Looking to get some F1 Mille S5 shorts for the upcoming sportive season. Do folks recommend these or similar assos or alternatives from Rapha, Castelli or similar?

anyone?!

Well I would go Assos. Shop around some bargains to be had online.

I have Mille shorts, and some assos roubaix 3/4s. I wish I could afford another pair, they’re fantastic.

Giordana tenax are decent bib shorts that I’ve been using a while…also about half the price of assos

keep an eye on ribble for their sales/stock levels.

then buy a pair, they’re worth the (discounted) price, IMO.

I don’t like mine. I hate that feeling of something up my arse crack and they just feel uncomfortable. Disappointed.

Other brands are available….

Gore
De Marchi

I’ve got both Gore and Giordana bib shorts and both are very comfortable and have seen me through a number of sportives. At twice the price Assos are not going to offer you twice the benefit.

We’ve just got Santini in. Well worth a look. Resisted it for ages, rep finally persuaded me and they’re amazing.

I’ve got two pairs of F1 Mille S5’s, they’re nice but the price has gone up stupidly since I bought mine and to be honest I’m not sure if they’re that much better than the DeMarchi’s I had before.

I’ve got some women’s specific Giordana shorts for half the price of assos and was well impressed with them on my 90 mile sportif in OCt. you should try them 😉

I’ve used assos since the late 90s but the last shorts I bought were etxe ondo – I’m pretty impressed with them, unlike gore shorts which appear to be cut for Americans.

Not overly impressed with my Assos Uno’s, they’re comfy but not £100+ comfy, actually prefer the pad in my DHB Finchdeans.

Have a look for shorts using Cyctech Elastic Interface pads. They makes the seats for Assos, GORE and a few others…..

Presuming these are for mtb use then the gore alpx models have some pretty cool features. We will be stocking them come the spring after I learned why they are worth it.

I have tried others because of the price of assos, but they are not as good (gore were just bloody awful, they are a very specific fit designed for a set sitbone placement). IMO the assos mille shorts are worth it if you do long rides, nothing else works as well for full days or multiple days riding.
The pads also seem to last longer, other makes even when they still look fine seem to loose their cushioning properties (like running shoes)after about 12 months.

Which gore model did you use MSP? I find the Xenon can be position dependant but others not so.

yes it was the xenon shorts, The pad only lasted about 6 months as well (in which they didn’t get much use either) the density changes in the pad caused it to break up. Will never buy any gore gear again.

I have tried others because of the price of assos, but they are not as good (gore were just bloody awful, they are a very specific fit designed for a set sitbone placement). IMO the assos mille shorts are worth it if you do long rides, nothing else works as well for full days or multiple days riding.

Yeah, I’ll qualify my first reply with an agreement with this statement.

I resisted for a while due to the price, but should’ve dived straight in as I’ve had my assos kit for years and it’s still fine, but I spent loads on cheap shorts which I just use for commuting now.

Tried: Endura, Gore, Exte Ondo, Northwave, halfords(!) – all fine but nothing like as good as assos. First pair of Mille shorts in 2006 – not used so much anymore as they’re a bit ‘hot pants’ ie short in the leg. Roubaix 3/4 bought in 2008 (still fine, wore them last week), newer design Mille bought in 2009 (still like new, longer in the leg, brill).

I can also recommend the Intermediate Evo jacket, and the knee warmers. All bought as part of presents and before the price hike of course. 😉

using xenon 3/4 at the moment and the pad is fine but occasionally it does seem to shift about and can become uncomfortable.

I have a pair of Assos I use for really big days – they have been a good short and comfy if I use plenty of arse lard; can rub a bit if I don’t use enough. For some reason they seem a little short in the leg and recently the stitching has come apart which is dissapointing for the cash.

Favourite shorts ever have been Pearl Izumi – which is what I will be buying for this summer.