What's the best VALUE in a bib short?

[robertbb]

Originally Posted by Andy sti

Eliel has great bibs. They also use a Cytech pad - best chamois out there.

Elastic Interface (owned by Cytech) make over 80 different pads.

To say a particular brand of bib/short is good because of the Cytech pad is misleading.

[soulspinner]

Originally Posted by CunegoFan

QUESTIONS: What's the best VALUE in a car?

PACELINE: Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche...

Toyota Tacoma

[pdonk]

Originally Posted by CunegoFan

QUESTIONS: What's the best VALUE in a car?

PACELINE: Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche...

Based on recent threads a corvette or a VW sportwagon.

[xeladragon]

I recently picked up some Isadore bibs based on the endorsement of a few forum members. "Only" about $120 during their flash sale or whatever. Two thumbs up so far... only question mark is durability, but time will tell.

[9tubes]

Agree that quality shorts are worth it. Divide the cost by the number of rides and it starts looking like the cost of a cup of coffee. I'm in Seattle and coffee is pretty pricey here so I've used this rationalization to justify Q36.5, Assos and Rapha. My neither regions are happy.

P.S.: I'd add Castelli to the list but I'm not buying another pair until they stop using rubberized scorpion logos that self-destruct after six months.

[Andreas]

Originally Posted by merckx

Tell me more about Boure bibs. How have they held-up over time? What is the chamois like? What is the compression like? I have two pair of Assos Mille bibs that need retirement. I think I prefer less padding, but am directionless on identifying replacement.

Hey Bill,

I have been using Boure's for over a decade and keep coming back to them, with trying assos, rapha, q36 intermittently.

Using the pro chamois. Nice, thin, flat. They last forever, the chamois if perfect for me, the material glides perfectly with getting out of the saddle for our New England 1 million feet a year climbing. Philosophy is that the padding should be in the saddle, so these don't have the stupid thick diaper with these awful pathetic pseudoanatomic crests and rims.

Drew is as good guy who stands up for the product.

Give them a try.

[Surfdog98]

Anyone try these Pedal Ed shorts with storage ?
https://pedaled.com/products/odyssey-bibshort

Or these by 7mesh ?
https://7mesh.com/mens-mk3-bib-short

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by 9tubes

Agree that quality shorts are worth it. Divide the cost by the number of rides and it starts looking like the cost of a cup of coffee. I'm in Seattle and coffee is pretty pricey here so I've used this rationalization to justify Q36.5, Assos and Rapha. My neither regions are happy.

P.S.: I'd add Castelli to the list but I'm not buying another pair until they stop using rubberized scorpion logos that self-destruct after six months.

I would not put Rapha into the same quality category with Q or Asso. I think the quality of their bibs is not that great. Q and Asso durability is very good as are some others. But not Rapha.

[steamer]

Originally Posted by CunegoFan

QUESTIONS: What's the best VALUE in a car?

PACELINE: Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche...

I noticed that. Strange definition of the word 'value around here.

[LJohnny]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I would not put Rapha into the same quality category with Q or Asso. I think the quality of their bibs is not that great. Q and Asso durability is very good as are some others. But not Rapha.

I have been a long time Assos bib user, and a while ago i tried Q36.5. At the beginning I did not like the straps. After a few rides it clicked and I found the right way to set them up. I have now mostly switched to Q.
Going by the pads, the Assos and Q’s chamois are at a different level to that of Rapha bibs. The 7-mesh pad is good, but the bibs’ panels are not as compressive. The Q’s are the winner in my opinion. Whether they are value, well, it comes down to comfort, longevity, and budget. I find that their pad is just as good as when new in 1 season old bibs, so in other brands, i had to refresh the bib inventory more frequently. Assos pads also last a while. I also have had good experience with Catella. It is no coincidence that these higher end pads come in most cases from one, (or maybe 2) manufacturer from which the companies source their pads.
I had a mega-post with pics of a series of bib shorts a few seasons ago. It may be time for an update : )

[Andy sti]

Originally Posted by steamer

I noticed that. Strange definition of the word 'value around here.

I have 7000 miles on bikes so far this year. A value short for me is one that will not break down after a few uses, will not chafe, fits well, and looks good. Unfortunately, the prices for good quality shorts have risen.

[stien]

Mrs stien and I seem to wear out the chamois in our new bibs every season. The shorts material might be intact (maybe stretched out) but I can always tell when a pad starts to get uncomfortable. Maybe it's exaggerated on a tandem where you tend to sit more?

[Lionel]

Am I the only one wishing that Assos was still making the S5 and S2 ? These things were bomb proof. Loved my S5 F13, still have 2 left that are over 10 years old and very very worn out but I somehow still wear them. I even have an F13 S2 left, this was so extremely durable with the orange elastic pad.

I have 3 or 4 S7 equipe, they seem to wear out about 10x faster. For that reason I have not bought any S9 yet and I am not a fan of the ultra low cut either.

Issue is that they are still better than anything else I have (Castelli, Giordana, Rapha, La Passione, Q36.5....).

So I feel sort of stuck. If I could buy S5 F13 at full retail I would get 20 of them.

[Spaghetti Legs]

Kind of moot now I suppose, but Performance Ultra - some versions are (were) great. I have one set about 12 years old that I still use and are in my "long ride" rotation. For a couple of years they were a thin, waffle like material that was definitely "get what you pay for" range but the last set I bought were much better - wore them today.

I'm sure the Asian factory that made these is cranking them out for some other store brand. the problem I've found with finding a good value bib is that most brands change the bib drastically just about every year, so you can't just go back and buy the same model again. I have a set of Sportful bibs that fit perfectly and I love. I bought another set a couple of years later, same size, same model but completely different. I returned them and got one size bigger and they're still too small.

[steamer]

Originally Posted by Andy sti

I have 7000 miles on bikes so far this year. A value short for me is one that will not break down after a few uses, will not chafe, fits well, and looks good. Unfortunately, the prices for good quality shorts have risen.

The OP mentioned nothing about mega-mile type use. And expressed a desire to keep the price down compared to Rapha, for example.

In general, one does not need to buy premium shorts to get a pair that will not break down after a few uses, will not chafe, fits well, and looks good.

That all said, you don't need to justify your purchases to anyone. With perhaps only a few exceptions here and there, almost everyone on this forum rides a bike as a leisure time activity and all expenses are purely discretionary.