jnbrown

You get what you pay for.
Do yourself a favor and spend a little more.
La Passione is the best value I have found, not the cheapest and not the most expensive.
Sometimes they have good sales bringing the price to around $100 for bibshorts.

https://www.lapassione.cc/collection...rts-and-tights

pepperbelly

When I get down to my target weight I will be buying good quality gear if the black bibs don’t do the job.

Ogsarg

I would also like to point out that shorts isn't where you want to go cheap. If an expensive pair is what will make longer rides comfortable, it's worth it. I don't really have a reccomendation because in my experience, your body, your saddle, your position, and other factors, all make a difference. My current favorite bibs are from Pactimo but they are pricey and I only buy them during sales.

I also recommend buying from a smaller company that is dedicated to cycling clothing. I think their products are more consistent in terms of fit and quality than big companies like PI that might just be buying whatever outsourced stuff is the least expensive. Pretty much every brand has certain seasonal sales where prices are reduced considerably; like 30-50%.

One other thing that should be mentioned is that whatever saddle you have may not be right for you, in which case, cycling shorts/bibs may not help much. When I got back into biking, I bought a used bike that had a Prologo saddle that was supposed to be pretty good but not for me. No matter what I wore and how often I rode, it was bad. 20 miles was hard, 30 was painful, and after 40 about all I could think of was how much it hurt. Once I found a better saddle, I was able to increase my riding substantially.

pepperbelly

The saddle is, I think, original. My bike is a 2012 Specialized Roubaix. I bought it used a couple of years ago.

Garthr

I'd say give Voler Bibs a try, as they include complimentary shipping both ways and a 90 day wear 'em and try 'em trial. The Jet Escape for $99 has the same pad a their $175 Black Label bibs, the difference being the type of fabric. I'm pretty sure they use the same cut for all their bibs, and they're made by Voler in house locally.

I'd suspect they'd fit you as after trying some of their Caliber and Black Label bibs recently, they are distinctly designed for full bodied types. I'm tall and lean so the fit was much too loose for my body type in the legs especially. They're obviously designed for people with much stockier builds. If you have good sized thighs they'd be perfect. The quality of the stitching was very good, straight with clean finishing and no loose threads and such.

https://store.voler.com/collections/...rts-and-shorts

pepperbelly

Do these really need to be handwashed?

pepperbelly

Looks like they don’t. The tag said that.
I will hang them to dry.

Paul Barnard

Same here. Someone here recommend Aerotech a long time ago. I tried them in 2016 and won't ever buy another brand.

exercion

Another vote for Aero Tech Designs. Excellent quality, great value. And fantastic shipping and customer service. And as a bonus, they make clothes for larger, or as I like to say, us normal guys, not just the animated twigs who weigh less than their bikes.

pepperbelly

Thanks guys. I may look into them when I need a smaller size. I’m losing weight steadily.

daihard 

I just bought a pair of Sponeed bicycle shorts from Amazon. It was $37.50 after tax. Put them on for a quick ride this afternoon. They felt pretty good - at least not much different than the old Endura pairs I've had for several years. I'm going to buy another pair soon.

pepperbelly

I am replacing a pair of Canaris shorts from Academy so anything will probably be an improvement.

tonybano

I'll second the Sponeed. These were my 1st true pair of bicycle shorts. I tried a few different pairs on in stores and really didn't like any of them. My wife did some research and Sponeed came up well reviewed in a lot of places and noted as a best bang for your buck type of thing. HUGE difference vs just regular shorts and honestly pretty darn comfy. Made a huge difference in my riding. Not the best looking but I would recommend them to anyone.

big john

Neo Pro shorts or bibs? Keith added a pair of XXL shorts to his order for me and I couldn't even get them on. As in, there is no way I could wear them.

Sad to agree about the demise of Pearl Izumi shorts. Was my go-to for years, now quality and fit have suffered.

urbanknight

I wear large in both brands (for shorts), but Neo Pro does seem to make much smaller increments between sizes. Also, I couldn’t even get a large jersey on and a 2XL is pretty tight on me. Their sizing chart seems to reflect that, but they also seem to like the tight “race cut”

JustAHouseCat

Big fan of the black bibs. I have 2 of their ultimate bibs and they are my preferred bib. Especially for long rides. One of these days i'll have to try their jersey's as well. I just really love the lightweight Rapha ones for riding in the heat.

pepperbelly

i usually just wear a Nike quick dry shirt. When I finally get rid of my gut I will probably wear a jersey.

daihard 

Haha true. I guess we get good deals in exchange for free advertising.

pepperbelly

the Sponeed shorts have extra padding?

daihard 

They have a chamois just like any other bicycle shorts.

pepperbelly

their site calls them padded cycling shorts and advertise 4d gel padding. It makes it sound like they are more comfortable than chamois.

urbanknight

Oh, I read that incorrectly. Bibs. I have too much of a gut to wear shorts anymore.

genejockey 

I never handwash my cycling kit, but I ALWAYS hang dry. I had a pair of bibs go from comfortably snug to way too lose after one of my kids 'helpfully' put my stuff in the drier for me.

daihard 

"Chamois" is the common term that describes any padding on bicycle shorts. Or at least that's what I thought.

big john

Other people I know have their bibs and are happy with the fit. They recently started selling shorts and I don't know anyone who has them. He was ordering some stuff and I wanted to try the new shorts. I asked for 2XL and they seem like small to me. I think they sell 4XL, maybe those would fit.