A Size Inclusive Guide to Bike Commuting!

Whether you’re heading to work, class, or just out for errands, what you wear on your bike commute can make or break your ride. Prioritizing comfort, weather readiness, and visibility keeps you feeling great and helps you stay safe out on the road.

Here’s a curated kit that hits all those marks, is size inclusive, and super cute!

Pants That Move With You

Go beyond athletic leggings or stiff denim. Commuter-friendly pants should flex, breathe, and not bind when you pedal. If you’ve got a longer commute, layer padded cycling shorts/underwear under your pants.

Some options:
Ripton Superlite Camo Jeans — lightweight, flexible denim with stretch and relaxed fit so you can move comfortably on and off the bike. These ride-ready jeans have just enough structure to look polished for work or errands while fitting like your favorite everyday pants.

Shredly Limitless Riding Pants- Designed for comfort on and off the bike, these high-rise pants feature a wide, ultra-stretch waistband that moves with you while riding and stays comfortable all day long. The flexible fabric allows for easy pedaling without pinching or restriction, making them a great option for commuting, errands, or casual rides. Thoughtfully designed for real bodies, these pants are size-inclusive and available up to a size 24!

Rain Protection That Works With Your Ride

Unexpected weather? That’s part of commuting — and the right rain gear turns a soggy ride into a dry one.

Waterproof and easy to slip on over layers:
All Bodies on Bikes Rover 2.0 Rain Cape — This rain cape keeps you dry without restricting movement on the bike. Its generous cut lets you wear layers underneath and still stay covered when the skies open up. The best part, All Bodies on Bikes get a percentage of each sale of our branded gear!

Why a cape? Easy on/off over backpacks, doesn’t bunch up when you pedal, and still lets airflow circulate so you won’t overheat.

A Jacket That’s Built for Movement

Commuting weather isn’t always rain — sometimes it’s breezy, cool, or just unpredictable. A versatile outer layer can be your best friend.

My current favorites:
SHREDLY Beyond Tech Jacket — A relaxed, crop jacket that layers effortlessly. Breathable and soft, it’s a great piece whether you’re cruising to coffee or to a meeting.

SHREDLY Oversized Shacket — Stupidly comfortable and cute, this is the perfect combination jacket + sweatshirt (i.e. Shacket!) The quilted inner layer is absolutely perfect for staying warm on the cooler commute days.

Gloves That Keep You Comfortable + in Control

Your hands do a lot — braking, shifting, controlling. Keeping them happy matters!

Warmth and grip without bulk:
Ninja Ice Gloves — These Amazon special gloves offer weather-resistant protection with dexterity for brakes and shifters. These gloves were designed for folks who work in freezers/wet environments, so you know they’re going to be good. I’ve been using these since 2015 in Seattle and they’re still my favorite!

SHREDLY Manatee Gloves — Straight from my “Fast a MF Manatee” Cycling Collection with SHREDLY, these lightweight gloves are perfect for a warmer day.

Marley poses with her Manatee cycling gloves from SHREDLY.

Be Seen, Be Safe

Visibility is non-negotiable for commuters — especially at dawn, dusk, or in rainy weather.

A safety vest with flair:
Lace Safety Vest — A bold reflective vest that doesn’t feel like generic hi-vis gear. It signals your presence to drivers and also brings personality to your commute.

Pro-tip: If lace isn’t your style, check out the selection of safety gear at the next truck stop you go to. They often have extended sizes, and reflective warm gear including jackets, hats, gloves and vests!

Reflective elements are one of the easiest ways to improve your visibility without sacrificing style.

Quick Commuter Clothing Checklist

✔ Comfy, flexible pants that pedal well
✔ Waterproof layer you can toss on fast
✔ Outer layer that moves with you
✔ Gloves for grip + warmth
✔ High visibility essentials for safety

By focusing on function first but choosing pieces you actually enjoy wearing, your bike commute becomes something you look forward to — no matter the weather.

What’s on your commute must-wear list?

Five Rookie Mistakes I Made at My First Gravel Race

I’m currently on a cross-country road trip from Seattle to Colorado for SBT GRVL, which means I have a lot of time to think. Turns out these western states - Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming - they’re really big. Like really big.

Steamboat Gravel will be my second gravel race, which I think technically still makes me a rookie, but after starting with Unbound Gravel, I definitely have some pieces of advice and wisdom to share. I’ve also been riding bikes for a long time and doing unsanctioned long distance gravel events for years.

Unbound Gravel was a ton of fun, but also a really hard ride and a great learning experience. Check out my previous post on that race here. I made all sorts of rookie mistakes during that ride that I hope not to repeat this weekend. I’m going to share them with you in the hopes that you won’t make the same mistakes either - whether you’re looking into doing your first gravel race or are just endurance riding curious.

1. Too much caffeine on race morning.

   I’m from Seattle and the rumors are true - we drink a lot of coffee, myself included. I typically start my day with 1 or 2 cups of drip coffee and then have another cup later in the afternoon, nothing wild. The drip coffee on offer where I was staying was a bit weak, so on my way to the starting line, I picked up an Iced Soy Latte in downtown Emporia, which I promptly spilled all over the street. Frustrated, I went to a different coffee shop and ordered a ‘double tall iced soy latte.’ When I got my drink, I should’ve noticed something was off, as it was super duper strong.

   Instead of 2 shots of espresso, there were 4! Ignoring my best judgement, I drank the whole thing. Big time mistake.

   I found myself jittery, nervous and my heart rate was through the roof. I was wearing a Wahoo Tickr heart rate monitor, and my resting heart rate is typically around 57 bpm. Siting down under the Shimano tent, my heart rate was at 120 bpm.

   Once I started riding, the effects of the caffeine lessened a bit and around mile 20, I felt normal. Typically, during a long ride, I’ll use GU Rocktane Gels that have caffeine in it for a pick-me-up, but during Unbound, I definitely avoided them.

   My plan for Steamboat is simple - make my own coffee and keep my routine as normal as possible. Take Shotblocks and GU Rocktane on the ride to refuel. Get an iced soy latte when the ride is over :)

2. Didn’t eat enough calories during the ride.

   If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember my ride prep for Unbound included making a ton of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, packing ‘real food’ and loading my pack up with all sorts of snacks. So you might be a little perplexed as to how I didn’t eat enough calories during the ride. Well, me too.

   I think it was the combination of too much caffeine that surpassed my appetite, nerves from the race, and 95 degree Kansas heat but I just did not have any hunger signals. So I didn’t eat. In fact, I found myself nauseous, which is never a good place to be, especially when riding 50 miles. No one wants to find themselves in bonk city.

   This time, no matter what my body is telling me, my plan is at least 100 calories every hour. Even if I don’t have an appetite - I can at least get down some m&ms or a gu packet.

3. Too many stops & too much time at each stop

   Ok, I’m not really going to beat myself up over this one, as I’m not a racer and don’t really intend to be. But, I do need to learn to be more efficient at the rest stops.

   Get in. Eat. Refill water bottles. Go.

   I have a really bad habit of chatting, hanging out, taking off my shoes, making an outfit change, etc…basically pretending like I’m on a bike tour instead of a race with a cutoff time. So my advice for you is to make sure you have a plan at the rest stops. Know what your priorities are - food, air in your tires, etc.

4. Wool socks are a bad idea in June.

   I’m a Pacific Northwestern kid, where wool socks are generally a good idea any time of year. Turns out that’s not the case everywhere, including Kansas in the middle of summer. My feet were so incredibly hot. Next time I’ll plan better, likely going with a lightweight sock from Pearl Izumi that’ll keep me cool and looking good.

5. My music was not on point.

   I didn't originally plan to ride with any music, so I didn’t have any playlists downloaded onto my phone. However, there came a point on my ride where I literally couldn’t see the end of the road in front of me, the headwinds were blowing 20 mph in my face, and I was in the pain cave. All I wanted was some good beats to keep my spirits up.

   This race, I’ve got at least 6 different playlists ready to go. I’ll ride with only one ear bud in to make sure I can hear everything that’s going on around me and still keep the music going.

So yeah, I’m not changing anything super drastically. Pretty much common sense, but hopefully you find it helpful if you’re about to embark on your first big gravel race or event! Let me know and good luck out there!

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