armybikerider

How many miles are you typically getting from a pair of bibs and which bibs are they?

I've been buying Performance Elites because I like the way they fit and you cant beat getting them on sale for $40.00. I've been getting a year - 5,700 miles out of them - sometimes a couple grand more before I can see through them.

I'm curious if more expensive bibs last longer?

Thirstyman

yes, I get about 4 years out of Assos brand bibs. This is washing on gentle and hang drying rather than drying with heat. Putting cycling gear in the dryer shortens life of the elastic fabric considerably.

colombo357

So your chamois must look like swiss cheese then? Does the chamois butt'r ooze out?

jesspal

Descents bibs, chamois is separating from Lycra after 3 years. Still can use but I started replacing

v70cat

I have Pearl and Performane and they both wear well. I wash and dry them in a dryer with no problem. I have about 4 of them and they show little or no wear after a few years of use.

Nachoman

Miles is important to judge the life span of shorts and bibs, but so is the amount of times washed. I get about 140 washes (true estimate) on gentle, hang drying.

armybikerider

Thanks. I typically handwash in the sink after each ride and hang outside to dry. Fighting the urge try out PI, Sugoi etc to see if they;d last longer.

StanSeven

Yep. Hand washing and air drying isn't needed for most fabrics now. That's old stuff. Washing and drying in machines don't make any difference in life and wear.

It's amazing here people argue about torque wrench settings based on what manufactures say and ignore the labels on clothes for care.

v70cat

At a cost of $50 dollars you can't beat performance just buy two pairs.

topflightpro

I think this really varies by brand.

I go through about four pairs of Hincapie bibs a year. Basically, the fabric stretches to the point that they aren't quite comfortable anymore. I wear the stretched ones on the trainer or for short recovery rides.

My previous team used Voler. The elite fabric bibs didn't even last a season before the fabric wore out. The basic bibs lasted much longer.

I bought some Pearl Microsensor Bibs about five years ago, and they are still going strong. But they haven't been worn much in the past four years, other than on the trainer.

I have a pair of Specialized bibs that have held up ok.

My wife's team rides Louis Garneau. They seem to be very solid and hold up very well. I am quite impressed.

dstrong 

My Performance Elite bibs (my second pair) gave up early in their life. The stitching holding the chamois to the bib unraveled. I'm considering going up to Performance to find out whether they might give me consideration on replacing them. I bought them in February and they have about 1,000 miles on 'em.

tagaproject6

Unless it says "Dry Clean Only"...that's gospel.