Sportsister Loves: Fat Lad At The Back cycle gear

September 15, 2024

There’s a lot to love about the cycling brand Fat Lad At The Back - it produces kit for all sizes 8-26 (yep - 26!), it features women of all sizes AND ages on it’s website and the gear looks and performs brilliantly. So, don’t be put off by the name, this brand is doing great things.

It’s fair to say I don’t really qualify as ‘fat’. However, I’m not thin either. I could easily loose a stone and probably look better for it. I am a size 14 upper body, size 12 lower body - but that size 14 upper body means that I am most definitely large or X-large when it comes to cycling jerseys. Even the largest of some brands are still tight, unflattering and to be honest, don’t make me feel good about myself!

Shorts and tights are less of an issue in terms of sizing for me, however I still prefer either bib shorts or very high waisted shorts so as to avoid the dreaded muffin-top. Somehow a muffin top is worse on a bike because of the riding position!

So, recognising that there is a huge market of women who don’t really fit in the “fat” category but equally want gear that works for them, Fat Lass At The Back have created a new range - Stealth (pictured above) - which has been de-branded and doesn’t feature the F word anywhere.

I tested the Stealth bib shorts - in their words: Premium quality, anatomical bib shorts featuring a female specific cut and combining classic styling, the latest Italian fabrics and the unrivalled Fat Lass At The Back fit.

Good points:

Fair to generous sizing - no need to order a size or two up!
Good quality, well made and comfortable fabrics.
Classic styling, easy to wear and coordinate.
Fair price point for the quality (£79.99 for bib short)
Comfy seat pad, fits and works well.

Bad points:

Being neither super-stylish nor super-classic (ie all black) some may think this looks a bit middle-of-the-road. I guess it is, but there’s a big market for less ‘showy-offy’ gear!
It’s still the FLAB brand, so if you’re not actually fat or are not comfortable saying ‘I am fat’ then there’s an issue over whether you can bring yourself to buy into it.

We applaud Fat Lad at The Back for recognising the diversity of cyclists and providing a great technical solution for larger riders. We can’t expect the nation to get active if our brands don’t even supply gear that fits them….So bravo.

Check out the full range here: fatladattheback.com

Danielle Sellwood, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

Save

cycling kit review

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Sportsister Loves: Fat Lad At The Back cycle gear

Select a sport

Select a sport

Blogs

Sportsister Loves: Fat Lad At The Back cycle gear

You may like

Select a sport

Select a sport

Blogs