Which new comfy bib?

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CaffeineAU
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby CaffeineAU » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:05 pm

I recently purchased a set of RedWhite stealth fondo bibshorts, along with their matching jersey. (based on a review on BNA)

The bibshorts are incredibly comfortable, and being designed for use in tropical climates, are quite light and breathable.

I'm 2M tall however, so the jersey (in XL) was comically small. I've sent it back (no hassles there) and put the funds towards a second set of the bibshorts.

When you first sign up they send you a 20% off voucher code, so the bibshorts + jersey + bonus baselayer was $224. They also do periodic deals, for example this week was order a set of bibshorts and get 3 pairs of socks.

As for wear and durability; can't comment yet as I haven't owned them long enough.

owly
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby owly » Sun Apr 22, 2018 10:55 am

CaffeineAU wrote:I recently purchased a set of RedWhite stealth fondo bibshorts, along with their matching jersey. (based on a review on BNA)

The bibshorts are incredibly comfortable, and being designed for use in tropical climates, are quite light and breathable.

I'm 2M tall however, so the jersey (in XL) was comically small. I've sent it back (no hassles there) and put the funds towards a second set of the bibshorts.

When you first sign up they send you a 20% off voucher code, so the bibshorts + jersey + bonus baselayer was $224. They also do periodic deals, for example this week was order a set of bibshorts and get 3 pairs of socks.

As for wear and durability; can't comment yet as I haven't owned them long enough.
I had some RedWhite TheBibs. Very comfy on the long hot rides. My first pair of bibs with silicon leg grippers, and it turned out I had a skin reaction to that; welts on the thighs in the warmer temps.

Still get a bit of that with my current Castelli bibs, but not so bad. Maybe I'm more used to it.
MUFC :twisted:

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g-boaf
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby g-boaf » Sun Apr 22, 2018 1:21 pm

I've also tried MAAP:

https://maap.cc/collections/mens-cyclin ... pro-jersey
https://maap.cc/collections/cycling-bib ... 8530836949

Not bad, but beware the leg gripper part is very tight. It should have been made a bit looser. Size S would be too large for me, but size XS fits perfect except for the gripper part. Better than Attaquer, but not anywhere near Rapha for comfort. So as a few others have suggested, buy Rapha when they have sales.

march83
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby march83 » Sun Apr 22, 2018 5:46 pm

g-boaf wrote: I have the flyweight Rapha bibs, they are superb. Buy them when they are on sale, worth it. They are my go to choice now too for long rides.
+1, they just work. I've got core and lightweights. The lightweight grippers aren't as good and I don't think I'll get more than 3 seasons out of them, but the core is just fantastic.

When they're on sale I just grab a couple and add them to the rotation.

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g-boaf
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby g-boaf » Sun Apr 22, 2018 6:39 pm

march83 wrote:
g-boaf wrote: I have the flyweight Rapha bibs, they are superb. Buy them when they are on sale, worth it. They are my go to choice now too for long rides.
+1, they just work. I've got core and lightweights. The lightweight grippers aren't as good and I don't think I'll get more than 3 seasons out of them, but the core is just fantastic.

When they're on sale I just grab a couple and add them to the rotation.
Never tried the core ones, I will do so on your recommendation. I'm doing lots of kilometres so every little bit helps.

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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby march83 » Sun Apr 22, 2018 7:56 pm

I have 2 pairs of core bibs still in the rotation that must be almost as old as Rapha themselves.

Belly68
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby Belly68 » Wed May 09, 2018 5:03 pm

I have a pair of Ground Effect Ringleaders about 3 years old, a hole developed in the stiching, I made contact with Ground Effect and they to my amazement asked that I send them over to NZ for repair. I covered the cost 1 way and they did the return. The knicks arrived home today and they look brand new. Yes they are not the cheapest, but they are the most comfortable I have ever worn and their after sales service is the best. I won't wear anything else now!!

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MichaelB
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby MichaelB » Thu May 10, 2018 8:23 am

As an interest, I looked up the GE Ringleaders. AU$195 means they are not cheap, but come with this ;

Three Month ‘Free’ Trial. Ride the Ringleaders (hard) and if they don’t blow you away, return them to us within 90 days for a full refund.

Can't argue with that !!

AndyRevill
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby AndyRevill » Fri Sep 07, 2018 6:29 pm

Thought I'd revive this rather than a new thread as I'm in the market. My two year old Rapha Classics have suffered stitching failure in two places around the pad. I contacted Rapha about the possibility of a repair and their response was:

Unfortunately due to the age of the shorts the lycra fibres would have changed with wear and tear so to offer a repair would not be possible as it may end up damaging the outside of the shorts.

What we can offer instead is a voucher for 40% of the value of an equal or equivalent replacement. To offer this we need an order number for the purchase or a receipt as proof of purchase.


They have to their credit offered me an 80 pound discount on a replacement set. However, I'm not convinced I really want to go down that road as while I think the quality of the lycra is awesome I've never quite been fully comfortable with the pad on long rides. I know they've updated it but I'm still leaning towards a change. I've particularly been looking at options with more endurance orientated pads as I've been doing more longer and multi-day rides. So far I've ended up with a shortlist of three which are:

PedalEd - attractive as they're endurance focussed and linked with several long distance events
RedWhite - same as above
Ground Effect - I've been impressed with their gear in the past, a 30 day trial and good reviews

They're all around the same price delivered and the same as Rapha replacements with the discount. Anyone have any experience of the above, thoughts to add or others to throw into the mix? (might as well be completely confused :D )

Cheers,
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Zippy7
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby Zippy7 » Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:40 pm

Hey Andy,
Just be aware that the credit can be used to purchase anything on the rapha website - sale items included (and a credit voucher normally means free shipping included) :)
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AndyRevill
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby AndyRevill » Sat Sep 08, 2018 10:51 am

Zippy7 wrote:Hey Andy,
Just be aware that the credit can be used to purchase anything on the rapha website - sale items included (and a credit voucher normally means free shipping included) :)
Thanks, I did wonder :-)
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march83
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby march83 » Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:29 pm

I recently got 2 pairs of Rule XIV's cheapest knicks for about $90 through sportpursuit. Sizing very much on the smaller end of the scale and the leg length is not generous but they are fabulously comfortable.

Tempted to go and grab another couple of pairs in the next size up with the hope that they might be longer in the leg without being too big. As it is though, not a great pair of knicks for summer if they're going to expose an inch of virgin, un-tanned thigh to the hot, hot sun...

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rodneycc
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby rodneycc » Wed Sep 12, 2018 9:45 pm

Yeah gotta go the Rapha bibs with that discount I reckon. Only thing that comes close are the Assos ones which don't last long either but easily the best bibs by a mile those two brands.

Go another set of Classics rather than saving a bit on the Core as well is my tip.
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jaseyjase
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby jaseyjase » Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:56 am

Another vote for Rapha

Ive owned their classic, lightweight, pro team, and core range of bibs.

As others have mentioned, purchasing during their sales it really is hard to get better value.

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MichaelB
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby MichaelB » Thu Sep 13, 2018 12:56 pm

I'd be interested in trying some of the Rapha ones if the discount made them affordable, but the problem is I don't wanna be labelled as a Rapha-ile :-)

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P!N20
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby P!N20 » Thu Sep 13, 2018 1:18 pm

jaseyjase wrote:Another vote for Rapha

Ive owned their classic, lightweight, pro team, and core range of bibs.

As others have mentioned, purchasing during their sales it really is hard to get better value.
Better stock up, Jase: http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... 3#p1461003

AndyRevill
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby AndyRevill » Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:09 am

I agree, with the discount the Raphas would be attractive but as I said, I've never quite been 100% with the pad, I know they've changed it but it's still an unknown. There are also a few comments around quality control recently.

Still can't make up my mind, though the GE 90 day "like or return" offer is pretty tempting

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hamishm
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby hamishm » Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:33 am

I've been riding the GE Ringleaders for almost 10 years. They're great, and I ride 200km days regularly (and have been known to ride a 450km day a few times.) Occasionally I've tried others and never been happy, like Sugoi and Hincapie.

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MichaelB
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby MichaelB » Wed Oct 03, 2018 2:30 pm

Well, a pair of GE Ringleaders are on their way.

It was prompted by the chamois insert in my last lot of bargain Santini's folding themselves in half - have given decent service for last 12 months (not bad for special price of $50, but not brilliant).

With Discount coupon, net cost was NZD$195 (AU$178) delivered. Lets see how they go. The 90 day free trial was what swayed me :D

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tallywhacker
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby tallywhacker » Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:24 am

let you guys in on a secret.
I have never bought at their full price. I usually buy 4 pairs at a time and toss them after a year. They are a really nice weight lycra and given the price you guys pay for the name brand gear I'm laughing.

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MichaelB
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby MichaelB » Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:25 pm

tallywhacker wrote:let you guys in on a secret.
I have never bought at their full price. I usually buy 4 pairs at a time and toss them after a year. They are a really nice weight lycra and given the price you guys pay for the name brand gear I'm laughing.
Meh. If that works for you, great. I've tried that route a few times, and had no success.

I'm not a brand guy, but happily pay a fair price.

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AUbicycles
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby AUbicycles » Fri Oct 05, 2018 12:03 am

Comfort is also a combinatipn of seat choice (suitability, width) and fit.

For review I have some PAS Normal knicks and top... very comfortable following the first ride. Some DHB Aeron ‘LAB’ knicks also reviewed got good marks while Champion Systems don’t do it for me... a single piece of foam with no apparent layers or contours were immediately uncomfortable.

I have some older Ground Effect 3/4 knicks that are usually good but paired with a fizik Arione saddle on the MTB (I know, bad combo... and I need to replace it) they don’t work that well... while other knicks are better.

If the cheap knicks work... go for it. That is the beauty of it.
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MichaelB
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby MichaelB » Fri Oct 05, 2018 9:04 am

AUbicycles wrote:Comfort is also a combination of seat choice (suitability, width) and fit.

......
And preference - some prefer thin pads, and some prefer a nice thick one. Interestingly, I have a range of thicknesses and they work well for different rides. The quality of the pad can also make a big difference.

Even with plenty of in-built padding :? of my own, I tend to prefer a thicker pad :)

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MichaelB
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby MichaelB » Tue Dec 11, 2018 6:11 pm

MichaelB wrote:Well, a pair of GE Ringleaders are on their way
.......
Lets see how they go. The 90 day free trial was what swayed me :D
Bugger. Oh well, they didn’t work for me, so going back they are.
Great materials and well made, but just don’t work for my tush.

Oh well ...

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g-boaf
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Re: Which new comfy bib?

Postby g-boaf » Tue Dec 11, 2018 7:40 pm

Got another pair of Rapha bibs before Sydney closed down. Pro Team Bib Shorts - they are damn comfortable. I like the minimal look of them too, just plain colours, minimal logos.
AUbicycles wrote:For review I have some PAS Normal knicks and top... very comfortable following the first ride.
For the price, they should be nothing less than absolutely perfect. Very expensive. :shock:
tallywhacker wrote:let you guys in on a secret.
I have never bought at their full price. I usually buy 4 pairs at a time and toss them after a year. They are a really nice weight lycra and given the price you guys pay for the name brand gear I'm laughing.

I'll let you in on a secret, when you are doing the amount of kms I'm doing - you'll pay happily for quality kit. I have a few other little tricks as well. Assos does a very good chamois cream - quite a bit better than the others I've seen. And they also have another product that seems to work pretty well after your ride. It really does work.

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