I'm not the slimmest of people in the world with a bit of insulation around my middle so the heavily tailored tight fitting cycling clothing isn't the most flattering thing I can wear but with jackets it seems there's either something like:

A
Altura Night Vision EVO Jacket ... which are superb jackets but generally tend to be waterproof and get way too hot and sweaty and aren't very breathable but for me are a much nicer fit and not quite so in your "I'm a serious cyclist" look as they could just be an everyday high vis jacket

or something like
B
Castelli Perfetto Red Convertible
Which is far more breathable and softer material and also has the advantage of removable arms but is a much more tailored / tighter fit

Has anyone come across a jacket that looks and is tailored more like A but performs more like B ... ideally sub £100 or thereabouts ??

EDIT: I'm not bothered about it being waterproof but some wind resistance may be good but not essential.

https://www.amazon.com/Arsuxeo-Winte...cycling+jacket

https://www.amazon.com/ARSUXEO-Outdo...cycling+jacket

Here you go ...

Eight best waterproof cycling jackets reviewed 2017
Eight best waterproof cycling jackets reviewed 2017 - Cycling Weekly

Lou at Foxwear in Idaho can probably make what you want to fit your body style ... it is worth a call to him to talk about fit and fabrics for your riding conditions: Jackets | Foxwear

I have this in yellow tall for my morning rides. They have both the big and the tall versions. But the tall version did fit me nicely when I was over 300 pounds.

https://www.aerotechdesigns.com/tall...ng-jacket.html

Where are you located, the US or UK?

If the US, Performance and Nashbar have many options, and both tend to cut their clothes for a normal population.

UK based which doesn't help as we're more limited with options

travbikeman ... if you were 300 lbs what are you now? Headed south or north ... just interested to see if the cycling's made any difference which whilst I'm REALLY starting to get hooked if I can lose a few lbs as well that'd be a major added bonus.

I hate to break it to you, but in my experience, cycling has had little effect on my weight over time. Not saying I haven't become more fit, or even lost some weight riding, but usually the weight comes back eventually, usually during the winter months when the total cycling mileage falls. It really is most about your genetics, and how much you eat. So if you do stop off at a pub, maybe skip the Beer and stick to water or diet soda.

+1 on everything that doesn't involve skipping beer

But seriously I've done about 3800 miles in the last two and a half years. Less than many here for sure, but more than the overwhelming majority of the population. I started at about 215#, now I'm around 215#. My legs and core are far more toned, my cardiovascular is far better shape, my blood lab work back in mostly great ranges, but the weight loss just hasn't happened. Great results across the board, but the single thing most are concerned with never came to pass.

If I gave up the beer, probably could have lost the weight without cycling. Not happening though!

Limited??

You've got Wiggle, Ribble, Chain Reaction Cycles ... people from all over the world order stuff from the UK.


As for losing weight, I would recommend joining a site like, for example, My Fitness Pal, and starting to track your calories. Yes, cycling can help ... but you've got to cycle a whole lot for that to happen.

See my thread here about Calorie Tracking Websites:
Calorie Tracking Websites

Sorry ... I wasn't clear ... I was referring specifically to jefnvk's post about Performance and Nashbar, the options at the major sellers here whilst there's plenty of variety most of it falls within one of the 2 categories I originally posted .. it's also quite hard to identify which ones might be a looser fit with internet shopping where there is the wider variety and generally the shops keep a much smaller range in stock on the shelves.

Therein lies my problem as well ... along with cheese ... I just enjoy it too much and not really a wine or spirit drinker ... I had some poor health earlier in the year from which I'm now fully recovered but drank less and ate less cheese and the weight fell off.

Having done that I'm now determined to limit both, keep loosing more weight and get fitter again as well.

It is frustrating, but you don't have to limit yourself to cycling specific gear. I bought a wind vest from a sporting goods store that I believe was made for jogging. I bought a windbreaker from Land's End that I have high hopes for. I have a bunch of Craft, and Under Armour base layers that are multi sport. And a couple of Champion technical shirts I bought from Target, and I am sure you can find comparable stuff from retailers in the UK.

As far as jerseys go, Bontrager makes loose fitting jerseys called the Solstice. It almost fits like a regular shirt. I can even wear an XL in Bontrager, and it feels comparable to an XXL or even 3XL in other brands. Pearl is OK, but a little snug. I believe the largest size they make is 2XL. Same for Primal, though I wear a 3 XL in Primal jerseys and that seems to fit me well. Snug, but not tight.

BTW, Fat Lad at the back is a UK based vendor specializing in larger bike apparel. I never used them, but forum member Ill Clyde has one of their jerseys and seemed to like it. I recently bought some stuff from Aerotech Designs out of Pittsburgh here in the US, so there is that. Don't know how much they charge for international shipping, but worth checking out.

I wear a Parka, riding my bike. I get reflective striped neon lime-yellow, to be bright and obvious.

https://www.montbell.us/products/dis...06103&gen_cd=1 Montbell is a Japanese company that makes outdoor clothing. I have a light weight insulated jacket of theirs that weighs a mere 8 ounces and has provided excellent service for 10 years or so. They also have ultra light wind shells weighing 2 ounces. In cooler temps one can wear layers underneath so a shell is quite versatile and I know the quality to be very good.

I just googled montbell-uk and found a UK based dealer. https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/54167/ .

I'm heading south...I'm now at 292lbs...I'm having a hard time losing at the moment and am trying to change some things. At my worst, I was 537lbs......but didn't start bike till I got right under 380lbs.

One suggestion on winter, and especially rainwear, is to try to find one with under arm zips. They're also called pit zips.

If that had removable sleeves, I'f had clicked and bought it already! Looking for something like that with the zip off sleeves in that color without the reflective stuff.

Aerotech has reasonably priced large size gear. https://www.aerotechdesigns.com/big-...g-jackets.html

Main man !!!!!! Bet you feel better for it and keep going .... major achievement

Cheers for everyone else's input as well, I'll have a look through the suggestions and am sure can find something that does the trick

Congrats!

Just something to consider - don't look at the weight number on the scale. With biking, it's more about changes in dimensions. Ride enough and you will see your waist narrow, your thighs turn into muscle and firm up and maybe get larger, etc. Measure yourself at the start (waist, hips, thighs) and that's where you will see change. Your clothes will fit differently as well, eventually nothing will spill over your pant tops if you ride regularly and long enough, but the scale number may not move much.

the legs will fill any voids in standard fit style pants.
A proper diet with good sleep will show best results when cycling. Drink plenty of water!

Just a thought, not knowing the UK market all that well, is there any sort of generic outdoor sports retailers that carry cycling kit? I think Decathalon is one I've heard of before. I have a few jerseys from Dicks Sporting Goods, such a company here in America, clothing in those shops are often cut more for the general population than the skinny racers

As others have mentioned, you can look outside cycling specific as well. Many outdoor brands to choose from like Marmot or Kuhl or North Face that will have adequate ventilation, just a bit harder to find the hi-viz colors. Just make sure they are long enough to cover your bottom when stretched out on a bike.

I decided I needed something functional and did the job so forgot vanity in the end went with this
Boardman Mens Removable Sleeve Cycl...

Went out with it for the 1st time last night and think it's exactly what I needed and really pleased with it :-)

J&G Cyclewear is quality stuff at a reasonable price. The Yellow Jacket, which I own is wind and water resistant (not water proof) has large pit zipps and is not form fitting, but isn't a sail in the wind either. It's fairly thin and breathable, but with layers under it you can ride down into the 30's.

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