What brands are cut looser on the thigh?

I’m looking for a new pair of lightweight shorts to wear on the turbo over winter, having just about worn out my old DHB classic in size L. At the start of autumn I had to upsize to an XL to get my legs into a pair of DHB classic Roubaix shorts and had to send back all the Aeron ones because he leg grippers were painfully tight in XL and I couldn’t even get the size L on.
I’m 6′ 1″ 12st4lbs 32″ waist so not exactly a candidate for fat lad at the back. I also found that when sizing up to XL the rest of the short becomes enormous and loose so the pad ends up sliding around.

I don’t have swoony-huge legs but I know that Castelli are a bit tight at the ends … and Sportful aren’t

Not sure about men’s but the ladies Alé are fab. They account for my tree trunk legs and whilst snug are longer and softer with the band so no digging in.

Fit nicely elsewhere too as I’ve a small waist and top and they’re my favourite bibs, ever!

Pearl izumi
Sugoi
Polaris non winter stuff

Says man with calves bigger than neck.

Gore are excellent.

I wouldn’t recommend Sportful. I’m in a similar boat and ordered pretty much every model of Sportful short as I love the Total Comfort Pro pad on my others but the latest ones I could barely get an ankle in the legs! Crazy tight. The only ones which were different (No Rain with Total Comfort Pro pad) had the seams split after a few weeks.

I ended up with a variation of the Castelli Free Aero Race that don’t have the new style super tight leg grippers. Not perfect as they are still tight around the upper areas but the best out of a a heck of a lot of bought and returned shorts!

I’m pretty much the same measurements as you, although I don’t think I have particularly huge thighs. I find Morvelo and Alpkit absolutely fine. Not sure if they still do them but I got some Howies bib shorts a year or so ago and found the sizing to be on the somewhat generous side to the extent that I don’t wear them because the legs keep riding up my leg.

Look for shorts that use a wide lycra band rather than a leg gripper; I’ve got some Scott shorts that have this.

ordered pretty much every model of Sportful short as I love the Total Comfort Pro pad on my others but the latest ones I could barely get an ankle in the legs!

Ah, mine are all a few yrs old now. Shame – I heard they’d got further into bed with Castelli 🙁

I go with Assos when I can get them on sale. I’m 5ft 8, nearly 13 stone, and not (terribly) fat, thighs in the Chris Hoy region are to blame. I find an Assos lower end model in Large works fine.