Looking for new bibs . My howies ones have done well but are slowly coming apart after 5 hard years.

diminishing returns. £70 is a good sweet spot

I think they are excellent and have a couple of pairs. Prefer them to Assos. Are they worth the money? That’s a very good question 🙂

The core ones are all you need. if you like a wide pad and good grippers they are as good as anything

If you get a core bundle and a discount code it makes it more acceptable. Are any lives shorts worth 70£+ ? Depends how long you spend in the saddle I suppose.

I have done 6 hours in rapha stuff and felt fine at the end. I have gore and castelli that after 2 hrs I am moving about a lot.

Worth a go.

I have a set of the core’s nicely made BUT, there is a seam in the middle of the pad and it is more than a stupid idea!

Having had a look at the more expensive shorts they too share this stupid feature. much prefer my Assos NeoPros.

Got a couple of pairs – one set of Classics and a set Of Core ones. The pad is identical in them, and if anything the cheaper Cores fit me better, although the lycra is a little thinner.

Don’t tend to wear my Rapha kit off road as its too expensive to crash in, but have just done a lumpy and wet South Lakes 100 in the Cores, and my taint is still in fine fettle, so very happy with that.

Although – also look at Morvelo – the pad they use is very nice indeed, and they’re a chunk cheaper.

Easily my most worn bits of cycling kit, both on and off road.

(lightweights, classics and 3/4 thermals here)

Yes.

They.

Are.

Best bit of kit they do IMO.

I used to have quite a few pairs of Howies and they died a year or so back. I bought and sent back 3 or 4 sets of Rapha ones, either too big on the leg grippers or too short on the shoulder straps. Tried some Assos and others, settled on Endura FS260 Pro and now have 3 sets, road, MTB and track.

I’ve got a set of Rapha bibs and they’re very good. But I’ve got two sets of Morvelo that are better (for me).

I have the core and the light weight. Core are quite thickly padded and probably not my absolute favorite short although plenty comfy for centuries. Love the light weight although they do seem to be wearing quickly. For comfort my castellis seem just as good but they’re not a cheap short either. Got mine in post Christmas 30% off. The repair service however is fantastic. Just had a tear in the knee of some long bibs repaired free of charge with free return postage. For that reason alone I’d pay for the Rapha ++

They’re a wee bit cheaper at the Outlet shop in Bicester Village too in case you’re anywhere near. Not sure if they’re worth it or not as I don’t own/haven’t justified a pair yet but the pair i tried on in the outlet shop were very nice and you could feel the quality but I didn’t have enough time to make the decision so walked away!

For me, two pairs of the Cores went threadbare at the lower back, leaving the butt crack on view,within two seasons.  The normal classic ones fared better, based on riding six days a week.

YMMV but the DHB top tier ones do a cracking job for me.

While I love their jerseys and the City range of shirts I prefer Castelli shorts.

Have got both Core & Pro Team bibs & I don’t find them quite as comfy as the Castelli Kiss Air pad on longer rides; I’ll be in Castelli for my SDW attempt next Sat.

I like my howies, but the Rapha classics are a much better short. More comfortable and better fit. I’ve previously used assos and the Rapha are probably better

IME Rapha is fantastic kit – I rarely wear it for MTB though and save mine for the road.

Is it worth the extra money over Endura, Castelli, Aldi? Yes it is to me.

My kit is from the Classic range.

Some rapha is crap. Gillets an Summer gloves spring to mind, but the core bibs are very very good

I’ve ridden various incarnations of DHB bibshorts for years now, and they have been consistently good (even the cheaper ones). Good fit, hard wearing, comfortable, and not daft prices. I just went a bit upmarket and  got a pair of DHB Aeron Speeds, and used them for a 100 mile ride today. No complaints.

I think I have 10 pairs of rapha bibs. Mostly brevet and lightweight but Also their deep winter ones.

yes, they’re good but it depends if they fit you. Bibs are all about fit.

also with rapha , their after sales is amazingly good. I’ve holed bibs in the past and they have either been repaired, replaced or I have been given a credit to spend.

Core bibs are worth the money.  The more expensive ones are not worth the extra.

never used the core shorts, I have pro team, pro team thermal and classic, used the pro’s solidly for a 3 months touring trip and as well as the summer before and much use after, including a 24hr race, they are starting to fall apart. the classic’s seem a bit odd, the lycra is very different and the pad doesn’t feel as tight. the thermal ones are lovely, great for spring mornings. sizing is key i’m 6ft and 30″ waist but always get small

EDIT: the archive store sell, an archive short special which is the original pro team short, but only one length

IMO Rapha stuff is over rated.

Assos shorts are excellent and last for years.

Having had Assos, Castelli and lots of Rapha, I have a fair few Rapha shorts, at full rrp then they are expensive, but I’ve never paid that price. I think my most expensive were the Pro Race Lightweight shorts at £130.

That being said, I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad pair of bibs. My cheaper one’s (club bibs) are absolutely fine for riding in. The only time I notice how good Rapha shorts are is that I can sit on the Watt Bike for an hour and a half and not be sore – cheaper shorts and after 45 mins in I’m fidgeting.

But, over winter I bought a set of DHB 3/4 Thermal bibs, amazed at how good they are for the price. Think I paid about £50, total bargain and I’d be tempted by a pair of their normal bib shorts when my Rapha need replacing.

My Assos were great, but I like to match my kit and I’m just not a fan of Assos jerseys. I had the Equipe shorts, didn’t feel any comfier or different than my Rapha to be honest.

Disclaimer….I must be a bit weird as I also pretty much ride any saddle (road or mtb) without any issues…or without noticing I’m not on my normal saddle. (Probably why my wife always call’s me numbnuts!)

Yes, but not at full RRP (to me, at the moment)

I’ve got two pairs of ‘classic’ bibs, both bought at the tail end of their regular sales – the most recent pair had 60% off, which brought them down to £65ish.

They are my go-to bibs for all-day road rides.

If i had the money i’d happily pay RRP.

Rapha have regular sales and heavily discount stuff towards the end of the sale, if you are not too fussed about colours there are often bargains to be had.

However, the nicer DHB stuff is very good (pad looks remarkably similar) for a more sensible price.

Not if they don’t fit.  That’s is subjective like anything to do with your body and is probably the most important thing.

Quality is good but not, say, twice as good as shorts half the price.  But I guess paying for a name is part of it. Most comfortable shorts I have ever tried were made by Lusso. Things is, where is the cred in that?

Also depends on your use. I doubt they would last that long with 5 washes a week which is what I get through, so a couple of pairs of mid price makes the difference.

But as I said, fit is all.

I have brevet and core shorts. I find the cores a touch tighter fitting in the “same size”. The brevets are astoundingly good.