Best bang for buck bibs?
 

My PIs have finally disintegrated. Specifically, the chamois feels like a wet diaper after longer rides now. Not very nice.

I want to try bib shorts because everyone here and amongst my cycling buddies seems to swear by them.

I want something NICE but not necessarily $300 nice. I know PIs are decent, but I'm not too thrilled with them. I had been using their second-to-top of the line shorts before. I'd like something a litter nicer, but maybe not new top of the line Assos S5 nice. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Also, are team bibs from Voler usually pretty nice? I'm getting some from my team as well.

the volers are the best bib ive worn, but ive never spent more than 60 bucks on bibs before, so i dont have much to compare to, but my cat2 teammate says they are great, so ill say they are good.

it might depend on which model voler bib you get though. the suspender bib part soaks up alot of sweat, the chamois is really comfortable, even to walk around in. i wore mine from for about 7 hours saturday before getting on the bike at our teams crit and hardly noticed.

Santini. that's what my teams sporting.

I picked up some Assos F1.Unos on ebay for $135(w/ s+h). I have high hopes for them after the praise for them on BF. Figured I would try out the Unos for part of a season before committing to trying the the F.13 S2. Will report back on them eventually…

Don't know what size you wear. http://www.sierratradingpost.com/

What he said except I've spent over $100 on bibs.

Voler. I got a pair for $20 shipped on eBay. (New, of course.)

I wear a medium, does that matter too much in determining a quality bib?

If you don't mind wearing Hammer Nutrition advertising, then you can get Voler bibs for less than $50. Since more cyclists are becoming aware of this great value they have been frequently out of stock since I have started monitoring a year ago when I found out about it. Keep looking at the website and grab them when they are available.

http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HN...YCLING,Cycling

The new ones have a redesigned pad, Voler's top of the line Ion SL.

Enjoy. Get a sleeveless jersey to match.

I just rode my teams new Pactimo bibs for the first time on Saturday. Jury is still out. I was doing a FTP test and after the 20 min interval my butt was sore for the 45 min ride home aftewards. I was getting up alot to relieve pressure.

I think my butt got used to the Castelli Squadra team bibs that the teams ive been since 2000 have been buying.

On the other hand i think that Flyte Gel saddle on the Trek (my training mule) is ready to be replaced. My IF has an Fizik Alliente and its very nice.

Use the search feature, as this is one of the most common thread topics.

I sued to be a diehard Voler fan...until I put a pair of Sugoi RS Flex bibs on. They make the Volers feel like low-end Performance bibs.
I only wear the Volers for trainer work now.
Our team stuff is Hincapie and they are waaay better than the voler bibs too.

Many pairs of Assos over the years.
It's just one of those things, buy quality and it lasts.
With the constant washing/wearing they still hold up. And you get to ride in great fitting bibs.
Castelli's and Sugois have come and gone in a year... the assos are still in the wardrobe.

i'm a Capoforma fan. Bergamo makes the stuff in italy and for the price you can't do much better.

Do they Assos bibs actually hold up better and last longer so that you can partially or mostly justify the higher price? Which is the most cost effective model?

you decide.

F1:13 S2 - the best of the best.

the fabric is much better..more elasticity, more power, and of course more expensive.

leg seams and also the special V shaped flat stitching which "anchors" the chamois in place at the front.

chamois is amazing, less of it, but super shaping and work in the foam.
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F1: equipes - the next best.

same as above but with the thicker Mille chamois.

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Mille: shorter leg, thicker chamois, made for the long haul.

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F1: Uno - short leg, about 3 inches shorter (in Mediums) than the F1:13. Great short, but compared to the F1:13, a tad low tech.

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+1. Easily the best value in bibs. This is Voler's top of the line bib that you're getting for bottom of the barrel prices - you can't beat it.

My Assos bibs have at least 100 rides on them, and they're holding up excellent. A little more of a dark grey than a black these days... but I just bought another pair. It'll be tough to convince me otherwise.

See my above post - but absolutely. I hate riding in my other bibs, and they're falling apart, so much so that I hesitate to wear them outdoors. They feel twice as substantial as the Voler bibs, in my opinion.

It's a shame you can't get excellent-quality bibs at a decent price; the cost of materials is probably somewhere in the $5 range. But for the same money, you can have two pairs of Assos or four pairs of X bibs. The Assos will last longer, and you'll feel better riding them. I go with the Assos and lots of one-load-of-laundry days, myself.

+1 on Santini. Big fan of DeMarchi Contour Plus until I tried the Generation Plus Santini. Look on the web at Team Cycling Sales.

You would have to be an idiot to buy from Teamcycling.com

I think there was a thread similar to this fairly recent.

Giordana Silverlines were recommended by several people including me.

Once you go assos.... You're not coming back......

It's kinda like the feeling from going from:

platform....to....clipless

shorts....to....bibs

one girl....to....two girls..... :)

I'll have to disagree, but still support your theory...2 girls isn't bad for a night or two, but it's not something I would want to deal with over the long haul. Kind of like cheap bibs.

Instead, find a good partner who's always good to you. Go Assos, you will not be sorry.

Ditto on the capoforma. Supercomfortable. Feels more like another layer of skin than a bib.