Bib shorts, a solution in search of a problem?
 

I am not saying that for some people or in some situations, bibs aren't an improvement....

I got my first pair of bib-shorts, sort of to see what all the fuss was about. I find them annoying to put on, a pain during "natural breaks" and just not added value for money spent... Perhaps if I were as slender as Chris Froome, it would help to keep my shorts from sliding down, but I just don't get it.

I have never had my waistband dig into my abdomen enough to notice. I have not had a proper-fitting pair of shorts roll or bunch up in a way that caused discomfort. Usually before the waist band became a problem, I had shredded them in a crash.


Maybe it's to hide riders' nipples when they unzip a full-zip jersey?

Not terribly important, but I really don't get it. Reading gear reviews, I felt like I was missing out on the best thing since sliced bread. (or maybe carbon fiber)


At least carbon has some obvious positive features- lower weight, more efficient power transfer, and George Jetson styling come to mind.

Not trying to be a grouch, I really don't understand the appeal. Lucky for me, shorts are significantly less expensive too.

To each his own.

They feel better and stay in place better. Sounds like that wasn't the case for you.

Folks with narrower hips than mine tell me that they are a great improvement, also folks with a bit of a belly. They stay up better and don't bind so much at the waist.
Brent

I'm somewhat in agreement. The extra cloth making the suspenders on bibs add weight and heat. The only option for natural breaks is through a leg or remove jersey first. Takes longer to don than shorts. It seems a poor tradeoff for not having an elastic band at the waist.


It isn't as though cycling shorts have trouble staying up. There are not really any forces that pull them down. The saddle forces the material up from the saddle down, so the waistband only has to hold up the material from the saddle up.


Like you, I'm not sure of the bibs advantage. I have both bibs and shorts. To me, the longer the ride, the greater the advantage of shorts. This means bibs have a greater advantage on short rides, whatever this advantage is.

For me bib shorts were the best thing ever, next to clipless pedals possibly. Drawstring shorts used to tend to bunch up and the folds would abrade the goods - to get right to the point. I had to wear suspenders prior to bib shorts.

Maybe you're onto something. I ride both, I do not notice a decrease in comfort with either one. I'm 6'3 and 230 pounds and my hips are not "small". Sometimes I feel like my butt crack is at risk of showing at times (poor souls behind me) but when I go to pull my shorts up they're at a safe level. That is annoying, but it's not something that I had thought about until this thread. My anecdotes involve more moderately priced road gear, and I always hear people rave about their expensive bibs. Ignorance is bliss for me on this subject 👍🏽

When I wear non-bib shorts the waist does often roll up or at least fold over. It takes a really long ride for that to be a comfort issue, but it can happen.

The real issue is that bib shorts are more pro.

Depends on what you consider to be expensive. I have never spent over $80 for my bibs. I rode Performance bibs for some time and then took a flyer on DeMarchi which was on sale half price based on its reviews. The chamois on the DeMarchis is substantially thinner than what I was used to. I was at first not happy, but after a couple of rides on the trainer for break in, they are now my favorites. Watch Performance and Nashbar for sales.

Well, they're a solution to a problem I don't have, but that doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist. It's just not my problem, that's all.

I lost my one pair a few years ago. I miss them on longer rides. All of the new ones I've found have thick diapers and are very expensive.

Keeping the chamois up and in contact with, um, my business keeps them from, uh, moving around into a place that, er, could cause detriment when I sit down on the saddle after a brief stand up to either sprint, get over a small hill, or just stretch my legs. For me, plain shorts don't quite do the same job, so I use suspenders to achieve the same, cough, effect.

I've got a belly --- regular shorts roll down to the crotch area - bibs stay up --

As they say, to each their own

This. Also spares people riding behind me from seeing my crack.

This thread confuses. So are bibs better for fat people or skinny people? Or no one at all?

My experience has been:
When shorts begin to 'wear', the distance from the back of the chamois pad to the waist becomes so great the pad rides forward and does not cover my sitbones. Not so on bib shorts.
I ride both.
YMMV


edit: I think this repeats [MENTION=381793]gugie[/MENTION]

Because I am slender, bibs keep the shorts from moving around. Like! But I dislike the straps, they are uncomfortable and get moreso on a hot day. There is a solution to that, I have what Voler calls a Roadsuit which is like a skinsuit with a full length zipper so the top holds the shorts up via a seam around the sides and back. They are currently pricey, but I got one cheap as part of our club discount with Voler. I think other manufacturers are jumping into this product.

Voler: Velocity Roadsuit

Er, um, cough, cough, not exactly. More an issue with the fleshy bits.
:innocent:

I just wear Wrangler cargo shorts, usually with a Nike golf shirt. What am I missing?

Reading the posts by Salamandrine and Gugie, I do recall seeing suspenders ocassionally, BITD, both here in the states, and in photos of the pro peleton.

So I guess for some bibs are a better way. I think for many, they are just "the" way.

I'm going out for a quick ride in my new bibs. Most of my shorts, the chamois is starting to compress.
Looking forward to fall sales!:thumb:

Cheers, Eric

Bib tights are more important than shorts as I find the tights slide down due to the slippery shorts underneath.
However for mountain bikers bib shorts and tights help keep from hanging up on the saddle when moving around and mounting and dismounting quickly.

White tube socks?

edit No offense meant, 'smoke em if you got em' as we used to preach. ;)

Haha. My daughter would kill me. Lol

I breath better wearing bib shorts.

I prefer regular shorts to bibs as well.

Nothing!!!

I am not racing. Why would I want to wear skin tight, crotch squishing, STINKY, non breathing, rash inducing, man made petroleum based polyester shorts when wonderful natural fabrics like cotton allow me to ride all day with no need for a chamois.