Where to buy Assos?

popette

Hi
I'm trying to buy a pair of ladies Assos shorts but all the internet sites I've been looking at seem to only have small sizes (yellow) in stock! Is this typical for this time of year? has everyone run out? Typical isn't it? just when you finally decide to take the plunge and splash the cash, you can't find what you want to buy.

Another question - I'm 6ft, large frame, so normally mans sized clothing is a better fit length wise. Does anyone know if the chamois in the ladies shorts is different to that in the mans? I'm buying these shorts because I'm getting fed up with burning pain in the saddle area so if the ladies shorts are more likely to eliminate the pain, I'll go for for them. If there's no difference, the mans would prob be a better fit sizewise.

Any advice very welcome
x

nick1500

Hi Popette , found these on my LBS website http://www.chevincycles.com/products.ph ... 8s270p4571 , and if you require any info give them a call , they are always very helpful and they know what they are talking about .....Hope this helps

keith57

Assos do a neat line of ladies bib shorts as well. I prefer bib shorts to ordinary shorts as it avoids having a tight waistband which I find makes things more comfortable on long rides. Don't forget to use the Chamois cream as well

popette

do you put cream on the chamois or body? Having never used it, I imagine that I would be slipping all over the saddle - what is it really like?
I do prefer bib shorts too - I think I'll contact assos about the difference in ladies and mens chamois because if I went for bib shorts, I think i'd definitely need to get a mens pair.

Haynes

Primera in bournemouth are a pretty big assos dealer, might be worth a call.

Also, Prendas are advertising a ladies bib short at the mo.

fluff.

popette wrote:

do you put cream on the chamois or body? Having never used it, I imagine that I would be slipping all over the saddle - what is it really like?
I do prefer bib shorts too - I think I'll contact assos about the difference in ladies and mens chamois because if I went for bib shorts, I think i'd definitely need to get a mens pair.

From the Assos site about the creme: Apply directly on the skin (avoid intimate areas) before each ride. Furthermore, after every laundering, apply a thin layer onto the shorts' insert.
Although women do have a few more sensitive areas to avoid than men, and as the creme has a menthol type effect it can be quite painful if mis-applied! Sudocrem has been recommended on here as a `safer' alternative for women.

Women's Assos shorts do have a female specific insert, what exactly the difference is I don't know. They're also cut bigger around the hips and so forth, so a male short may not be the best idea, not sure. Best, like you say, is if you can talk to an Assos dealer about it.

domtyler

I would personally go to a shop and try on a load, don't think that Assos are definitely the best for you. They are pretty over priced in my view and not always the best quality or most comfortable.
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Toyota f3r

giant_man

I have bought Assos from Primera in Bournemouth before now and they are very good. As with all Assos of course, it is critical to know your size before you buy.

I have bought other Assos in an LBS after trying on so not a problem, but just for instance I am not big, rather slim and not that broad, but my jersey and autumn jacket is an XXL, so sizing is an issue with Assos.

Not sure about difference in the insert from mens and womens shorts but i guess they must be shaped in different ways.

The shorts are IMO still the best you can buy btw because they were the first to introduce an elastic insert and this technology still holds true today.

Mark Alexander

http://www.primera-bournemouth.co.uk/home.aspx

popette

thanks for the links - yes! they have ladies shorts and bib shorts in my size. would be great if I managed to look like that girl in them.

mrushton

popette wrote:

thanks for the links - yes! they have ladies shorts and bib shorts in my size. would be great if I managed to look like that girl in them.

My partner has taken to wearing Assos shorts/kit so here is what she has found. she wears the mens stuff in size M (she is 5ft 8 and @size 12. She looks great in it as it fits perfectly well - but of course that depends on your shape. Trying to get the ladies stuff is a nightmare as most places have to order it. The ladies M is not the same as men's M, it's smaller. She uses the Mille insert as that's been the most comfortable by far for her type of riding. There is a lady specific insert, but how much different/better/worse it will be could be an expensive experiment. She doesn't use the Assos creme as it has a menthol type additive in it, which if it gets 'inside' her is 'uncomfortable' like a bloke getting heat rub on his nads. If you can try the kit on, that would be best. I'd suggest the size L which in womens may be XL - but the cut of the shorts is different. The Assos w/site is pretty good for seeing what's available

www.assos.com

popette

thanks for the info - I've found a supplier local to me and i'm going to go to try stuff on. All the ladies cycling stuff I've tried on to date has been really small, even in size XL. I look quite normal next to my friends, just quite a bit taller. In the cycling world I seem to be mrs hulk.
thanks for the info on the cream. The bits that get sore are the more inside bits :oops: so that's where I would have wanted to put the cream - won't bother with that now though.

mrushton

popette wrote:

thanks for the info - I've found a supplier local to me and i'm going to go to try stuff on. All the ladies cycling stuff I've tried on to date has been really small, even in size XL. I look quite normal next to my friends, just quite a bit taller. In the cycling world I seem to be mrs hulk.
thanks for the info on the cream. The bits that get sore are the more inside bits :oops: so that's where I would have wanted to put the cream - won't bother with that now though.

Some pads 'ride up' I'm told, but she has found that the mille pad has given her the least problems. if you do want to try a chamois cream then 'Udderly smooth' is v.good and was rated highly in C-weekly. A tube is available for £4 but the guy who imports it will send you a couple of free samples. Go to

www.planetwragg.com for more details. it's lanolin based in case you have allergy issues (also NO menthol)

Blonde

Hi there, yes I'd say avoid cream with any type of perfume, or menthol in it - such as assos. Yow! It stings like crazy - even if you only put it on yer bum, it is only water based anyway so it will run into other places with sweat or rain! :shock: Gah! Yes, the men's 'mille' pad is the one I use. If you look at the pad it has a gap in teh centre/front between two small pads, so it curves round you and doesn't go up between. Much better than any ladies pads I've tried as they tend to be bulkier or too wide at the front so crease up and chafe inside. This is a very personal thing though, as everyone's shape and therefore pad preference is different. In terms of pad bulk I'd say 'less is more' anyway, so long as it's a good design and shape. If you're 6ft I'd sugest trying the men's assos shorts simply because the bibs will be longer and the overall sizing larger too. That said, they are meant to be a *snug* (ie pretty tight) fit. the material is very good and it wont come apart at the seams, so it is best to go for a good tight fit - then the pad does not move around so much when you are pedalling. If you want waist shorts - the assos ones are very good. They don't have any elastic at the front round your tum (only at the back) and are also dipped at the front so they dont dig in round the waist/stomach like most other waist shorts - but still stay up well. The bibs are the best for not moving around at all though. They are very well designed and comfy. I must say though, that the best thing I found for relief was this saddle: http://www.selleanatomica.com which made even more diffrence than the shorts did to the sore bits! Check out the MPEG file links half way down the 'product info' page to see the saddle in action! Now thee only problem I get is some minor skin irritation on my bum in very hot weather due to sweat/salt build up, but a good wash afterwards soon sorts that out!

keith57

Blonde wrote:

Hi there, yes I'd say avoid cream with any type of perfume, or menthol in it - such as assos. Yow! It stings like crazy

I use the Assos chamois stuff all the time and have never experience any stinging (but I am a bloke!) - I put it on the pad itself - not me! and rub it in after it comes out of the washing machine ready for the next day. Once or twice I've noticed quite a difference when I haven't done this - the pad is then quite 'dry' and kind of rougher to sit on. But I do ride for a minimum of 2 hours, often double this, so it might not be an issue if you're riding for less time.

There is another product, 'Udder Cream' which was highly rated by Cycling Weekly I think, but the Assos was the 'best' in that it's effect lasted the longest.

Blonde

You mean Udderly smooth as MRushton said above - yes it is good to put onto the skin after the event to heal any sore sweat rash (or soreness from chafng) - works like magic cream overnight, even after a 600km audax! It is better than the assos to use as chamois cream too, if you have problems with skin irriatation from the menthol in the assos stuff. I don't get any problems with chafing anymore though, since I got my assos shorts and my selle-anatomica saddle - not even on long rides (400/600km) and so I dont use any chamois cream at all. Any chamois cream shoul be put on the shorts, not on your skin, but it is designed for the buttock area (I assume) rather than towards the front of the chamois, which is where most women get soreness from shorts or saddle chafing. If you put it on the pad it still runs inside your body if you're female! :shock: Ow!

popette

Blonde wrote:

I must say though, that the best thing I found for relief was this saddle: http://www.selleanatomica.com which made even more diffrence than the shorts did to the sore bits! Check out the MPEG file links half way down the 'product info' page to see the saddle in action! Now thee only problem I get is some minor skin irritation on my bum in very hot weather due to sweat/salt build up, but a good wash afterwards soon sorts that out!

hiya, thanks for the link. I notice that their widest width is 155mm - I think my sit bones are even wider apart than that (sat on the specialized measuring thing). The video is interesting. I'll certainly bear it in mind if my latest saddle purchase (selle italia) doesn't work out. Amazing that you have ridden 600k on it without pain - what size are you? do you know the distance between your sit bones?
Anyway, I bought some assos mens bib knickers this morning. I am infact Mrs Hulk as I needed XXL!! Some of the XLs did fit but they didn't have those in the knicker style. I also got a pair of gore shorts - bit of a bargain at only £35.
An expensive morning for mrs hulk - I may change my username to that.

Blonde

Aw don't do that! I am made to feel truly huge too and I'm only a size 12 so smaller than the 'average' sedentary person, but a 'large' in women's cycle kit, so it seems! Bah!

I use the widest of those selle-anatomica saddles, though to be honest I could have got away with the middle size - my sit bones are about 150mm (only 5 mm wider than the loved one's - who is male). The specialized (God I hate that americanization of words, ergh!!) sit bone measuring cushion-whatsit is really only for their saddles - the problems is that you don't necessarily sit on the widest part of the saddle (this is usually the very back end), so if a saddle is measured by the widest point it doesn't really tell you how wide it is at the point you sit on it, so shape is very important too. I like the selle anatomica because it has a really long, narrow nose, so even though the rear platform is wide and supportive, it tapers quickly through the mid-section to the nose, so doesn't interfere with your pedal stroke and cause soft tissue injury in the groin or to the muscles in the buttocks as you don't have to rock your hips from side to side on a too- wide saddle. It's all a bit hit and miss finding a saddle to suit you and usually means trying a few before you find one that works. Specialised have tried to take the guess work out of it but I have tried their 'Jett' saddle (the one with the hole) and found it too soft for 70kg of me and long hard riding (oo-er missus!). I simply sank into the too-soft gel padding and so even with a cut out hole, I still got terrible chafing/contusion problems caused by the soft padding around the hole. I had a Brooks B17 which I loved for the firm support at the rear and lack of padding, but it didn't have the cut away I need to relieve pressure and chafing on the undercarriage, so this saddle was the next logical step. If you are interested in getting one - email them and ask them if their largest will be wide enough for you. They actually make 'custom' saddles anyway so it's possible they may be able to provide the exact size you require if it's not a stock item. I emailed them for advice before I bought mine (I have three now) and they are extremely helpful - tell them your size and weight, type of cycling/position on the bike - ie sit up and beg style, mtb, audax style, road-race style, TT, etc, distances involved and width of saddle you usually ride (your most comfortable one so far) and ask them what they suggest - do allow about a week for a reply though! BTW - do read their info on correct saddle set-up. It may sound obvious and apologies if you have already been down this route, but a lot of people do have the saddle too high and have to rock their hips when pedalling so that their genitals are effectively ground into the saddle - I dropped mine by about 4mm after reading this and it did help a bit, even before I even tried their cut out saddle. Hope this helps.

popette

hi Blonde,
Thanks for your reply - that's all really useful stuff. I tried the Assos shorts last night and couldn't believe the difference. There's still a little bit of a hot pinching sensation but those shorts have reduced that feeling more than anything else I have tried so far. I'll persist with my current saddle for a bit (or my husband will go nuts if I tell him I'm buying ANOTHER saddle). The shorts really did help lots though. I tried the gore ones today and they are rubbish in comparison and I wish I'd put that money towards more assos shorts. I'm going to have to sell stuff on ebay in order to buy more assos. They really are worth the money IMO. The pad really surprised me as it didn't look that great but it really did feel different on the bike.
finally managed to get my she-hulk picture working!
Thanks again
x