Bibs or shorts?
 

So I have never even tried on a bib. I was looking to buy a couple new pairs of shorts and was suggested to try bibs. Do you guys love them? Hate them? Would love to hear some considerations before I purchase.

Definitely bibs for me. Way more comfortable without the waist band digging in.

Bibs for sure. The stay in place, whereas shorts sometimes roll down due to the constant shifting of getting in and out of the saddle and from repositioning between the hoods and drops.

Black Bibs Plus is a good mix of quality and price. They come in regular, tall, and regular with short inseam.

An (ancient) way to get the benefits of bibs at lower cost and far more convenience. Clip-on suspenders. They'll get you laughed out of forums but they do the same job of keeping the chamois snugly fitted to you. They also stretch out the waistband so it isn't very many rides until you get bib-like waist comfort. And every time you have to do sit down "business", wow! are suspenders a huge plus. The same model as shorts instead of bibs is typically $10-20 cheaper so the suspenders quickly pay for themselves. And down the road, suspenders are far easier to correct for the inevitable stretch that both suspenders and bibs get.

I've been using suspenders now 44 years. They work. Bought one pair of very good bibs. They have lots of life left but I haven't sat down and resewn the bib straps tighter so they now fit like a pair of old suspendered shorts with the straps too loose.

Ben

Ben, dont the clips of the suspenders dig into your skin when riding?

I have a reasonably aggressive riding position and i cant imagine clips at around the waistline of shorts.

Or tear the fabric? The suspenders I’ve seen have pretty sharp alligator clips. Works fine for jeans or slacks but I can’t imagine Lycra would hold up too well.

I notice it sitting in chairs, but never riding. In my racing days, I always looked in shop windows to see ow close to horizontal my back was. No longer that limber but I still ride aggressively set up bikes,, especially my fix gears. Now I do not have a large belly. Never had.

I've stitched on patches a few times over the years (on shorts I really like that have gone a long ways) but it isn't a big issue. I've had good luck with the rainbow strapped suspenders popular a few years ago. Clips work well and don't eat shorts.

I've been wearing suspenders off and on for 40+ years as well, and as long as they fit well, I have no problem with them, either. In fact, up until a few years ago, I never even knew bibs existed........LOL. I still haven't tried a pair of bibs, but I will some day.

Learn something new everyday.... thanks for that, Jim & Ben.

I switch between bibs and shorts. Doesn't matter to me. As long as they fit and the pad is comfortable I'll wear 'em.

Only problem with some bibs is pee stops. My inexpensive Spotti bibs have the stretchiest suspenders, easy to pull down, returns to snug support.

I prefer regular shorts over bibs...

Bibs are good for preventing that annoying gap between your shorts and the back of your shirt. However, they make it a real chore to take a "pit stop" and if they shrink a little, they start to pull on the crotch area when not on the bike. :eek:

Bibs are all I wear. Have shorts just don't like them

NOT BIBS

NOT SHORTS

Bibs > not bibs.

Bibs. I switched to bibs within a year of starting to ride and never looked back. Much more comfortable.

it makes peeing while out on the road more interesting but bibs are so much better, everything stays where it is supposed to.

Bibs

That you hear "once I tried on bibs, I never went back," much, much more frequently than, "I tried bibs and went back to shorts" should be telling.

Beat me to it.

Once you go bibs you never go back--if you are a serious cyclist anyway.

I've never tried bibs yet. My son pretty much only uses bibs. The thing that holds me back the most is the thought of having that little extra material coming up the waist and many times the straps seem wide and their material thick. So I'm concerned with them retaining more heat in my body. I frequently ride in 95°F temps and more. And when for a week or so the temps get over 100°F I am still riding. So I want to get rid of any heat I produce quickly.

So if any of you bib users can add some comments about that, I'd be interested, hopefully the OP too.

I've never had an issue with the straps. I wear Sugoi RS Pro, not cheap but very comfortable.I have a bit of a gut so they hold me in.

https://us-store.sugoi.com/collectio...-pro-bib-short

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/06...ffbd0_x600.png

You could ask your son.

Bibs. In my case Assos. On deep sale of course.

I have. Since he's mostly only worn bibs, I'm not sure if he has the experiences to fully satisfy me about such.

I could try a pair of his, but then I have to get over the thought of how they, like bike shorts are used without undergarment. I suppose I could wash them fifty times before using. <grin>