What's the best VALUE in a bib short?
 

We all have opinions on who makes the best bib short, what is the most comfortable etc. I have Rapha shorts that fit great, but I paid a small fortune for them, and I can't help thinking I'm paying for fancy logos and photos of hipsters with thin mustaches.

But who makes the best short with the least flash? Boure? Sugoi? Thoughts?

I like my Giordana and Champions.

Voler is currently having a 20-40% off sale. Their bibs are (IMO) good quality and very reasonably priced.

Greg

Boure. He'll even do custom for a small fee.

dave

i find the best "value" is to buy smartly. never pay retail, wait for sales, every mfg has them.

keep your undercarriage happy.

Q36.5 or Assos. Not even kidding.

my older team kit was champ sys.
their apex bib shorts. to me. are super comfortable.
they were not expensive neither. but darn good fit for me and amazing leg grippers.

im curious to try out SpexCel stuff.

What is a small fortune?

I think Rapha makes really terrific kit and most of the stuff is currently on sale.

Well, rapha happens to have a sale right now and there are some good deals to be had.

There is one thing I don't skimp on and that is bibs, if I am going to be on a bike for 5 hours + I want to be comfortable. That said I always buy my rapha bibs on sale and to me always a good deal. They also been really good to me, if they come undone (and I am not so kind to my bibs :banana:) they replace em for me.

To Nick's point above, if you think of value as performance per $, the graph below is probably a pretty good approximation of how that relationship looks for bib shorts. If you figure you can get 20% off retail, then you are certainly able to enjoy a better product for less money.

To Joe's point, the calculation really isn't as simple as performance divided by price, because that leads you to really cheap products because the denominator is so small. Rather, it is for each important characteristic, what is the minimum you'd accept (comfort, durability, style, chamois, etc.), and which shorts provide those for the least amount of money. I've bought plenty of $120-150 bibs through the years that last a few seasons and then the chamois is packed out, and while they are still in rotation, they are the last ones I pick. On the other hand, I've still got rapha classic bibs in rotation from 5+ years ago. So, if you prioritize durability, value is a long term game.

My bigger point with the graph is, although this is the 'average', the point of value is to buy things above, or to the left of the industry average line. Things that provide better performance at an equal or lower price, or stated another way, provide equal performance at a lower price.

Sugoi, Garneau and DiMarchi are my go-to bibs. They are high quality and the fit is great. I never get the very top end. Mid-range is good for me.

dhb bibs from Wiggle turn out to be pretty nice. I bought a pair on sale for $60.
I second the recommendation of Sugoi bibs, they're comfortable and
last for years.

I have put tons of miles on Assos bibs and I don't think their actual product is flashy. Their marketing sucks - but their products are solid. They have a outlet site where you can get their stuff at reasonable prices.

I second the motion regarding Assos...lots of nice models currently on sale and I keep coming back to them after going astray.

Rapha core bibs are great and very cheap when bought used (at least in size XS). Go down a size and you're good to go. Same chamois as the Pro Team line. The shorts come up a tiny bit more on my thigh but not super short.