Chinese or better vfm bibshorts - for turbo use. Recommendations please

[Dan Lotus]

Morning CC bretheren,

I have too many sets of once decent quality bibshorts that I use for turbo duty, and have been rotating them over the last 10 years or so.
I have some cheapies in there, Galibier, Scott, Sportful, but also some more quality offerings such as Endura FS260, Hommage au velo and a pair of Etxeondo Orhis.
The former I tend to keep for easy or short sessions (1 hour easy/recovery type rides) , the latter are for the harder higher intensity factor workouts and Rouvy races - 60 -120 minutes usually.

A lot of these shorts are definitely approaching, or have clearly gone past the end of their useful life, but I am still wearing them

Back in the day, I landed a glut of the Endura shorts from I forget where, Rutland cycles possibly, and they were something crazy like £35 a pop, crazy value, even back then.

I bought some cheap shorts once upon a time from Aliexpress, and they were shocking quality, the pad was indescribable, and they were returned, so I am keen not to make the same mistake again.
I have worn dhb in the past, but of course they are now owned by the fraser group so I won't touch them with a bargepole.

My question is, would anyone recommend due to personal experience, a brand/model of bib shorts with a decent pad?

For reference, my favourite pads are the Castelli Progetto X2, and the pad in the Rapha Pro Team II shorts. I also like the pads La Passione used to use, but they no longer exist - the company that is.
In contrast I tried the Castelli KISS pad, and hated it, it just wasn't for me, too thin, and I found it uncomfortable.

I would consider chinese shorts of brands I have never heard of, but also perhaps Decathlon if they are up to the job?
What retailers to try - Aliexpress, Temu, Amazon - any others that are especially good?

In reality I will be working much harder, and getting sweatier on the turbo that I would out on the road, all be it for a shorter duration, but the fit and pad are key for me that they do the job and keep me comfy on the bike during those intense sessions.

Budget wise, ideally up to £45, but if there is a REALLY recommended pair that you have found on a par with something much more expensive, I'd be willing to go up to £60.

Thankyou :-)

P.S Feel free to DM me if you prefer.

 

[vickster]

Have you looked at Rivelo? They get sold off on special by Sportpursuit (you have to make an account to log in)
They have loads of other brands too including Endura, Castelli, Rapha, Sugoi (I like their pads, albeit in Women's fit), Sportful. As they are just for in home use, you might get some unusual colours cheaper!
No free delivery of returns but they have a standard fee for both so you could order lots, try and return (assuming you have the credit on your CC)
People seem to like Le Col, not cheap but often have discount codes through Strava.
The higher end Decathlon might be ok (van Rysel and you could go try on if have a store close), Could also try Planet X/Merlin, at least if no good, can return easily

eg https://planetx.co.uk/collections/bib-shorts
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/men-s-endurance-road-cycling-shorts-edr-black/347635/c382m8807714

 

[steverob]

I have sworn by Decathlon's bib shorts for absolutely ages now. The only problem is they keep on changing the names of the ranges, so when I go to buy them, I have to really look into the description to make sure I'm buying the same type. They used to be numbered - 100 being the cheapest, the 500, 700 and 900 at the higher end, but now they've got names instead (Essential, Endurance, Road, Pro I think are the equivalents)

While I have some of their higher-end pairs for outdoor riding, the ones I use on the turbo are typically the Van Rysel Endurance range, which are typically £35 without straps or £40 with straps. They provide the best balance between comfort and price for me.

 

[fossyant]

Decathlon or Planet X Carnac bibs. Comfy, well made and not silly money.

 

[Dan Lotus]

Have you looked at Rivelo? They get sold off on special by Sportpursuit (you have to make an account to log in)
They have loads of other brands too including Endura, Castelli, Rapha, Sugoi (I like their pads, albeit in Women's fit), Sportful. As they are just for in home use, you might get some unusual colours cheaper!
No free delivery of returns but they have a standard fee for both so you could order lots, try and return (assuming you have the credit on your CC)
People seem to like Le Col, not cheap but often have discount codes through Strava.
The higher end Decathlon might be ok (van Rysel and you could go try on if have a store close), Could also try Planet X/Merlin, at least if no good, can return easily

eg https://planetx.co.uk/collections/bib-shorts
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/men-s-endurance-road-cycling-shorts-edr-black/347635/c382m8807714

I did try Rivelo from SP, but many moons ago, and at the time I returned them as I hated the material, it was a weird shiny affair, but they may be very different now of course.

Sportful have the same parent company as Castelli, or used to at any rate, so that is a good call - maybe something a bit higher end, these ones were only £25 from Halfords.

You are right about the colours etc, I couldn't give a monkeys about that for turbo use - which reminds me, I have two pairs of Sugoi bib shorts........in white!
They were Amazon bargains iirc, something like £30 each, but have a lovely pad attached - they are turbo shorts as well.
I had a pair of PX shorts in the past, they were mega cheap, and for the money they were ok, maybe £10 or £20, but I'd rather pay a bit more for something that is hopefully superior.
Good shout on Decathlon/Van Rysel :-)
And yes I do have a store not too far away as it happens.

I have sworn by Decathlon's bib shorts for absolutely ages now. The only problem is they keep on changing the names of the ranges, so when I go to buy them, I have to really look into the description to make sure I'm buying the same type. They used to be numbered - 100 being the cheapest, the 500, 700 and 900 at the higher end, but now they've got names instead (Essential, Endurance, Road, Pro I think are the equivalents)

While I have some of their higher-end pairs for outdoor riding, the ones I use on the turbo are typically the Van Rysel Endurance range, which are typically £35 without straps or £40 with straps. They provide the best balance between comfort and price for me.

I do recall looking in the past and seeing the numbered ranges, which as you say are very easy to understand.
Good to hear from someone with actual experience, I'll take a look in more detail.

One thing I should have mentioned, that I can on occasion struggle with in some manufacturers, is that I generally take size small, but also have a relatively short torso, some manufacturers (Pactimo springs to mind) make their straps too long for me, so they don't keep the shorts in position.
Not an issue I have with a number of other manufacturers though, but it is something I need to watch.

 

[Dan Lotus]

Just had a look on Decathlon now, and these get rave reviews: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/men-s-endurance-road-cycling-shorts-edr-black/347635/c382m8807714
(The ones you mentioned @steverob) overall, the vasy majority of people are rating them 4 or 5 stars, with someone mentioning they bought them to replace Castelli shorts - though admittedly they don't say which ones.

Can I ask about sizing - are there any other brands you have worn in the past, and how did you find the sizing on these?

If I wanted to engage my inner AG2R, I could even go for the brown ones

 

[Hacienda71]

Ykyw bibs from Ali Express, well made, good pad, wide straps, good value and sold in big numbers. You would pay twice as much for a UK sold equivalent.

 

[steverob]

Can I ask about sizing - are there any other brands you have worn in the past, and how did you find the sizing on these?

I find Decathlon's sizing to be pretty similar to most standard brands I've bought from before (such as Endura and Le Col), but some of the more continental companies (mostly Italian ones) or premium brands (like Rapha) I find I typically have to go one size up to find a good fit - I'm XL in Decathlon, 2XL in Castelli for example, both for shorts and tops.