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When you’re riding from the capital to the coast, a distance of about 75 miles, over the coastal range, and strung out over an entire night, replete with near-accidents, sidelong looks of pity at those whose bikes or quads couldn’t make it up the dreaded Cuesta Zapata (Zapata Climb/Hill), and a tiny bottle of strawberry juice that mysteriously, never runs out, you need to be comfortable.

I’m not built like a competitive cyclist, all sinew and bone. I’m human. And female. There are hips and stuff to accommodate. I’m willing to appear in public in spandex, but it has to be spandex that really fits, and that looks if not exactly attractive, not shield-your-eyes bad.

I’ve quested for a pair of biketights/shorts that didn’t squeeze me like a roll of charmin or worse, like a sausage casing, and whose chamois (the diaper-like padding) didn’t cause more harm than good, for a long time. I’ve been riding bikes since I was a wee one, and started on my bikeshort quest in college. Now there’s women-specific clothing (wow!), and I’m sure the materials have changed and blablabla. But what I really want to know is, are they comfortable? I’ve muddled through with a few pairs of Pearl Izumi and one pretty great pair of Cannondales, which here in Chile are too short to wear out and about, but which I will wear at the gym. I just kind of thought I was destined to walk like an egyptian after a long ride.

Enter Shebeest into my life. On a blind whim I bought these babies about a year ago:

photo and filling theirs

And I’ve worn them everywhere. Bike rides up into the mountains (hey! aren’t those the Andes!?), hither and yon, and, whenever they’re clean, to spinning class. And of course, on the aforementioned overnight bikeride. They don’t squeeze! They don’t pinch! They fit up to where they’re supposed to. They’re stretchy. In my case, they are 100% chafe-free! (a miracle, to be sure). I don’t know how I can possibly say enough good things about these awesome Sheebest shindigger capri riding tights. I recently bought a new pair (on sale from a wholesaler, shhhhh!), and they’re equally as fantastic, though I do wonder why they chanced the chamois color from black to blue.

Nobody’s paying me to say any of this. I love Shebeest’s tights unconditionally. And they have some pretty sweet jerseys with flowery prints and such. In sizes up to XXL and some plus sizes. They run a little spacious, and the S-cut is a dream. And also, if you were wondering how I kept my lower calves warm on the road out there, well, I was wearing long Smartwool socks, of course. Gear. I love it.