NOTE: In order to provide readers of my Blog with the most clothing options to choose from, I try out more styles than I’m personally able to buy and keep. I do my best to note which items I have personally bought. Please be aware that items with a “Buy” rating may not be ones I personally own. The “Buy” rating indicates that the clothing item passes my standards for garment fit. Additionally, there are “affiliate links” (i.e. a link with a special tracking code) in this blog post. If you purchase something via “affiliate links” on my blog, I may earn commission.

It’s official — I’ve jumped on the bike short band wagon! Seriously though this summer has unbearably hot in NYC (in the 90s on the reg) so I’ve decided to wear bike shorts because I don’t care if I sweat through them. Not to mention it’s not as noticeable even if I do since mine are a light color. My jean shorts and soft shorts don’t look as cute once I’ve sweat through them 🙁

So a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!

MY MEASUREMENTS

Bust = 34.5’’

Waist = 28’’

Stomach = 31’’

Hip = 40’’

Thigh = 22’’

Calf = 12.25’’

Inseam = 27’’

Bicep = 9.5’’

Alo Yoga High Waist Bike Short – Size Medium

What I loved…

• Super soft – These are just as soft as their full length leggings which I tried earlier this year! 

• Fit – Out of all the options I tried on these fit my body type the best. I didn’t have a waist gap at all. Nor did I have any whiskering at the crotch. Most importantly the back rise is long enough so they were digging into my crotch or sliding down in back. 

Garment measurements:

Waist = 24.5’’

Hip = 30.5’’

Thigh = 18.5’’

Inseam = 7.5’’

Front rise = 9.75’’

Back rise = 13’’

Verdict: Buy! 

PULL UP FOR CHANGE MOVEMENT: Alo Yoga has not yet shared their numbers with the Movement. Hope that you’ll join me in asking them to share the diversity numbers! So far I’ve just been commenting on multiple Instagram posts of theirs asking them to share their numbers! 

Alo Yoga High-Waist Snakeskin Vapor Short – Size Medium

What I loved…

• Fit – The fit of these printed shorts was very similar to the black bike shorts. No waist gapping at all! I definitely approve!

• Fabric – While these have a similar fiber content to the black bike shorts above, they felt more “swishy”. The black shorts had more of a cotton feel. I really love how smooth they are!

Garment measurements:

Waist = 24’’

Hip = 30.5’’

Inseam = 7.25’’

Thigh = 19’’

Front rise = 11.125’’

Back rise = 14.375’’

Verdict: Buy! (I own these!)

PULL UP FOR CHANGE MOVEMENT: Alo Yoga has not yet shared their numbers with the Movement. Hope that you’ll join me in asking them to share the diversity numbers! So far I’ve just been commenting on multiple Instagram posts of theirs asking them to share their numbers! 

Nike One Women’s 7” Shorts – Size Medium

What I loved…

• Great value – One thing I noticed when shopping for bike shorts is sometimes they rival the price of leggings almost. Not all brands but some. These Nike shorts feel incredibly soft and are only $40, which is a more moderate price relative to the other options in this post.

• Fit – While I like the fit of the Alo Yoga bike shorts the best, these were also up there for me! I didn’t have waist gap and they didn’t feel to restrictive.

Garment measurements:

Waist = 27’’

Front rise = 10.5’’

Back rise = 13.625’’

Hip = 31’’

Thigh = 20’’

Inseam = 7’’

Verdict: Buy!

PULL FOR CHANGE MOVEMENT: Nike did not officially share their numbers with the movement. According to their publicly available numbers, 21.6% Black representation among store and manufacturing employees. The total corporate numbers are not provided. At the corporate director level, Black representation is 4.8%. At the VP level, Black representation is 9.9%. The executive team does not have Black representation. “Whereas Nike has a tangible commitment to increasing female representation at leadership the commitment to increase black jobs is vague in the report.” The level of Black representation at Nike is below the 10% benchmark set by Sharon Chuter the founder of the movement. This benchmark was chosen because it represents the percentage of Black college graduates in the US.

Charrish11 She So Royal Biker Short (Set) – Size Medium (link to new colors)

What I loved…

• Super comfy – These are legit so comfy you forget you are even wearing them!

• Color – I love the royal blue color! They would look super cute with a graphic tee!

What could have been better…

• Lightweight – While I appreciate that the fabric isn’t thick since I will primarily wear these in the summer, I find my underwear lines showed through slightly. Therefore I recommend true “no show” underwear with them. I wore my Skims cheeky briefs underneath them and my underwear lines did not show through.

Garment measurements:

Waist = 24.5’’

Hip = 30.5’’

Thigh = 18.5’’

Inseam = 7.5’’

Front rise = 9.75’’

Back rise = 13’’

Verdict: Buy!

Nike Women’s Bike Shorts – Size Medium

What could have been better…

• Back rise to short – The back rise was too short for me so they were digging in a little too much. (Low key I had a camel toe—yikes!) Additionally, it felt like they were being pulled downwards in back, which wasn’t very comfortable.

• Slight waist gap – These shorts have a very substantial elastic waistband so I wasn’t necessarily worried about them sliding down, but I did find the waist gap annoying. 

Garment measurements:

Waist = 28.5’’

Front rise = 10.75’’

Back rise = 13.25’’

Hip = 31’’

Thigh = 20’’

Inseam = 8.25’’

Verdict: Don’t buy, shop around!

PULL FOR CHANGE MOVEMENT: Nike did not officially share their numbers with the movement. According to their publicly available numbers, 21.6% Black representation among store and manufacturing employees. The total corporate numbers are not provided. At the corporate director level, Black representation is 4.8%. At the VP level, Black representation is 9.9%. The executive team does not have Black representation. “Whereas Nike has a tangible commitment to increasing female representation at leadership the commitment to increase black jobs is vague in the report.” The level of Black representation at Nike is below the 10% benchmark set by Sharon Chuter the founder of the movement. This benchmark was chosen because it represents the percentage of Black college graduates in the US.

adidas Women’s Must Haves 3-Stripes Short Tights – Size Medium

What I loved…

• Super soft – Compared to the knit Nike bike shorts above, these are made of a much softer fabric and feel more comfortable. 

What could have been better…

• Too big in waist – Similar to the Nike bike shorts, these also have a substantial elastic waistband, but I still had a waist gap. For me it was a deal breaker since other options fit me better.

Garment measurements:

Waist = 28.5’’

Hip = 33.25’’

Thigh = 22’’

Inseam = 8.5’’

Front rise = 11.25’’

Back rise = 13.625’’

Verdict: Don’t buy, shop around!

PULL FOR CHANGE MOVEMENT: Adidas announced on June 10, 2020 that they will fill 30% of job vacancies with black and LatinX candidates. The company has not publicly released figures, however their executive team has no Black representation and only 1 person of color.

Girlfriend Collective Bike Short – Size Medium

What could have been better…

• Drag lines at crotch – Even though I didn’t have the best luck with their leggings I decided to give the bike shorts a try! I thought it was possible that the fit might be slightly different. However, I had some slight drag lines around the crotch. While they weren’t super noticeable, I just found that the other options fit me much better.

Garment measurements:

Waist = 26’’

Hip = 31.25’’

Thigh = 20.75’’ 

Inseam = 8’’

Front rise = 10.5’’

Back rise = 15’’

Verdict: Don’t buy! 

PULL UP FOR CHANGE MOVEMENT: Girlfriend Collective currently does not have any black employees. They do work with black models and creators. Here’s the link to their action plan.