Bib short recommendations please.

maltloaf_df
Posts: 118
I've been rotating two pairs of padded bib shorts and a normal pair of padded shorts from Altura and Tenn and they have been great but I've recently started upping my distances. I've gone from doing daily 20's and 30's to regular 40+ miles and some rides over 60 miles too.
As a result I've started to get a bit of discomfort down below and I even developed a cyst on my sit bone after a 64 mile ride which took a few weeks to disappear completely. I use a decent (but lower end) chamois cream on every ride.
After inspecting my current shorts, the pads are really thin and don't offer much padding, although they have stayed fairly soft.
I've decided that I need to upgrade my bib short collection and was wondering what people might recommend ? Will a thicker pad help or be counter productive ?
I would like a good comfy pad with a bit more padding than I'm used to at the moment, but without it feeling like I have one of my baby's nappies on.
Any suggestions gratefully received, I'd like to keep it under £50 per pair if at all possible but will spend more for the right set.
many thanks,
malty
As a result I've started to get a bit of discomfort down below and I even developed a cyst on my sit bone after a 64 mile ride which took a few weeks to disappear completely. I use a decent (but lower end) chamois cream on every ride.
After inspecting my current shorts, the pads are really thin and don't offer much padding, although they have stayed fairly soft.
I've decided that I need to upgrade my bib short collection and was wondering what people might recommend ? Will a thicker pad help or be counter productive ?
I would like a good comfy pad with a bit more padding than I'm used to at the moment, but without it feeling like I have one of my baby's nappies on.
Any suggestions gratefully received, I'd like to keep it under £50 per pair if at all possible but will spend more for the right set.
many thanks,
malty
0
Comments
-
Hi Malty,
This thread might be rather useful to you:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12974197
I myself have several pairs of bibs, 2 Mavic sprint ones I rate very highly I managed to bag for around £45 each.
2 Craft ones, which are also very nice, but for really warm weather.
Santini are worth considering too, I have a couple of those, and they are excellent, and some good bargains to be had, sometimes Prendas have excellent offers.
However, in that thread you will see mention of Etxeondo, and I purchased 3 pairs in the end (And possibly getting one more!) of the Orhi's, and they are the best pair I have ever had, really comfy and firm thick pad, but not uncomfortably thick.
They are £75 each though, but there are some other models which are around the £45/£55 mark you might want to look at - from memory it is only the Bira that is available in all sizes, and I have ordered one of these as a present for my brother.
As an aside, have you considered it might be partly the saddle that is causing the issue?Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
I ordered a set of the Lusso Pro Gel 2 from CRC for £46 yesterday because of positive reviews and the fact they are UK made. I have never worn bibs before and have been surviving on a pair of Endura Humvee baggy shorts with the Endura liner.
The Lusso bibs might be worth a look:
http://www.lusso-clothing.co.uk/epages/ ... GB001-0001
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/luss ... -prod79824
http://www.merlincycles.com/lusso-pro-g ... 57362.html0 -
I was in pretty much the same situation as yourself and went for a pair of Etxeondo Press (Behar pad) from Merlin Cycles @ £44.99. More than happy with them.
They also have the Dicolor (Behar pad) and Bira (Arma pad) at the same price. The Behar is one up the range from the Arma.2013 Canyon Ultimate AL 7.0
2003 Specialized Allez Sport0 -
Thanks guys, plenty there I hadn't even considered.
Might go for the £54 Etxeondo press (the cheaper ones only seen to be in small size).0 -
My Lusso bibs arrived today and seem very well put together. They may be slightly on the small side so I have ordered a large to compare. Free returns on CRC makes this fairly painless.0
-
Santini Max2
DHB Aeron Pro - though these are prob more than £50.0 -
Best budget (ish) bibs I bought were Decathlon's B'TWIN 9 last year. Think they're now called 900 but could be worth a look. The pad is excellent and still as the first ride a year on. Supposed to be used by a pro tour team (FDJ or AG2R I think it was) and I can vouch for their comfort on long rides of 5-6 hours non-stop.
Having gone down the route of picking up cheaper bibs for shorter rides and as spares, they all ended up being rubbish. I recently splashed out on some Castelli Free Aeros and, they are crazy comfy - a notable step up from even the B'TWINs. The pad is phenomenal and they must use some magic to come up with something that good. Throw in some Assos cream and aches, pains and sores are a thing of the past.
Aside from the obvious outlay I'd encourage anyone to invest in quality bibs as they more than pay back the money in terms of comfort and not having to suffer on the bike or having to stop for a week whilst any sores disappear.Felt F3 Di2 (2013) : Moser Speed Sora (2012) : Cruising the roads of China0 -
KonkyWonky wrote:I was in pretty much the same situation as yourself and went for a pair of Etxeondo Press (Behar pad) from Merlin Cycles @ £44.99. More than happy with them.
They also have the Dicolor (Behar pad) and Bira (Arma pad) at the same price. The Behar is one up the range from the Arma.
Thanks Konky, I was unaware that the Bira had an inferior pad to the New Press/Press shorts - I have now ordered some of them, and will send the Bira ones back, cheers for thatFelt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
Daniel B wrote:KonkyWonky wrote:I was in pretty much the same situation as yourself and went for a pair of Etxeondo Press (Behar pad) from Merlin Cycles @ £44.99. More than happy with them.
They also have the Dicolor (Behar pad) and Bira (Arma pad) at the same price. The Behar is one up the range from the Arma.
Thanks Konky, I was unaware that the Bira had an inferior pad to the New Press/Press shorts - I have now ordered some of them, and will send the Bira ones back, cheers for that
No worries
This link tells you a little more about each pad and where they sit in the range http://www.alwaysriding.co.uk/features/understanding-etxeondo-chamois/2013 Canyon Ultimate AL 7.0
2003 Specialized Allez Sport0 -
KonkyWonky wrote:Daniel B wrote:KonkyWonky wrote:I was in pretty much the same situation as yourself and went for a pair of Etxeondo Press (Behar pad) from Merlin Cycles @ £44.99. More than happy with them.
They also have the Dicolor (Behar pad) and Bira (Arma pad) at the same price. The Behar is one up the range from the Arma.
Thanks Konky, I was unaware that the Bira had an inferior pad to the New Press/Press shorts - I have now ordered some of them, and will send the Bira ones back, cheers for that
No worries
This link tells you a little more about each pad and where they sit in the range http://www.alwaysriding.co.uk/features/understanding-etxeondo-chamois/
Excellent link :-)
In fact the above made me go for the cheaper bib tights as it has the same pad as the Orhi.
I have now ordered 4 pairs of Orhis and 1 pair of bibtights for me, 2 pairs of new press for my brother, 2 of each type of ladies bibs for my girlfriend, and also 2 pairs of overshoes!
The only thing that I am not to keen on the look of, and the fact several are not full length zip, is their jerseys.Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
I've bought some new press bibs. Hopefully they will be here tomorrow. Really looking forward to trying them out.0
-
opus25 wrote:Having gone down the route of picking up cheaper bibs for shorter rides and as spares, they all ended up being rubbish. I recently splashed out on some Castelli Free Aeros and, they are crazy comfy - a notable step up from even the B'TWINs. The pad is phenomenal and they must use some magic to come up with something that good. Throw in some Assos cream and aches, pains and sores are a thing of the past.
Aside from the obvious outlay I'd encourage anyone to invest in quality bibs as they more than pay back the money in terms of comfort and not having to suffer on the bike or having to stop for a week whilst any sores disappear.
agree with this. It always tends to be the same with cycling gear recommendations - you ask for something in the a-b price bracket, and people always come back with rec.s in the b-c bracket!
But in the case of bibs it almost certainly is worth it.
However, fit is v important to get right. I'm a fairly normal size (5'7", 31" waist, but big thighs) and have had to do a bit of trying and sending back - specially as a lot of high-end bibs are made for 6' racing snakes.0 -
Just bought these:
http://www.merlincycles.com/etxeondo-or ... tAodmBEANA
Excellent service from Merlin. Ordered Wed am, delieverd Thursday.
Quality of the shorts is very good. I'm happy so far. They'll get a full try out tomorrow.0 -
as a dumb question, how tight fitting should they be?Cheers
Rich
A Vision of a Champion is someone who is bent over, drenched with sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.0 -
Rykard wrote:as a dumb question, how tight fitting should they be?
pretty tight, with no bunching anywhere, the pad should sit snugly against the undercarriage.
But not so tight that they are uncomfy around the groin, clamp the gonads or pinch the thighs.
The shoulder straps should also be a bit stretched when you are stood upright - if they are loose, it's wrong.0 -
I saw no reason to spend stupid money on bib shorts - dhb etc are very good. However, I managed to get a couple of assos bibs on 90% reduction (wiggle pricedrop), they are the wrong size, however they were superb.
I suppose its personal preference and although my cheaper bib shorts are all very good - my assos (and rapha) bib shorts are a cut above and are the ones I would use for a 100+ mile ride.0 -
Have a look at the Endura FS260 bibs, best i have ever had. better fitting that the Tenn ones and for summer riding i find them perfect. In the winter i just stick a pair of un padded longs over the topLife isnt like a box of chocolates, its like a bag of pic n mix.0
-
I find the more expensive bibs tend to have better fit, but chamois are personal preference.
I find the fit needs to be fairly tight, as this helps stops bunching and chafing
I prefer a thinner chamois rather than a thicker one, as the thicker ones irritate me. I have a Brooks saddle, so I don't need a really thick chamois for comfort.
For me, the better DHB ones, Castelli and Rapha do well.
Endura, Exteondo, Mavic and Assos don't - but I've only tried one bib from each of the manufacturers, so it's by no means an exhaustive test
Trouble is, over the years I've spent a bloody fortune on bibs and saddles finding out what works for me and what doesn't. Now I'm just going stick with the ones I know I get on with. Apart from maybe trying out some Morvelo bibs...0 -
how does the chamois cream work? does this go on you or the pad?Cheers
Rich
A Vision of a Champion is someone who is bent over, drenched with sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.0 -
Rykard wrote:how does the chamois cream work? does this go on you or the pad?
up to you really but I have always slapped it on me rather than the pad - for longer rides, >2 hours0 -
My New Press bib shorts arrived from Merlin today. Took them out for a quick 20 odd miles this afternoon.
Very impressed with these bib shorts. Lovely feel all over. Slightly compressive on the legs etc and a truly lovely pad. Very happy thanks guys.0