bianchi10

Whether you spend $70 or $400 on bib shorts, the thought of trying a new model or different brand is always concerning because you dont want to spend the money and then find out you dont like them. We all have different preferences, but we all like quality. I have been looking at trying new bib shorts, but there are so many to choose from and all have different selling points, its hard to pull the trigger on a set.

Louis garneau:
I have been using Louis Garneau mondo pro bib shorts for 2 years now with a set of Louis garneau equipe bibs for back ups. The quality of my LG mondo pro bib shorts have been fantastic. Stitching is great, size is right on and the chamois pad has been fairly good. I like the LG equipe bibs, but find the chamois to be a little cheap, thick in too many places and generally just ok for comfort, though the quality of the shorts themselves are very similar to the mondo pro. I find that the chamois can bunch a little bit in the crease of my junk and thigh which can give a bit of friction burn after long (60 mile) rides. I usually like the way LG looks also. Their high end stuff usually looks pretty nice.

I'm interested in a set of high end castelli shorts but when i look at their chamois, it looks so thin. They also seem to have a very low cut in the front. I'm also interested in RSE sugoi, Evo de Marchi and EXO or formared giordana bib shorts. Anyone care to shine some experience on those brands. Specifically about their chamois pads.

What is your favorite bib short?
Do you prefer a thick or a thin chamois?

Adrianinkc

Giordana is the best for me, padding seems to be just right as far as thickness. Completely agree about castelli's chamois, too thin for me on rides of 60+ miles. The thickest chamois I own is in a bontrager rxl, nice short plenty comfy on long rides but for me the giordana is just perfect.

Biscayne05

1. any Castelli shorts that doesn't use KISS 3 Chamois. The high end Progetto x2 are just perfect for me. I used to own Castelli shorts that used the AC Chamois and they were also great. My current favorite is their Endurance Bib Shorts which uses the P2 Chamois and I think out of all (4) the Castelli shorts I've owned so far they're the best.

2. Medium to Thick.

Word of advice: don't buy shorts that have a dead center front seam.

seymour1910

I currently own 2 sets of Voler bibs with the trilogy chamois, 2 pair of LG fit sensor 2, and 2 pair of LG alveo 3K bibs. They are all comfortable for me. I didn't buy the cheapest thing out there but also didn't want to spend a fortune. The fit sensor 2 is my favorite right now.

bael

+1 to this! I like my Castelli endurance bib a lot, way more than my other bib with the kiss3 chamois.

bianchi10

What are the levels of castelli chamois from best to cheapest?

RT

Santini. Chamois depth makes no difference to me as long as it is dense enough. The Santini chamois/pads are more basic than some of these space age ones you see in the Performance Ultra and the like, but they last forever, give good coverage, and you don't know its there while it is in use, which is how it should be.

There are two pair of DeMarchi Contour bibs from 2005 in my rotation. Chamois still looks brand new and surprisingly have not collapsed into a pile of synthetic thread. Always wash cold/delicate, air dry. If these had silicone grippers on the leg cuff, I'd wear them every day.

znomit

The 41 is strong in this one.


I use kiss3 on all my endurance rides and have no problems at all.

Bah Humbug

The first time I wore running tights on a cold ride I put them on under my bibs. They had a dead center seam. I didn't recover for a week.

Bah Humbug

Oh, and I like the De Soto 400 Mile bibs.

YukonLT

I have used a bunch of different companies as far as bibs. Craft, LG, Capo, Castelli...all are good. The low front on the Castelli is annoying, until you get in the saddle...then it is pretty nice. Craft runs big, but the quality is great. Love my Capo's. The LG stuff is decent as well.

Our new team kits are from Biemme, and are hands down the best I have worn so far. I would highly recommend Biemme!

Adrianinkc

Castelli only offers two chamois Kiss3 and Progetto. Kiss3 cheapest

roadiejorge 

I love Capo and Assos.

cycledogg

Pearl Izumi, The P.R. O. line
Cheers

StanSeven

I posted many times here I like shorts more than bibs. Part of that is I have a relatively small waist without a gut and shorts stay in place without the need and inconvenience of straps. I have Castelli, Sugoi, and Assos. But I recently got a pair of PI PRO In-R-Cool because they were so cheap ($175 discounted to half with some coupons) and I really like them. The legs and pads stayed right in place for a 4 hr ride and I didn't notice the straps.

To me the best I've used.

Sinnman

I really like my Performance Ultra Max bibs. They fit well and have a very good chamois that is about medium thickness. Yesterday I received a new pair from Ekoi Canada. Ekoi is a French company with stores in Canada and the US as well. I wore them this morning - very good quality and fit. The chamois is a bit thinner than the Performance shorts but I found them to be more comfortable on the whole.

Cheers!
K

jim9090

Sportful BodyFit Pro
Castelli Free Aero
Gore Power 2

nhluhr

It's better to go ride more often than worry about which chamois you're using. I've got multiple different types of chamois; lots of hincapie, lots of castelli, some pearl, some capo, some sugoi. They are all fine.

SpeshulEd 

The new performance ultras are pretty great considering the price. I also have a couple pair of capos and those work well as well. I have an extremely cheap pair of nashbar bibs and they suck even for a 20 mile ride.

Also, chainlove.com has bibs for fairly cheap practically daily if you have time to watch the site.

Nachoman

My favorite bibs are from Voler, with the trilogy pad. Many people around here like them.
My least favorite bibs are the Bergamos. I'm not sure what pad it uses, but it's thin and ill defined compared to the trilogy.
Both came from Hammer Nutrition.

Canadian_giant

I own Descente, LG, Pearl Izumi, Hincapie and Giant. My fave? My $40 shorts from Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC). The ass wants what the ass wants.

dkoernert

I own LG and Voler (trilogy). I love both, but if I had to pick between the two: Voler with trilogy pad all day.

MattFoley

I use my Sugoi RS bibs for commuting, but I find they aren't incredibly comfy for longer rides, since the pad isn't great (for the price) and the straps chafe pretty bad without a base layer. I have Castellis with Kiss3 and the Progetto pads and I'd say the Progetto pad is better, but not enough to justify having an entire closet full of them. I have one pair of Castelli Endurance bibs that I use for centuries, but the Kiss3 bibs (I'm partial to the Velocissimo Due line) work great for anything below about 50 miles. I also have a pair of Giordana FRC bibs that are also pretty awesome and that I'd also use for longer rides...in fact, they're probably my overall best pair of bibs, but sweet jeebus they're expensive...and I prefer Castelli's style a little better, so that's what I mostly stick with unless I find deals on Giordana stuff or whatever.

Munk69

Voler with the trilogy pad. Have 2 pairs of them and love them! Second would be PI P.R.O

idc

I've tried quite a lot of low-end models from various brands. My favorites would be Voler and actually the PBK ones.
I also wear Castelli (thin but dense), Sugoi, LG, PI, Zero RH+, Fox (liners from MTBs worn under commuter shorts), Performance (a bit too thick I think) and Nashbar. I don't really have issues with any of them but I do prefer Voler + PBK of the ones I own. I have heard great things about Assos and Rapha but I just can't.