UKC

Bought my first road bike in the autumn and absolutely loving it. I've been using a pair of decathlon bib shorts, which have been pretty good, but I'm intending to step up the mileage a bit and I'm looking for something, with a lot more padding.

Any suggestions greatly received - well apart from man up and get a harder ass obviously.

Cheers

In reply to Shapeshifter:

You hit the nail on the head....Man up! More padding will only cause more problems in the long run. A good fitting pair of shorts with a quality chamois will be far better than boingy seats or mattress thick padding.
I find Giordana shorts excellent; hard wearing, well fitting seamless construction with a well cut chamois and not eye wateringly expensive!
As with anything but the ones that fit you, feel good on you and inspire you to ride.

In reply to quirky:

OK point taken - I just need a bit of help manning up. Not necessarily looking for a settee, just a bit more padding than I've got at present. I'll check out Giordana cheers.

In reply to Shapeshifter:

Some people pay a fortune for big brands like rapha and assos I use cheap planetX clubman/funkier bib shorts and haven't had any issues with them on reasonably long rides around 100 miles.
Bang for buck I don't think they can be beaten.
A bit of chamois cream helps keep things comfortable too.

In reply to Shapeshifter:

Thick spongey padding is not the answer; my most comfortable shorts are some dhb 3/4 bibs that have a thin but dense pad. Get the saddle right first. Charge saddles are excellent.

dhb from Wiggle is justifiably popular because it's cheap and the quality is excellent.

In reply to gethin_allen:


I have 2 pairs of Assos shorts - they were pricey, even via the web, but are fantastic for long rides.
Equally, I have a pair of much cheaper ones I was given as team kit for a corporate sponsored ride that were perfectly acceptable for 60 miles.

It seems I'm quite short in the body, as I find a lot of bib shorts are too loose on the braces for me - I've tried on loads of mid-price offerings from Castelli, Funkier and others with not much success. Even within the same brand the styles can vary considerably on fit.

But I do agree on the chamois cream.

Here are some reviews for the OP: http://road.cc/category/review-section/clothing/shorts-34s

In reply to gethin_allen:

Having just started riding I've never heard of planet X - their stuff seems great value.

Do you reckon their sizing chart on bib shorts is about right. I'm 5ft10 with a 32/33 waist, 42 chest and my decathlon pair are an XL, so Planet X sizing seems a bit smaller

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CLPXCMBS/planet-x-clubman-bib-shorts

Thanks

In reply to Shapeshifter:

I've been happy with Decathlon, but I would recommend buying from a shop rather than on-line

In reply to Shapeshifter:

I'm just a snip under 6 foot a 32 waist and 40 chest and I wear a medium in the planet x clubman bibs. Hope that helps

In reply to Shapeshifter:

Anything Santini from these super helpful and knowledgeable guys:

http://www.prendas.co.uk/cycle-clothing/bib-shorts.html

Top tip, don't buy on waist size, you need to get the height and bib tension correct, i am a 34/36 in trousers but wear a medium in Santini

In reply to Shapeshifter:

I've never done any serious cycling buy do have an mtb and a road hybrid can someone explain why bib shorts are used?

In reply to Roguevfr:


It's really just personal preference. I find that on a road bike, where you are bent forward, the elastic on a normal short digs in a bit around the belly whereas this isn't a problem on bibs.
Also, in the colder weather it gives you an extra layer over your belly and stops cold draughts.
They do make toilet stops a little more awkward.

In reply to Roguevfr:
Go to a bike shop and try some on . Take a look at yourself in the mirror . Then you'll know .......
Edit ... Any Pearl Izumi from sport pursuit . Quality brand for sensible money .

In reply to Roguevfr:

Comfort

. Very comfy in In reply to Shapeshifter:

If you've got the Decathlon bid shorts with the blue chamois with variable thickness paddng an dline sprinted on it, then they're pretty good (the 'top of the range' version). The plain red or orange pads are less good.

The blue pad decathlon bibs are my commuting ones (30 miles a day) and I have knee length ones for autumn and spring. they're good for a lot more than that.

I suppose the most comfortable ones that I've got are Stolen Goat Bodyline One. Very comfy in all regards

In reply to gethin_allen:

Thanks that's really helpful

In reply to nniff:

Yes I've got the ones that are about £40 with the blue padding - like you say pretty good - just looking for an alternative to compare with those

Cheers

In reply to Shapeshifter:

I've got on well with Lusso clothing, I've got a pair of their bib tights that are still going strong after 12 years. The sizing is sensible (beware of companies like Nalini with tiny Euro sizing), prices are pretty reasonable, and it's made in the UK too.

In reply to Shapeshifter:

My current fave bibs are some Aldi ones - they were quite pricey last summer - about 12 quid I think. Equally good as Decathlon 30 quid ones and some Shimano 50 euros ones I also own. Have ridden 200 kms in them with now probs.

In reply to Shapeshifter:
I've got Assos bibs which are the business, but they cost about the same as a week in Provence. I've also got Giordana bibs, which were slightly less than half the price, and my arse likes them just as much. Use bum cream if you're doing big distances or multiple days.

I assume your saddle is satisfactory...

In reply to TobyA:

I bought a pair of Aldi bibs and a winter jacket. The jacket was great but the shorts were awful. The pad was like having a piece of toast stuffed in me undercrackers.

Castelli bibs are good, expensive but not ludicrously so. You need to go up a couple of sizes though.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

I'd second the comment on aldi bibshorts - however I've got 2 pairs of their Pro rnage of Winter Long Bibshorts and the pad is fine.

Our old Club kit was Champion Systems - And I've got a pair of bibshorts with their premium 'endurance' pad. Comfy.
Our new kit supplier is GSG and the pad is not quite as good - but fine for a 100 mile ride!

I've also got a pair of Giordana bibshorts and they are fine - and were not expensive.

In reply to Shapeshifter:

Besides shorts, make sure you've got the right saddle for yer ar$e, since great shorts won't help a bad saddle.
FWIW I recently changed to a Charge Spoon saddle and find it a great improvement over the Specialized saddle that preceded it. However, whats best for you will depend on your personal build/weight etc.
I mostly wear Endura bibshorts.

N

In reply to cousin nick:


I'd second that -- I went through at least 5 saddles before finding one that suited my my backside. San Marco Rolls, Selle Italia C2 Gelflow, Selle Italia SLR, Selle Italia XO, all got donated to the club's jumble sale. I'm now happily perched on Essax Singel saddles on both of my bikes - and a Fizik Arione Tri2 on my TT bike - which seems comfy enough though I do miss the pressure relieving groove of the Singel when I'm 'on the rivet'. Strangely enough I've tried the Singel on my TT bike and it just feels wrong!

In reply to Lord of Starkness:

Thanks for all the replies, I hadn't thought about the seat issue. This is my first road bike (Cannondale Synapse Alloy), so I just thought I'd stick with the seat on it - might give that second thoughts.

In reply to cousin nick:

Saddle fit is all. And personal. The Specialized Phenom on my Epic fit me very nicely. Till some skitter bastards nicked the bike.

Bib shorts? Not for me. Taking a piss is just too much faff, and I'm not man enough to reach down a leg...

In reply to Shapeshifter:

Look out for Aldi cycling events.

I've ridden 60+ miles in my £16.99 shorts with no ill effects.

In reply to Shapeshifter:

Nowadays there are so many saddles to choose from and wonderfully padded shorts. Back in the day ( 1960's) you had a choice of leather Brooks , or one of those new fangled rock hard plastic Unica Nitor thingys in bright Orange which looked wrong. When coupled with basic unpadded chamois leather inserts for your woolen shorts, you either broke your ar$e in to the shape of the saddle or, by employing dark arts, managed to persuade your Brooks to mould itself to the shape of your botty. Either way took a fair amount of time and pain!

In reply to Shapeshifter:

The problem with padding is it spreads your weight from where it should be (your sit bones) to more sensitive areas. Which is fine on a couch as it's spread nice and thinly and you're not moving around, but not so good on a bike.

Where are you finding discomfort? If it's under your sit bones, regular riding will sort it out. If it's elsewhere, the saddle geometry is wrong for you, or you already have too much padding.

As others have said, saddle fit is everything. My touring bike has a lightweight racing saddle with virtually no padding (Specialized Toupe), and is pretty comfy doing 8 hour days in the saddle, as long as I haven't been out of cycling for a while.

I also really rate the ISM Adamo saddle on my tri bike... it was heaven for long distance training in a time trial position after the Toupe (no saddle with a nose will ever be particularly comfortable for that), but would also do a good job on the road bike.

In reply to Shapeshifter:
I have a pair of funkier ones and some from a company called Spokesman. The Spokesman ones were bought for a 180 mile weekend and are super comfy and a class above. It's not just the pad but the quality of the Lycra you want to be looking at which keeps the pad in place. Even the straps on these are like silk. You can tell I like them.
I am 5'9" and 32" waist. Medium fit me. I bought from an LBS but they have a website. Bibs are a try before buy purchase for me though I wouldn't like to buy online if possible.

In reply to captain paranoia:

I bought a pair of Aldi bib shorts last year and was surprised they didn't have zips. After doing a bit more research, it seems that this applies to all other bib shorts too. What a major design fail. Imagine climbing salopettes with no zips for a pee. Anyone who tried to sell them would be laughed out of the market.

In reply to wilkesley:

Not as much concern about chafing with a pair of salopettes. I certainly wouldn't want a zip in a pair of bib shorts. Seams are bad enough.