Fat Lad At The Back Lasses Pedal Pushers

Fad Lads have expanded (ba dum!) into Lasses clothing with a range of clothing including these Pedal Pushers.

This new brand has a USP is which very close to my heart: cycling clothing for the not-skinny. These 3/4 length padded pedal pushers are available in sizes up to high street 26. For once in my cycling life I am not wearing the largest a company can provide. As a 16-18 I am wearing size 5 out of 8 in the Fat Lass At the Back (FLAB) range.

The overall fit of the pedal pushers is good, especially in the all important stomach area, where a separate curved panel contains, rather than constricts, excess tummy. These knickers have an extremely high waist and back - no low rise bum cracks to be seen here. One of the problems I find with plus size gear is that it tends to be sized up according to a formula, whereas the FLAB tights seem to have redesigned the basic pattern to take account of the tummies and bums which account for needing the larger sizes. Both are well covered here and I did not need to seek out a particularly long top in order to feel comfortable when out riding.

The waistband has both a silicone gripper and a pull cord - the latter which ties on the inside which left an little knot near my tummy button. I didn't much like the silicone gripper around my waist as it tended to leave a sweaty ring around my back.

The length of these knickers is good and the silicone strip at each calf neither rode up nor dug in. There is a very subtle logo on the calf, and I think a missed chance to make this reflective. The outer seams of the leg are cut on the bias, which offers increased flexibility and the white stitching looks flattering and gives some shape to the leg.

I wasn't very keen on the pad, which I found had a tendency to bunch up. Chamois choice is always very personal, but I felt that this one was not sufficiently curved to my body and could have offered greater coverage.

The material used for these pedal pushers was ok, but nothing to write home about. It wasn't particularly wicking, but it did the job and washed well. Standard lycra fare.

£45 puts these pedal pushers at the bottom of the mid range pricewise. I would happily pay ten or fifteen pounds more to see the little details fixed and a better pad. Usually there is a premium to pay for clothing from small, new companies, and also for producing the plates for larger sizing so these are extremely economical and in the next price band up from own-brand offerings. Surprisingly these knickers carried a made in Italy label. Again, I would have expected the far East at this price.

Overall these pedal pushers were comfy to wear and I didn't feel at all poured into them.

Verdict

It's fab that cycling kit is available in this range of sizes and this is a great fit, but I'd pay more for a better pad