First bibs help

andyh01

Hi all.
So recently brought a new bike and clocking up.more milage, done 2x35 miles Fri and Saturday and do a club run once a week 50miles/4hrs. I'm building up to do my first 100km then 100miles I also do occasional spin class at gym 1hr and commute 10miles each way 5 days a week

I'm currently losing weight too so far down 25kg with another 10kg to go.

I'm currently using cheap waistband leggings with some type of horrible bobbley foam that the other day chafted manhood I think as it had been raining, as never had this before but also just not very comfortable.

I prefer running hot then cold and with change of weather I can't decide to go shorts and if needed pair with arm/leg warmers or tights/3/4

I've looked at unbranded or say didoo? Off eBay/axon for about £15, spez rbx/oakley/ around £25 dhb/btwin £35-£80+ (both now seem more premium then previous years)

It seems to be personal thing but how much do I need to spend for something half decent value?

Any sales don't mind if few seasons old, are cheaper branded going to be worse, similar or better then unbranded for same costs?
Thanks Andy

tonysj

I bought a pair of these from Rutland cycling and have used them twice recently with this changeable weather weve been having.

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/clothing ... lsrc=aw.ds

They are decent especially for the money so could be worth a punt. I'm normally medium , 32"-34" waist 5' 10" 75 kg and had to return one pair and go for the next size up. Large fitted me fine.
The pad is OK but I haven't found a pair that's completely trouble free/comfortable down there but I think my issue is more getting the right saddle which I'
m struggling with a the mo.

Matthewfalle

Lusso @ £35. bargain. topped their reviews, have used them for racing, training, instructing and commuting.

fautless for the money

#comfy

tonysj

Matthewfalle wrote:

Lusso @ £35. bargain. topped their reviews, have used them for racing, training, instructing and commuting.

fautless for the money

#comfy

I would say a bargain you must have dropped lucky in the sales lol.

naavt

I'm not saying that there aren't cheap Bibs that work out there, but you have to think that probably you will end "buying cheap and buying twice"!

A good Bib short is one of the main items that will keep you comfortable during your ride, and usually a good pair will outlast a cheap one if well cared after, so you probably will end saving money in the end.

Personally I think that Sportful and Santini have the best bang for your buck here. They are on par with Castelli and Rapha and are usually cheaper.

I've collected some Sportful pairs on these last couple of years, both summer and winter, and I couldn't be happier with all of them. If you decide to go this route, go for the TC Pro pad.

neilkav1

naavt wrote:

I'm not saying that there aren't cheap Bibs that work out there, but you have to think that probably you will end "buying cheap and buying twice"!

A good Bib short is one of the main items that will keep you comfortable during your ride, and usually a good pair will outlast a cheap one if well cared after, so you probably will end saving money in the end.

Personally I think that Sportful and Santini have the best bang for your buck here. They are on par with Castelli and Rapha and are usually cheaper.

I've collected some Sportful pairs on these last couple of years, both summer and winter, and I couldn't be happier with all of them. If you decide to go this route, go for the TC Pro pad.

This ....

Sportful TC pad is superb and Imo after comparing to assos and Castelli amongst others keep coming back to Sportful. Not cheap but I got total comfort bibs in recent online sales for £79....absolute bargain at that price.

PS my first pair of TC from 3 years ago still going strong - superb quality and longevity.

chippyk

B’Twin are good, and so are the Santini club bibs I have but if you can pick up Rapha PT bibs for say £100 at the archive bit of the website, the archive store or in a sale, in my experience I’d say one pair of them will outlast two pairs of cheaper Decathlon ones.

andyh01

Hmm this is so confusing!!

I ddn't want spend loads until I'm down to.my ideal weight, as the bibs then wouldn't fit.
Anything has got to be better then the nothing I have - well I have an Aldi pro weist tights which aren't the best and getting too warm even for me.

It seems I'm falling foul of suckered in to website offering huge discounts but when you go in one pair left either in super small or super big.
The spez and Gore c3 need to check on the Scots

I've also just acquired a £15 Amazon gift card, but can't really see anything decent just either didoo, fdx or similar.

Doesn't seem to be a mid range anymore, if spending £50 on dhb or btwin might as well spend £20-30 more for preferred branding...

navrig2

DHB or Lusso are good value options. I've struggled to find Lusso for sale and, at the moment, Wiggle's choice in DHB is limited in some sizes.

yiannism

I own one cheap castelli, the sportful super total comfort,(by the way, those 2 brands belong to the same group) and the endura FS260 pro. The castelli its not durable, but the pad its ok. The sportful is great, the bad and the fit its amazing, but very expensive. The FS-260 is one of the best below 100 euros, and i have used it for really long rides without any problems, plus the sizes are not for climbers, but for ordinary people. Thats my suggestion.

step83

DHB an Lusso are always solid choices, I picked up a pair of B'Twin cargo bibs (pocket on the right leg) very comfortable over the 50 miles done in them an they were only £40

mrb123

Lusso or Galibier.

joe_totale-2

Given the distances and time you're spending in the saddle Decathlon bib shorts will be fine.
Once you're a bit trimmer and start upping the distance then buy more fancy bib shorts.
I do find that you reap the benefits of the more pricey stuff on long distance rides.

keef66

Triban RC500 from Decathlon for £25 look decent enough, and should last you till you get down to your target weight at which point you can buy something nicer.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rc-500-cycl ... 02928.html

No point in spending more if you know you'll be dropping weight.

daniel_b

AndyH01 wrote:

Hmm this is so confusing!!

I ddn't want spend loads until I'm down to.my ideal weight, as the bibs then wouldn't fit.

Will your thighs change 'that' much though, as even if they are carrying some excess, that will potentially be replaced with muscle?
When I am overweight, I always carry it around my torso (tum the most) and bib shorts are designed to stretch over pretty much anything, unless you have a substantial amount you want to lose I suppose.

You need to ensure they are a really snug fit, otherwise the pad does not remain where it needs to - I did not realise this when I started cycling, and bought shorts that were too large - you can get away with it with jerseys, but not with shorts.
Another invaluable tip which you may already do, is when you shoe horn yourself into the shorts, roll the grippers back on themselves so they are not gripping your leg in anyway - then once you have the main part of the short in place, the straps over your shoudlers, then roll them back down, and they will maintain position.
If you leave them down, like mr dunce here used to do, it makes it bloomin difficult to get the short and pad in the correct position.

FWIW, my value for money makes of shorts (And this includes quality of pad and general comfort would be:

La Passione (In the sale)
Galibier
Castelli with the Progetto X2 pad (Sale)
Endura FS260 - Variable pad width (Sale - managed to get mine for £40 each)

Cheaper still, based on reviews I would tend to go towards:
D2D (heard good things about them)
Decathlon
Tenn (Available on Amazon I think which could make use of your voucher)
dhb
Planet X - their 365 shorts are pretty darned good vfm, especially when they drop to £15 in one of their dfs sales.

As an aside, if you see any Sugoi or Vaude shorts silly cheap on Amazon, I'd also give them a go -I bought some for £25-£30 each, and they are really comfy and well fitted, the Sugoi's especially, are proper quality items, but as they are white, they are only ever worn on the turbo

andyh01

Just a bit of context, I'm 169cm /5'6" in August I was 93kg in two months I lost 20kg. I'm currently around 73kg few weeks ago my waist was 91, Its now just below 90. I'm aiming for around 65kg at 2kg per week which should put me in the middle of normal bmi range.

A few of the above mentioned brands I've look at I seem.to be in-between sizes.

Anyone experience of FDX bibs circa £20 (apparently down from £40,) using the £15 gift card I have will.only cost me £5 I think the obscure brands ones on Amazon seem.to.be all much of a muchness.

The spez/gore c3 and Scots all advertised at discount are either out of stock or wrong size.

daniel_b

AndyH01 wrote:

Just a bit of context, I'm 169cm /5'6" in August I was 93kg in two months I lost 20kg. I'm currently around 73kg few weeks ago my waist was 91, Its now just below 90. I'm aiming for around 65kg at 2kg per week which should put me in the middle of normal bmi range.

A few of the above mentioned brands I've look at I seem.to be in-between sizes.

Anyone experience of FDX bibs circa £20 (apparently down from £40,) using the £15 gift card I have will.only cost me £5 I think the obscure brands ones on Amazon seem.to.be all much of a muchness.

The spez/gore c3 and Scots all advertised at discount are either out of stock or wrong size.

Wow Andy, that's some monumental weight loss, over 3 stone in 2 months!
I'm assuming it must surely now slow down, but I can't see it being much beyond Autumn by the time you hit your target weight.
What plan/method have you used to shift so much weight in so little time, and do you have a maintenance plan for when you reach your desired weight?

Interesting that your waist has not altered much in recent weeks - have your legs altered much?

The FDX bibs you speak of, I don't have any experience of, in fact had never heard of them - but the Amazon reviews seem mostly positive, although I appreciate these can easily be gamed as it were.

Do report back if you go for it, could prove a useful alternative for a lot of people.

andyh01

Thanks Dan,
For me, although I was a bit active - commute to work where I could (changes to jobs meant I couldn't for awhile) and rugby coach/ref u11s, I never looked at my weight or what I was eating, thinking I've exercised I can eat crap and burn it off. When I stood on scales in August I just thought why am I so heavy and decided to do something about it, before got even more out of control. I'm 36 and just thought once older and heavier I'd be stook
I've mostly cut out the alcohol, move a lot more and just making smarter food choice. Swap brown for white, cut out the crap - suger, crisp s and chocolate, fast food in moderation if any, wrap instead of burgers, salad instead of fries
I'm changing my relationship with food, I don't feel/say I'm on a diet, just eat the right things. I don't use protein shakes or fads
I do think a bit more, like if I feel hungry, I'll think what I've been doing and what I've eaten before deciding what to eat. I don't count calories and will eat when needed ,, but watch the portion sizes, or drink if it's more thirst then hunger. I don't see food as a treat or forbidden, just think if eat that how long will it take to burn up -Mac ds = marathon am I going to run one, no, why do I want that why not eat this first then don't fancy the crap anymore afterwards.

I had a bit of blip over Christmas and Easter, I had gone back up to 77kg after Easter holidays and just got back down to 73kg. I would say now it's going to get harder but it's actually easier and is dropping the 1-2kg per week
My waist was like 94 in August, don't know where lost the weight from and my mid drift still feels big.

I started the couch to 5k but found it too slow so started zombie run, which I like, not paid for it so have wait a week for each episode to.unlock.
I do 5k run few times a week (want get up to 10k why not?), spin class maybe twice a week if I can get in and club run once a week. I plan to keep this up for once I've hit my weight.
I'm motivated and tell myself training for coast to coast of r whatever bike adventure I'm dreaming of.

I now actually feel miserable if I've not done 30 mins hard exercise in the day, the commute just doesn't tire me out 10 mile each way in about 45 mins, I don't always feel.like pushing it on the bike. I think HIIT works well for me but now trying to get endurance up too.
I was quite impressed Friday and Saturday with myself managed to fit in 2x35 mile rides on n both days Fri Eve and early 6am Saturday.

keef66

That's an impressive result so far! Keep it up! Do you think that level of physical activity is sustainable in the long run?

You're the same height as me. I got to 72kg in my mid 50s before that OMG moment. I'm not at all muscular so I really need to be down to 63kg to be a healthy shape. For the past 4 years 5:2 eating usually got me there in 3 months after the christmas binge, but this year I'm struggling. I seem to gain weight faster and it seems to get harder to shift with advancing years. Think I'm going to have to concentrate more on maintaining a healthy weight rather than gaining / losing it. Need to look at what I'm eating on the 5 days...

daniel_b

keef66 wrote:

That's an impressive result so far! Keep it up! Do you think that level of physical activity is sustainable in the long run?

You're the same height as me. I got to 72kg in my mid 50s before that OMG moment. I'm not at all muscular so I really need to be down to 63kg to be a healthy shape. For the past 4 years 5:2 eating usually got me there in 3 months after the christmas binge, but this year I'm struggling. I seem to gain weight faster and it seems to get harder to shift with advancing years. Think I'm going to have to concentrate more on maintaining a healthy weight rather than gaining / losing it. Need to look at what I'm eating on the 5 days...

I'm a smidge taller than you, but similar build, so like to sit at around the same weight as you.

If you hit any moments of realisation as to how not to put the winter coat on, please let me know!
I've struggled over the last two winters, and then it takes me around 6 months to get back to my proper weight.
I don't diet either, just try and cut down on the cr@p and eat more healthily.
Sorry OP, this has gone off on a tangent :oops:

keef66

I like the winter coat analogy!

Logically we can best do it by limiting what we eat / drink. That's far more effective than exercise alone. Both is obviously better still.

But in those cold, dark winter months it seems a lot harder. I don't really ride any less, and I probably expend more energy when I do, but the urge to eat stuff seems stronger. And winter food and drink is sooo calorific.

I wonder if hypnotism might work...

daniel_b

Yes I have the exact same issue, the last two years I have had hill climbs to train for and keep me focussed until early October, and then after that it goes literally pear shaped, and I start eating cr@p seemingly by the truckload.
I think I put on about a stone in some 2.5 months - means I start the year in a heavy position.

I have most of it off by now, but don't really want to get caught in a constant cycle - not one with two wheels anyway.

Hypnosis, maybe that is it!

The lack of daylight, bugger all sun, and COLD seem to put me into hibernation mode, and food choices change a lot.
Plus I don't have the desire to eat salads in the winter as you can well imagine.
I'd be content with a half stone (3kg) fluctuation over the winter months.

keef66

Think we need to retire and buy a holiday home further south, fly out there in October and not come back till April. Then I'd be happy grilling seafood and making salads on christmas day. And cycling without having to wear protective clothing.

Time to check out the pension pots...

step83

The winter coat analogy is a great one, I'm actually taller and heavier than you, 5'10" 86Kg, 89cm waist. think ive hit the wall on wait its more the bag of and in front thats the killer. Oh an as my physio described me, I have the flexibility of a plank of wood (dam toes are too far away I reckon)
Anyway I digress you've done massively well to put it into perspective in a year younger than you an its taken me about six months to shift a stone! Only way I reckon I'd of done better is with repeated bouts of food poisoning.

Chapeau sir!

daniel_b

keef66 wrote:

Think we need to retire and buy a holiday home further south, fly out there in October and not come back till April. Then I'd be happy grilling seafood and making salads on christmas day. And cycling without having to wear protective clothing.

Time to check out the pension pots...

Ha, couldn't agree more, although I'm probably 20 years shy of being able to do that :?

We did have a grand plan (pre referendum) to move to France even earlier, and were at the opening stages of speaking to a business and property owner, with regards to buying their house and cycle tour business, they were based in the Midi-Pyrenees iirc.

My parents live in Mauritius, so I would hope to retire there one day possibly, I have a bike stationed out there, but being a small island, cycling opportunities are not what they are through the rest of Europe.

@Step83 - I too used to have the flexibility of a scaffolding pole, but through repeated sessions on the turbo in the drops, and then consistent stretching, I can now reach my toes!

andyh01

So .. I've popped my 100k cherry well 120k door to door, without bibs

I've ordered the fdx classic 2s I think about £20 and used the voucher so only cost me £5 will report back.

Hopefully once I've shifted the weight I can learn to balance food intake to expenditure to maintain and
match energy to activity.

I actually quite like winter salads, might even try nut roast Christmas time.