, picking through mass-produced jeans to find ones that suit our unique bodies is no easy task. Things get even trickier when you’re a female bike racer. Cyclists tend to have huge quads, which, while awesome for crushing sprints, make it hard to find jeans that fit through both the hips and legs.
Thankfully, companies like Rapha and Levi’s are finally making commuter--style jeans for women with muscular legs. Three women on the BICYCLING team—online editor Taylor Rojek, executive editor Leah Flickinger, and contributor Molly Hurford—each put three pairs to the test. We looked to see which jeans worked best for which body types, and which stood up to the task of bike commuting.
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Levi’s Commuter Jeans
Tester: Molly
These Levi’s Commuter Jeans ($88) are super high--waisted—if you’re into low-rise comfort, this is not the pair for you. But they fit great through the legs; make my butt look better than it's ever looked in jeans; and ( speaking as someone who hates high--waisted jeans) are flattering and the most comfortable ones I've tried.
That said, I think the jeans’ description should stress just how high-waisted they are. My friend Nelle says she had to return hers because, while she wanted high-waisted jeans, these were high-waisted and then some! The 32s were unsurprisingly too long on me, but the shape was fine. My quads are sizeable—bigger than normal for a size 26—and the pants fit well in the legs. The jeans don’t have a reinforced crotch, but that's a change that they made across the board on these jeans for both men and women. The blue jeans are definitely softer than the black, so if you prefer a slightly thinner denim that rides a bit easier, go for blue. The high--waisted front unfortunately digs a bit into your stomach if you're riding any kind of normal road geometry, so wearers should stick to upright bikes.
Taylor adds: The waist is very, very high on these, and I wasn’t a fan of the zipper construction. It occasionally folded out awkwardly when I bent forward. It didn’t happen all the time, and it wasn’t a deal breaker (they were otherwise comfy!), but I’d reach for other jeans first.
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Leah adds: I’m a fan of Levi’s from way back, but haven’t worn them in years because their styling just never quite lived up to those vintage 501s I wore in high school. But the commuter model is the best--fitting pair of Levi’s I’ve tried since then. The material has enough elasticity to give without feeling compressive; the legs are roomy enough to accommodate muscular thighs; and the light blue and grey colors are nice alternatives to standard blue denim. Of the jeans in our test group, these are made with a fabric that feels the most like traditional denim. I found them really comfortable to ride in, though I can’t comment on durability given the length of our test period. The waistband didn't bother me on the bike, but it felt a bit tight over the course of wearing them for a day.
Rapha Commuter Jeans
Tester: Taylor
These Rapha Commuter Jeans ($220) are the lowest--waisted of the pairs I tested, but they still covered my butt when I was in the saddle. (Or so my friends tell me, after we spent an hour or two riding together in NYC.) I also found them to be the most comfortable—the waist, while high, didn't feel like it was up to my ribs. And contrary to Molly's experience with them (below), I felt like they made my butt look good! I wore these for several hours tooling around the city and felt fine. It was until several hours after all our riding was done and I was sitting in a bar sipping a mint julep that the waistband started to annoy me. It didn't have a lot of give, and I felt like it was digging in. I was a big fan of the dark-wash color and the “Rapha Pink” inside the cuffed-up ankle. When I wore these on a ride around town one day at lunch, I got tons of compliments from my coworkers.
Molly adds: These definitely run a little smaller than the Levi’s, and share the high--waisted issue. That bums me out a little, as I dislike high waists—it seems to be the common theme among all the pairs we tested. I'd prefer to see maybe an inch more material in the back, while leaving the front a normal rise. The reflective interior piping is pretty rad, but for $220, these jeans aren't making my butt look that good. These seemed a bit more stretchy on the bike, which was a plus. Still no reinforced crotch, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of walking around with an extra layer there all day anyway.
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Leah adds: In terms of style and fashion, I like these the most. The flash of hi--vis pink on the cuffed-up ankle looks really sharp, and I like that the legs are super skinny. But I had issues with the fit: The 28s were too tight, and while the 30s fit around the legs and hips, I constantly had to tug them back up because the waist was too big. (I'm pretty high-waisted, so the waist of the pants hit at my narrowest part.) While the fabric has plenty of give, on the smaller size it felt more compressive than comfortable, and the thick material felt a little bulky around my midsection. Rapha says these are a mid--rise style, but they seemed high--waisted to me.
However, these are very comfortable to ride in. It's hard to comment on their durability given our test period; without a reinforced crotch, they seem like they'd be just as durable as a regular pair of good-quality jeans (though the fabric does seem a little heavier than your average jeans, and the company says it is a "hard-wearing, abrasion-resistant, fast-drying" denim). Rapha says the construction includes offset seams for comfort in the saddle. I couldn't discern what made the seams "offset," but I never detected them while riding.
Betabrand Bike to Work Jeans
Tester: Leah
These Betabrand Bike to Work Jeans ($118) are super high--waisted and flattering. However, they are the least jean-like of the ones we tested. The material is definitely more of a tech material than denim, which may mean it will be supremely durable. And because the material isn't as thick as a regular denim, these felt less bulky around my midsection than the other jeans. In addition to looking great on, they’re very slimming and super comfortable to ride in—the lightweight, stretchy fabric moves with your body and allows for a good range of motion. The reflective pocket flap is a nice touch.
Molly adds: These are probably the most comfortable (and least jean--like) of the bunch. As someone who doesn’t wear jeans on a regular basis, these felt the most normal to me—which makes sense, since Betabrand also brought us the "office yoga pant," for which I will be forever grateful.
Taylor adds: These are definitely the least jean-like of all the pants we tried out (sensing a trend?). They were comfortable, but I prefer the look and feel of denim. These fit my waist a bit awkwardly—I’m built fairly straight from hip to shoulder, and I think these might be more comfortable for someone with a more defined waist. I did appreciate some of the thoughtful details, though: There’s a small zipper pocket for holding your stuff securely, and the reflective pocket flap means extra visibility—you can also tuck it inside the pocket for a less commuter-y look.
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