I injured my Achilles during the run @ Clearwater ~ 7 weeks ago and have not been able to run since. To compensate I have upped my bike mileage. This is proving great for my cycling but not so great for my ‘under-carriage’. As my wife and I want to start a family this year I am taking the quest to find the best bib shorts VERY seriously.
I started triathlon with a couple of pairs of Castelli mid-range, which were overall not bad. I then picked up some Nalini - sidewards move at best. Over winter I grabbed some 2XU 3/4 bibs which had a slamming chamois - wish I discovered it sooner.
En route back from Clearwater (to Australia) I picked up some DeSoto 400 Mile shorts, hoping the tale of company founder, Emilio, riding 400 miles in 4 days comfortably would ring true for me. Gotta say, so far so go. I am doing ~ 400 miles/wk and both of my ‘Juan Pelotas’ are taking their punishment quite well.
Have I reached the gold standard with the DeSoto or is there better shorts out there? My wife and I thank you all in advance for your input!
But if you want a really, really good chammy regardless of cost, look at the Assos S5 FI. Mille. It’s expensive, but Assos makes some of the best Chammy’s available.
Also, make sure your saddle is the proper one for you. If you are hurting quite often on the saddle then it is either set up improperly, or it is the wrong one for you.
One of the most comfortable I have is a pair of Etxeondo bib shorts. The chamois has two different surface materials. The larger rear portion feels like the softest suede leather imaginable, but it’s a synthetic material, not leather. The forward section is clearly some nylon type synthetic material. The cut and material of the bibs seems to agree with me and my build quite well too.
I really like the Giordana bibs, and have tried a number of other high end brands. The DeSoto 400 mile bibs are great, for me the Giordana Laser and Forma Red are a little bit better.
Chain Reaction Cycles typically has the best prices on the Giordana stuff, which otherwise would be very expensive. Silverline is the entry level product, followed by Laser and/or Tenax, and then Forma Red or Carbon. Sizing should be similar to DeSoto, though with the higher end Giordana stuff the cut tends to be tighter/more “athletic”. Silverline bibs may be “entry level” for Giordana, but are very good compared to other brands.
I really like the Giordana bibs, and have tried a number of other high end brands. The DeSoto 400 mile bibs are great, for me the Giordana Laser and Forma Red are a little bit better.
Chain Reaction Cycles typically has the best prices on the Giordana stuff, which otherwise would be very expensive. Silverline is the entry level product, followed by Laser and/or Tenax, and then Forma Red or Carbon. Sizing should be similar to DeSoto, though with the higher end Giordana stuff the cut tends to be tighter/more “athletic”. Silverline bibs may be “entry level” for Giordana, but are very good compared to other brands.
+1. i have a couple pairs of the forma’s as well as the tenax and i’ve never had any issues with them
Capoforma(Capo) is really coming on strong. I just bought some of their 2011 stuff as Nytro was having a 30% off sale last weekend. The Dorato, Monza and Patrone line-up. I don’t think I’ll ever wear another pair of bibs that don’t have the “Dual-Layer Power Leg Gripper”. Whatever material they are using is about 4" long at the end of the shorts, feels really, really good. The stuff fits really well, looks great, comfortable chamois, and the stitching appears to be relatively high quality.
I am absolutely guilty of being an Assos snob. I like the stuff.
I actually do like Emilio Desoto’s 400 mile bib even better though. They are different products. While Assos has done a great job with patterning for the riding position and making different pads.
I will suggest that DeSoto has done a better job with fabric selection and arrangment of the panels. Also, the pad in the DeSoto short is thinner than most Assos pads and “feels” nicer to me.
Here’s a video I made about the Desoto 400 Mile Bib short:
I really like the Giordana bibs, and have tried a number of other high end brands. The DeSoto 400 mile bibs are great, for me the Giordana Laser and Forma Red are a little bit better.
Chain Reaction Cycles typically has the best prices on the Giordana stuff, which otherwise would be very expensive. Silverline is the entry level product, followed by Laser and/or Tenax, and then Forma Red or Carbon. Sizing should be similar to DeSoto, though with the higher end Giordana stuff the cut tends to be tighter/more “athletic”. Silverline bibs may be “entry level” for Giordana, but are very good compared to other brands.