RAW – Cycling for all Sizes of women

Real. Active. Women.

That’s what the RAW in Raw Gear stands for,
short and sweet.

If you are a road cyclist who is not a classic shape (or you have a friend who fits this description!!!) Then this article is for you! Angela Williams writes about how she and partner Cindy founded RAW, based in Australia

Its conception is a slightly longer story. In our early days of riding (only a few years ago) my partner Cindy and I would often find ourselves in a local bike shop browsing the clothing section. I’d pull something off the rack that I thought she might like only to have her shake her head and quietly say something like “There’s nothing in that brand that fits me”.

I’m a fairly standard women’s size 12 and quickly came to realise that this often translated to an Extra Large in bike jerseys. Cindy is a women’s 16-18 and regularly ended up buying men’s jerseys which might be broad in the shoulders, but they’re not designed for boobs and the colours and patterns are designed to appeal to the male market.

We started riding regularly with a group of other women. Over time I noticed that post-ride coffee conversation often turned to cycling clothing and the challenges other riders had finding gear that fits in their size.

I spent a couple of years working at the Australian Sports Commission in a division that focuses on sport participation for the general public. There are so many competing priorities for women, we know how hard it is to find time for exercise. We also know that women often tend to put the needs of others before their own. These two factors alone are enough of a barrier to women being active, the last thing we need is to be adding to this list by not providing appropriately sized clothing options.

Finding that you’re several sizes larger in lycra is hardly an incentive to get out on a bike, we know!

There are three parts to our mission:

• We want to provide quality cycling kit for women of all sizes that is designed by women who ride for women who ride.
• We want to encourage women to be active through cycling by providing women’s specific kit they can feel comfortable and confident wearing.
• Finally, for any woman who has felt that she’s too big to be a cyclist because she’s struggled to find clothing that fits, you absolutely do belong out there being active on a bike. If you’d like to know more, please visit us at www.rawgear.com.au