el forestero

Thanks for the advice, folks. I'll check into some chamois cream and better bibs and have another look at my saddle to see how things might be better adjusted.

guadzilla

Up to 2 hours, I am happy with mid-range Castelli/Giordana/Sportful stuff. But once we start getting into 3 hours or longer rides, I definitely prefer higher-end bibs - Assos are my favorite, but La Passione is very good as well, as is the higher-end Castelli range. It is money well spent, IMO.

ZHVelo

How so, what difference do you feel after 3 hours?

guadzilla

I just feel more comfortable on the saddle. Less fidgety, less aware of the saddle, less need to shift around.

ZHVelo

And that is because of superior padding or hard to say?

PoorInRichfield

FWIW... I've been buying inexpensive shorts on eBay straight from China and thought they were a good deal. They look good enough, fit OK, and last long enough... especially for the price. However, I'm learning that the padding in their shorts can be hit-or-miss. In particular, I am going to stay far away from any type of gel padding in shorts. I've found that what I thought was pain caused by a bad fitting saddle is actually pain caused by the gel pads in my shorts that are too thick and not in the right places. My low-end Pearl Izumi shorts that seemingly have a cheap, flat pad are actually more comfortable than the gel pad shorts. In addition, the gel eventually dries-up even when being washed in cold water, making the shorts worse than not wearing padded shorts at all. I do have some eBay shorts that don't have gel pads and they're reasonably comfortable, but I'm finding that most of the off shore manufacturers are pushing the gel padding as though it's a great idea.

I have mental issues with paying $100+ for shorts as I used to work for a large retailer and I know about what clothing actually costs to manufacture (and it's not much). However, price aside, I'm learning that higher-priced shorts do typically perform better.

guadzilla

I havent done rigorous A/B testing, but i am pretty confident it is the pads.

ZHVelo

Interesting, makes me think if I should invest in a top end model myself to see if I also feel better.

TMonk

I ride whatever is free (racing sponsor) most often which is generally mid to low end stuff. Pactimo last few years and for the foreseeable future. I purchase some extras and lately I've been enjoying The Black Bibs b/c they're cheap. The mid-level ones have some nice features like silicone leg grippers and are also $60 last I checked.

A good slather of vasoline or chamois butter makes inferior chamois more tolerable IME.

eduskator

Yes, yes yes and yes! Never go cheap on shorts. Your butt will thank me later.

Iride01 

Never hurts to try.

a1penguin

Shorts make a big difference. My daily rides are generall 30-40 miles and all shorts do well for this. But I ride two or three metric centuries a month and after 80 km in the saddle, I sometimes stat feeling uncomfortable. I only buy high end shorts and the Performance Elite from five years ago were terrific shorts. I purchased some bibs for $40 for The Black Bibs. The padding is pretty nice, but a bit large in diameter (I am female, so males might be different) and the size I usually order, XL, might fit a bit better if they were "taller" by an inch. Earlier this spring I purchased a pair of "sample" bibs from Voler. They were like new and were the top of the line bibs and chamois for a mere $30. THEY ARE TERRIFIC! I ordered two more in my size before they ran out. I learned that cheap Jerseys and socks may wear out quickly, but they don't affect your ride. The same is not true for shorts. When you find a pari of shorts/bibs that you really like, be shore to stock up on them! Because they may change from year to year and be different.

Gp333

YES. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to some nice shorts/bibs. Tons of great brands out there for every budget. Do a bit of research and find the right one for you.

Princess_Allez

I felt the same way about shorts: more than a bill is a lot; heck, even a bill is a lot. I rationalized that if the shorts last years upon years and provide greater comfort, then in the end it's worth it. I gave Assos a shot and haven't looked back.

guadzilla

The more i ride in them, the more impressed I am by La Passione. I think their bibs are better than the Assos "entry level" bibs.

jad3675

Like a lot of people in this thread, I got by with amazon sourced, chinese made shorts for quite a while. Some brands like Santic and Przewalski were 'ok.' A few month ago I switched to italian made bibs from Santini and Ale and couldn't be happier. Much more comfortable and if you buy when they're on sale not much more than amazon sourced gear.

John

Princess_Allez

I nearly tried out La Passione during their summer sale. I did a quick google search and a bunch of unhappy customers popped up. It seems they don't warranty anything. It isn't written anywhere on the website that there is a warranty outside of Italy. I made a comment about this on their fb page and they replied stating otherwise. That they do warranty items. I wasn't willing to find out.

guadzilla

Ah, that's a shame! So far, I havent needed the warranty, but i only have 1 pair - that said, i do plan to get a few more. Hopefully, wont need any warranty or if i do, they will do the right thing.

HeyItsSara

should I be embarrassed to admit that I only buy fancy shorts for spin class?

guadzilla

You should be more embarrassed to admit to going to spin class...

Actually, jokes apart, indoor trainer rides is where i feel i need the most padding. I can never seem to get comfy on the saddle indoors.

samkl 

High price doesn't mean high comfort, and what works for others might not work for you. YMMV.

That said, when I got into randonneuring I noticed a lot of experienced riders using Voler bibs. So I tried a pair, found them very comfortable, and soon ditched everything all my other fancy bibs. Voler uses a thinner chamois than, say, the Pearl Izumi PRO bibs (which is thick and bulky and horrible), and it's much more comfortable. Now I pretty much only use Voler bibs on rides of 100+ miles.