Where to buy clothing?

bluesaturn

Hi, I am new at this forum, so I apologise for my newbie questions.
Could anybody recommend where to buy ladies clothing in size 18 (or EU 44) in London, please? I am from Reading, but intend to visit London on the weekend to check out the bicycle shops. I am looking for a shop with a wide range of ladies clothing in size 18.
Regarding the brands, it would be nice if a shop would have Gore Bike Wear in 44, Gonso, or Alturra, but I am open for other brands as well as long as they offer good quality and are not too pricey like Assos. :-)
The choice in Reading is very limited and I am feeling discriminated by Evans as this company offers only few women's clothing and only until size L or XL, whereas I would need XXL depending on the brand. Wiggle sometimes offers clothes in size 44, but I hesitate to buy them online.
Thank you very much for pointing me in the right direction.
Kind regards,
Blue

paulbox

Have you tried PedalOn? They are down your way and last time I was in they had a large selection of clothing.

I must admit that I wasn't looking at the ladies stuff though...

emx

no reason to think that shops in London will be any better stocked than the likes of AW Cycles up the Henley Road.

LittleB0b

Also Minx-girl are pretty good for online, and have aplus size section and are pretty good at advising on what's going to suit *sporty* thighs

It's where i get a lot of my cycling gear (i'd love to support my local bike shop - but they insist on only stocking clothes in baby blue or pink). I wouldn't be too put off by online buying - at the end of the day most bike shops have such a dire womens range that if you want clothes you like, rather than making do, you're probably going to have to buy online.

bluesaturn

Thanks already for your quick answers.
Sorry, don't know PedalOn. Do you mean this shop is in Reading? I will try to find it.
AW Cycles is better equipped with clothes than Evans, but I would still say, they are a bit limited in "bigger" sizes.
In general I found that shops have smaller ladies section than men section. Hm, are there fewer women on the road.
Furthermore, I thought as London is the capital there should be more choice.
Thanks for the hint with Minx-girl.
Regards
B.

paulbox

PedalOn are in Tadley, Hampshire: http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/directions.html

They are an independant shop, very friendly and helpful staff. Web site will give you an idea of what they stock.

emx

bluesaturn wrote:

AW Cycles is better equipped with clothes than Evans, but I would still say, they are a bit limited in "bigger" sizes.

shops will usually stock popular sizes which they can shift the most of...

bluesaturn wrote:

Hm, are there fewer women on the road.

in a word - yes.

bluesaturn wrote:

Furthermore, I thought as London is the capital there should be more choice.

there's no reason to think that just because a shop is based in London it will be any different to shops based anywhere else.

bluesaturn

Hi EMX,
you might be right, but it does not matter people should be discriminated due to the fact they are not a standard size.
I know Gore has bigger sizes, but Evans does not sell them, for example, but other shops in other countries do.
As I saw it in other countries, there are shops that also deal with such customers and offer a wide range.
I disagree about your statement about London.
As London is the capital and therefore larger than any other city in this country, the probability to find a shop that sells bicycle clothes of a wide range should be higher. Also, there are many cyclist in London. Do they all shop online at wiggle? :-) So, there is no shop in London offering a wide range of bicycle clothes? A shop specialised?

emx

bluesaturn wrote:

As London is the capital and therefore larger than any other city in this country, the probability to find a shop that sells bicycle clothes of a wide range should be higher.

Not sure where you think these shops are. I certainly can't think of any. You would be far better off going somewhere like AW or PedalOn, getting measured up and then having them order it.

If these 'London cycle shops' were all in the same street, then going there might make sense. But they're not. You will end up wasting an entire day, and a significant amount of money on tube and rail fares, just to confirm what you are already being told here....

paulbox

The cost of shop floor space in London is also higher than most other places so they are generally smaller or even more focussed on popular sizes.

Seriously, check out PedalOn's website. If they have stuff that you like pop in, it's only about 10 miles from the centre of Reading. They will order stuff in for you if they don't have your size.

bluesaturn

EMX, a visit to London is never a waste. Of course, I would combine it with other things.
But when you write "to have them order clothes", that is interesting. The majority buys clothes online in the end? Okay, are there by any chance recommendations for shops where you can order free of charge and send clothes back free of charge if they don't fit, please? Certainly, the online offer is bigger

paulbox

ChainReaction & Wiggle both offer free postage, not sure on their returns policies but I'm sure they are pretty good.

navrig

If you know what size you need in a particular make buy online. Makes it easier (for me anyway).

flite

Usually I much prefer to try clothing before I buy (Bike Treks in the lake dist is v. good for women's clothes, will give you plenty of time, and will give an honest answer to "do I look silly in this?"). :oops:
If buying on-line I tend to order (& pay for) at least 2 sizes so I can try them at home and take time deciding what really fits. If you use a good on-line retailer, you only have to pay the postal cost of returning the unwanted goods and they send a refund. Postage costs are cheaper than a trip to the shops from where I live.

bluesaturn

Dear Flite,
thank you for your answer.
I agree with you. I prefer trying clothes in the shop on as it is a hassle with these online orders if you are not standard size or shape. I dislike as well to pay for 10 different pieces and send 8 later back.
I contacted a German supplier. 6GBP shipping costs to the UK and unwanted items can be send back free of charge. I am reluctant to pay as well for sending the items back.
Postage costs are cheaper as long as you don't order to often. :-)
Anyway, thank you for all your feedback.
Thanks in particular for the link of MINX Girl. They clothes look really stylish.

ian_s

I've always been disppointed with the stock in AW's.
I sent my wife there to see what they had in the way of shorts (she is an occassional cyclist). They tried to sell her Assos being the only thing worth having, as well as trying to charge her 50 quid for a bike fit just to show her some girls road bikes:(

I have been impressed with Pedalon on the odd occassion I have been there.

I was impressed by Sigma sport in KIngston(?) - massive collection of clothing upstairs (but no idea about the womens stuff) - maybe worth a phone call.

The new Decathlon in Reading might be worth a look too.

bluesaturn

ian_s wrote:

I've always been disppointed with the stock in AW's.
I sent my wife there to see what they had in the way of shorts (she is an occassional cyclist). They tried to sell her Assos being the only thing worth having, as well as trying to charge her 50 quid for a bike fit just to show her some girls road bikes:(

Assos is a bit overpriced for an occassional cyclist. When did this happen with the charging for fitting? I bought my bicycle there in 2009 and they let me try whatever I wanted and they were really patient with me for hours while trying the bike.

I will see if I can make a trip to Pedalon on my bicycle from Reading. :-)