Freya Active Dynamic Sports Bra

The Freya Active Dynamic sports bra is designed for high-intensity exercise but works really well for cycling. It shuns the more traditional pull-over design of cycling bras, but offers much more support as a result – with both a three-pronged clasp, and a J hook for wearing it racerback style.

It's supportive without being suffocating, and also works well with a chest-mounted heart rate monitor strap. The only – and very minor – issue I had was with the J hook occasionally popping open when trying to put the bra on over my head.

I tested a 30D, which according to the size guide was the right fit for me, and I'd have to agree. From a visual perspective it looked like I might have benefited from a slightly larger cup size, but comfort-wise, I didn't feel that to be the case. I usually wear a 30D in sports bras, and the fit was really good and comfortable. It was only after a good couple of hours on the bike that I found the straps starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable, but I'm yet to find a sports bra in this design where that doesn't happen.

There are lots of sizes available – Freya lists band sizes from 28 to 40, and cup sizes from C to J. I don't know whether it's down to Freya's sizing, or whether customers with B cups are less likely to choose this design, but I think it would be good to see smaller ones.

Freya also lists 10 colour options, so if this 'Haze' isn't your thing, there's plenty of choice, including white and black.

Performance and quality

As I said above, the Dynamic bra is designed to be a multi-sports high-impact bra rather than a cycling-specific one. I didn't test it for running, but I took it on some hikes as well as testing it on some off-road cycling terrain, as well as on the road, and found it supportive and comfortable.

The full non-moulded cups really do encapsulate the breasts well. Like I said above, perhaps I could have gone a cup size up, but it felt comfortable enough to ignore any slight bulging out of the sides.

The bra is designed with a wide elastic under band, which I also felt worked really well with my chest heart rate monitor strap. I could fit it comfortably under the band without it causing any discomfort for a good couple of hours.

It also performed really well during a sweaty turbo trainer session. The material feels quite breathable, so I imagine it will work well during the warmer months as well.

If you prefer a racerback design, there is that J hook on the back that can be clipped on to provide a little bit of extra support. I found it could be a little fiddly making sure it stayed clipped when I tried to put the bra on over my head, leading to a bit of hyper-extending to try to do it up again on my own.

Value

It's been a while since we reviewed a cycling bra on road.cc, but we have plenty in for review at the moment, and at £36 the Freya is in the middle of the selection we have, ranging from £28 to £52.

> Read more road.cc reviews of women’s cycling kit

Compared with some cycling-specific bras we reviewed a while back, it looks pretty good value – the Sportful Pro Bra that Anna tried in 2021, for example, is still available to buy, but it's £60, as is Castelli's Women's Rosso Corsa. But then Anna was also impressed with the Sundried Power Sports Bra; it's not the most breathable of options, but she felt it offered a great fit and provided effective support in and out of the saddle, for just £22 (though it's only currently available in a size small).

Conclusion

You know when you have a good bra because you're not itching to take it off as soon as you've finished riding. I started choosing the Freya Dynamic over my tried and trusted over-the-head bras because it just fits really well and doesn't cause annoying sweat marks under my breasts when riding on the turbo.

Verdict

Very good high-impact sports bra that works for on and off-road cycling as well as for other sports