More expensive shorts - are they worth it?

[stu9000]

I paid about £45 for my bib shorts from Decathlon. That felt pricy at the time but they are pretty comfy. Being a newbie they are my only pair.

I was thinking of getting some shorts from muddy fox as a comparison. I read that bib shorts are better but it can be pretty tricky when u need to stop and do a quick woodland wee. Not sure what to do.

 

[camtheman]

I've got about half a dozen jersey/bib short kits from Ebay retailers in China. You've all seen them and no doubt wondered. I've also bought some direct through the Alibaba website listings. I can ride all day long in them and never get the slightest chaffing, and they last ages. The best ones either have a Monton logo in the photo or an orange pad in the shorts. At 30-35 quid for a set you really can't go wrong.

You need to use the size charts they provide in the listings with a degree of honesty - ie if you're really 80kg, don't buy a kit that's for someone of 75kg. As a rule, consider going up a size if you're close to the upper limit. I buy large Altura/Endura and just manage large in the Ebay stuff.

No doubt some folks have their eyes rolling like bu99ery at all this but all I can say is, if you ain't tried 'em, you don't know. My mate has some Assos kit and even he concedes that the ChingChongs are good. The only stuff to avoid is the jersey/long combos that are not thermal ie spring/autumn kits. For some bizarre reason, the longs are made of lightweight material like the shorts and it just doesn't work. They go all baggy round the ass. The thermal jersey/long kits are brilliant. I have two sets that I wear in winter and they are really warm.

You'll see some people say the kits are counterfeit or knock-off. I'm not too sure either are necessarily true. They do use team logos/designs but the garment labelling doesn't claim to be from a known manufacturer so it probably comes down to copyright law on the logos etc. and the fact that Ebay allow the listings suggest there is not a problem.

As for refunds or replacements. I've once had to change a size, and that went with no problem. I also had some go missing in the post and got a refund within 1 hour (yes, 1 hour) of emailing the seller.

 

[outlash]

I had been using bibshorts at the cheaper end of the spectrum with a small degree of discomfort until I borrowed a pair for Gore Power bibs from a mate and never looked back. IMO, you can get away with cheaper jerseys but paying out for shorts with better pads is money well spent if you ride for more than a couple of hours at a time.


Tony.

 

[Paul Adair]

I'm new to cycling and I got them muddy fox shorts and I was hurting so I got altura gel shorts and I'm far more comfortable in my opinion buy a got pair

 

[stevey]

I too have the muddy fox shorts will soon be replacing them.

 

[cyberknight]

I use decathlon 5 rated bib shorts for long rides and can do sportives in them and its my fitness rather than my derrier comfort that let me down.

 

[derrick]

These are the ones i use on the mtb, Endura Mens Hummvee Shorts they are really comfortable well worth the money.

 

[Cycleops]

Nobody ever regretted buying quality.

 

[Fuzzball]

I find DHB on wiggle the best balance between price and function. I dream of assos though!

 

[ianrauk]

I find DHB on wiggle the best balance between price and function. I dream of assos though!

Agreed, DHB are hard to beat for the quality and price.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I treated myself to some assos kit many years ago. I have never regretted it and only 1 other set of cycling lower halves have lasted anywhere near as well or been anywhere near as comfortable as my assos kit. I even toured in the Assos shorts/ 3/4 lengths/longs and my only regret is that my assos longs had to be cut off me when I was attacked by a dog - but that said they actually prevented the dog from removing a piece of my leg. they are expensive, but they are worth every penny and thankfully my OH agrees (he has assos bib longs & bib 3/4's and shorts as well now).

 

[dellzeqq]

I've used a pair of Pearl Izumi Quest shorts for the past 2 years - and they've done rides of up to 16 hours without issues.

I've got two pairs of Pearl Izumis from 2005. At the time they were about #70 each. They're looking really good. They've done tens of thousands of miles, and, while they have stretched a bit...so have I

 

[Sittingduck]

I like DHB but the 3/4 started coming apart at the seams after a handful of sorties. The bib shorts from the same range have served me faultlessly, however. Maybe I just got a bad pair.

 

[yello]

I've got two pairs of Pearl Izumis from 2005. At the time they were about #70 each.

Same here, though in my case just the one pair. Excellent shorts, wearing well and worth the price (which then seemed a lot of money!) Mine have a stretchy fabric band on the leg for gripping, and it works. I much prefer it to other, more common, methods. I love the fit too - the leg length spot on for me.

 

[citybabe]

I've just bought my first pair of DHB padded 3/4 bibs and I can't believe how much more comfy they are than just the padded inserts that come with some shorts.