Paying $100+ for shorts...
 

Is pretty dumb imo. Sure, they're wicked cool sometimes (especially in winter) but I think that's money better spent on a good mess bag or backpack.

Anyway I was browsing through online mil surplus like I often do, and I found these shorts: http://www.armynavydeals.com/asp/pro...?SKU=8361&ST=2
and they seem to be a pretty good deal.

Edit: I don't see how they're that different from these shorts: http://www.chromebags.com/products/apparel/show/44/
http://www.swobo.com/product_m.aspx?...=SWB09014&pn=1
http://www.hypnoticdesigns.com/'06hankster.html
http://www.swrvestore.com/servlet/Detail?no=37
http://www.portlandcyclewear.com/messengerpant.html
Any thoughts?

Ugly¿

capri pants look great... on my wife.

Must.... refrain ..... from ..... saying ....."I look great... on your..."

Ahhh.

But I don't get the knickers / capri thing either. I know it has come from rolling the pant leg up. But isn't the point so you can have pants when you want them and be able to still ride?

I prefer rolled up dickies so I can roll them down post commute and still psuedo fit in with the guys in suit pants at the office. They are cheap and impossible to ruin.

heh.

Levi's 511 or bust.

I agree with you, I just wear my 527 boot cuts or cargo pants. But all I'm saying is if you're going to wear knickers/capris/manpris/long shorts, why pay 100+ when you can pay 30?

It's got a chamois pad in it and the material is probably more breathable.. but still not worth 100+ IMO.

Specialized equipment and gear make's buying the proper gear easier so you don't have to think about the reasons for having certain features in the product. You pay a premium for that.

I agree the fancy knickers are crazy over-priced. But the shorts in the link are military knockoff, 100% cotton. I absolutely love my cutoff cargo trousers (though not for winter -- why not use the whole version when it's cold?), but the quick-dry synthetic blend fabric is part of the magic. You can find them relatively cheap (under $30) and cut/hem (or even skip the hem -- they're rip-stop) and still come out on top. Er, ahead. (just heading off more wife jokes)

I see. Well I'll be sticking to my Levi's anyway.

But the wife jokes are why I come to BFSSFG

That and the down sloping saddles to make fun of...

the only advantage some of these pants have, in my opinion, is the water proof/resistant fabric and chamois pad. i wouldn't pay retail for any of these, though.

Yeah but the Chrome knickers have such cool pics...

this is what you pay for...

Three quarter length technical cycling knickers. 4-way stretch, mid-weight, highly wind resistant, and breathable. Water resistant and quick drying. Feels like a fresh pair of Dickies except a little lighter, softer and super stretchy. Cut higher in the back and lower in the front. Features include cargo pockets, articulated knees, zippered fly, belt loops, lightly padded moisture wicking chamois seat. Lifetime guarantee against defects. Made in San Francisco, USA.

Haha, they feel a little lighter because they are missing 1/4 of the pants at the bottom!

Also.. a nice pair of dickies out of the washer machine feel the same way :)

You are right.. those photos of the chrome pants in action look great on the people modeling them, the other stores... not so much, kinda reminds me of Eddie Bauer clothing but for a different generation.

for serious.

I think there should be a rule about bashing on lycra. Honestly, if you've ever put on a pair and rode, hell, down the block and back you'd be sold for life.

You can wear 'em under your normal pants if you'd like. Sh*t, if I had the cash, I'd buy 7 pairs and wear them everyday, even if I'm not riding. Cycling shorts are the single most comfortable piece of apparel anyone can own.

edit: The Swrve pants are fantastic. I've got three pairs, one in Schoeller Dynamic, cotton, and wool. Fair warning though, these are cut slim, so order a size or two up if you've got big thighs.

The cheap (shorts) ... aren't that comfortable. However my $150 tights are ****ign comfortable as hell.

Agreed. I don't think anyone is bashing lycra in this thread though. I've got a pair of fox lycra / armored shorts I've had for 5 years still going strong but some of those pants look like dickies cut off with a chamois pad sewn in.

In fact.. that sounds like a great idea I could make my own cycling pants on the cheap (dickies, chamois, etc..) . I helped a friend move who has a sewing machine and is great with that kind of stuff.... they owe me a favor :D

BDU's are very comfortable, but the thing you have to ask is if there are seams on the seat of them.

Well, I own several pairs of those, and find them very comfy to ride. Dunno about the fashionability - as I am 36, married, and probably a foot taller, a foot wider, and 100lbs heavier than most people on here. ;)

They do have seams in the crotch, but they are flat, and there is a gusset of sorts, which makes them ok on a saddle. They are cut a bit higher in the back normally, and have a fairly low rise for being loose fitting.

I do usually wear padded lycra shorts under my "tactical capris". I've ridden plenty in jeans too - but anything longer than a few blocks to get beer gets a bit uncomfortable for me, plus it exposes my sexy derriere - which sucks in cold weather. And jeans SUCK in wet weather in general. These seem to dry fairly quickly for cotton, and the fabric has a rip-stop weave. They literally are short BDU's.

I also like riding in cutoff Dickie's, Ben Davis, and in some pegged and hemmed western Levi's slacks I got at a cowboy store. :)

+1.

Slim enough so that you never have to worry about them catching in your chain but not super tight. At least on me, they don't look like skinny jeans at all but I guess they fit everyone differently.

I'll pay you $100+ if you stop jabbering about goddamned shorts.

How much to stop jabbering about skinny jeans?