Bib shorts for 162 kms with climbs

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Comments

  • jmccabe
    jmccabe Posts: 28
    antonyfromoz wrote:
    I have ordered the Etxeondo and Sportful shorts from my original list to see which ones are best.

    Interesting - I've just noticed the Etxeondos appear to be around £150 elsewhere! I look forward to seeing what you think.
  • wallace_and_gromit
    wallace_and_gromit Posts: 3,398
    This thread certainly made me chuckle!

    It has also solved a problem that had been bothering me for a while. I rode the Marmotte last year in a pair of DHB bib shorts. It's circa 160k to the bottom of the Alpe, and I was feeling OK until then. The remainder of the ride hurt like b*ggery. I thought that was due to lack of fitness, but it's clear now that the shorts are only good for 160k so without a kit-change I was doomed to struggle on the final climb!

    On a serious note, the DHB shorts are very good. (The Marmotte suffering was unrelated to the shorts!) I can't recall their exact name but they were selling for £70 on Wiggle last year and I got them for £40 in a sale.
  • antonyfromoz
    antonyfromoz Posts: 482
    jmccabe wrote:
    antonyfromoz wrote:
    I have ordered the Etxeondo and Sportful shorts from my original list to see which ones are best.

    Interesting - I've just noticed the Etxeondos appear to be around £150 elsewhere! I look forward to seeing what you think.

    An update, as promised. I had both delivered in two days from ordering, so both Wiggle and Merlin have performed as expected (paid for a slightly quicker delivery). Both pairs are very comfortable but I haven't ridden with them yet. The Etxeondo shorts are a stretchier fabric in all parts, including the bib straps, than the Sportfuls, so they don't have quite the same compressive feeling on the legs. The Sportful bibs are a bit longer in the leg than I expected but I am pretty sure that the legs would be too tight for me in a medium - and the bib straps probably too. The Etxeondo bibs have a quality feel about them and the pad is quite thick with variable depth. The Sportful pad is probably about as thick but it is flatter with less of a 'designed' look and the fabric is a closer fit. Both bibs feel like quality products so it will be interesting to see how they compare on a ride. Thank you once again to all who replied!
  • jmccabe
    jmccabe Posts: 28
    Have you had a chance to try them yet?
  • antonyfromoz
    antonyfromoz Posts: 482
    Only done a couple of 10 mile commutes in them so far due to other committments and bike issues but they are very comfortable and well padded. I will be using them on Saturday so that will be the big test...
  • jmccabe
    jmccabe Posts: 28
    FWIW - due to the price, I ordered a pair of XL Etxeondo shorts. Arrived yesterday from Merlin (day after order - impressive again) but unfortunately are too small :-( I'm 6'1, between 13 and 13.5 stone, and currently wearing size 34w/32l jeans (depending on the brand - sometimes 36w) so thought I'd mention that they seem to be a bit like Castelli sizing :-) Hopefully I will get the XXL tomorrow if I'm lucky and see how they are.
  • derosa
    derosa Posts: 2,819
    jmccabe wrote:
    FWIW - due to the price, I ordered a pair of XL Etxeondo shorts. Arrived yesterday from Merlin (day after order - impressive again) but unfortunately are too small :-( I'm 6'1, between 13 and 13.5 stone, and currently wearing size 34w/32l jeans (depending on the brand - sometimes 36w) so thought I'd mention that they seem to be a bit like Castelli sizing :-) Hopefully I will get the XXL tomorrow if I'm lucky and see how they are.

    Find that a little odd. Maybe you got a rogue pair.
    Am same size as you and L in Etxeondo are a good fit for me.
    Big H

    May the road rise up to meet you.
    May the wind always be at your back.
  • jmccabe
    jmccabe Posts: 28
    I've got the XXL now and they're fine!
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    t4tomo wrote:
    bompington wrote:
    Well, I'll let you know how I get on in the 3 pistes (a mountainous 165km sportive) wearing my £6 Lidl shorts ;-)

    That's of no use to him, he specifically needs them tested over 162kms. I don't know how you dare come on here with your hollow offers. Have a word with yourself.
    Well, you'll never believe this, but I swear it really is the absolute truth...

    Yesterday I had been feeling fine all day, until near the bottom of the final climb I realised my butt was getting a bit sore. I remembered this thread and glanced at my computer... 161km! Yes that's right, my £6 Lidl shorts were fine for 160km but not 161. Furthermore, as I set off up the hill my butt didn't seem nearly such a problem, and from 163 to 165 I didn't notice any problem at all.

    So the moral of this story is that for less than 161km, or more than 163km, cheap shorts are fine, but for anything in between, you obviously do need to pay £150.

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