Explain bibs to me
 

Ok, I've always liked cycling shorts. Gone through so many pairs over the years. I have never tried a bib.

Top 3 advantages?
Top 3 disadvantages?

I'm thinking good fit but more heat. More compression but shoulder rub. My current Descente shorts are wearing out too fast (plus I'm shrinking and need a smaller size) and I was wondering what the bib hype is about?

the pros wear them.

No elastic waistband, so less pressure around your waist.

Harder to take a dump.

If you have a belly, they don't roll

Advantage- There skin tight.

I think you will find a lot of fans of bib shorts, but I am not one of them. Maybe I haven't given them a chance. Four years ago when I took up cycling I was trying to buy accessories on the cheap in case this new cycling hobby didn't work out. I bought cheap bibs. The shoulder straps were annoying, they were hot and when I need to use the bathroom, they were much harder to deal with.

Now that I am completely addicted to cycling and it is clear that I will ride until I take my last breath, maybe I should consider higher quality bibs, but I don't really have a problem with shorts and they are cheaper.

Pros
No exposed butt crack
No waste band
Chamois stays put

Cons

Hot
Should straps dig into shoulders
Undressing to take a dump

Pros
No uncomfortable elastic band
Stays put better than shorts
Sweat wicking abilities?
Makes you look skinnier, keeps your gut tucked in
Extra pocket? One of mine has an mp3 player pocket at the top/back

Cons
More expensive
More difficult to pee
Feels weird (at first)
Looks weird to non cyclists (especially with jersey unzipped)

This is a con. Here are some solutions:

Get full zip jerseys so you can stay safe and dump with your helmet on.
Add more fiber to your diet, so you have to dump less often (you wipe less too!)
Get up early enough before your ride to drink a big mug of coffee and get your dumping(s) over with BEFORE you ride.

I don't even notice my shoulder straps. Youclaim that you are shrinking, so you may not be able to take advantage of the "girdle effect" that bibs provide for us fat guys.

I was reading something about bibs here a year or so ago and one guy said his kids called him 'wrestler man' when he had his bibs on and 'diaper man' when he just had shorts on. YMMV or 'Your kids might be nicer.'

lets go through these cons.

hot- a good quality bib strap should not affect body temp.
digs into shoulders- buy the right size/get better quality.
poop- go before you leave the house.
pee- same as above/ everyone knows pro's pee out the leg hole.

I guess you can avoid farmer tan too. LOL. I'm kidding.

Good points, most obvious and I should have thought harder. Yeah, I don't have a butt crack problem (yet) and would have to find something outstanding fitting and priced right to make the switch I think.

more comfortable trumps anything about pooping issues or how you look to non cyclists to me.

More comfortable is my only reason, beyond that I cannot rationalize. It's like jazz, if you have to ask...:p

Fixed.

Pro--comfort
Con-- with a heart rate monitor strap, it kind of looks like wearing a bra.

Haha, it's always weird seeing guys wear just a bib. I'm also not a fan of the bibs with a white t-shirt.

I'm pretty sure it's designed as a race radio pocket. But there's nothing to stop you from using it for anything else :)

I've always been a big fan of bibs...but now I'm thinking I'm gonna get me some Bibbities!

http://www.kiddopotamus.com/images/p_bib_features5.jpg

Another pro is that the word "bibs" is shorter than the word "shorts." When making your checklist of items to bring on a vacation or some trip, you can get ready a bit more quickly. Even if you do not make checklists, I submit that you will pack more quickly because bibs are less likely to be confused with jerseys when pulling items out of the drawer or off the shelf in preparation for departure. You might suggest that this point is pointless/worthless. Well, if you can afford to miss a flight because it took you too long to pack or get ready, then, I guess you should keep wearing shorts. Bon chance.

hot- a good quality bib strap should not affect body temp. - they do. It is hard to cheat laws of physics. But not much for high quality as you noticed.

digs into shoulders- buy the right size/get better quality. - correct

poop- go before you leave the house.
pee- same as above/ everyone knows pro's pee out the leg hole.

Well on short rides I do not care. On long rides I just wear them over jersey, problems solved. I do get weird looks once in a while but I could care less. I am not a pro, never will be so I do not give a fly how they deal with nature calls.

One of the major advantage I find in bibs is they do not get caught by saddle tip. Used to happen all the time when I wore regular cycling shorts.

If you get the right bibs, there is the odd combination of both support and freedom for the family jewels. Plus it's much better on the stomach, especially on longer rides where you are eating/drinking calories. Some stuff seems hard enough to keep down without a piece of elastic digging into my waist.

A bicycle seat is not like a car seat or motorcycle seat. The bike seat fits up in your crotch. So the comfort you get is from the seat surface flexing and the padded insert in the cycling shorts. Bibs keep the insert in place much better than standard shorts do. They also don't have elastic on the waist which really gets uncomfortable in a cycling position.

The pros and serious amateurs all wear them for a reason. I went over to bibs when I got back into cycling 5+ years ago. I don't wear cycling shorts anymore, just racing bibs.

Exactly.

I prefer shorts for all the reasons listed. Never noticed the waistband. I wear team bibs for racing. If jerseys weren't cut so short now, there wouldn't be a butt crack problem.

Performance bibs can be around the same price as good quality shorts. I picked up my Elite's for $70. I've had them a little over a month and have used them 5 times for 50+ mile rides. I have not ridden my PI PROs since I bought the bibs but am thinking of using them for my ride tomorrow to see if I am officially a convert.

Pros(repeat of above)
Slimming

Cons
none that I can find yet

I spend more time riding than pooping, so it makes sense to use bibs.