I’ve been using Giordana FRC shorts for many years but the chamois pads are getting a bit knackered. You only seem to get them in bib shorts now and I was thinking about switching allegiance.

Does anyone have any recommendations for an alternative with a super comfy chamois?

Has to be Assos. A little pricey but they lasted me a decade and I just got some Mille for £72 on Wiggle which isn’t even that much for non bargain shorts.

How about best budget chamois in a Lycra short? I’ve always used dhb ones but doing some longer rides on the mtb with road sections I’m struggling around the 30k mark. They’re fine on the road bike for double the distance and it’s the same saddle – so must be I have more weight on it from the riding position.

Would quite like something thicker / maybe more dense padding without going over £40 ish for a pair.

Castilli are my go-to. Happily spent 12 plus hours in them.

The posh Castelli ones are lovely, as are the ones in the Endura pro sl.

Endura pro sl has worked well for me. Never tried Assos. Sportful, even the very expensive one, have great pads but the shorts cut me in half.

18 hour ride in my Assos, no bothers. On a 24 hour solo race I had two pairs though, both Assos 🙂

Budget, the top line Decathlon stuff.
No budget, I’d say the same but Assos are just as good if you want to spend more.

I don’t think thicker is better. Re. Castelli mentioned above, I have some Progetto X2 pads and some Kiss. The Progettos seem a bit on the thin side but are really comfy whereas the Kiss, still pretty comfy, feel a bit nappy-like.

But, like saddles or even car seats, it’s personal.

Get ’em whilst you can, cos Mavic may be in a spot of bother…. the Ksyrium Pro Bib Shorts are good for 20+ days in a row of up to 18 hours. They are fit n forget.

Probably the top end castelli, having tried assos, rapha, endura e.t.c.

I have got Decathlon £30 ones as well as Assos. The Decathlon have a good pad, are good for the money and have many of the same features including a wide waist band and leg grippers. However there are fewer panels and they are not as 3D sculpted meaning that they pull in certain places when riding and eventually chafe a bit – inside of the groin area. Ok so I’m not exactly a whippet but the Assos are like a glove.

This is generally the case with cheaper vs more expensive shorts. Making a good pad isn’t apparently expensive but making more panels in trickier shapes is always going to be more expensive due to increased labour; and it is what makes good shorts.

Like saddles, its all personal. I will only buy Endura shorts. I like the pad width choice. Seems a bit thicker chamois than a rapha pair i have but i prefer them.

So far we have Castelli, Assos, Dhb, Endura, Decathlon, and Mavic. I will add Sportful to that list.

These threads are funny. You rarely get a stand out winner, just a long list of all the different brands everyone uses.

The high end (£50) Decathlon bibs are good enough for a 200km Audax. That’s 12 hours in the saddle for the ‘full value’ slower rider.

I’ve never really got on with Assos but has been many years (and kgs) since I last tried a pair. I’m 6’4″ and found their bib shorts didn’t have enough crotch to shoulder difference. I’d be reluctant to order a pair online due to that.

Any thoughts on non bib shorts? That’s why I’ve tended to stick to shorts. On Endura, again it has been years since my last pair of MT500 lycra shorts but I found them to be bulky and not comfortable for long rides.

Off to peek at Castelli.

Can I add POC VPDS.

The Castelli KISS pad was bliss for me but think the fit of the short pulled the pad too tight into the groin, cue nasty chaffage.

Brand new Enduras (one down from Pro SL) are a tiny bit less tight but just chafe all over, worried they’re just unwearable.

Have some Rapha Core to look forward try next. Just worried that after wearing a completely random and cheap selection of shorts over the last few years in relative comfort, I’m now going to spend a fortune finding suitable replacements…

Also, what aftercare for chaffing? Talcum powder?

Fit seems less important the more you spend i.e. expensive bibs seem to just fit better. a good bib shouldn’t really move.

I’m 6’4″ and found their bib shorts didn’t have enough crotch to shoulder difference. I’d be reluctant to order a pair online due to that.

That is true, or WAS – the new ones have really stretchy elastic, and are a completely different design to the 10 year old ones. I’m not 6’4 but they are a lot more flexible. But just get the non-bib shorts, they are just as good.

Its all down to personal preference/feel just like saddles im afraid

Ive had various Castelli bibs with the Kiss pad, Sportful bibs, BBB bibs and Planet X own brand bib shorts

All were reasonably comfortable with the different saddles they were used on but the most comfortable Ive found so far are the Planet X 365 bibs which cost £20 in the sale!

Ive had various Castelli bibs with the Kiss pad, Sportful bibs, BBB bibs and Planet X own brand bib shorts

All were reasonably comfortable with the different saddles they were used on but the most comfortable Ive found so far are the Planet X 365 bibs which cost £20 in the sale!

Conversely, I can ride in pretty much anything and barely notice the difference, and I view these threads with an element of curiosity (partly because I do occasionally do big distances and wonder if I’m missing something). The Planet X 365 bibs however, have left me in a good amount of pain on my regular 20 mile ride where they have been nipping underneath. The material is unlike any other bib and not at all breathable, and they can only be described as baggy. I wouldn’t recommend them on any level to be honest.

How about best budget chamois in a Lycra short? I’ve always used dhb ones but doing some longer rides on the mtb with road sections I’m struggling around the 30k mark. They’re fine on the road bike for double the distance and it’s the same saddle – so must be I have more weight on it from the riding position.

I would suggest that’s more likely a saddle issue. What works on the road bike won’t necessarily translate to MTB, and at the very least you would probably need to adjust the position of the saddle.

I’m the same height as you.

Have a look at Pactimo. Their Summit Raptor bib shorts are the best I’ve tried. I now have 3 pairs.

I get them in size medium (I’m fairly skinny) and the bibs have plenty of stretch, while the long leg version comes nicely down to just above the knee.

The RRP looks a bit steep but discount codes are always available.

Do new shorts need ‘worn in’ or do people find they have to get used to them over a few hours riding?

That’s a new pair of Enduras and now some new Rapha Core both feeling less comfortable than my selection of knackered old shorts, neither is dreadfulbut both seem to rub and chafe more than my other pairs.

Am going to go back to my old pairs just to experiment, but nothing else has really changed with my set up.

Annoyingly both companies offer comfort guarantees, but only on their more expensive shorts!

Have some Rapha Core to look forward try next

These are my favourite, have tried loads of others but these are very comfortable and well made.

Yeah, although after my first ride in them I’m questioning the wisdom of putting a seam right up the middle of the pad!

@downshep

The high end (£50) Decathlon bibs are good enough for a 200km Audax. That’s 12 hours in the saddle for the ‘full value’ slower rider.

Thinking I might give some decathlon ones a go – when you say the £50 / higher end ones do you mean the Van Rysel ones or the Rockrider branded ones?

@butcher

I would suggest that’s more likely a saddle issue. What works on the road bike won’t necessarily translate to MTB, and at the very least you would probably need to adjust the position of the saddle.

I’m running SDG Bel Airs on every bike including the road one – always have done. I have done a 50k mtb day at Brechfa in the last couple of years and that was ok – my dhb shorts were newer at that point. Not sure if it’s a saddle / short / arse issue!

Willing to try some new / better shorts first before going on a saddle changing mission as it’s a few to actually change.

I did have a Fabric Scoop on one mtb for a year that was ok – but the SDG on my other bike felt better so went with that on each bike.

@downshep

The high end (£50) Decathlon bibs are good enough for a 200km Audax. That’s 12 hours in the saddle for the ‘full value’ slower rider.

Thinking I might give some decathlon ones a go – when you say the £50 / higher end ones do you mean the Van Rysel ones or the Rockrider branded ones?

Just checked their website. The £50 decathlon bibs appear to be discontinued in favour of the Van Rysel ones. Website photos suggest that the VR pad is quite different. However, the Rockrider XC 900 pad looks exactly the same as my Decathlon bibs.

Has to be the top end Castelli or Etxeondo ones for me.

Castelli wins it overall – to me they’re the new Assos (not that I ever was a huge fan of them). I’ve tried several Assos shorts, all with various degrees of disappointment – including the top end RSR . The chamois is quite small and thin so I don’t get on well with them. They are especially thin around the crotch area, every single pair of Assos shorts I’ve tried – it’s as if they decided to end the chamois halfway up the gooch area and then for the front part of the shorts they just stitch on something a bit like kitchen roll.

Castelli ones seem much more thought out, more durable and also different densities within the chamois.

Side note – Etxeondo make possibly THE best chamois I’ve ever had in a bib short, however the stitching and making seems to have gone down a bit compared to 5 or 6 years ago.