I like the visual design of this sports bra, but the fit as a sports bra is less than optimal. The band doesn't support enough so there's a lot of jiggle. The four hooks are not a bad idea, but the band's shape and their placement don't offer enough support across the entire chest area that needs to be supported. The Shock Absorber does this much better, and that's why I sent this back to Brastop pretty quickly and got a SA as replacement.
Not my favorite sports bra, but okay in a pinch. I originally purchased it on sale on Amazon, and it was miles better than anything I had - I'm now preferring the much narrower Panache Sport underwired sports bra to it, but will probably still keep this as a backup.
The good: I love the way the gore tacks and separates my boobs in this bra, while locking them down (great for yoga - no cleavage, can actually touch thumbs to sternum). Also, I've worn it running a bunch of times and find it controls bounce and wicks sweat really well.
The not as good: My boobs are narrow, ...FOB, and projected, and I am petite (other than my boobs), and like other Freya (non-sports) bras I've tried, the wires on this are just ridiculously wide on me. They kind of cut up into my armpits - not enough to chafe and never wear it, but enough to be noticeable. There is also space at the top of the cups, but it still seems to do its job without a lot of jiggle. It's made of a spacer foam, which is pretty comfortable, but I do prefer to wear nipple covers under it if I'm wearing a solid-colored top as I don't prefer to have the outlines of my nipples visible. I have this in the "Storm" colorway; I don't love the white contrast stitching, but it was the most "basic black" option available. Read more 137 more words
In this bra my saggy boobs seem much more flattier than they really are. It's the opposite of "sexy". But - this is also the best swimsuit I ever had. You can jump to/in water, make somersaults, swim fast (crawl, butterfly), dive - fabric practically doesn't move [tested]. Plus, if you'll accidentally drown there'll be no problem with finding your body with this flashy colours :]
Ive bought this one together with one of my Decos. When i was taking measurements, the band seemed to be really tight, but when on, I could easily close it on 2nd set of hooks. The bra is extremly soft, the straps are wide. However, it has very long vires and is too wide. I would love to have this one in smaller size, but I think that the wires still will be an issue.. Actually I could wear the bra as it hold breast really good, but I have some space inside and as mentioned previoulsy, i need narrower wires.
My Stats: FOB, projected, close set, firm and dense tissue. Size: Normally 28FF, got this in a 30F. Decided to size up because the 28FF was very tight.
Bra Stats Appearance: grey crop top looking sports bra. The straps have a zebra design accent before turning into a gray ribbon. There are also pink accents on the bra.
Cups: the cups are good. I feel secure in them. The wires are a good length. They encapsulate the breasts well.
Band: firm band, good support.
Gore: gore is of mid height and doesn't tack
Straps: regular distance apart. Pretty comfortable for sport activity
Shape Under Clothing: not quite the same shape as the Panache Underwire Sports Bra. There is separation, no uniboob effect. The shape is kind of peaked which in a sports bra, I don't really mind.
I have no idea why Freya thought their sports bras needed to have the widest wires in existence. Fit is so off because the wires are so wide. It's still pretty good for support though, so if you don't mind the wide wires and probably floating gore from said wires, this bra is a decent sports bra option.
Very high quality materials, well made. Seems to run big compared to Shock Absorbers of the same size. So, likely the Freya is just more true to size because Shock Absorber are typically a whole cup and band size too small. 4 by 4 hooks gives you a lot of leeway for cycle related weight fluctuation and extra security.
The wires are very wide. The cup doesn't have much room in the the bottom, might be good for FOT types. The stock photos do a good job illustrating the pointy shape this bra gives. I have a 26.5" underbust and fastened this on the second column of hooks right away, I could probably even go a column tighter. Other 30F sports bras barely let me breathe on the loosest hooks.
Apparently I have narrow roots because there was at least an inch of empty cup on the sides.
The band is SUPER snug. If your ribcage expands a lot during intense exercise, go up a band size or two. I had to wear an extender with it so that I could breathe while running! It also gives a very pointy shape, but this didn't matter to me because how my breasts look isn't a concern while working out. If this is something you don't want, I would try a different sports bra.
I've just recently starting wearing 30 band size bras (previously wore 34C), so I am still experimenting with my size.
Goodness, this bra fits tight, but I do measure a 31 under bust. The band doesn't stretch much at all. I cannot tie form the back, but what I do is tie it in front (cups in the back) then rotate it so it's proper. I might wear a bra extender next time, but despite that, I'm happy with the 30 band.
I feel very supported with this bra, and my breasts don't bounce at all when I go running/jogging. Like I said, the band is tight, but it feels tight in a good way.
The bra seems to give a pointy shape, but I'm not too bothered by it.
