Jul 10, 2020

I'm 5'4" and Struggle With Bike Shorts—These Are the Only 19 Pairs I'll Wear

by Allyson Payer

Since I've been doing most of my exercising outdoors (which is new for me, since I'm typically an indoor workout class devotee), I've been wearing leggings a lot less and shorts a lot more this summer. I kind of thought the whole bike shorts trend had reached its peak last summer, but since comfort is undoubtedly the priority this summer, they're more popular than ever. Which brings me to my issue with them...

At 5'4", I err on the side of petite. And not sure if you've noticed, but most bike shorts that I come across have an 8-inch inseam or even longer. At my height, they hit at a very awkward place that I don't find to be flattering on me. I prefer a mid-thigh bike shorts situation as opposed to a just-above-the-knee one. I pretty much just avoided the trend last summer because of this but it's hard to do this time around, since I've put my leggings on hiatus. That said, all it took was a little more digging to find bike shorts with inseams of 7 inches and shorter, which is the magic length for my height. (In case you were wondering, a 6-inch inseam is the real sweet spot, in my opinion.)

Scroll to shop my favorite bike shorts if you, too, err on the side of petite, or just prefer shorter shorts in general.

Lululemon Wunder Train High-Rise Short 6-Inch ($58)

I just bought this pair and they definitely live up to the hype—extremely comfortable and the perfect length. (Pro tip: Sizes and colors come in and out of stock often.)

Nike One 7-Inch Shorts ($40)

Another pair I just purchased myself. I could list the many reasons why they're great but you'll see for yourself. (Hurry though—they're selling fast.)

More sizes available here.