my real-world experience: i cannot perceive any difference between ribbed power lycra and other stuff. (though I often wonder if I'm inperceptive (sp?) when I can't tell any difference between one type of wheel / frame material / seatpost binder / garment or another, and the rest of the posting world on Slowtwitch can.)

(correction: Except Craft stuff. love the craft stuff.)

My De Soto Power shorts (I don't think they are "ribbed") seem to be holding up much better than regular cycling shorts. They still have their "snap".

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Thanks.

What I'm really trying to determine is if the DeSoto Forza shorts are worth the upgrade from the Vuelo shorts.

Steve

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Steve

"If you ain't first, you're last." Reese Bobby Talladega Nights

If the former are the previously-known-as-Power shorts and the latter aren't, I'd do it. But I've never had anything but the power stuff from De Soto (two sleeveless tri-suits, one sleeved, two pairs shorts, and they have all held up remarkably well over the past 3-4 years: I still race and train in each of them under the right circumstances).

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"Go yell at an M&M"

I bought a pair of Forza shorts that I've used in all my races so far this year. I've seen great improvement in all my times since buying the shorts. Using them my Oly run is 30sec/mi faster, my sprint runs are ~10s/mi faster, and my bike is improved, on less miles! Is it the shorts? Hmm, well I did a run focus for ~6 months where I ran 5-7 times a week, week after week, so maybe this has something to do with my run improvement? Probably not all though, I'll bet 1sec/mi comes from those shorts!

Sarcasm aside, they are very comfortable, especially on the bike, and are well made. They swim like a jammer, bike like bike shorts, and I don't notice them on the run (good thing). I do my bike/run workouts in bike shorts and the Forza shorts are much much better for running that bike shorts, and feel better than a swim suit for biking. Though I do miss having a little inside pocket where I can store a key, or GU. These are my first pair of "triathlon" specific shorts, so reallly have nothing to compare them to.

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some days you're the windshield some days the bug

I'm trying the Forza shorts this weekend at Lifetime. I really like their fit, and how they feel. I will let you know how they perform after Saturday's race. I would say just go ahead and give them a try. You have 90 days to see if they will work for you or not. There isn't another Tri clothing company out there that gives that kind of guaranty that I am aware of.

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Proud Member of the Cervelo Mafia

Hello Mick,

I looks like there are plenty of real life testimonials here showing that De Soto's Ribbed™ Lycra® Power™ really works and is very durable. But for your information, we are the ONLY company using this material with the RIBS on it. This is fabric that I personally designed and have produced. No other company can buy it, they can only try to copy it and as far as I have seen, my competition has not been able to yet.

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Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com

I have been wearing the power shorts or their predecessors for a year or so now after going through the usual tri shorts from LG and orca etc. There are many advantages but the main ones that I have found that seperate the shorts just on a materials stanpoint is the length that these shorts withstand pool use, they last about twice as long as othyer brand shorts in the pool. Another unpredicatble benefit of these shorts was their amaxing durability when sliding on the tarmac! I crashed at CDA andslid on the tarmac on my hip and shoulders, whilst my full sleeve top was shredded the shorts didnt have a mark on them! not too bad!
Hey emilio if you need anyone to crash test your shorts I can get that worked out for you!!!

I have 3 pairs each of last year's power short and the regular tri short (changed this year to the Forza and Velo but I think the fabrics are the same). The power shorts are nicer IMO, both types seem to be holding up well but I prefer the longer length and the extra compression of the power lycra.

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Forget speedwork. Speedwork is the icing on the cake and you don't have a cake yet. - MattinSF

Basically they have 9 tenants, live life to the fullest, do not turn the cheak, and embrace the 7 deadly since. - TheForge (on satanists)

The ribbed Lycra® Power™ is really good material and does have a compression effect which delays onset of muscle fatigue and De Sotos Forza shorts are very good BUT because you brought it up many times and I've read it many times there is something wrong with your statement and I don't think it's fair to the consumer to mislead them like this:

The material De Soto uses for its Forza Tri Short is NOT exclusively made for De Soto. I work in the cycling industry and we have been told by the fabric manufacturer as well as by other tri and bike clothing manufacturers the ribbed Power Lycra belongs to the regular stock of the fabric company and EVERONE can buy it. We have seen it, we know the price and where to get it, and we asked them how they could offer it to us if it indeed was exclusive for De Soto. The surprised and puzzled answer was - it is not exclusive at all.
We and some other companies I know of have actually decided not to use it because of the see-thru factor of the fabric. (De Soto found a good solution there and put a pocket and mesh inside which takes care of that.)

It's definitely nice fabric - like many others out there - but exclusive? No.

Nick

 Garneau's sharks power shorts also seem to have ribs and are pretty nice

Let's see. Your register for the ST forum at 17:49 pm and you make your first post at 17:50 pm tonight. You have a total of one post. Your first post and only post is making claim you are in the industry and that you can buy De Soto's Ribbed Lycra Power from a stock fabric supplier?

But here is where SLOWTWITCH forum and its readers do not and will not consider you a credible source. You see, you do not disclose yourself or the company you work for so what basis would anyone have to believe you?

I have no reason to lie to my customers or to anyone in any of the forums I contribute to. I reap no advantages of making false claims. On the other hand nobody has any reason to believe you. Heck you do not have the courage to identify yourself and the company you work for?

You may find Lycra Power out there that may appear very similar, but the fabric manufacturer that showed that to you is not the one that we buy it from. Depending on who showed you their Lycra Power, it is possibel we did buy it from them years ago, but not anymore. We do not buy it from anyone, we produce it ourselves and it is different in fiber composition now than it was before. The stuff we have been using for the past two seasons is fabric we produce (just like a good majority of the fabrics we now use).

You don't know De Soto, You don't work for De Soto so you do not know much at all about us. We are not just a clothing company anymore...we are a textile company too....and a custom team sublimation company too.

Yes, LG has a similar (but not exact) material.

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Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com

Dude,
maybe you should read Emilio's last name before you spew such filth. That's the kinda crap that'll get you hung in this place. Seriously, Emilio has proven himself to be more than helpful to the people on this board, and I don't think there is anyone here who wouldn't trust what he says, or second guess his expertise. Maybe you should post up a quick bio so we know who you are, then spend a few years gaining the respect and trust of the people here, then you can try and tell someone that designed the material that it isn't what he uses.
Seriously, go run in the road...in your newtons.

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Help my agency save babies. visit our March of Dimes website:
http://www.walkamerica.org/torresagency

Garneau's sharks power shorts also seem to have ribs and are pretty nice

Imitation is the most sincere form of (business) flattery. I bought apparel for a small chain of running stores in the late 90's. I ordered and have tried shorts from: Hind, TYR, Speedo, Polo RLX, Orca, Pearl Izumi, Louis Garneau, Voler, Sugoi, and Zoot. When it came to spending my own money I went with DeSoto. Other companies produce shorts with "power fabric" but realize they're just an interpretation of the original as the cut and the fabric are not identical.

To the OP: It's similar to footwear (and bikes) in that you gotta get what fits, but I never had anyone return DeSoto product due to quality issues and I can't say the same about the other manufacturers. I used a DeSoto Power Tri -Suit at IMF a few years back and for me, the hamstring support made a big difference on the second loop of the run course.

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Michael in Fresno
"Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man" V. Corleone