kyledr

Alright, I'm not an economist, but something tells me padded lycra and rubber strips sewn together shouldn't cost $60+. Any favorites for cheap cycling shorts? I'm leaning towards $20 talent shorts right now which have a decent looking chamois and 8 panel design. Right now I'm using Pace Cat 3, which are nice, but expensive now that I can't get them cheap. A teammate told me Adidas shorts are good, but I can't find them cheap anywhere. Looking to spend $30 or less, preferably.

Thanks,

Kyle

rha600

I agree that they shouldn't cost so much. but unfortunately I've tried the $20 versions and they don't come close to the padding of the most expensive versions. after 45 minutes my butt was not doing well at all. where as the $60 ones I have keep my butt happy even after 2 hours.

but if you want to try something cheaper you can also check nashbar or other sites for the clearance stuff. I haven't shopped for shorts that way but I got my $60 helmet for $35 that way.

botto 

I hope you already have children.

rha600

https://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?s...20Fever%20Sale

there's a few in there that are reduced from around $50-$60 down to $30. don't know how good those are though so maybe someone else can tell.

VegaVixen

A male roadie friend of mine swears by Performance shorts. Seems to work for him on his usual 35-mile rides.

I'm still lookin' for a good pair of women's shorts. My Nike shorts are ok up to about 20 miles. Beyond that, ouchie!

kyledr

The MSRP on the shorts are $40, but the cost is $20. Take a look here: https://stores.channeladvisor.com/ebi...items/01-23201

Looks decent to me, but I can't see the pad =/

I found another pair for $26, and it has a cool max pad. That's a decent pad isn't it?

BikeWise1

Haha...I finally found a pair that are perfect for me....even at "shop owner pro deal" they're $75! It amazes me how some guys will be spendy on stupid CF bling parts and then get all scroogie on the one part that can make or break your day in the saddle.....

BillyD

It's just not worth it saving money on shorts, my friend. A good pair of shorts translates into "comfort", and comfort means you'll be willing to ride longer and more often.

Inexpensive shorts translate into "PAIN". This is one area where you can't quibble about the bucks. Sorry, you've got to spend the money or stay home.

kyledr

How about this? I have an economical bike (105 part), I've done everything else economically, and I'm trying to find a cheap AND comfortable short. There must be good and bad cheap shorts, and I intend to find the good ones. That's why I'm asking to see if anyone has tried them. The nashbar/performance short so far is one that I might try. Also nashbar has a belleweather 8 panel short for cheap.

kyledr

The belleweather is 8 panel and has an MLP chamois. Sounds like the winner. Anyone tried it? Here's what a custom clothing manufacturer says about the MLP pad (they have others to choose from, so they describe each):

M.L.P. CHAMOIS (MULTI LEVEL PAD)
This unisex chamois, imported from Italy is the most advanced chamois available. Antibacterial and designed to support, where the most support is needed. Colours: Black/Blue

FIVE ONE SIX

unfortunately, those are 2 words that are never used the in same sentance...

this is the best time to buy shorts though, because most manufacturers are releasing their 2007 line, and usually reduce prices on their 2006 line to clear it out. and the best chamois are elastic chamois, period, and you're not going to find a short with an elastic chamois in the $30 range...

kyledr

If they describe it as "stretch camois" is that elastic? Also, this short is getting 4.8/5 on mtbr.... I'm going to go for it at 50% off... how could I not?

roadie gal

I have a few pairs of Aerotech shorts. They seem to work very well. www.aerotechdesigns.com The "classic" short if $25 (US) and the "pro" is $50. The ones I have are the pro version for women.

I am not affiliated with the company, BTW.

kyledr

I saw those on eBay... they looked like one of the better random cheapies out there... thanks.

I'm going with the bellwether, though, and I'll let you know how they fare. I'm about to go on spring break training, and I'll be riding 100+ mile days probably. We'll see if I like this arione, too. Bit of an ass hatchet compared to any other sadddle I've tried, but I think it'll be nice.

They were 40% off, plus I put a promotion code of 15% off to get them shipped two day air at a total of just under $90. The retail on the shorts was $50. Not too bad, eh?

VegaVixen

Thanks, roadie gal. I'll check it out. I'm also looking for some with a really long inseam, as I'm tall (5'10"). Ever seen any women's shorts with an inseam longer than 8.5"?

caloso

Let me suggest Voler. May be a bit more than you said you wanted to spend but they are a very good value in my opinion.

www.velowear.com

-VELOCITY-

+1 I use Performance shorts all the time and they are great. I even used them on my last MS 150 and had no problems. They were about 30 bucks. I also have some Nashbar shorts that cost me about 20 bucks which are also good. But I typically use them for shorter rides. Less than 30 miles.

TNoodles

I have everything from Performance on sale $20, to Assos race bib $275. I am of the opinion that there is a $75 - $125 sweet spot. It seems lik a lot for shorts, but that's the reality. The $20 cheapies are OK for a very short ride, but beyond that they are junk. The Assos $275 feel quite good but $275? Yikes. For a reasonable "sweet spot" I like Pearl Izumi, I've also had some luck with Blackbottoms and Canari.

FIVE ONE SIX

the ariones are not popular with long distance riders, and you will soon find out why, but try it and see if it works for you. i can understand that you're trying to do this economically, but you will learn that there are some things that you NEED to spend money on or suffer the consequences, ESPECIALLY if you plan on riding THAT much EVERY day...

kyledr

Only that much for a week. I'll bring a couple backup saddles including san marco rolls and my good ol' Ideale if I must. I usually dont' have a problem with comfort, so that's why I'm not too worried. I can do 20-30 miles in jeans... I also did indoor training for a week or two on a really crappy plastic specialized saddle, and that was OK too. If I break out the ideale, I'd probably be able to ride until I fell asleep on the saddle That thing is so f'ing sweet, but it's cracked up from being uncared for by the previous owner, so that's too bad, cause it tears up shorts. I'd probably have to ghetto rig some sort of cover for it.

slowjoe66

Pricepoint has them in all price ranges starting at $19.99--you can decide where your frugality meets your comfort level.

https://www.pricepoint.com/thumb/1-Cl...ycra-False.htm

FIVE ONE SIX

if you like the Ideale saddle, why not look replace it with a new one that won't rip your shorts? i mean really, since they're the topic of conversation, do you really want to rip them on your first ride...

if you can't find a new Ideale, look into Brooks, they look like very similar designs. and not ALL Brooks saddles are expensive...

VegaVixen

Thanks for mentioning this site! I've finally found some great women's form-fitting jerseys, in addition to some (hopefully) nice shorts!

WheresWaldo

+1 on Aerotech, I have there pro bibs, one of the best shorts I ever had.

Silver Litz

I have had good luck with Performance shorts, although the last year their Ultras have been sized oddly (get Larges instead of Mediums). I have gotten Ultras and Elites for around $40 on sale. You have to keep your eye out for their sales plus their 20% off coupons.