The best sports bra I have ever found, bar none, is made by the American company Wacoal. Unlike most bra manufacturers, Wacoal actually offers more than one or two styles that combine cup sizes above D with band sizes below 36.

The underwire put me off at first, but it works -- much to my surprise. You see, it's on the *outside* of the bra, where it can do its job without scraping one's ribs.

As for Lycra, I can attest to its benefits in the gym, but I would not ride a bike in it. I like Lululemon yoga leggings, which stand up well to frequent washing and don't flap or get snagged on things. I hate tight, show-offy workout shirts, so I'm wearing 10-year-old Underarmour while awaiting the death of the current fad for backless singlets.

My brother cycles from one side of Ottawa to other every working day as long as his route is free of ice, and he prefers an outfit much like what Steve Shaw describes, plus a high-viz jacket and helmet. I don't cycle, myself, being blind in one eye and not too clever in the other; it's not that I can't, but that I would prefer not to take the risk. The Brother has had a few bad spills over the years, and he is an expert cyclist with good peripheral vision and 50 years of experience; I just don't like my chances.