Best affordable, supporting bibs

jonny_trousers

By 'affordable' I'm meaning sub £100 really. I've been suffering a bit of ball ache recently and am wondering if the squished nature of my poor old spuds in my DHB bibs may be to blame. I'll need to buy some new bib shorts soon enough and so am thinking it might be wise to pay a little extra to keep things comfy. I may well treat myself to a pair of Assos for the longer rides I'm planning, but if I could get something cheaper for the commute that would be great. Any thoughts/recommendations gratefully received.

dhope

I like the Shutt VR bibs. Got them for £35 in a sale but they're a bit more normally.

EKE_38BPM

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

I've been suffering a bit of ball ache recently...

New girlfriend?

jonny_trousers

dhope wrote:

I like the Shutt VR bibs. Got them for £35 in a sale but they're a bit more normally.

Crap! Was so close to buying a pair of those when they had that offer on reently, but my finger wavered on the trigger. I was wondering about the poshest DHBs that get good reviews?

cyclingprop

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

By 'affordable' I'm meaning sub £100 really. I've been suffering a bit of ball ache recently and am wondering if the squished nature of my poor old spuds in my DHB bibs may be to blame. I'll need to buy some new bib shorts soon enough and so am thinking it might be wise to pay a little extra to keep things comfy. I may well treat myself to a pair of Assos for the longer rides I'm planning, but if I could get something cheaper for the commute that would be great. Any thoughts/recommendations gratefully received.

If they're spud sized you need a doctor not new bibs

jonny_trousers

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

I've been suffering a bit of ball ache recently...

New girlfriend?

Ha! Alas no! I suppose the present one might have got a new boyfriend though...

jonny_trousers

cyclingprop wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

By 'affordable' I'm meaning sub £100 really. I've been suffering a bit of ball ache recently and am wondering if the squished nature of my poor old spuds in my DHB bibs may be to blame. I'll need to buy some new bib shorts soon enough and so am thinking it might be wise to pay a little extra to keep things comfy. I may well treat myself to a pair of Assos for the longer rides I'm planning, but if I could get something cheaper for the commute that would be great. Any thoughts/recommendations gratefully received.

If they're spud sized you need a doctor not new bibs

Early new potatoes really. Go lovely in a salad.

Actually I think I must have got that from Austin Powers so it's a Canadian/Scot version of what an Englishman would say. Balls!

supersonic

Could the saddle be contributing too?

kelsen

Maybe you're sizing too small. Is there a distinct moose knuckle when looking in the mirror?

jonny_trousers

supersonic wrote:

Could the saddle be contributing too?

Possibly as I am on the single speed at the moment and the saddle's not the best. It could also be referred back pain I suppose as the single speed really isn't the best fit.

kelsen wrote:

Maybe you're sizing too small. Is there a distinct moose knuckle when looking in the mirror?

Ha! No it all looks as it should and the fit feels right. I do tend to hoist the old fellas up a bit before getting in the saddle, which I assume is right?

kelsen

Is this only happening when you wear the DHB bibs? Don't mean to be an alarmist but if it doesn't go away, might want to get yourself to the GP to get it checked.

supersonic

I tend to get more discomfort in certain bottoms than others, I do think it is a case of trial and error.

Temperature doesn't help either!

asprilla

Must admit I used to have DHB shorts and I found the shoulder straps too short which put a bit of excess pressure on the crown jewels. My original Shutts are my favourite shorts and I've just taken delivery of a couple of pairs of their new pro bibs which appear to be just as good.

jonny_trousers

kelsen wrote:

Is this only happening when you wear the DHB bibs? Don't mean to be an alarmist but if it doesn't go away, might want to get yourself to the GP to get it checked.

I only have DHB bibs and I tend to notice it post cycling, but you are right. I tried to get an appointment this morning for tehe GP without luck, but will have another go tomorrow. I'm not worried about it being something too sinister as I've checked pretty carefully, but if I had an infection it might well tie in with something else I've been suffering. Thanks for the thoughts.

welkman

When looking recently I found the Lusso pro gel bibs to have some good write ups, I'm hoping to get some on Saturday so will let you know how they are. As a side note I have the DHB roubaix winter tights in XL which are lovely and also the roubaix bib shorts in XL which crush my man tackle. Have you tried pulling the junk forward? Just grab everything, sac and all and position it so it is not trapped under you

SimonAH

You see, this is exactly why I love this place and all of you wonderful, beautiful idiots. One minute we get all hot under the collar about Diane Abbot's view of the white population, the next it's technical discussions of disc brakes on road bikes and then we're into grabbing a fistfull of nethers and hoisting them chinward.

It's a bit like the best dinner party ever, about when the port and cocaine course arrives at the table!

daviesee

Best "budget" ones I have tried out of the many is Endura and Altura.
Santini held a lot of promise but just don't fit me. Fit is a personal, relative term.
Truth be told though, you get what you pay for so premium brands during offer periods is the way to go.

cyclingprop

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

kelsen wrote:

Is this only happening when you wear the DHB bibs? Don't mean to be an alarmist but if it doesn't go away, might want to get yourself to the GP to get it checked.

I only have DHB bibs and I tend to notice it post cycling, but you are right. I tried to get an appointment this morning for tehe GP without luck, but will have another go tomorrow. I'm not worried about it being something too sinister as I've checked pretty carefully, but if I had an infection it might well tie in with something else I've been suffering. Thanks for the thoughts.

:-|

t4tomo

supersonic wrote:

I tend to get more discomfort in certain bottoms than others

Stay out of certain peoples bottoms then you man-whore.

essex-commuter

I bought a pair of DHB bibs recently and when I put them on most of the padding is at the front. Now while this makes me look 'well off' when standing off the bike it's really annoying on the bike....loads of padding unused surrounding my man-veg but just a thin layer under my backside.

I have some DHB shorts (non-bib), these are OK. Has anyone else experienced this with DHB's?

Yes I have them on the right way round!

jonny_trousers

I guess to a point we get what we pay for, but on reflection, certainly where commuting is concerned, I think my DHBs aren't really the problem.

I was going to visit the Doctors' today anyway, but I woke up feeling like absolute arse and wonder if my issue is just the viral infection my girlfriend has just got over and the one that is floating around at work presenting itself in a not very fun way (a leg that feels as though it's sunburnt even though it's not and achey plums).

I should probably post this in the anti rants section, but my trip to the GP confirmed my belief that we are so lucky in this country to have the NHS. I'd been internet researching the leg thing (I know, a terrible idea) and there were numerous Americans who had it yet couldn't find out where it came from because they couldn't afford the tests. The doctor I saw this morning was straight away ordering urine tests, blood tests, ball and kidney scans and she even had a little a fiddle around down below (nothing to worry about and nothing even remotely sexual). She did suggest it might be time for me to have my prostate checked, though :oops:

Thanks for the tips guys! I do need new bib shorts for the summer and I appreciate your advice.

daviesee

Glad to hear you are getting treated, sorry if it is necessary.

My guidelines on shorts:-
Commuting etc up to 1 hour - won't make much difference if they fit properly.
1 to 3 hours - now you will notice the difference between budget and quality.
Over 3 hours - you really need to be looking at the £100+ level (or cheaper when on sale) not so much to notice the difference but to not notice the shorts after 90 miles and still 10 to go. That's when you realise that it really is money well spent.

For commuting Assos etc is overkill.

desweller

Planet X had good Nalini shorts for not much money a couple months back, they may still be available.

Gussio

Is it just me, or is the Assos nomenclature deeply confusing? If I could work out which model is which, then I'd probably part with some cash.

il_principe

Castelli Velocissimo - £90 and very very comfy.

desweller

Bargainacious

notsoblue

daviesee wrote:

Glad to hear you are getting treated, sorry if it is necessary.

My guidelines on shorts:-
Commuting etc up to 1 hour - won't make much difference if they fit properly.
1 to 3 hours - now you will notice the difference between budget and quality.
Over 3 hours - you really need to be looking at the £100+ level (or cheaper when on sale) not so much to notice the difference but to not notice the shorts after 90 miles and still 10 to go. That's when you realise that it really is money well spent.

For commuting Assos etc is overkill.

Thats pretty good advice, +1

Generally I've found that the more expensive kit lasts a bit longer. My more expensive Castelli and Mavic bibs outlasted any budget purchases I've made. The latter barely seeming to last a season before the stitching goes. ShuttVR kit seems to be the exception though, I've not had much luck with that brand.

jonny_trousers

Quick update on this. I'm still suffering the ball ache, but less regularly and less severely now, and I have a scan booked in to check all is good. I have now discovered that there really is a difference in undercarriage support between the cheapest lycras and mid range and above ones. I've been trying out my DHB Aeron Pros (DHB's poshest offering) this week and they definitely offer support to the old fellas where the roubaix tights and the cheapy shorts I have of theirs just squish them.

Still not convinced that the lycra is the source of my problem, but I will look into getting a bike fit too and I should possibly even consider a couple of weeks off the bike to see if that helps ( ).

bobinski

I had a scare and so a scanof my nuts a few years back.I can still recall the shock as the rather fetching nurse applied a very, very cold,smallish scanning device, liberally covered with i think KY or something similar, to my left nut. My advice is to breath in and then out as it makes contact. Dont be holding your breath...
+1 on the padded DHB roubais tights. I have to wear them with padded merino knickers for proper support. Tights are lovely and warm though.