Best women's bike shorts

Best women’s cycling shorts
(Image credit: Urban Cycling Apparel)

The saddle is easily the most crucial of the three contact points between your body and your bike. It carries your weight for the majority of the time you spend on two wheels, which means choosing between good and bad bike shorts can make all the difference. A badly fitting pair can ruin even the shortest of rides, whereas the best bike shorts spells out hours of comfortable riding.

While it’s important to have a well-designed chamois for improved comfort, it needs to be supported by quality materials constructed and cut specifically to keep everything in its place. That means no uncomfortable bunching, no restrictions to your movement while cycling, and no chafing or saddle sores.

Mildred Locke

Mildred joined as Reviews Writer for Cyclingnews and BikePerfect in December 2020. She loves all forms of cycling from long-distance audax to daily errand-running by bike, and does almost everything on two wheels, including moving house, and started out her cycling career working in a bike shop. For the past five years she's volunteered at The Bristol Bike Project as a mechanic and session coordinator, and now sits on its board of directors.

Since then she's gone on to write for a multitude of cycling publications, including Bikeradar, Cycling Plus, Singletrack, Red Bull, Cycling UK and Total Women's Cycling. She's dedicated to providing more coverage of women's specific cycling tech, elevating under-represented voices in the sport, and making cycling more accessible overall. 

Height: 156cm (5'2")

Weight: 75kg

Rides: Stayer Groadinger UG, Triban RC520 Women's Disc, Genesis Flyer, Marin Larkspur, Cotic BFe 26, Clandestine custom bike