dgasmd

I am curious to see if anyone here that has used both could give some real world insight as tot he differences in fit and feel. I have been using the S5 top of the line since they came out, but as I considered to add a couple of more, I noticed the S7 line came out. I presume the 3 new S7 bibs correlate in price with thee previous 3 S5 models, but there is a $100 or so difference in price between the new top S7 and the top S5!!

datlas 

You are really asking about the KuKu Penthouse, right??

dgasmd

Seriously?? Not a single person in this forum has tried them??

Silvercivic27

Nope, but I did just buy a pair of the S5s off chainlove for $220, so I finally paid about what they're worth. The people I know who have stuck their Kuku in the penthouse have said it's the best bib shorts they've tried, but they're probably just trying to convince and brainwash themselves into thinking it was "worth it". That's what always happens with insanely expensive things.

UnfilteredDregs

Ha! funny that this post is here...I'm looking for 100 mile bibs...and Others keep telling me the Assos are the bee's knees.

CALE262

I've been riding S5s for quite a while now... Bought some S7s last week, only one ride in them so far...not ready to say if I like them better than the 5s but they are certainly much different than any other bib I've worn in the last 25yrs.

mn_voyageur

I am ready to try a pair of Assos bibs. A friend swears by the T.cento S7. (He bought two (2) pairs!) I just have a hard time spending the money on one pair!

Which S5 is for the long rides?

Thanks,
MarkN

datlas 

I am happy with the bottom of the line S5 Uno. But fit and comfort are highly individual and variable.

gsa103

I Have the S5 F1.13 and its excellent for longer rides. The padding is generous. If you like thick padding the Mille is supposed to be even thicker. Either the Mille or the F1.13 have the shaped chamois that is definitely worth getting. It fits much better on and off the bike.

smoke

i needed some new bibs and just bought a pair of the S7 cento. put 3.5 hours in them today. doing some serious hill climbing tomorrow. gimme a day or two and i'll write a lengthy review of them

WalksOn2Wheels

I bought the S5 Mille last summer and they were great. I thought the padding was a little thick, and it did tend to bunch in areas, though part of that was all the miles I put in resulted in the shorts becoming too big. I still wore them through the winter for commuting and they continued to be comfortable.

I bought a pair of the S7 Equipe a couple of months ago and they have been awesome. For one: I got the right size, and two: the pad is much more anatomically shaped and a bit thinner than the S5 (in my opinion, I don't know what the exact measurements are supposed to be). If you look at the website, you can sort of see how they've shaped the front of the pad to provide a bit of a "cup" for your family jewels. Sort of the "kuku penthouse" (cock sock) except less ridiculous and less expensive. It also has the "golden gate" tech where the sides of the pad are not sewn to the shorts, reducing bunching and allowing the pad to move against the fabric which also reduces friction on your inner thigh. And it's pretty awesome.

If I had the money, I would by two more pairs of S7 Equipes.

smoke

okay, well, i'll start out with what ya don't get. what you don't get is the little nylon mesh bag and the cleaning agent. that doesn't really matter to me; i don't wash my bibs in those bags, and the blue stuff is nothing more to me than laundry detergent. but some of you may like that stuff and be kinda upset about those things no longer being included. what you do get is a nifty booklet about assos and all their stuff. i mean, it's a nice book to read - once. you can see that when they killed the idea of including something you could actually use, the marketing department seized on this to put their book in the box. it's a nice booklet; you can tell marketing spent a lot of time and effort on it. it's also useless. what's worse; there's only one picture of that cute chick. HEY ASSOS - YOU LISTENING? KILL THE BOOKLET AND TAKE $10 OFF THE PRICE

now to the S7 cento bibs. first, i think they run a tad bit small when compared to the S5 milles. not a lot, but some. if you're right in the middle of a size, stick with it. but if you're borderline medium/large, i think you probably should go up to the large instead of down to the medium

second, this is a different feel. i mean, by a lot. there's a ton of stuff down in these bibs. and the padding doesn't hit me in the same place as the S5 does. it feels to me like the actual padding sits slightly further back on the new bib. this means that the bit of support i used to get up around the boys is no longer there. my first thought was that it was a smaller pad, but i compared and it's the same; i'm just convinced it's been moved slightly back. the Kuku Penthouse is different, too. on the S5, you still have foam padding forward of the main pad, it's just a lot thinner. it kinda forms a cup for your johnson and provides a small bit of padding under the boys (i'm gonna form a rock band one day and call it Johnson and the Boys). that ain't there now. the 'pouch' kinda shape is still built in, but nothing provides it a bit of structure. all you have between the boys and your saddle is one or two really thin pieces of stretchy material. believe me, if you've been on S5 for a while, it's an odd feeling.

first ride - 4 hours in the saddle. i didn't like these. not much at all. i was on and off constantly the first 45 minutes trying to get them adjusted and in the right place. just a constant irritation. leg grippers are different. they work fine, i just prefer the old ones. but this is a non-issue. the new strap location is also noticeable, but again, not a big deal. more compression than the S5 has; i like that. not a ton, but noticeable, and that's better, in my opinion. they talk about something they did in the rear called RearTerminal. i have no idea what it's about, and didn't notice anything different in the back of the bib. i don't ride laying flat on my back, so i don't know what the difference is supposed to be. they also left the sides of the chamois free-floating instead of stitching it down. again, didn't make any difference to me; felt the same. what is noticeable is the loss of padding under the boys. it's an odd feeling compared to the S5; you feel as if you're sitting on them more than you were. it almost felt like i was sitting on the saddle while nekkid. between this and the fight to get the bibs situated, i was less than pleased

so that night i decided that maybe they needed a washing to start loosening things up a bit. maybe that would get the 'newness' out and they would fit better. next day was gonna be hill climbing; we'll see how the chamois works with the sit bones.

put 'em on the next day, but after i did i squatted down and spent a good five minutes tugging and pulling on the chamois to take out any bunching and stretching. trying to get it situated right. this seemed to help. a lot. when i finally stood up, things felt good, and i never had a second thought about adjusting things for a 2.5 hour hill climbing ride. maybe the washing helped, maybe they just take a ton more positioning than my S5s ever did, but one of the two made a difference. the free-floating part of the pad never was a thought, either. chamois is good when the sit bones are hard on it. my sit bones usually get tired of sitting after about an hour and fifteen, but didn't happen this day. so, good marks for that. odd feel in front is still there, but i guess i'm getting used to it. or maybe getting things situated helped a bit. but the unpadded feel is still there

and after two rides, i noticed something different. while there seems to be a bit more pressure on the nether regions while i'm riding, once i'm off the bike, that area feels better than it does after a ride wearing the S5. upon reflection, i guess that makes sense. the padding on the S5 that makes the ride more comfortable, also causes a 'pressure' feeling after the ride that the S7 doesn't have, because there's no foam there to press and cause that sensation.

i decided to test this idea by wearing the older bibs today, and it's correct. riding in the drops is easier on the nether regions in the S5, but things down there feel better later in the day if i wear the S7. so this may be a way to decide on new bibs or not. honestly, all the other new technology is a non-issue to me; i just never felt anything different in the back or between the legs. the whole point of these new bibs to me is the penthouse. and you may not like it. then again, you may think it's great. obviously, i think positioning of the bibs is critical, too. and it still seems to be harder to find the right placing on the new S7 than the older S5. so all this new-fangled technology that is driving up the price is, in my opinion, over-rated. thing is, i've tried every other bib out there, trying to get away from assos. just because i can afford them doesn't mean i want to. and i can't find a bib that comes close to them. so i'll have to keep buying them, even at the new prices. maybe i'll look around for some new S5 milles in medium on sale and pick up a half dozen and wait seven years until the fix this kuku thing. it's not bad, i'm just not convinced it's for me

just my two cents. your mileage may vary. past performance is no guarantee of future results

datlas 

^^ Thanks for the review.

Garfield Cat

overall how does the Assos shorts and bibs compare with Rapha line?

smoke

after some more riding, i have to say that my first impressions were correct. i spent four hours in the saddle today in the cento. it took an hour and a half to get them situated correctly. things feel better than the S5 once you take them off, but the cento is more uncomfortable during a ride. and the free-floating chamois is getting irritating. they need to sew the damn thing down. all in all, i'm not a fan of the cento. one or two good points, but too many steps backward for me. and that's what i think these new bibs are; a step back

meh. who cares. my girlfriend doesn't listen to me; why should you? LOL

bianchi10

Great review Smoke! Thank you for taking the time.

jimxyz

I've got two different Rapha bibs (classic and pro team) vs the S5 Mille (long version). The Assos is my go to bib based on overall fit and comfort. I wear an XLG in Assos and XXL on Rapha. The Rapha pro team is pretty tight in the legs, for me anyway. The classic is about on par with the Assos on fit, finish and comfort. Both bibs are well made and comfy - and both are hardly noticeable on longer rides. But the Assos, especially at the current sale price, is my choice

bruce19

I just wanted to give a "head's up" on a different Assos issue. I ordered an Assos SS Equipe jersey in XL based the size on their size chart. When I got the jersey it looked about two sizes too small. But, I put it on and it fit like skin. Really nice. So when I saw a sale (the only way I can buy Assos) on an SS Mille, I jumped on it. Ordered an XL based on previous experience. Got the jersey and it fit like a toga. Loose on the body and 8" longer down the back. WTF! Checked to see if it had a different size chart. It didn't. So, I called Competitive Cyclist (the seller) and asked why they fit differently. Was told the models are just cut differently. Seemed weird to me cause an 8" difference in length is more than just a difference in cut. But, they shipped me another jersey in L to see if that would work. I was pretty sure the "looseness" would be resolved and equally sure the 8" difference in length would not. Got the jersey yesterday and the damned thing fits just like the Equipe I have. Perfect. Now I'm thinking the jersey I'm sending back may be mis-marked as to size. Just a head's up.

heffdiddy

Does anyone have any opinions of the Assos vs Capo bibs?

linsdog

Just chiming in to say I recently tried the T FI.Mille S5 long legs....best bib I have tried yet. Seriously considering trying the S7 as I want to have at least 2 bibs that are this comfortable to rotate!

mn_voyageur

I purchased a set of S5 Long Leg before my last Century ride. Definitely my favorite set of bibs.

PhotoJoe 

Can you give height, weight and waste size? I bounce between XL and XXL myself. Thanks.

PhotoJoe 

Coincidentally, and I hate posting Chainlove deals because they're only for a matter on minutes, but they have

Assos T FI.13_S5 Bib Shorts


For $199 RIGHT NOW.

jimxyz

I hope you got some - after this string started I grabbed another set of Assos on sale. 6'2", 220, 36+ the XLG Assos fit perfect

canam73

I made my own. My Dad drank a lot of Crown Royal and left me a ton of those velvet bags it sometimes comes in. I just sewed one into each of my bibs and BAM!, I'm living the cushy life.