Bibs...there is a reason they are the most popular form of technical clothing for cycling. They work.

There is also a reason why ultra high end shorts are not the norm....because there is little to no demand....because they suck.

This is akin to a non-initiate to our sport asking "why the goofy lycra shorts...." - they ask because they don't know and they don't know because they don't have a clue and/or have never experienced it and yet apart from the occasional sadist who refuses to wear shorts with a chamois...everyone who rides uses them....for a reason.

Pretty much agree with everything except the overheat, strap dig and chamois moving problems. Get a good bib and none of that happens. I only use Assos F.I. 13 S5 now and they rock. I do use shorts for the trainer where overheating might become an issue. I also agree with using a full zip jersey. GL

You can wear bibs around the house with no shirt and chase your wife (girlfriend, kids, dogs, etc.) around like a wrestler. This is both a pro and a con, depending on whether I'm trying to amuse my wife or trying to romance her. She usually finds my attempts at romance to be amusing, so it's a fine line.

very funny response. I like bibs for all the reasons mentioned. I find them to more supportive of the boys, especially if you get better designed bibs. This is important to me, since I have problems in this area. As for peeing, you often can get bibs that come down low enough so that you can whip your stuff out.

That's pretty funny. My summer post-ride routine usually involves removal of jersey and several minutes of parading around in my bibs.

My wife always says the same thing - "sexy." Apparently, all bib romance is lost on her.

I've never needed to take a dump when cycling. But I find bibs are superior to shorts because of comfort.

Sure, I'll just go drop $100 on a lycra experiment that can't honestly be resold if it fails. Yeah, I'll get right on that.

OR... I'll ask the opinions of some people that I trust online and make a decision from there. The suggestions offered by the helpful have made me think about looking into a bib short. And hopefully this has answered or will answer some other people's question(s) about bibs as well.

Gone are my days of buying three things and keeping one. I have less impact on the planet and my wallet stays firmly closed.

That's kind-of funny.

Nice.

Bibs are not for everyone.

I, for one, don't wear them. I have a long torso and the discomfort from the shoulderstraps far and away exceeds the discomfort from the waistband.

I ride bibs for longer rides and shorts for rides under about an hour. For me the pros and cons of bibs are:

Pros:
More comfortable and better supporting than shorts

Cons:
Slightly more hassle to put on. It's enough of a performace getting ready for a road bike ride without adding more.
Slightly harder to take a pee.
Hotter. As someone said, you can't beat the laws of physics. It's not so much the straps as the extra fabric over your stomach and back. But, hey, if you're one of those people who like a baselayer even in the hottest weather, then there's an extra one for you. And if not, you can get summer bibs with low cut backs and front like the Castelli Free / Aero Race which solve that problem.

Well, I still haven't seen any convincing "pros." If the most you can say in favor of bibs is "the pros wear them," then are you just emulating the pros? I have a pair, they're ok, maybe they hide my gut better than shorts, but they're a pain if you have to poop unless you have the sack to ask a woman how she takes off her bra without removing her blouse - it's the same technique. Come to think of it, that image is always kind of fun. Anyway, I'll stick with shorts.

duh.

and you don't know how to do that? of course someone who wears shorts wouldn't know.

Unless you're a chick, you're doing it wrong.

Not really. Some people are giving non-smart ass responses that actually contribute. They usually do as such in other threads and I respect their opinion.

Comfort isn't a convincing "pro"? As always, YMMV.

'TO EACH HIS OWN' is what I always say. :thumb:

1. They stay in place.
2. See #1, because it's a lot more important than people realize.

The whole point of cycling shorts is to keep a layer of fabric as close to the skin as possible, and as much of the time as possible. But, even good shorts have the chance to sag, letting the nose of the saddle hook the chamois and the crotch to get loose and cause chafing.

Bibs don't have that problem.

The extra step required to poop is hardly a con because you're going to have both privacy and time to do what you need no matter what you're wearing. That is, unless you're in a speed-pooping contest, which I've never heard of.

Provided they fit, and there are some brands for extra-tall torsos, too, there aren't any real reasons to not wear bibs.

There are no cons. If you don't like bibs, then you're doing it wrong.

IF you have an REI store nearby, you can buy some bibs there and try then to see if you like them, and if you don't you can return them for a refund no questions asked. They have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Even if they have been used or worn. I returned some cycling shorts after a couple of months because the thread was coming apart and they damaged them out and gave me a new pair, but I had the option of getting a refund if I wanted.
The REI Guarantee

Our 100% satisfaction guarantee ensures that every item you purchase at REI meets your high standards—or you can return it for a replacement or refund.

I live in Canada. I'm going to MEC today to try on some Castelli bibs. Don't see me being wowed though.

swack (sweaty back) is my mortal enemy.

Bibs are way more comfortable, no need to worry about showing off your tramp stamp or beer gut do to the infamous gap that seems to form between shorts and jersey's.

As far as taking a dump, in 14 years of doing this I can't think of one time i've ever taken a dump while on a ride. However if your hopping off the bike and doing some running in them that could be a different story.

I switched to bibs a month ago before my annual week-long ride in the Colorado mountains. Wow, had I know they were going to be that comfortable I would have switched years ago. They rock. The bathroom issues, even on all-day rides, aren't a big deal. Buy full-zip jerseys.

It's hotter than satan's jock where I live and the bibs aren't too hot for me, so I think that's a non-issue.

The only real negative I can come up with is price, but frankly comfort is worth it.

A version of other replies, bibs stay in place better. I don't care if anyone sees my straps with jersey unzipped - I think it looks cool. Plumber's Butt = not cool.

And the inconvenience of having to remove the straps is mitigated my full-zip jerseys. It becomes trivial to remove the jersey and therefore not a big deal to go to the bathroom. And as I said before, if you need to remove the jersey and straps to pee, you are doing it wrong.

That said, some people still don't like them. To each his/her own, but it's one of those you at least have to try to understand. I didn't "get" them either until I tried them, now I can never go back.

Bibs have straps shorts don't...bibs are much more comfortable

/thread

Like others have said, it's whatever works best for you. Shorts are comfortable to me and I haven't had the experiences with saddle hook that have been mentioned. But the one pair of bibs I own is a budget version from Performance so they may not provide a good comparison to my PI Pro shorts. There have been enough comments in this thread about comfort to make me wonder if I've been missing something so I'll try a better pair of bibs and see.

What's the point of a Ferrari? I drove a Miata once but I didn't think it was that special, so I don't understand why people like sports cars.

This is what I tell women who won't try bibs because they think it's too complicated when they have to pee. Full-zip jerseys.

I was never bothered by shorts until I tried bibs. Now I notice how uncomfortable shorts really are. Bibs are superior, but I never would have known had I never tried them.

I won't try bibs because unless you are lightly blessed, straps would just be an annoyance to have to deal with as a woman. I think there is a reason why you see very few bibs for women. Women who race/are professional cyclists are likely thin enough and have small enough boobs that a strap would not be a problem.

It really comes down to preference. I never notice the band in my shorts, and since I ditched my PI shorts (100 buck diapers, those are) and switched to voler shorts, I do not have chamois hook on my saddle. No crack revealing here, because my shorts go high enough that my crack would have to be at the small of my back.