Hi Amanda,
My brand of choice is Kucharik. I go with them because I use their chamois-less shorts. Their Spandex is comfortable and lasts a long time. They do have shorts and bibs with chamois pads for those who don’t ride recumbents. I hope you find something.

I have had many different, I would say it is very personal. That said, I recently discovered https://theblackbibs.com/ For $40.00 they feel like bibs I’ve paid $175 for. I just ordered two more pair, and am aiming to have seven pair by July.

ElevenPine has been a recent favorite of mine. Bought my first pair at their expo booth in Council Bluffs 2019, and I’ve gone back for several more items. Quality is definitely there. Small business, great service.

Hello All,
I’ve been wearing Bellwether so long, I can’t remember how/when I first came upon them.
I now have them exclusively; MTB undershorts / gel shorts, bibs, knickers and tights.
Their newest bib line, “Volta”, is excellent.
Can’t speak for their women’s line but the men’s line hit the mark for me.

I ordered 2 pair of Bellwether this week. I am a tad nervous if I will like them but I did like the that they are offered in 6 in inseam. 5 is too short and 8 is too long!

I took stevecycles200 advice and ordered bibs from https://theblackbibs.com/ I ordered their $80 bibs and my wife just wanted to try their $35 shorts. It only took a couple of days to come in and the looks, fit and feel are very good. Don’t know how they do on a ride, the single digit temps will keep that from happening for a bit.

I have a pair of Primal bib shorts that I somehow snagged for $55 on Amazon. Hands down so much better than anything else I’ve ridden in. I’m cheap and I’d be reluctant to pay full price ($180), but they are magical.

I had problems with the Black Bibs. I had a pair of bibs I bought from them that were basically threadbare in less than a year in spots. I contacted their customer service and they were dismal in handling my concerns.
They went as far to argue that the areas that wore were because of my body rubbing on the saddle / bike, and the wear was at the nape of the back and on the front of the thigh. Insulting and a waste of my time. The product was comfortable, I will give them that, but don’t expect much from it.

Big fan of Pearl Izumi. They have 25% off sales from time to time and I can snag shorts for like $37.50 each. I ride almost daily and have found that 2 pairs of short will last about 5 years…. I think that’s a great bargain!

Biemme, made in Italy. About $150 for the bibs. As a male I have some requirements. Pactimo (USA . Consumer direct) in 2nd place for me. Voler, Blackbibs, Primal, PI just not as snug where I want them to be. Females, listen to females about what they like.

Thanks for the info, guys! I was hoping for a little female input but I appreciated all the comments. Have a great day

Neopro. They aren’t super expensive, and they are the most comfortable I’ve found so far. The bibs are not gendered, as a result, well designed to fit a wider variety of shapes and sizes than a lot of brands. You do have to follow their size guide closely though, can’t just buy your “normal” size.

If you like fun prints and great comfort/padding, check out WildCycler! Not cheap but you can watch for sales. They had some great Black Friday deals last year. They’ve also set up along the RAGBRAI route in past years…that’s how my team discovered them.

What did Pearl iZumi change?

Pearl, unfortunately, went the “minimal acceptable” route.

Was a big fan of them for a decade. Their bibs were a reasonable price, solid quality, and got at least 2 or 3 seasons before the pad was shot. This was, eh, 2000-2015 for me. Right around that time, the next sets of shorts I got I thought were Factory Seconds. Stitching was sloppy, pad was crap, the material was thin. Clearly 2nd rate quality. I figured I got a pair of duds that should have been in the discount bin. Destroyed them in a season. Next year, same thing! That was the last chance.

Now, grated, this isn’t their 250.00 price tier. This was more like the stuff that retails for 125. But for that price, the lower-end of a lot of the Italian brands are in the same range, as well as the mid-high end of a lot of smaller companies.

So, long story short: they’re not the bang-for-the-buck they used to be. BUT: if they fit you, and fit you, then so be it.

See you in July.
-Chris

I totally agree with you. I LOVED my Pearl Izumi’s, but lost enough weight that I needed a smaller size, and the new ones have thinner fabric, the stitching is lower quality, and the chamois is just a flat padding. So disappointing. Especially for the price. Still looking for a reasonably priced alternative.

This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by Kelly Puster.