Designed with breathability and comfort at the fore, the Patagonia Switchback Sports Bra features a cross-back crop-top design and removable padded cup inserts.
The result is a simple, supremely comfortable sports bra that offers a good level of support for cycling without being constrictive.
It's priced competitively, at £50, and it's nice to see recycled materials used.
Patagonia Switchback Sports Bra specifications and details
Featuring a cross-strap and cutout design that leaves minimal material on the back, and removable padded cups, the Patagonia Switchback Sports Bra is said to offer varying support depending on your cup size.
The elasticated chest band measures 3.5cm wide and is sewn into the recycled polyester/elastane body.
The front panel and straps are lined with recycled polyester, with a fine mesh down the front of the chest, the straps and the back. A secondary highly perforated material houses the thin removable cups.
The fabric features an antimicrobial treatment – HeiQ Pure – which is based on recycled silver salt to reduce odour.
Patagonia Switchback Sports Bra performance
I used Patagonia’s online fit finder to determine which size I should test. This takes height, weight, age, body shape and bra size into account and suggested I’d be best suited to a size large.
More specifically, it stated 73 per cent of comparable shoppers were happy with a size large, and 61 per cent with a medium.
On putting the Switchback bra on for the first time, it was clearly a bit roomy around the wide chest band, which was a bit gappy in places.
The cups felt okay though, both with and without the removable padded inserts – which reminded me of triangle bikinis.
From the front, the bra has great coverage, especially with the padded inserts, in a simple crop-top style, while the crossed straps style and large cut-out mean there’s very little material across your back. The design is perfect for reducing that wet, sweaty back feeling.
The size-large bra proved to be supremely comfortable and I was soon wearing it all-day long, both on rest days and for training.
I’d often wear it for multiple days on the trot in colder weather and during less intense exercise because it didn’t hold on to any odour at all.
The only time I noticed the chest band had become quite wet with sweat after a higher-intensity ride, it had dried completely by the time I’d hosed down my bike and headed inside for a shower. This is very impressive indeed.
I preferred the bra without the padded inserts, because I found they moved around a bit, which I found annoying.
While I loved the relaxed fit and non-compressive material of the size-large, I soon wondered whether I’d be better suited to a size-medium after all.
The medium gave me a better fit around the chest band and overall a more figure-hugging fit. However, I noticed the shaped inserts shifted about a bit more, which on occasion left me with a slightly odd-shaped profile.
I found that both sizes offered a good level of support for cycling and mountain biking without the non-compressive material being overly constrictive.
How we tested | sports bras
Our sports bras were tested over a range of road, gravel and mountain biking rides at different intensities.
Expert tester Katherine Moore measures a British size 36B in conventional bras, with sports bras selected for testing based on individual brand sizing guidelines and recommendations.
Bras on test
Patagonia Switchback Sports Bra bottom line
The Patagonia Switchback bra has proven to be a firm favourite of mine, offering day-long comfort, mid-level support suitable for riding, and impressive sweat-wicking and odour-control properties.
The only feature I didn’t like was the padded cup inserts, although because these are removable, it's not an issue.
At £50, the bra is also good value, especially given the recycled material elements.
Product
| Brand | patagonia |
| Price | 80.00 AUD,55.00 EUR,50.00 GBP,55.00 USD |
Features
| br_availableSizes | XS, S, M, L, XL |
