seymour1910

I do the exact same thing. My $50 bibs are great for my shorter training rides. When I'm going to be on the bike for a few hours, I have bibs for that too.

Dunbar

Pearl Izumi Elite and Pro bibs can be had for $80-90 in the winter. I always wait until January when Amazon runs a big sale on Pearl Izumi clothing. Stocked up on 4 pairs of Elites during the last sale.

mx22

Would you use those LG's for rides (if we can even call exercises on static spinners as that) of 1.5-2 hours?

So far I've tried Sugoi mountain biking shorts and an old pair of Castelli Podium bibs (some strange chamois is there, it's not even their Kiss3 pad - Castelli Podium Collection - Mortirolo Bib Short - Men's | Competitive Cyclist). Neither stood up to the task so far...

For people who have Performance Ultra's - which version of them are we talking about (Ultra, Ultra Max or Ultra SL)? And are they comfortable for around 2 hour rides?

Thank You!

seymour1910

Yes, the Pro Feel 2 work for me on two hour rides...if I'm going to be out for three or more, I use something else though.

The longest ride I attempted was a 50 miler in the pro feel 2. I did a lot of standing over the last 10-12 miles.

kansukee

+1! My first 4 pairs were their $60 black versions and that was almost 2 1/2 years ago, still going strong (and I wash them every time after I ride). I also bought 3 LG with the red pad, forgot the model but I paid $75 for them and those are what I wear on longer rides. There's no need to spend $200 or more on bibs, imo.

Vicegrip

Standard ultra in my experience. if you look closely the upgrade performance is all in the printing of the cloth not the build. I have 4 pair of ultra bibs and they are great for the money. I ride 2X a day every day with long 80+ mile rides some days and weekends. also have PI, LG and the new assos The assos might have a slight edge for long rides but I don't hesitate to wear the LG or performance on a long ride ether. Only set I did not like was a basic grade PI set. The performance ultra straps seem to get a bit longer after a couple hundred wear/wash cycles but they still fit and function just fine (for me YMMV)

MagicHour

I got a pair of Performance Ultra SLs this season. Great bibs, remain very comfy on 4-5 hour rides. You can get these for ~$79 I think if you hit a sale or coupon, and they still have sizes in stock.

bikerjp

What's "AJ"?

CuriousGeorge

Check out Voler. They have great stuff and its all made in USA

loimpact

Out of curiosity........what can they do to the chamois that really makes much of a difference?? IOW, I get that the more expensive shorts can have more tech in the fabric, cuffs, etc. but what can you do besides add *more chamois* to make it better???

(FWiW, I wear Performance's middle-line with the gel padding which is mostly good but somebody recently called my shorts "cheap" and suggested I buy some $100 Cannondales w/ *better chamois*)

bruce19

Different materials, size, shape for starters. I guarantee you the chamois in my Assos is different/better than the chamois in my PI Pros. "Better" meaning how it works for me.

mx22

Just went ahead and purchased 2 pairs of LG Pro Feel bibs - $80 shipped for 2 pairs, just can't beat that price...

Chamois difference - I don't have much experience with different companies/chamois, but from a few bibs/shorts that I have I can say that top of the line Castelli chamois (Progetto X2)is better then cheap Castelli (difference is felt as soon as I get on the bike) and cheap Castelli (AC chamois) is a bit better then cheap MTB Sugoi shorts I bought on sale at LBS (not by a huge margin, but enough to feel the difference right away and night and day after about an hour of riding on it).

bikerjp

Better chamois generally use variable density materials to optimize fit/comfort. They breathe better and are often shaped to fit the body better. Not everyone notices "better" so it may or may not matter to you. For example, many people say the performance bibs are pretty nice. I bought a pair, rode once and returned. I thought they were horrible and I bought the more expensive ones. My De Marchi have a chamois similar to Assos (same maker as I understand) and it is really nice. It's fairly thin and I forget all about it once on the bike. The rest of the bibs are not as comfortable as my PI though so finding a good chamois and good fitting bib is sort of the holy grail of cycling. Someday I may have to give Assos a try. If I could have scored a pair for $85 it might have been worth it but I'd rather try a mid-upper line like the new Cento S7 but not for $350 - that's insane.

EdgewaterDude

Sounds like I need more than 1 pair of bibs.

I do, however, have a pair of the Performance brand winter tights. I'm not sure how high up the chain they are, but I have done a 200K in those no worse for wear than when I started the ride.

WEK

I second the Aerotech recommendation. Surprisingly high-quality bib shorts for such a low price point. Comfortable, durable, and available in plain black.

nesdog

Got some Performance Ultra's on super sale for half price a month ago. They are probably getting relegated to trainer sessions though. I used to like the Ultra line but this time I found the pad to be abrasive.
Back to my Sugoi's....

bri114

Performance.