I have a pair of the men's 400mile bib shorts (I bought them because I like bib shorts and deSoto doesn't make a bib short for women). It is a very nice short & pad, but I will tell you that the pad is best suited for road riding not aero riding. I took them out of the box and rode 140k no problem on my road bike, then tried them next week on my tribike and suffered immensely. How to describe the suffering? Lack of air flow to the gibbly bits made them excessively warm, then they swell a bit, then they are on fire.

if deSoto made a tri short with the surrounding pad *only* and not the built-up padded centre sections, those would likely be awesome for riding aero.

I love them for upright/road riding though.

Hope that helps.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I have a pair and love em!!...very comfy. My only issue with them is they wear out after only 400 miles. ;)

Best bike short I have ever used. In fact, used them on the bike in IMAZ and ran the marthon too.

I don't really love them all that much. They aren't the worst shorts I have, not the best. Pad is a little too bulky for me, and the waistband is way too high, I like it much lower than where these hit. But I wear them on both road and tribike, and they are ok, just ok.

Does anyone have the 2009 version? It sounds like it has a lower rise.

Or any other tri short reccomendations of something with a pad in between a tri-short and a bike short. I want more than a bit of fleece.

I have a pair and they are absolutely the best cycling shorts I have ever tried. De Soto has an excellent return policy, so even if you try them and don't like them you'll probably be able to return them. Emilio De Soto posts in the Tri Forum, you might try posting this thread over there. Also there have been other threads on this product, a quick search should find them.

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Live long and surf!

I, too, have a pair and love them. I wore them during Silverman last year and I'm pretty sure I ran in them, too. I've also worn them on many rides around here. I like them even when aero - but I also swear by Assos/Chamois Butter on every single ride. I don't think the pad is too bulky - my Pearl Izumi's drive me nuts because I have so much padding on my butt!

My favorite things about them is no obnoxious gripper on the leg and the drawstring waist. I like mine lower and tend to either roll or scrunch them down to where I like and haven't had any problems. I think mine are the 08 version, but am ordering the 09's now....

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AW

I bought the '09 version about 2 weeks ago. They have the lower rise you are looking for.

I have only ridden them with a road bike, so I can't comment on their aero comfort, but they are fine for road use. If anything, the pad seems a little "skimpy" for a 400 mile short. That said, I would not hesitate to use this short in a triathlon setting.

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DFL > DNF > DNS

used them on the bike in IMAZ and ran the marthon too.

I've wondered about this. How did they do on the run? The pad seems like it would be too big.

As the pad is smaller than I expected, running, at least for me, is not going to be a problem.

I wear the Xantusia Womens Racing team kit for racing, (shorts from DeSoto) otherwise, I would be wearing the 400 mile shorts for IM Buffalo Springs 70.3 in June.

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DFL > DNF > DNS

I love the 400 mile shorts.

I like to keep thinks simple and used tri-shorts in my last IM - my parts were sore and I was uncomfortable. So I tried these out and heard others talk about running in them. So, I tried them out in a half iron 7 weeks before IMAZ and didn't have any issues. I had a pair of trishorts to change into during T2, but just went for it, didn't have any issues. It seem the way the pad is stitched it allows for the pad to move with you and not rub.

Give it try doing a brick workout and see how it goes.

Did 100% of IMCDA 2008 in mine - swim, bike and run. they were fine, not a single chafe anywhere. love them.

I have a pair of these. Don't hate them, don't love them. I do like the non-leg gripper though.
I also have a pair of descente shorts that have no leg grippers, a thin pad but more substaintial than a fleece tri pad, those are OK too.
For me, I don't see myself running far in the 400 mi shorts.

I had to order a 2009 pair since so many said good things, mine are quite old. I got them last night, and I love the way they fit just walking around the house, compared to my old pair. Low ride, less bulky pad, nice leg length. I'm looking forward to trying them out tonight on a ride.

I ordered mine today (along with some running shorts and top). Can't wait to try them out!

I was hoping mine would arrive today, but not yet... Maybe tomorrow!

I wore mine tonight and they were great! I have no complaints!

According to UPS I should get a package from DeSoto on Monday! Yeah for awesome gear and quick shipping.

Mine arrived today and and from the looks of them they are just what I wanted, great fabric and a nice pad; thin but more substantial than fleece. My one concern was the length as I'm 5'3" with short legs but they actually hit at mid thigh and look good. Now I just need to rid myself of the muffin top that hangs over the edge. I guess I'll go ready the weight loss thread.

 Based on this thread, it is looking like the 400 mile shorts will be the Womens choice at IM this year. Can't wait to get mine on Monday!

I wore mine on a 45 mile ride today, they were great!

Mine just arrived!!

Can someone compare the new 2009 400 mile short to the Forza tri shorts? I have the 2008 400 mile shorts and the pad is either too bulky or hits me in the wrong places. I'm looking for something thinner, but not just a fleece lining (like some race tri shorts). Would the new 400 mile short be a good in-between? Is it really that much thinner than the old 400 mile shorts? Or do you know of other tri shorts with a thin, but there, pad? I read from a lot of you that less padding is better and I'm searching for that perfect short...