I need to get some new bibs for some big rides over the summer.

Been looking at various things, but most of the high end stuff seems to concentrate the padding under the sit bones, whereas I take most of my (64kg) weight on my taint/bifter/smelly bridge, especially when I’m in the drops and rotated forwards around my hips.

Currently using a variety of Pearl Izumi bibs, although the last pair haven’t been great for road (much better on the MTB where I’m more upright). Selle SLR saddle.

Budget is fairly open ended – saving a few quid and rubbing myself raw is not a good bargain, but we’re not talking Rapha/Assos at full RRP kinda money.

Thanks!

Look for stuff branded as “race” rather than “comfort” as race bikes tend to put you further forward. Also remember you don’t need much wide there as, well, it’s not a wide area and neither is the part of the saddle you’ll be sat on.

My broken record response is Decathlon 700 series stuff, I have a arse up, head down position and it works very well for me. If you want to spend more, you could have a look at the Assos outlet.

Bibshorts

Good company to deal with, give them a ring and they’ll discuss fit and type of pad each short uses

I’ve never heard of a shorts insert that favours the sit area or the perineal area, that would be the best way to alienate at least 50% of your potential market.

In any case good quality pads aren’t thick and squishy as that makes you sweat and transfers weight to soft tissues causing chafing. A good pad is firm and resists creasing and rucking up.

Get the saddle set up right; it’s much more critical for roadies than for mountain bikers as roadies spend more time in the same position. For most people this means getting the seat at the right height, at the right position on the rails and with the nose up by a couple of degrees so that your sit bones are “cupped” by the saddle and only a little weight is on the soft perineal area. In conjuction with saddle setup you’ve got to get the height, reach and angle of the bars right as well. Only when both are right will you feel comfortable.

My setup is fine – 60+ miles fairly regularly with zero issues, and I’ve done occasional flat 150 milers (ie no out of the saddle climbing). I’ve always sat that way and always been comfortable, no numbness etc.

It’s basically the last pair of PI shorts that have sparked this thread – all the padding is under my sit bones, and they’re very thin further forwards, so I find my previous pairs of shorts much more comfortable, except they’re now wearing out.

I find pad position and design to be a bit annoying – I find that shorts with seperate sections of different densities have to have the pad in exactly the right place for me, or I’m sitting on the edge of a section.

Unfortunately the only way to find out if the pad is in the right place is to do a long ride…

This makes it difficult to try out shorts. I suspect that the one-piece pad designs will be more comfortable for me, like the higher-end Decathlon pads or the older Assos pads, but I have a few pairs of not-quite-right shorts that I’ve got to wear out first!

With my recent experiences I quite like Enduras pad. I don’t like Morvelo- I find the pad area a bit ‘small’- it is really tight around the groin.

I find it very interesting that cheap shorts have thick squishy foam pads but better quality shorts have thinner firmer pads. My most comfortable pad is in some quite old dhb 3/4 bibs and is also the thinnest. The key to comfort is definitely no creasing.

Barse, it’s called a BARSE.

IMO – the answer to any ‘long distance short’ thread is Assos, castelli/rapha come close but nothing beats the real thing. I wasn’t a believer until I got some (the last of all my ridding buddies). one of my best purchases
http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Assos/T-cento-S7-Bib-Short/37N9?wmp=124

Not that the Assos outlet has anything useful in the smaller sizes at the mo, but any guesses as to whether I’m small or medium?

5’10″/1m78 Tall
30″/76cm waist
32.5″/83cm hips
Suggests that I’m between XS & S width wise, but M in height..

I would say medium

Same size as me, I tend to go for small for shorts and medium for longs (leg length mainly). Lunchbox control favours small race cut. My kit is Champion Systems. But I also wear rh+zero dimarchi. Italian might push you to a medium, but non-italian you are a small. Lycra will stretch over time with loos of lunch box position.

I recently bought Gore Bike Wear Oxygen bib shorts in the Wiggle sale, listed as long distance shorts.
After 72 miles on the road on Sunday I had no complaints from the rear end.
Now listed as Oxygen+.

I have Assos S5 UNO bibs and Endura FS260 Pro shorts. For me personally the gel pad in the Endura shorts works far better. I’d have a look at the Endura FS 260 Pro bibs, they’re not silly money either.

I’d second Endura. Have a similar sounding position to you. Have a few different makes of bibs but tend to go for the Endura if it’s going to be a longer ride.

I’m just realising I’m having the same problem. Never knew the name of the area where I needed more or better padding. Now I know! I’m looking at the endura’s, but not sure on width of pad as they measure the pad according to your sit bones..