My current quest and zen is a search for the Perfect Bib Shorts. Looking for great fit. High quality, and durability . . and of course comfort. Just looking for black - no need for fancy colors or logos!
On the quality and durability front - I’ll not name, names, but I have had brands recently last a year or two at the most and they are already losing their elasticity, and threads coming undone - some of these have been shorts I have bought and others comps from clients! Now before you jump on me, I’ve normally got 5 - 6 sets in rotation at any one time and the are washed on the gentle cycle and hung up to dry. So they are getting reasonably light use, and treated very well
Compare to some REALLY old Sugoi and Garneau bibs, that I have had for a very long time (10 years ??) that are now my indoor riding shorts, and these things are absolutely bomb-proof. Still have great elasticity. Fit still great. They are just all faded and don’t look that great and the chamois is kind of compressed - but functionally, and quality wise, they are still GREAT!
I’ve recently been in the same boat and have been quite pleased with Velocio. Both the fabric and clothing is made in Italy and they’re a huge advocate of enviro friendly. I’ve been using them for my last 10 rides or so and they’ve been really comfy and super great fit. Try them out… https://velocio.cc/collections/mens
I’ve recently been in the same boat and have been quite pleased with Velocio.
I’ve heard good things about this brand elsewhere, and they were just acquired by SRAM - and I know SRAM takes the brands that are under their umbrella VERY seriously.
On the conversation to Canadian$ and with shipping/taxes and possibly duties depending where they are being shipped from, it’s going to be nearly $400 for these! Yikes!! Do I even have to pedal?
My current quest and zen is a search for the Perfect Bib Shorts. Looking for great fit. High quality, and durability . . and of course comfort. Just looking for black - no need for fancy colors or logos!
On the quality and durability front - I’ll not name, names, but I have had brands recently last a year or two at the most and they are already losing their elasticity, and threads coming undone - some of these have been shorts I have bought and others comps from clients! Now before you jump on me, I’ve normally got 5 - 6 sets in rotation at any one time and the are washed on the gentle cycle and hung up to dry. So they are getting reasonably light use, and treated very well
Compare to some REALLY old Sugoi and Garneau bibs, that I have had for a very long time (10 years ??) that are now my indoor riding shorts, and these things are absolutely bomb-proof. Still have great elasticity. Fit still great. They are just all faded and don’t look that great and the chamois is kind of compressed - but functionally, and quality wise, they are still GREAT!
Hands down Assos. Their Equipe RSR, Equipe RS and Mille GTO C2 are my three favorites. But honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of their bibs. Quality, fit, fabric and pad is second to none in my opinion. Yes they’re expensive, but you get what you pay for. And for the price you’d expect nothing less. And you’d be right. The haters like to complain about the price, but after one ride, even they’re true believers.
I went with 7Mesh and have never looked back. Great fabrics, awesome fit. The newer cargo bib shorts and tights are game chargers. Not cheap but I have a few pairs that are 5+ years old and still like new. It’s a Canadian company too!
My current quest and zen is a search for the Perfect Bib Shorts. Looking for great fit. High quality, and durability . . and of course comfort. Just looking for black - no need for fancy colors or logos!
On the quality and durability front - I’ll not name, names, but I have had brands recently last a year or two at the most and they are already losing their elasticity, and threads coming undone - some of these have been shorts I have bought and others comps from clients! Now before you jump on me, I’ve normally got 5 - 6 sets in rotation at any one time and the are washed on the gentle cycle and hung up to dry. So they are getting reasonably light use, and treated very well
Compare to some REALLY old Sugoi and Garneau bibs, that I have had for a very long time (10 years ??) that are now my indoor riding shorts, and these things are absolutely bomb-proof. Still have great elasticity. Fit still great. They are just all faded and don’t look that great and the chamois is kind of compressed - but functionally, and quality wise, they are still GREAT!
My DeSoto 400 milers. I can wear them all day every day.
I will be watching this post with interest , I have been wearing Rapha since 2014 and the quality now is nowhere near where it used to be .
Looking at Sportful bibs currently but don’t really know a lot about the quality of their product .
My current quest and zen is a search for the Perfect Bib Shorts. Looking for great fit. High quality, and durability . . and of course comfort. Just looking for black - no need for fancy colors or logos!
On the quality and durability front - I’ll not name, names, but I have had brands recently last a year or two at the most and they are already losing their elasticity, and threads coming undone - some of these have been shorts I have bought and others comps from clients! Now before you jump on me, I’ve normally got 5 - 6 sets in rotation at any one time and the are washed on the gentle cycle and hung up to dry. So they are getting reasonably light use, and treated very well
Compare to some REALLY old Sugoi and Garneau bibs, that I have had for a very long time (10 years ??) that are now my indoor riding shorts, and these things are absolutely bomb-proof. Still have great elasticity. Fit still great. They are just all faded and don’t look that great and the chamois is kind of compressed - but functionally, and quality wise, they are still GREAT!
My DeSoto 400 milers. I can wear them all day every day.
After so ma y posts here about how good they are over the years, I finally bought a pair just last week
Really likes the T1 wetsuits I got from then as well as their swim skin
But the shorts Yikes less than 30 minutes I had to take them off. Painful is the best way I can describe them
I have a couple pairs of No Rain bib tights that I picked up in a clearance sale. They’re pretty wonderful. Just finished a ride in the rain actually, while nothing is going to keep you 100% dry, I’m plenty warm and comfortable.
Check out any Craft bibs with the C1 chamois. They are very. very comfortable, and I have loads of old Craft stuff lying around that refuses to die, so I am optimistic about the durability.
I’ve recently been in the same boat and have been quite pleased with Velocio.
I’ve heard good things about this brand elsewhere, and they were just acquired by SRAM - and I know SRAM takes the brands that are under their umbrella VERY seriously.
On the conversation to Canadian$ and with shipping/taxes and possibly duties depending where they are being shipped from, it’s going to be nearly $400 for these! Yikes!! Do I even have to pedal?
Agreed, expensive but certain points are worth spending money on. Contact points…saddle, shorts, shoes. I thought it was free shipping over $200? They also have closeout items that are really nice and a bit less cash. I wondered about them myself until they came and I put them on. Quality is apparent and is worth spending on. Cheap shorts are no bargain.
I’m pretty sure Castelli made their Progetto X² chamois from a perfect mold of my taint. They are perfection for me. Their lower end Kiss chamois is garbage though
Hate Rapha core, they are basically a giant adult diaper.
My current quest and zen is a search for the Perfect Bib Shorts. Looking for great fit. High quality, and durability . . and of course comfort. Just looking for black - no need for fancy colors or logos!
On the quality and durability front - I’ll not name, names, but I have had brands recently last a year or two at the most and they are already losing their elasticity, and threads coming undone - some of these have been shorts I have bought and others comps from clients! Now before you jump on me, I’ve normally got 5 - 6 sets in rotation at any one time and the are washed on the gentle cycle and hung up to dry. So they are getting reasonably light use, and treated very well
Compare to some REALLY old Sugoi and Garneau bibs, that I have had for a very long time (10 years ??) that are now my indoor riding shorts, and these things are absolutely bomb-proof. Still have great elasticity. Fit still great. They are just all faded and don’t look that great and the chamois is kind of compressed - but functionally, and quality wise, they are still GREAT!
Hands down Assos. Their Equipe RSR, Equipe RS and Mille GTO C2 are my three favorites. But honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of their bibs. Quality, fit, fabric and pad is second to none in my opinion. Yes they’re expensive, but you get what you pay for. And for the price you’d expect nothing less. And you’d be right. The haters like to complain about the price, but after one ride, even they’re true believers.
^^This. All day every day. I’m going on 5+ years of comfort on same pair. And added another pair into the rotation this year. As much as I like brands like De Soto and Castelli, the overall quality between those and Assos isn’t even close.
My current quest and zen is a search for the Perfect Bib Shorts. Looking for great fit. High quality, and durability . . and of course comfort. Just looking for black - no need for fancy colors or logos!
On the quality and durability front - I’ll not name, names, but I have had brands recently last a year or two at the most and they are already losing their elasticity, and threads coming undone - some of these have been shorts I have bought and others comps from clients! Now before you jump on me, I’ve normally got 5 - 6 sets in rotation at any one time and the are washed on the gentle cycle and hung up to dry. So they are getting reasonably light use, and treated very well
Compare to some REALLY old Sugoi and Garneau bibs, that I have had for a very long time (10 years ??) that are now my indoor riding shorts, and these things are absolutely bomb-proof. Still have great elasticity. Fit still great. They are just all faded and don’t look that great and the chamois is kind of compressed - but functionally, and quality wise, they are still GREAT!
My DeSoto 400 milers. I can wear them all day every day.
After so ma y posts here about how good they are over the years, I finally bought a pair just last week
Really likes the T1 wetsuits I got from then as well as their swim skin
But the shorts Yikes less than 30 minutes I had to take them off. Painful is the best way I can describe them
N=1 they were horrible.
Are they painful because they are tight?
I have a pair of the Riviera bib shorts. They were really tight when they were new, then after 10 or so rides they were better.
My current quest and zen is a search for the Perfect Bib Shorts. Looking for great fit. High quality, and durability . . and of course comfort. Just looking for black - no need for fancy colors or logos!
On the quality and durability front - I’ll not name, names, but I have had brands recently last a year or two at the most and they are already losing their elasticity, and threads coming undone - some of these have been shorts I have bought and others comps from clients! Now before you jump on me, I’ve normally got 5 - 6 sets in rotation at any one time and the are washed on the gentle cycle and hung up to dry. So they are getting reasonably light use, and treated very well
Compare to some REALLY old Sugoi and Garneau bibs, that I have had for a very long time (10 years ??) that are now my indoor riding shorts, and these things are absolutely bomb-proof. Still have great elasticity. Fit still great. They are just all faded and don’t look that great and the chamois is kind of compressed - but functionally, and quality wise, they are still GREAT!
My DeSoto 400 milers. I can wear them all day every day.
After so ma y posts here about how good they are over the years, I finally bought a pair just last week
Really likes the T1 wetsuits I got from then as well as their swim skin
But the shorts Yikes less than 30 minutes I had to take them off. Painful is the best way I can describe them
N=1 they were horrible.
Are they painful because they are tight?
I have a pair of the Riviera bib shorts. They were really tight when they were new, then after 10 or so rides they were better.
I have been trying/testing a lot of different brands of shorts over the last several years. First I will say that if you ride a lot, switching chamois/brand from day to day increases comfort. My favorite bib overall is the Assos T.cento, which has an innovative ‘junk’ cutout in the chamois which is pretty amazing. I also have many pairs of lower end Assos that just don’t wear out. I bought like six pairs on clearance five years ago. I recently took one of those out of the box to do a direct comparison to the ones I’d been wearing in my daily rotation to see if I could notice a difference. Nope. That being said, they have recently redesigned their entire lineup and I haven’t tried any of the new ones.
Some comments on other brands . . . Pearl Izumi Pro: I really disliked these bibs originally as the chamois seemed too bulky and the fit is somewhat uncomfortable, but have found that bulky chamois best of all my shorts for long trainer rides. 7Mesh: most comfortable shorts by quite a margin in terms of the lycra/fit, but the chamois is unremarkable IME. Other bibs I’ve tried from Rapha, Castelli, and 7Maap only come out when I’m behind on laundry . . . none of them are terrible, just unremarkable and I prefer the others. I do have a pair of Ostroy bibs I have yet to try, but these are more of a ‘fashion’ choice, I do not expect them to be amazing.
