Spending more time on the road bike and finding that the old mt500 shorts aren’t quite up to the job.

What bib shorts are good for 100 miles or so on a road bike? Not decided on a budget but don’t mind paying for quality that will last but do find myself wondering if Assos or the like can really justify the price.

Cheers.

worth looking at Morvelo as well.

Though the only time I’ve done 100+ miles on a bike, it was either my trusty MT500s or possibly Endura 3/4 bib longs..

Yes good quality bib shorts are key 🙂

I have rapha(really comfy) assos(again really comfy ) not much between assos/rapha for me both well made and are quality..

On a budget the endura pro bibs are also comfy(I have 3 pairs)

Funkier?
http://funkierbike.com/bike/site/men_pants_bib_shorts.html?q=men&q1=pants&q2=bib_shorts

DHB Aeron Pro’s are cheapish and comfy for the money, recently got some Assos though and it is a different league. Both in price and quality.

The more expensive DHB ones are good. I’ve got the Aeron race and have done plenty of long rides on them, longest being 10hours and 143 miles cx the coast to coast.

might get the pro (more expensive) or Goldline as I guess they will be even better.

Personally I find the Morvelo shorts more comfortable than the Assos ones. They’re loads cheaper as well which is nice!

Assos Mille are my favourite, RRP is about £155 but they are being discontinued so you might be able to pick them up discounted. I havent tried there new range

The Assos T_Pro S2 (or similar name) you get on their outlet store is good too and is about £90…much better than anything else ive tried in that price range.

It depends on what you like though, not just in terms of how it fits but the shape of the pad. Some regard the Assos pad as too nappy like whereas that style seems to suit me whereas i find the pad on the DHB shorts to be too thin and really uncomfortable as a result.

I use Gore and Giordano bib shorts – both very comfortable over 100+ miles and both much cheaper than Rapha or Assos.

The more expensive DHB ones are good. I’ve got the Aeron race and have done plenty of long rides on them, longest being 10hours and 143 miles cx the coast to coast.

+1 I’ve done a lot of centuries in mine, and they’ve always been comfortable.

I can’t justify the Assos prices so have mid-range DHB ones (think they were (£50-60) which have been faultless. I did 5 100 milers last year and an 80 miler off-road and had no issues at all.

Got some Lusso carbon bib shorts a while back and they are really comfy. Not mega expensive, but the most I have spent on a pair. Compared to the cheap dhb ones I have, they are tons better.

Another recommendation for the top-level DHB Aeron bibs from me.

Looking forward to getting back into mine now the weather is perking up.

If you’re used to MT500, go for the Endura FS 260. I’ve got a couple of pairs, excellent kit.

I am liking gel chamois, ideally small, as on my Endura FS260s (yup recommend what you use!)

Worth paying £40-50+ IMO, they last me years, these are £68.

I plumped for a pair of Pearl Izumi In-R-Cool, been very comfy to date.

Was tempted by some Santini Gara on price, but decided to buy local (to me).

Not done any centuries but I have some Campag bib shorts and bib tights. They’re very comfy and are usually on offer at CRC.

Morvelo for me are fantastic, have some cheaper DHB ones which are pretty good too!

I’ve got lots of pairs of older Assos shorts, and they’re fantastic. Latterly I don’t think they’re nearly as good, the last pair of tights and jacket I bought were noticeably lower quality. I’d go Gore or Castelli now for shorts.

No bollock pouch though, unlike the top Assos ones!

used to think that my Endura FS 260 Pro’s were the best, then I got some DHB Aeron Pro’s – definately more comfy for me.

No bollock pouch though

😯 ??

Most comfortable i have found, had Assos and Castelli, were some Sportful Total Comfort bibs (Sportful i believe are Castelli’s parent company anyway), I did a 250 mile in 24 hours charity ride last year, these shorts paired with Assos minty-arse lard were just brilliant.

I’ve tend to favour Santini shorts (as being good for a full day, but not at Rapha/Assoss pricing!). Twist-gel inserts are great.

I’ve got some team Endura Pro ones which are good too – done me well for 200 mile rides. They don’t fit quite as nicely as my Santinis though, but the insert is great.

Tried 3 pairs of bib shorts in the <£100 range and while better than shorts none of them were a ‘see the light’ type experience.

Castelli bibs though, just a different league and imo well worth the money

I have a couple of pairs of Craft which are very nice. Mine are sort of mid range-ish and there are fancier ones with better pads if needed.

Morvelo – mine are old now but still bloody brilliant.

Morvelo – mine are old now but still bloody brilliant.

No bollock pouch though

😯 ??[/quote]

Yep…! The ”KuKu Penthouse”. For me, they crossed the line into “completely mental”, at that point.

FWIW, for a really long ride I just put two pairs of shorts on, really helps!

Castelli or Sportful for me, tried Giordana and Endura to start with when I first started road biking, they were ok for anything sub 30 miles but after that the pads just didn’t give me any comfort. Done a few 80 miles plus in my Castelli’s which are by far my favourite as they have the best pad IMO over any other shorts out there but they are a summer bib as they are slightly thinner than the Sportful ones. Both cost me around the £100 mark in a Wiggle sale.

having a couple of Sportful jerseys I’d be tempted by some bibs from them – the design and quality is great and they are often discounted at Evans and online. the sizing though is ridiculous – at 5’9″ and 75kg I have to squeeze into an XL…!

I wear a large in Assos shorts/tights at 5’10 and 69kg, I think most of those brands come up small! Only a medium in jerseys/jackets admittedly.

The most comfortable bibshorts I’ve found are the ones ZipVit sell. A bargain £35 and often available for less than that. More comfortable than the Gore, Endura FS260Pro’s I’ve got.

Branding heavy so fine under baggies but I’d love to know who makes them for Zipvit.

Are you happy with your saddle? If the saddle doesn’t suit you, the shorts will be of limited help. I have a pair of Assos bibshorts that I’ve ridden up to 130 miles in and they are pretty good. For shorter rides, I have Gore shorts which are a bit cheaper but quite good.

Branding heavy so fine under baggies but I’d love to know who makes them for Zipvit.

Nowt on the labels?

I’ve tried Rapha and Howie’s, I just find they pull my ball sack up as if they were designed to separate each testicle from it’s pouch – uncomfortable is an understatement!

just got some altura progel ones from wiggle for about £33, took them to mallorca and wore them on the 3rd day for 60 miles very comfy, especially after 2 full days in the saddle before trying them.

DHB Aeron Pro generally for me. Not a huge thick pad, but really comfortable. I have Assos and Rapha with similarly thick pads, but for anything short of a 24-hour solo I actually prefer the DHBs. The construction isn’t as neat, but the chamois is ace.

Personally I find gel pads just sweaty, bulky and unpleasant, buy I guess YMMV. I had a pair of FS260 Endura ones and they were awful, pad stitched in the wrong place, Endura didn’t want to know when I contacted them about it. Shonky kit in recent years, simply falls to pieces, avoid.

The most comfortable bibshorts I’ve found are the ones ZipVit sell. A bargain £35 and often available for less than that. More comfortable than the Gore, Endura FS260Pro’s I’ve got.

Branding heavy so fine under baggies but I’d love to know who makes them for Zipvit. Every word of this is bang on
(sadly, especially the bit about being a bit garish for the wallflowers among us 😳 )

Italy

Gel type pads are uncomfy. Funkier were terrible.
Castelli are superb, as are santini and giordana. Assos pad comes up a bit too high in front.