Why Bib over Bike Shorts?
07-22-13, 03:50 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2013
Location: DFW
Posts: 4,126
Bikes: Steel 1x's
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 632 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Why Bib over Bike Shorts?
I have been seeing this a lot more lately. Why do people recommend a bib over bike shorts for clydes?
07-22-13, 03:56 PM
#2
Banned.
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Uncertain
Posts: 8,651
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
I assume you mean bibs instead of shorts, rather than over shorts.
I'm not sure this is Clyde-specific, but bibs are, simply, massively superior. They are more comfortable, they stay where they are put.
I'm not sure this is Clyde-specific, but bibs are, simply, massively superior. They are more comfortable, they stay where they are put.
07-22-13, 04:01 PM
#5
got the climbing bug
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,204
Bikes: one for everything
Mentioned: 82 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 632 Post(s)
Liked 908 Times
in
273 Posts
cuz they don't move no matter how long the ride is.
__________________
Rule #10 // It never gets easier, you just go faster.
Rule #10 // It never gets easier, you just go faster.
07-22-13, 05:03 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 1,210
Bikes: Firefly custom Road, Ira Ryan custom road bike, Ira Ryan custom fixed gear
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Well, for the fashion-obsessed, I'd like to point out that the bib part is usually under the jersey (I slay me). 
On a more serious note, they don't rely on your hips to keep them in-place. Cycling has a series of motions (notably pushing the behind back on the seat) that tend to lower garments that rely on the hips. This means you're constantly tugging at them, tolerating an unfortunate baboon-esque display and / or cinching a waist way too tight. With bibs, there's none of that.
On a more serious note, they don't rely on your hips to keep them in-place. Cycling has a series of motions (notably pushing the behind back on the seat) that tend to lower garments that rely on the hips. This means you're constantly tugging at them, tolerating an unfortunate baboon-esque display and / or cinching a waist way too tight. With bibs, there's none of that.
07-22-13, 05:21 PM
#7
Lover of Old Chrome Moly
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NW Minnesota
Posts: 2,949
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 143 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 23 Times
in
17 Posts
It comes down to personal preference. I've got properly fitting shorts and despite my size, I have no problem with them creeping or rolling during rides. If you like bibs, go for it.
07-22-13, 05:27 PM
#8
Senior Member
'Cause they don't fall down, roll down, cut in, or, in anyway bother or frustrate me during a ride.
__________________
Birth Certificate, Passport, Marriage License Driver's License and Residency Permit all say I'm a Fred. I guess there's no denying it.
Birth Certificate, Passport, Marriage License Driver's License and Residency Permit all say I'm a Fred. I guess there's no denying it.
07-22-13, 07:03 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 563
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
... until you have to use the restroom....
some have a lower front than others, but if yours has a high front and you're wearing a 3/4 zip jersy, you ,ay only be able to "aim up" in an emergency....
...in which case you may just claim "the bathroom was 'like that' when you went in"...
uh yeah....
some have a lower front than others, but if yours has a high front and you're wearing a 3/4 zip jersy, you ,ay only be able to "aim up" in an emergency....
...in which case you may just claim "the bathroom was 'like that' when you went in"...
uh yeah....
07-22-13, 07:09 PM
#10
Senior Member
... until you have to use the restroom....
some have a lower front than others, but if yours has a high front and you're wearing a 3/4 zip jersy, you ,ay only be able to "aim up" in an emergency....
...in which case you may just claim "the bathroom was 'like that' when you went in"...
uh yeah....
some have a lower front than others, but if yours has a high front and you're wearing a 3/4 zip jersy, you ,ay only be able to "aim up" in an emergency....
...in which case you may just claim "the bathroom was 'like that' when you went in"...
uh yeah....
In the case of number 2s: That's why you see more and more riders wearing full zip jerseys. No loosing all the pocket contents onto the floor of the leuw.
__________________
Birth Certificate, Passport, Marriage License Driver's License and Residency Permit all say I'm a Fred. I guess there's no denying it.
Birth Certificate, Passport, Marriage License Driver's License and Residency Permit all say I'm a Fred. I guess there's no denying it.
07-22-13, 07:37 PM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Houston
Posts: 523
Bikes: 2012 Surly LHT / Motobecane Fhantom CX 105 / Giant Cypress ST / EZ Sport AX / Trisled Touring Trike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I have both but if you are big and in the drops then shorts get rolled down by the gut. In a bib it's just underneath.
07-22-13, 07:38 PM
#13
Senior Member
In a word. . . prevents Plumbers Cleavage.
07-23-13, 07:05 AM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,218
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18398 Post(s)
Liked 15,495 Times
in
7,317 Posts
+1, although doing No. 2 can get a little more complicated if you have to use a "Turkish Toilette" like I did in Italy last month. Always carry cleat covers for just such an occasion.
07-23-13, 08:35 AM
#16
Senior Member
This is true in many cases, but it also depends on body shape, and cut of the garment. One reason I prefer the Levi's 501 over the cheaper Wrangler's is that I didn't get it with the former. Apple shaped people like me are more prone than pear shaped people. Apple people have smaller waist size to weight ratio than pears do, and there is less hip and azz to hold things up.
I haven't fit my fat butt in 501's since just after college. Nope, 560's for me! 
07-23-13, 10:20 AM
#18
Senior Member
07-23-13, 06:44 PM
#19
Lover of Old Chrome Moly
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NW Minnesota
Posts: 2,949
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 143 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 23 Times
in
17 Posts
All I wear is 501s and 505s. Couldn't do that a few years ago. My daughter still wears a pair of pinstriped 501s I had in high school.
07-23-13, 07:09 PM
#20
Banned
Lederhosen, perhaps ? they have straps to hold them up, too, the main perceptible advantage to bibs, built in suspenders..
07-23-13, 07:11 PM
#21
Senior Member
501s? You guys need to get out and ride more! There's no way legs that fit into 501s can be producing enough power to push a clyde around at any sort of speed.
501s are climber pants. Clydes should warrant at the vary least rouleur pants and preferably sprinter trousers.
501s are climber pants. Clydes should warrant at the vary least rouleur pants and preferably sprinter trousers.
__________________
Birth Certificate, Passport, Marriage License Driver's License and Residency Permit all say I'm a Fred. I guess there's no denying it.
Birth Certificate, Passport, Marriage License Driver's License and Residency Permit all say I'm a Fred. I guess there's no denying it.
07-24-13, 06:33 PM
#22
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: LI NY
Posts: 80
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I wear bibs under my Levis for the slimming effect of the spandex
07-25-13, 12:22 AM
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 3,078
Bikes: Roubaix SL4 Expert , Cervelo S2
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 85 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
It must depend on the shorts because I've seen skinny guys with the smalls of their backs on display (do they not feel the wind back there and wonder what's going on???) My Pearl Izumi Attack shorts are generously sized in the back. There's enough material to pull them about 1/3 up my back so I have no worries about exposing any skin. I haven't had any issues with the front being pushed down too much but I guess with a large enough gut that could become a problem.
Last edited by Dunbar; 07-25-13 at 12:27 AM.
07-25-13, 07:07 AM
#25
Lover of Old Chrome Moly
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NW Minnesota
Posts: 2,949
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 143 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 23 Times
in
17 Posts
It must depend on the shorts because I've seen skinny guys with the smalls of their backs on display (do they not feel the wind back there and wonder what's going on???) My Pearl Izumi Attack shorts are generously sized in the back. There's enough material to pull them about 1/3 up my back so I have no worries about exposing any skin. I haven't had any issues with the front being pushed down too much but I guess with a large enough gut that could become a problem.