Originally Posted by
Wanderer
I've got two pair of the Century, going on 2 years old. They get worn at least once a week, along with others. I've never had a problem with them, and always wash them on the gentle cycle, and hang to dry. At close to 100 washings, I'd give them an A+ for durability.
No bleach, or bleach substitutes, no softeners, no dryers.
A quick question - do you ever "wring" them out when washing? They should only be squeezed, or spun dry. To speed up the drying, roll them up in a towel, and stand on it a few times, then hang.
That's good to hear. I picked up the Elite II bib tonight. $50 after the (everyday) sale and the 15% off from the website. I might have bought the Ultra had they had a large in stock. The stitching around the chamois and the compression-style short material are pretty impressive compared to the Elite. They resemble the construction of the PI Microsensor bib, which they had in the store too.
I'm hoping I like the Elite. The fit is great. I'm a little concerned that the chamois is stitched almost exactly like the Century one; however, the pad is very different and doesn't look like it will want to pull at the stitching nearly as much.
No, I never wrung mine out. The first pair, I noticed that the stitching had come out while it was soaking in the Woolite water, just sitting there (the clothing version of JRA). The second pair came undone while being machine washed gentle cycle. It's not a big deal, not noticeable, doesn't really affect the usability at the moment. I just know it'll come apart eventually (unless I intervene) and am a little annoyed that simple things can't be done correctly.
EDIT: I should also say that the Performance store here in Austin is great, staffed with solid folks. They actually ride bikes, and they try their best to help customers. I have returned stuff that I tried for a few weeks and they accepted the return without question. Tonight I had a half-hour conversation about racing/doping with a guy I've gotten to know over the past year. Maybe not an LBS, but far from a typical big box experience.