Are you looking for comfortable bike shorts that fit well, don’t slip and slide around, have adequate padding, and can wick moisture away from your skin? We’ve taken the hundreds of options and narrowed them down to just five. Let’s get to it and take a look at some of the best bike shorts for women that the market has to offer.
Best Bike Shorts for Women: Reviews
Terry Performance Cycling Shorts
If you are looking for top-quality cycling shorts that are durable, comfortable both on and off the bike, and are machine washable, these Terry Performance Cycling Shorts are a great option to consider.
Review
The Terry Performance Cycling Shorts are some of the best around, and a lot of it has to do with the integrated chamois pad. The chamois is a four-way stretch pad designed to help protect your sensitive areas by providing padding between you and the seat.
The chamois features a soft-wing construction, so it won’t bunch or bulk up as you walk or ride; it fits inside of these shorts really well, so walking around with them on is a breeze.
Moreover, the Terry Performance Cycling Shorts are made with a mix of 75% nylon and 25% spandex, which produces a really soft feel and creates a bit of compression. It’s enough compression to ensure that the shorts stay in place and so that you get some of the fitness benefits of compression without being too tight.
The waist and the legs of the Terry Performance Cycling Shorts have elastic to make sure that they stay in place and don’t fall down or ride up.
The flat seam stitching should keep you comfortable for the duration of your ride. The chamois is perforated, and the shorts as a whole are relatively thin; they are breathable and won’t cause you to sweat too much. Although you do need to take care, the Terry Performance Cycling Shorts are also machine washable.
Pros
- Good bit of compression
- Snug fit -won’t ride up or fall down
- Protective chamois padding
- Breathable and moisture-wicking
- Machine washable
- Comfortable for walking
Cons
Chamois is sensitive to residual sweat – needs to be cleaned soon after use
BALEAF Women’s Bike Shorts
This is a more affordable pair of bike shorts that are still comfortable and functional yet won’t cost you a fortune.
Review
The BALEAF Women’s Bike Shorts are made with an 80% nylon and 20% spandex mix. We like how these bike shorts contain a good deal of nylon, which is machine washable. Moreover, nylon is really durable, breathable, and it wicks away moisture.
The included spandex also has benefits, mainly that it provides both a comfortable stretch for freedom of motion and a bit of compression – just enough to help keep everything in place without making things too tight. Spandex isn’t too bad at moisture wicking either.
The long 9” inseam design and the elastic waistband keep the BALEAF Women’s Bike Shorts in place. The non-slip silicone grippers inside of the legs prevent the shorts from riding up your legs as you walk or cycle.
The other benefit is the multi-density 3D gel chamois inserts; it’s a good layer of padding that keeps your backside from feeling every bump and pothole in the road. If you need breathable, moisture-wicking, and overall comfortable bike shorts with lots of padding and machine washable materials, these shorts are a great pair to consider.
Pros
- Chamois for padding
- Stretchy for a full range of motion
- Good bit of compression
- Machine washable
- Breathable and moisture-wicking
- Won’t ride up your legs
Cons
- Durability is a bit questionable
beroy Women’s Bike Shorts
These are another moderately priced pair of bike shorts for women. They are made with mostly polyester rather than nylon, and they are designed for comfort and speed.
Review
In terms of comfort, the beroy Women’s Bike Shorts are definitely up there with the best of them, and one reason is their anatomical shape. They’re designed to be both ergonomically and anatomically correct, so they move with your body.
Twenty percent of the materials used in these shorts is spandex, which is a super flexible and stretchy material that allows you to retain a full range of motion while also maintaining a snug fit. It even provides a bit of compression for a snug fit that keeps everything in place.
Moreover, the remaining 80% of these bike shorts is polyester, which is quite durable and long-lasting, not to mention machine washable. It’s worth noting that the beroy Women’s Bike Shorts are very breathable, and they can wick moisture away from your skin too. Although these shorts are machine washable, they’re designed to be worn without underwear, which means they need to be washed after every use.
The beroy Women’s Bike Shorts have multi-density foam pads with three different densities, so you can choose the thickness that works best for you; the thickness provides padding for long-distance rides combined with the least bulk. You may also like the layer of microfiber designed to eliminate chafing.
Pros
- Easy to clean
- Stretchy and flexible
- Soft and comfortable
- Moisture-wicking and breathable
- Three padding options to choose from
- Won’t cause chaffing
- Fairly durable
Cons
- Need to be washed after each use
- Leg elastics are a bit on the tight side
Eco-daily Cycling Shorts
The Eco-daily Cycling Shorts are another great option if you’re searching for an affordable pair of biking shorts that will keep you dry, cool, chafe-free, and comfortable for the duration of your ride,
Review
These are a thin and lightweight pair of bike shorts in terms of breathability and moisture-wicking. This means that you really should not sweat much, and even if you do, the moisture-wicking capabilities will draw that sweat away from your skin.
A lot of this is thanks to their 85% polyester and 15% spandex mix. Compared to the other shorts so far, the high amount of polyester helps increase overall durability and moisture-wicking, plus it makes them easy to wash.
Although these bike shorts aren’t quite as stretchy and compressive as others we have looked at, the 15% spandex still allows for a really snug fit, full range of motion, and a little bit of compression.
The Eco-daily Cycling Shorts feature flat-locked seams and a unique design that helps eliminate chafing. Moreover, the thick elastic waistband helps keep the shorts from sliding down, combined with a small dip in the front for added comfort for your stomach. At the same time, these shorts feature a unique leg design that will keep the legs from riding up and eliminating chaffing.
The Eco-daily Cycling Shorts feature a 3D protective pad to provide cushioning between you and the bike seat. They’re also designed to help prevent hipbone injuries when riding long distances.
Pros
- Very breathable
- Moisture-wicking
- Bit of compression
- Good flexibility and range of motion
- Should not slip down or ride up
- Machine washable
- Good padding for impact absorption
Cons
- Chamois is placed a little too far back
- Sizing is a bit off
Champion Women’s Everyday Bike Shorts
These bike shorts are designed with simplicity. They contain few materials, they’re thin, breathable, and unobstructive, and come at a reasonable price.
Review
The Champion Women’s Everyday Bike Shorts are made with a mix of 90% cotton and 10% spandex. Although cotton is not the No. 1 material in terms of moisture-wicking, they still wick moisture away from the skin to a certain degree.
Moreover, these shorts are thin, which means that they are very breathable, so you shouldn’t sweat too much in them. Perhaps the most significant benefit is that cotton is also very soft and comfortable as is.
The addition of 10% spandex helps make the Champion Women’s Everyday Bike Shorts quite stretchy, so they provide a relatively snug fit while also allowing for a full range of motion. The addition of spandex also provides a bit of compression, although not too much. The spandex, plus the elastic waistband, keep these shorts in place while riding.
These Champion Women’s Everyday Bike Shorts don’t have any chamois or padding, making them ideal for shorter rides and for those times when you need or want minimal bulk. Wearing these shorts almost feels like you aren’t wearing anything at all. Let’s not forget that they’re machine washable.
Buyer’s Guide
When shopping for biking shorts, there are a few things you should take into consideration before you commit to a purchase.
Size
Of course, the first thing that you need to look for is the size of the shorts. Keep in mind that the more spandex the shorts contain, the tighter and more compressive they will be, so you may need to order a large size than what you usually wear.
Pay attention to the inseam length and the legs’ circumference and how they compare to your own dimensions.
Fabric
The next thing is the fabric the bike shorts are made of, and as you have probably noticed, the pairs we have reviewed contain a certain amount of spandex.
Spandex is an excellent material to use in bike shorts because it helps maintain a good range of motion; it provides a snug and secure fit; it helps add a bit of compression.
In terms of other materials, look for those that are durable, breathable, moisture-wicking, and machine washable. Nylon is excellent to go with, followed by polyester and then cotton.
Comfort
The overall comfort that the bike shorts provide is also important. We’re referring to integrating a chamois or a special pad that helps protect sensitive parts from the bike seat; it’s all about getting a bit of cushioning between you and the bumps on the road.
Reflective Details
Many bike shorts also come with reflective elements to help keep you safe while riding on the road when dark, although most of the shorts reviewed today don’t actually have this.
Conclusion
There is no denying that the Terry Performance Cycling Shorts are the best women’s bike shorts on our list. However, they’re also quite expensive, in which case, any of the other four options reviewed are also great.
