I’ve got some cheaper ones which are about 5 years old and, while tatty, still preserve one’s dignity.  Basic DHB were good for that, though the material was a bit (too?) thick.

OTOH I’ve had Rapha and Assos develop that arse-crack inspection patch quite rapidly.  The little elastic threads all snap.  Not nice for the poor sod on your wheel.

I thought maybe the ‘posh’ ones get worn more, so are likely to wear faster.

What’s lasted you?

Not had their bib shorts but everything I’ve had from Ground Effect has lasted extremely well.  The pad in the ¾ tights I have is also very comfortable.

I got some of the Polaris ones in their sale. Still going strong after 18 months use

MTB I use these, got 2 pair had them for 5 years, yes worn but still going strong, still comfy all day. I’d get newer pairs but they just dont seem  to wear out 🙂

http://www.tgstore.co.uk/gore-bike-wear/alp-x-pro-range/

Castelli, Endura Pro / Equipe and Sportful Giro are all good

there on offer at CR, grab yourself a bargain

On road Castelli a no brainer

I loved my older Howies bibs but found the newer ones were too short.

Also the pads are a very similar colour to shorts so when you leave the house in a hurry with them on inside out you get away with it…..not that I’ve ever done that, certainly didnt happen this morning. nope.

then again if the pads were bright red I’d have spotted the baboon bum before I left the house!

😀

Had many from different manufacturers, last well. None of the cheapest but none of the priciest  either – £30-60 mostly in sales.

As long as you wash them sensibly

The better quality dhb shorts for me.

I’ve read a few reviews saying that castelli pads give up quickly but I’ve some that have been fine.  Do wonder how people wash them

I have Sportful bibs. Some are about 5 years old and still visually fine though the padding is a bit worn out.

Worn them an awful lot over this time. Worth the £70 or £80 they cost without a doubt in my opinion.

From my understanding, the vast majority of short manufacturers all use the same brand of pads in their shorts.

Assos are the gold standard for bib shorts. I’ve got some that are over ten years old and are still going strong

Lusso. The hands down best bib shorts I have had.

DHB. But CX and MTB ones are normally kept separate as they wear out more quickly.

DHB Aeron and Lusso have proved best for me

I’m trying some Planet-X Clubman, which are cheap and well-made with comfy pad and bib fabric but the shorts fabric seems a little thin

“From my understanding, the vast majority of short manufacturers all use the same brand of pads in their shorts.”

Only the crap shorts ime .

I actually like and get good life out of the dhb aerons

The endura fs260 used to be good but really gone down hill. I still wear my 4 pairs of original ones. . .even after the newer replacements went to the bin for being threadbare but I do think part of this is exactly what bob is experianced

Thin material that “quality” (and that he prefers) shorts are made from simply doesn’t last as long as the older thicker material shorts.

“From my understanding, the vast majority of short manufacturers all use the same brand of pads in their shorts.”

Only the crap shorts ime .

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>Elastic Interface? They make a massive range so some of the lower end stuff might not be up to 10 hours in the saddle, but anything i’ve had with their pads have been good (even if my arse is hanging out of the back of the threadbare shorts)</span>

http://www.elasticinterface.com/brands

the only ones I’ve had go super thin were some Hincapie ones which are relegated to the turbo. My Rapha lightweight bibs are going strong after 3 years.

“From my understanding, the vast majority of short manufacturers all use the same brand of pads in their shorts.”

Only the crap shorts ime .

Pretty sure both DHB and Rapha use Cytech pads and that the shorts are made in the same factory

I’m not sure I can contribute to this as my bobs rarely go see-through. Certainly my Decathlon shorts are still in reasonable condition after a good few years usage.

The older dhb aeron pro ones with the thick matt-finish material were good. But they have replaced them with a shiny thinner lycra that just isn’t  as good. Pah.

I popped down to Decathlon in the Bentley and picked up some of their Btwin Bib shorts off the bargain rail for €19… still going strong after a couple of years.

Endura Pro SL II…really impressed. Not cheap but awesome reviews that are actually right. Managed to get some from Leisure Lakes or Rutland’s sometime ago for 50 quid.