Assos leg grippers too loose in brand new FI.13 shorts

foghat

Have just acquired two pairs of the FI.13 S5 shorts, to supplement two pairs of the 'same' FI.13 S5 model bought in 2011.

However, despite all pairs being the same L size, the leg grippers in these 2013 versions are much looser than the 2011 versions, to the extent that they are unusable and I am going to have to return them for a refund (the next size down is not an option, as M is too small in the body/braces).

Measuring them, the 2011 shorts are approximately 18-19cm across at the leg gripper, while the 2013 shorts are 21cm. This gives a circumferential difference of at least 4cm in each leg gripper between the 2011 and 2013 versions - no wonder they are too loose!

Clearly, Assos has inconsistent production methods even within a model line, and currently seems to assume most riders are short with fat legs - meaning I probably now need to look to other brands.

So I would be interested in recommendations for similar quality shorts that are designed for 6ft slim riders who need nice tight leg grippers that don't ride up, and who do not like the ridiculous 'too-short-shorts' look or feel. High quality, thick pads would still be a key consideration.

Any suggestions? Across-leg-gripper measurements (and shorts size) would be helpful for reference too.

Thanks!

Monty Dog

Definitely the MAMIL effect.

Castelli have some of the best seat pads going and are generally cut for the slimmer fit - worth trying.

vortice

Assos expect you to have built your leg muscles up in the intervening 2 years! ;-)

nick1c

My Mille's are looser in the leg than my Uno's, but they are the longer version so I am not sure of the reason for the difference. I bought the Mille's as an experiment & they are OK, if a little loose on the thigh, on balance I think I would buy the Uno's next time & save the cash.

foggymike

Interesting to read this. I just had to return some uno S5's because they were too loose on the leg grippers. Same size as all my others which fit fine but not bought any for about 1 1/2 years. I wonder if they've changed the sizing in some way? If they have it's a real shame because they were a brilliant fit for me before

robbo2011

Well don't worry too much because the S7 range is replacing the S5 range so you'll probably be able to find the right fitting shorts in the Cento model.

The OP should also try the new S7 shorts.

BenderRodriguez

robbo2011 wrote:

The OP should also try the new S7 shorts.

Which, despite being knocked up using cheap, east-European labour sell for £310 a pair!!! :shock:

They do have 'KuKu penthouse' to tuck your genitals into though... :roll:

dennisn

I don't believe I have ever heard anyone make that complaint before, about ANY pair of shorts or bibs. :?

robbo2011

BenderRodriguez wrote:

robbo2011 wrote:

The OP should also try the new S7 shorts.

Which, despite being knocked up using cheap, east-European labour sell for £310 a pair!!! :shock:

They do have 'KuKu penthouse' to tuck your genitals into though... :roll:

Yes, the most expensive ones are. I don't imagine many will buy those ones. But there are cheaper models and if the OP already bought several pairs of FI.I3 shorts, then he probably isn't short of money.

neeb

Send them to Assos in Switzerland, maybe they will take them in a bit for you. Worth a go!

vanleapo

I have a pair of Endura Equipe Endurance bib shorts and the leg grippers are incredibly tight when you first put them on, but they are perfect when you get riding.
Quality is very good.
http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/43 ... horts.html

clc2005

Robbo2011 this happened to me also this year with some s5 uno bibs. Already had some 2009s in Medium (made in Switzerland) and some redesigned 2011 in Medium (made in Bulgaria) which fitted perfectly on the legs and torso. I purchased another pair this summer in Medium (made in Bulgaria) as I fancied a third pair for an extended trip to the Alps. Anyway, long story short (kind of), I wore the new bibs 3 times but they didn't offer the same support on the torso or legs as my others. I measured the new bibs against the 2011 ones and the legs had a 2 cm larger circumference at the grippers and the legs were 2 cm longer.

I emailed Ribble to suggest something was up with the current Assos sizing and asked for a refund as I have lot of Assos items in Medium which all fit perfectly. Ribble declined the refund as the bibs had been worn.

I emailed Assos to suggest something was awry with their current sizing compared to the 2011 models. They did not offer a refund as the bibs were not defective (in their eyes) but did offer to alter the bibs if I could let them know how much they need taking in by. They also said I could return them to Switzerland by any authorised Assos retailer. I declined the offer as I wasn't really sure what the results of "can you just take 2 cm off everything" would yield. I ended up selling the bibs to someone from my Club for £75 - not bad considering they cost £115 and had been worn.

Anyway, with the proceeds I ordered another pair of Size M from Evans (Click and Collect). Went to pick them up, tried them on, measured them – they were also 2 cm larger circumference at the grippers so the Alps pair were no fluke. Evans allowed me to refund the Mediums and ordered me another pair in Small. This was very good service from Evans all for the same price as Ribble with the added bonus that you can try them on beforehand if ordered using the Click and Collect service.

I would recommend anyone purchasing Assos bibs who hasn't purchased some in the last 2 years to try them on before wearing them as the sizing has definately changed (my s5 uno medium 2011 = s5 uno small 2013) - this is something I failed to do in summer as I was pretty certain Assos would never change the size of their hallowed bibs!

Sorry for the long post, but I really wanted to share my recent experience with others on here. Oh and for reference, I am 182cm and 68kg and the leg length was really good i.e. 5 cm above the knee for s5 uno bibs in Small.

Cheers
Chris

foghat

Thanks for the replies, particularly the recommendations.

It looks like my long association with Assos shorts is over - I think Monty Dog is right that Assos seems more intent on catering to the fat MAMIL market now.

Any more suggestions of specific models for high-quality bibshorts with:
- longish legs
- VERY good leg grippers that work well on slim legs
- comfortable thick pad

GGBiker

Whenever I see a fat person on the street these days I always think "must be a cyclist".

I bought a pair of endura fs260 pro shorts yesterday, feel nice quality and the pad is a multi density cytech job which looks superb quality, have yet to try on the bike.

Had considered Castelli as well but the bling styling puts me off a bit to be honest.

neeb

GGBiker wrote:

Whenever I see a fat person on the street these days I always think "must be a cyclist".

While there may be more fat cyclists around these days, I doubt that being fat is a very reliable criterion for identifying cyclists...

Anyway, this thread has been an eye-opener - like clc205 I have a couple of older S5s in Medium which fit great, and I'm only 63kg/175cm. Sounds like I would definitely need to downsize to small for the newer ones. Might look at Castelli next time.

What annoys me about this sort of thing is that the manufacturers won't admit it. If they just said "we have changed our sizing because our target demographic has got fatter and if you were previously a Medium you are now a Small" then there would be no problem (as long as they still catered for the full range of sizes).

thegreatdivide

2012 Assos t607 bibs (really just an S5 with thermal properties and a higher front) – regular leg – size M and no difference to other M Assos bibs. I’m 171cm and 66kg.

Don’t S5’s come in two leg lengths – regular and long? Are you sure the retailer is sending the right one? Or is it buyer error…?

schweiz

Have you seen the shorts at Cervo Rosso? Have a look at http://www.cervorosso.ch. The pad in their shorts is, in my opinion, far better than any Assoss shorts I have tried.

Use the code AP201312 to get a 15% discount at checkout!

http://cervorosso.com/index.php?section=shop&catId=8

thegreatdivide

schweiz wrote:

Have you seen the shorts at Cervo Rosso? Have a look at http://www.cervorosso.ch. The pad in their shorts is, in my opinion, far better than any Assoss shorts I have tried.

Use the code AP201312 to get a 15% discount at checkout!

http://cervorosso.com/index.php?section=shop&catId=8

SPAM ;-)

foggymike

They're the right ones TGD, just bigger

tonye_n

Vortice wrote:

Assos expect you to have built your leg muscles up in the intervening 2 years! ;-)

schweiz

thegreatdivide wrote:

schweiz wrote:

Have you seen the shorts at Cervo Rosso? Have a look at http://www.cervorosso.ch. The pad in their shorts is, in my opinion, far better than any Assoss shorts I have tried.

Use the code AP201312 to get a 15% discount at checkout!

http://cervorosso.com/index.php?section=shop&catId=8

SPAM ;-)

OP wrote:

So I would be interested in recommendations for similar quality shorts that are designed for 6ft slim riders who need nice tight leg grippers that don't ride up, and who do not like the ridiculous 'too-short-shorts' look or feel. High quality, thick pads would still be a key consideration.

I was just answering the question!

dieselgeezer

I've had Uno's with leg grippers with silicone dots which are definitely narrower than more recent ones with silicone strips. The latter are so wide that they are baggy.

Father Faff

At last Assos have produced some shorts to fit perfectly proportioned riders with decent sprinters legs instead of skeletal underweight road cycling bores with too much money to spend.

StillGoing

Monty Dog wrote:

Definitely the MAMIL effect.

Castelli have some of the best seat pads going and are generally cut for the slimmer fit - worth trying.

My Castelli's and Giordana's have the same loose leg issue. A size down and I struggle to get the braces over my shoulders.

white91

Could your old shorts have shunk?

I have just bought some FI 13s and they fit perfectly, but then again I do have large legs