Bib question for small riders
 

The chamois on my current pair is getting pretty worn out and I am experiencing progressively worse chaffing even with tons of chamois cream. I am using some small Louis Garneau bibs right now and they fit well but I don't like how quickly the chamois wore out so I want to try another brand.

What bibs fit slim riders well and provide good support? I'm 5'8", 130 lbs, 32" inseam, 31" at the hipbones and I have a 28" waist.

btw how long do bibs usually last? I have roughly 2000 miles on mine and I figured that they should last longer.

I'm 5'7", 133lbs, 29" waist and I wear size medium Assos bibs (which fit great). I own four or five pairs now; the oldest are a few years old and still in great condition.

I'd love to try some Assos stuff but I should have mentioned that I'm nearly broke:p

I just bought books for this semester and the most that I can possibly spend is about $150. I really shouldn't be spending any money on hobbies at all right now but this is quite important.

These look nice and are guaranted to survive many washings:

http://www.babymallonline.com/catalo...ucts/00187.jpg

Try out some Nalini bibnicks and jerseys. They have an old fashioned chamois in them but its a good one and it just works. You can get some of the Nalini range in sizes down to euro 1 which is extra small. The Nalini lycra is thin and stretchy which I like however they are probably not the longest lasting brand out there due to the thin lycra.

Anthony

i wear some good ol performance brand shorts... guess what, they're pretty damn comfy and i can't really complain about them. did i mention they're cheap?

Those old-school Nalini chamois rip me to shreds with a seam right up the center. Otherwise I like Nalini's stuff - it was my team kit up until this season.

I tried on all of the performance brand shorts/bibs and none of them fit right^ The Nalini bottoms look interesting, is that seam only on the real chamois or do they use it on their synthetic as well?

Just browsing around I came across some Giordana stuff and the listed sizes seem like they run smaller than many brands. I'm leaning toward ordering these http://www.competitivecyclist.com/ro...900.163.0.html in a small but I'm pretty much right at the brink between small and medium.

You are probably stuck with the European brands, which are also more expensive. I have 25 lbs on you, but I have a 30" waist at 5'11" and I just tried to use a pair of PI Ultrasensors I bought once when I forgot bibs on a trip. They are made for guys with three butt cheeks (and weren't cheap). I have switched to Assos, but as you mention, they are costly. They run about $140 right now from Wiggle though.

I tried the Hammer bibs once, but wasn't thrilled. They are cut good and slim, but they just didn't strike me as a bib I want to wear for 5-6 hour rides.

Just wondering, how are you washing them? Gentle cycle and hang dry? I've had bad luck with the LG bibs too.

Yeah I use the hand wash cycle using cold water only and I hang them up to dry overnight. They were perfect for the first 1500 miles then after that they started to feel really rough.

I have the Descente bibs with Strata chamois. They are by far the most comfortable of all chamois I have tried, hi or low end. They run pretty true to US sizing. I am 5'10" and 165, and Large fits me just right. The oldest one probably has about 2000 miles on them and it still looks and feels great and I can see another 2000 miles in it with no problem. FWIW, my average ride is about 20 miles and I washed it everyone time after riding. So that's about 100 washes, and I use cold water, gentle cycle, and lay flat to dry.

OP...send me a PM if you're interested in a new pair of these. I have one I'd like to sell.

Giordana runs about a size smaller than PI or LG. I'd probably opt for the Tenax model; I have trouble with the silverline chamois after 40 miles or so. You might also think about Santini T-gel bibs; chainreactioncycles.com has them pretty cheap right now.

The seam certainly looks big and you wonder at first about it being in the middle but in use I don't feel the seam at all and thankfully it isn't a seam under your sitbones where it would be painful.

The Nalini chamois IS a synthetic chamois as opposed to modern pads which aren't chamois's at all even though we still call them that.

Anthony

I'm shorter than you, but am visualizing you as about my thin-ness (no ****). 5'5", 120 lbs, 28" waist. I love my Hincapie HC12 bibs. They're on ebay all the time and go for around 50 dollars. Many smalls are a little too big for me (PI especially), but these Hincapie's fit perfectly and the chamois is amazing. Give them a shot?

The answer to the problem lies in the post above and it is not Assos. Bibs, just like shoes, last many times longer if you have several pairs and rotate through them. Esquire magazine did a study on this in the 70s, when I was in college, and shoes last about 5 times longer than if you had 5 pairs of shoes and wore one pair until shot and then the next pair.

Don't ask about the science behind this, no idea.

I have almost the exact same measurements and wear a size medium/3 in Nalini bibs. I have Nalini bib tights and knickers and the mediums/3 fit really well.

+1. I think Giordana Tenax are the most under-appreciated brand around. Not that well known but well priced and the most comfortable brand I own, and I have most.

To the OP - from your description I would still go for a small in the Giordana although I wonder if the suspenders might be too short for you. The lycra is quite stretchy and gets more so with wear.