Top end Bib shorts

bigcgilmour

PTestTeam wrote:

Bluemoon17 wrote:

Ok, my La Passione bibs arrived yesterday evening and I've just been out for a 60km spin in the sun with them.

First impressions, they come packaged in a cool little musette and a very Rapha-esque sealed bag. When you slide them out you can instantly tell that they are a high quality product, they have that premium feel to them. The pad also feels great in your hands, I could instantly tell that it was a serious upgrade compared to my Endura FS260-Pro which are my go-to bibs at the moment.

When trying them on for the first time, they have that familiar uncomfortably tight feeling that all pro cut clothing has. Standing up and wandering around the house a little bit, the straps are pulling you down into a slightly hunched position, the material around the crotch area is seriously tight, slightly restrictive even. And the leg grippers grip. Hmm. I was a bit apprehensive about the fit as they are substantially different to the bibs I currently own.

On to the ride today, I put them on and decided to go for it and ripped the tag off and out I went. Wow, instantly different on the bike. No awkward readjustment of the pad after a couple of miles, no fiddling with the straps, no rearranging whilst stationary at traffic lights. Absolutely spot on. The fit is great, the cut is perfect, and the pad, the pad! It didn't move a millimetre throughout the ride, and I finished the ride feeling as though I'd just started in terms of downstairs comfort.

Not only do they perform well, but they look great too. I bought the ones with the red, white and blue bands around the grippers (they match my club kit, couldn't resist!), and for less than £80 you'll be hard pressed to find anything better for the price.

My stats:
5'10
66kg
36' chest
30' waist
Bought a size Small

This is the sign of a good anatomic cut. Bibshorts shouldn't feel comfortable off the bike!

Interesting, I was going to return mine as I thought they were a bit small but the description you have given is how they feel. Maybe I'll give them a go... The top is defo on the small side though, I don't think I could get my usual bits and pieces in the pockets.

Anonymous

I would agree with PT on this one. I like to have very firm leg grippers and my favorite shorts are quite painful when upright. I have rapha PT bibs in a medium which are nice and snug but wondering if I should try shoehorning myself into an S or if that wouldn't strangle my groin

alex222

coriordan wrote:

I would agree with PT on this one. I like to have very firm leg grippers and my favorite shorts are quite painful when upright. I have rapha PT bibs in a medium which are nice and snug but wondering if I should try shoehorning myself into an S or if that wouldn't strangle my groin

Your groin won't thank you for being stgrangled

daniel_b

coriordan wrote:

I would agree with PT on this one. I like to have very firm leg grippers and my favorite shorts are quite painful when upright. I have rapha PT bibs in a medium which are nice and snug but wondering if I should try shoehorning myself into an S or if that wouldn't strangle my groin

But I always thought the leg grippers shouldn't be so tight that the leg after the grippers was wider, or much wider than the leg gripper allowed if that made sense, ie a small compression is fine.
The Chapeau's I ordered and have since sent back were fine height and waist wise, but were too tight on my thighs for my liking, and I don't have big thighs.

Bluemoon17 wrote:

My stats:
5'10
66kg
36' chest
30' waist
Bought a size Small

Hi BM, I too have ordered a small - can I ask what your inside leg mesasurement is please?

PTestTeam

Daniel B wrote:

coriordan wrote:

I would agree with PT on this one. I like to have very firm leg grippers and my favorite shorts are quite painful when upright. I have rapha PT bibs in a medium which are nice and snug but wondering if I should try shoehorning myself into an S or if that wouldn't strangle my groin

But I always thought the leg grippers shouldn't be so tight that the leg after the grippers was wider, or much wider than the leg gripper allowed if that made sense, ie a small compression is fine.
The Chapeau's I ordered and have since sent back were fine height and waist wise, but were too tight on my thighs for my liking, and I don't have big thighs.

Bluemoon17 wrote:

My stats:
5'10
66kg
36' chest
30' waist
Bought a size Small

Hi BM, I too have ordered a small - can I ask what your inside leg mesasurement is please?

The leg grippers shouldn't be overly tight. But if the bibshorts are good quality and anatomically cut, then when you're upright, they should feel like they want to bend you forward.

ashleydwsmith

so reading this, im now unsure what to do.

I was looking at the pactimo site and can get ascent pro for £56, but the thought of a great short is awesome. however concenred about the sizing. im 5.10 but unfortunatley have a 38inch waist (doesnt seem to shrink no matter what i do) any advice on what to get on the la passione?

Anonymous

Id say medium/large. Defo drop them an email as I hear they're good at responding

ashleydwsmith

coriordan wrote:

Id say medium/large. Defo drop them an email as I hear they're good at responding

If they say a medium large I will jump up and down with joy!

t4tomo

ashleydwsmith wrote:

coriordan wrote:

Id say medium/large. Defo drop them an email as I hear they're good at responding

If they say a medium large I will jump up and down with joy!

Bib shorts sizing is mainly conditional on height, Lycra stretches well over the middle bits.

daniel_b

t4tomo wrote:

ashleydwsmith wrote:

coriordan wrote:

Id say medium/large. Defo drop them an email as I hear they're good at responding

If they say a medium large I will jump up and down with joy!

Bib shorts sizing is mainly conditional on height, Lycra stretches well over the middle bits.

This is very true, and also relative to upper torso length as well - ie you need the straps to be tight enough, otherwise it's a total non starter.

I have had a look at the Attaques that arrived, but sadly as already predicted they did have the red leg band :-(
But the straps seem a bit looser than on my Orhi's (Which I rode today for 60 miles in total comfort), and I'm not bowled over by them, so they will be going back.
Will have to investigate the best way to get them back to Spain with appropriate insurance.

The LP's are currently having a day out in Milan.

Spatulala

Teeks wrote:

Spatulala wrote:

Anyone had any experience of the top end Sugoi bibs? That flash sale site Sport Pursuit have the RSE ones for £50 at the mo.

Best bibs I've worn. I also have Castelli and Assos in the wardrobe but the RSE are definitely the most comfortable and they're my go to pair for longer rides, especially when it's warm.

As soon as I saw the SP deal I ordered 2 pairs.

Thanks, on the strength of this I ordered a pair of the RSE bibs and they arrived yesterday. Quick ride this morning, and I'm delighted. Fabric great, cut/fit spot on and the pad is amazing. Only wish I'd followed your advice and ordered 2 pairs at that price!

bluedog99

I bought a pair of Rapha Classic Bibs. last week. I did my first ride with them yesterday, which was a 72 miles around the lanes of Cheshire and back to Manchester. I had previously ben feeling sore on rides over two hours when using my pearl izumi bibs, which had become too loose due to weight loss. So I was a bit apprehensive how the Rapha would fare. Even with the slight soreness from the previous bibs, the Raphas were absolutely spot on for comfort and fit. I even felt dry after the 72 miles in warm weather, where as with my Pearl Izumis or Endura longs, this was never the case. So there is some serious wicking going on, which is great. My only slight moan is; I wish the length of the shorts was a bit olger in the leg. Other than that, perfect.

bluemoon17

Daniel B wrote:

coriordan wrote:

I would agree with PT on this one. I like to have very firm leg grippers and my favorite shorts are quite painful when upright. I have rapha PT bibs in a medium which are nice and snug but wondering if I should try shoehorning myself into an S or if that wouldn't strangle my groin

But I always thought the leg grippers shouldn't be so tight that the leg after the grippers was wider, or much wider than the leg gripper allowed if that made sense, ie a small compression is fine.
The Chapeau's I ordered and have since sent back were fine height and waist wise, but were too tight on my thighs for my liking, and I don't have big thighs.

Bluemoon17 wrote:

My stats:
5'10
66kg
36' chest
30' waist
Bought a size Small

Hi BM, I too have ordered a small - can I ask what your inside leg mesasurement is please?

32' leg! Forgot that one when I wrote that out.

daniel_b

Bluemoon17 wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

coriordan wrote:

I would agree with PT on this one. I like to have very firm leg grippers and my favorite shorts are quite painful when upright. I have rapha PT bibs in a medium which are nice and snug but wondering if I should try shoehorning myself into an S or if that wouldn't strangle my groin

But I always thought the leg grippers shouldn't be so tight that the leg after the grippers was wider, or much wider than the leg gripper allowed if that made sense, ie a small compression is fine.
The Chapeau's I ordered and have since sent back were fine height and waist wise, but were too tight on my thighs for my liking, and I don't have big thighs.

Bluemoon17 wrote:

My stats:
5'10
66kg
36' chest
30' waist
Bought a size Small

Hi BM, I too have ordered a small - can I ask what your inside leg mesasurement is please?

32' leg! Forgot that one when I wrote that out.

Cheers BM, I am the same height as you, but have a 2" shorter upper body, so hopeful from your review than the straps might still be ok.

lakesluddite

So... LP bibs arrived last tuesday (sorry, been away from the keyboard for a week!), so decided to try them on an 80 mile hike up and down Wrynose (from both sides) and Hardknott last thursday. I have no complaints whatsoever - like as has been said before, they scream quality out of the bag, the pad is noticibly denser than others that I own, and the material, even though described as 'Summer' short, wasn't as thin as I was expecting. The 'race radio' pocket at the back was a nice touch, albeit completely unneccessary for me!
For me the XS fits snuggly, tighter than I am perhaps used to, but not restrictive in any way. (I am approx 5'7" and a 28" waist 57-59kg).

I like 'em

bluedog99

How do the La Passione compare to Rapha size wise? I am a large in the Rapha classic shorts.
Cheers.

daniel_b

Someone has refused delivery of my bibshorts, and apparently no one at reception at my work - they all know how much stuff I have delivered here, so not sure on earth where they tried to deliver it :-(

I rang up and finally managed to get through to a human, and allegedly the local depot will ring me within the hour.
My number was also on the parcel, but no one saw fit to call me.

Surprised, thought UPS were top drawer.

Will mail La Passione to alert them, in case it ends up going all the way back to Italy :evil:

wishitwasallflat

I take an L in Assos anyone know what size I should order for these LP shorts please?

Anonymous

I would hazard a guess that they come up the same as Rapha/Castelli/Assos (i.e a little on the small size).
I am an M in Pro Team and the guy I ride with (same size as me) takes them in an M.

daniel_b

Hurrah,

so UPS found my workplace today, and I took my bibshort booty home at lunchtime to try on.

As others have mentioned, it came in a nice little bag, and the material feels proper quality.
My Orhi's are really lovely, but these feel just that little bit better - more in the realm of the Pactimo's that did not fit me, and the material, as has also been mentioned, is not ultra thin or anything.

So anyway - the fit. I'm 5ft 10, 34" inseam, 33" waist, 38" chest, 71kg, and the small is a really good fit for me, snug, as in I have to work my way into them, but the straps are tight, but not uncomfortably so - due to my short torso the medium might fit better vut would be too loose I feel.
The legs are longer than I might have expected - not a complaint, merely an observation, and the grippers are marginally tight, but it is not uncomfortable, and really feels like it will stay in position.
The pad looks and feels like top quality, I can see why people are raving about it.
Looking forward to trying it out at the weekend, and will report back when I do.

If these ride as well as I think they will do, I will likely be coming back for more shorts, and possibly some tights if they make them - I did e-mail them to ask about other models, and colours, but no reply yet.
Hopefully some more deals during the Tour!

For those enquiring about sizing equivalents.
I ordered some Small Assos bibs last year, and they were the right size for me, though I sent them back as I did not like the cut, and stuck with the Orhi's, so to my mind if you are a Large in Assos, you will likely be a Large in LP.

Anonymous

Man I wish I was on commission.

mm1

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19622158#p19622158]coriordan[/url] wrote:

Man I wish I was on commission.

I bet. Wasn't planning on buying new shorts, but I saw the discussion of LP on this thread and thought I'd try a pair. £79 inc postage and a € transaction charge by my bank for shorts that look and feel better than others costing twice as much. I went with my usual size and the fit is similar to other quality Italian kit (Ale, Sportful), firmer and more "compressive" than Rapha, On the bike they are fantastic, wholeheartedly recommended.

Anonymous

Hope you used LP15 (if it's still valid?!)

daniel_b

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19622158#p19622158]coriordan[/url] wrote:

Man I wish I was on commission.

Noticed they now have £8 (10%) off the shorts, but it seems all stock has gone until July 10th - LP15 still works too!
So they effectively end up costing you something ridiculous like £65 for a pair!

Dammit, I'm tempted to order 2 more! (Must not do so)

llen

Recieved my pair today and if they feel as good on the bike as they look they will be fantastic. The pad puts my etexondo bibs to shame.

Looking forward to testing them on Sunday on velothon wales

daniel_b

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19622439#p19622439]llen[/url] wrote:

Recieved my pair today and if they feel as good on the bike as they look they will be fantastic. The pad puts my etexondo bibs to shame.

Looking forward to testing them on Sunday on velothon wales

Which Etxeondo's do you have?

EDIT: Dangnamit, I may have just ordered 2 more.

englander

Just about to order a pair of LP summer bibs but with all the discounts, it comes to 2€ under the free delivery cut off, which incurs a 10€ delivery charge!

Anonymous

Better buy 2 then

Omar Little

Couldnt resist any longer, ordered a pair. Well a couple of pairs so i got the free shipping.

daniel_b

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19622697#p19622697]coriordan[/url] wrote:

Better buy 2 then

OR 2 lots of 2.