General Cycling Discussion - Best bike shorts

I was really surprised not to see any threads on this when I searched it, so I guess this will be my first post after lurking for a while.

What shorts do you swear by for your long(at least an hour) rides?

I don't care about looks, I wear the spandex bikes whenever I bike, but I have been trying a variety of different styles of shorts and haven't found anything quite comfortable enough yet. I've tried two pairs of performance bike shorts and one pair of lower end pearl izumis, and nothing is doing a good enough job.

I'm willing to put up some money for a really good pair for my long rides if I have to, so what do you guys think?

I'm happy with basic Pearl's, but I'm only at about 50 miles/week.

my favorites for long distances are Assos.

That's a really good question, because when I 1st decided to give this sport a go, I swore i would never be caught dead in spandex. Cargo shorts & t-shirts is what I wore, then I noticed my crotch getting a bit irritated. So I head on down to ye ol bike shop, and before I even looked at the shorts I saw the most beautiful EGA spandex shirt (EGA/Eagle, Globe & Anchor, short for USMC logo) So right then I had a hook in my mouth, I said I have to go spandex now, so I bought 2 shirts & 2 shorts. dont know off hand who made what, the shirts are the same the shorts are different. But I still get this God awful itching & burning in the area between my boys & me bum. WTH is this? I said. Whats a poor lad to do? I thought maybe shaving might help, nah that would probably only make it worse. So if any y'all have an answer I'm sure there's a whole mess of people that would like to know the secret.

i like oakleys, verge, specialized...mostly these days I have castellis.

how vast is your budget?, might be a good idea to own several,
to wear one and wash the others..

With shorts I think you just have to experiment a bit and find something you're comfortable with. I have a couple of Specialized-brand Demo freeride shorts. They are baggies with removable chamois liners. I like 'em. I never ride w/the liners anymore though. Did a 4+ hour ride with those shorts the other weekend.

I've never been disappointed by any of the higher-priced big names, but I've had just as good luck with Falconi deluxe bibs from Love2Pedal.com.

If money is no object, I would try Assos. I don't have any of their shorts, but I have one of their jackets, and it is really well made. I bought some Performance Century shorts for this year. They are good enough and don't break the bank, but read the reviews on the Performance Web site so you know how to size them.

Well right now I have three pair, the only one even worth my time to use would be the pearls. I was thinking I'd pay whatever for a grea pair, then saw how much the assos are and think I want to max ou at 150.

Before you go out trying to find the magical shorts, be sure your bike fit is good. What types of soreness are you having? The shorts might have zero to do with it, Also I see that you are new to the sport. How many miles are you riding on a weekly basis? If you haven't put in many miles, remember the bum requires some seasoning initially. Soreness possinly goes away with more miles and exposure to the seat shape.
Good luck! Nothing is much more miserable than a sore bum.

I have 3 pair of Performance shorts and 1 pair of their bibs. All work well for me but then again I only ride a max of about 35-40 miles at a time.

Well right now I have three pair, the only one even worth my time to use would be the pearls. I was thinking I'd pay whatever for a grea pair, then saw how much the assos are and think I want to max ou at 150.

Perfect for you:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Cycle-Bib-Shorts-Assos-T-FI-Uno-Bib-Shorts/ASSOZBBS260

Not the top-of-the-line Assos, but these are supposedly very, very good.

FWIW, I have one pair of Assos F1.13 shorts - their top model - and they just blow away any other pair of shorts I have. And my others aren't cheap - Giordana Forma Reds and Sugoi RSEs - the top-of-the-line for Giordana and Sugoi.

You'll have to get someone else to compare the F1.Unos to the F1.13s.

I just bought the coolest short IMHO, by Endura they're called HUMVEE 79.99, they are more of a mtn bike short but I love em. Imagine long board shorts crossed with sleek cargo shorts with a road bike insert sewn in. I just did 31 miles and my boyz have never been so cozy . I have a pair of Endura road shorts and I'm raw after 10 miles. I don't know, makes no sense to me, but I love these HUMVEE'S, maybe it's the Jarhead in me, LOL!!!

Dont skimp out and get them from some of the oversea's "vendors". I did this once and you could tell right away. It just didnt fit... even though it was the right size.

I wear Perl Izumi Elite Tri shorts. Very comfy and no diaper feel. For long rides, I wear some Endura Hummvee shorts over the top of them. Letting the tri shorts slip against the Hummvees keeps me from getting ingrown hairs on my butt.

http://ak.buy.com/PI/0/500/210899211.jpg
http://www.endurasport.com/UC/GetImage.aspx?file_id=1853&im=5

I wear more expensive bibs on centuries, but I've been extremely happy with the four pair of Aerotechdesigns shorts I have. I think I bought 3 pair for $120 or so.

I wear more expensive bibs on centuries, but I've been extremely happy with the four pair of Aerotechdesigns shorts I have. I think I bought 3 pair for $120 or so.


I've been happy with my shorts from Aerotech Designs, too. They come in many more sizes than the usual- good if you're hard-to-fit.

I've never been disappointed by any of the higher-priced big names, but I've had just as good luck with Falconi deluxe bibs from Love2Pedal.com.

^^^This on a budget! There's also Aerotechdesigns.com.

I wear 50.00 a pair Canaris, the 8 panel verison with the better pad. Makes a difference over thier cheaper line. They seem to give me the best fit.
BillMc

Pear Izumi Elites with a Jock Strap!

whatever you decide on, wash them after every ride. TRUST ME.

whatever you decide on, wash them after every ride. TRUST ME.
Pics or it didn't....


ummm



nevermind

Perfect for you:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Cycle-Bib-Shorts-Assos-T-FI-Uno-Bib-Shorts/ASSOZBBS260

Not the top-of-the-line Assos, but these are supposedly very, very good.

FWIW, I have one pair of Assos F1.13 shorts - their top model - and they just blow away any other pair of shorts I have. And my others aren't cheap - Giordana Forma Reds and Sugoi RSEs - the top-of-the-line for Giordana and Sugoi.

You'll have to get someone else to compare the F1.Unos to the F1.13s.

I have the Uno's, Mille's and F1.13's. If you look at the Assos website each short is designed for the mille's are for long distance riding. I like the F1.13's, the material feels like a good compression shorts. The Uno's are a very good short, I got my first pair on sale (about $125-$150) and the guy at the counter says " those are great shorts, very addictive". I always take the Assos shorts when I am touring, nothing but the most comfortable short when I am riding 50-75 miles day after day.

You can find them on sale for about $150 for the Uno's just look for the sales.

I signed up for Voler's email alerts, and buy their shorts when on sale. I have had good experiences. I have recently bought a couple of Castelli shorts, and been impressed. The K.I.S.S. pad shorts have been good, but X2 Progetto are better, but the X2s were in some endurance shorts and the leg band has gone away after a few rides, not impressed with that.