Bib shorts

[YMFB]

@DP-UK - how did you get on with the different sized Le Col shorts?

I spotted Sigma had the Castelli Endurance 3 shorts reduced to £98, plus a 20% discount for 2 or more clothing items, so have invested in 2 more pairs, at a pretty darned reasonable total of £156 delivered, which I thought although not the bargain of the decade, in the current climate, is not too bad a deal at all, as for me, the Progetto X2 is pretty much my go to pad.
I may even go to the extravagance of leaving a pair in Spain.
If I can locate the bargain thread, I will post on there too.

I know I’m not DP-UK, but I do have LeCol bib shorts, which are my favourite. Just ridden 30 miles on my roadie and disappointed they are won’t be available Tomorro.

 

[Lookrider]

Sports pursuit usually have big name discounts

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

disappointed they won’t be available Tomorro.

Are they off out somewhere? 😉

 

[YMFB]

Are they off out somewhere? 😉

Sat by the washing machine

 

[vickster]

Sat by the washing machine

Why not wash them?

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

I have the Albion too in the non-pocket version. They are a bit shorter in the leg than those but not dissimilar. They actually remind me a bit of an older pair of Rapha Pro Team I had.

I stopped in Decathlon today. These are very nice shorts, super thick pad and the material itself is quite thick, they look like a good spring/autumn short. Unfortunately I was in a rush and didn't have time to try them on but I am going to go back.

They also had a pair priced at £89.99 which I think were called rcr4 but don't appear on the web. Assume this was their top end race short. They looked very similar to Castelli, super high quailty material and pad and seemed a bit of a bargain, even at £90. Will try these on too when I go back.

Quite a noticeable size difference between the two styles, the endurance seemed a much more generous cut across sizes.

 

[YMFB]

Why not wash them?

Head of laundry doesn’t allow that, they are now washed along with today’s cycling garb.

 

[simonali]

Sign up for Sport Pursuit. Always cheap bike stuff on there. Currently has a 50% off sale on Santini clothing.

 

[simonali]

 

[Alex321]

In hot weather, if you're wearing just one layer on top, where do the straps go, ie against the skin, or over the top of your jersey? Can't say I've noticed the latter, so it must mostly be the former - and if so, then doesn't it rub against the skin?

No.

I very rarely wear more than one layer over them, even in winter, and have never found them to rub.

 

[Wheelspinner]

A Sad Day.... my all time favourite pair of Santini Fluid Twist Gel or something bib shorts died today. May be recoverable, but unlikely. They were all glued seams - no stitching, and the glue has given up in a few awkward places... Best fit of any bibs I've ever tried, and I've never come across the exact style of them again.

Giordana used to be good in the Forma Red Carbon series, if still available, and there was a Spanish brand that was decent too, Etxeondo I think.

 

[Dan Lotus]

I stopped in Decathlon today. These are very nice shorts, super thick pad and the material itself is quite thick, they look like a good spring/autumn short. Unfortunately I was in a rush and didn't have time to try them on but I am going to go back.

They also had a pair priced at £89.99 which I think were called rcr4 but don't appear on the web. Assume this was their top end race short. They looked very similar to Castelli, super high quailty material and pad and seemed a bit of a bargain, even at £90. Will try these on too when I go back.

Quite a noticeable size difference between the two styles, the endurance seemed a much more generous cut across sizes.

I suspect those £90 pair are probably very decent, but I'd need to get some in the sale to try them, as with my Castelli Endurance 3 shorts purchase from Sigma for less than £80 a pair I think it was, I know they'll work for me really well - plus, I suspect they would have better resale if for some reason that wasn't the case.

A Sad Day.... my all time favourite pair of Santini Fluid Twist Gel or something bib shorts died today. May be recoverable, but unlikely. They were all glued seams - no stitching, and the glue has given up in a few awkward places... Best fit of any bibs I've ever tried, and I've never come across the exact style of them again.

Giordana used to be good in the Forma Red Carbon series, if still available, and there was a Spanish brand that was decent too, Etxeondo I think.

Oh wow, I remember the twistgel shorts, think my first pair of what I would class as decent bib shorts was a pair of those, likely back in around 2008.
IIRC someone on Bikeradar recommended them, and I found them on the website of a shop that closed a few years back, it was a south London based shop I think, but the name escapes me (Google suggests it may well have been Geoffrey Butler cycles)
I think I latterly bought a pair from Prendas as well.
They were good to be fair, but back then I didn't really understand what the fit was meant to be like, so went for medium when I should have had small - maybe I would have thought better of them if I had the appropriate size 🤡
I don't recall the pad being that thick, where as I feel like the Progetto is just right for me - enough padding to last on an all day ride, but we are all built differently of course, and I tend to ride pretty inflexible saddles.

Could also be that yours were a different era / model with a revised design and pad of course.

I have a few Giordana items, their FRC range is right up there imho.
Etxeondo also I would rate very highly, the Orhi is one I bought what must be approaching 10 years ago now, when perhaps some of you will recall, Merlin for some reason had a glut of Etxeondo kit come in, jerseys, jackets and bib shorts - that was even back in time when some top end jerseys only had a halfway zip.
Don't think I have any of the jerseys left, but the one pair of shorts remain, though I mainly keep them for turbo use these days, and it will be a shock for a lot of people to know they were black and yellow.

EDIT: I found a pic of the half zip jersey in question! Weird memory, but I recall them being half price at £44.99.